Expect a whirlwind of Bollywood song and dance routines interspersed with high drama; contemporary choreography; pulsating music; and more than 50 scene changes, as Eastern Moves Productions’ Dance with me Baby again takes centre stage at Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World from Sunday, 3 to Sunday, 10 January.
Dance with Me Baby was the sell-out success staged in 2009 by Durban producer and choreographer, Shivani Kara, and colleague, Bhavnesh Narotam.
This time the 150-minute production charts the highs and lows of human emotion and love over four distinct show segments: love; sorrow; party; and marriage. It is a bigger, flashier production with 56 dance routines, compared to its predecessor’s 30.
Audiences will be taken on a rollercoaster as the cast of 62 perform to musical interludes ranging from 60s Indian favourites to up-to-the-minute pop songs. The main body of the show is made up of 28 dance items, says Kara.
“The Love (Sayaa) segment features heart-wrenching melodies and captures the feelings of first love. It’s about feeling every emotion, the heart’s first flutter; the first touch; and first kiss,” she says.
Sorrow, on the other hand, sums up the conflicting emotions of unrequited love and the experiences of lovers who are torn apart from each other.
Shivani then take this up a notch with the Party segment, which features the energetic, feel-good music popular among youngsters today. It is followed by the Marriage segment celebrating traditional customs like the Henna Day and the pre-wedding Sanjee party.
It all ends with a grand finale sequence comprising a medley of 23 different songs, from the likes of Kishore Kumar and Rajesh Khanna of the 1960’s to the present.
For those not familiar with the Bollywood genre or Indian music, there is a 12-minute dance tribute to Michael Jackson, which Kara says reproduces the late singer’s most popular music videos to perfection on-stage. Expect Thriller; Beat It; The Way You Make Me Feel; Smooth Criminal; and more.
Kara is well-known to local audiences, having staged the popular East Meets West Fashion Fusion Dance Spectacular in both Durban and Johannesburg recently, as well as the sell-out debut of Dance with me Baby in both cities in 2009. She also designed the costumes for her shows.
The self-confessed 'slave driver' has since late October 2009 been whipping her cast of 62 dancers into shape, with rehearsals held daily at the Playhouse studios in Mayville for between four and 15 hours a day.
Added to the show’s total package is a special guest dance slot by popular
Lotus FM jock Varshan Sookhun, whom Kara has been grooming for nearly two months in preparation for his first on-stage dance performance.
Sookhun will be joined by Kara herself in a rare return to the stage. She’s had little time to perform for the past six years in between all her producing; teaching; and directing.
Dance with Me Baby… Again has caught the attention of Sony Entertainment Television Asia. This channel will be airing this event internationally.
Dance with Me Baby…Again is two and a half hours long with a 20 minute interval.
It runs in a fully air-conditioned marquee at Suncoast. Seating is reserved, with tickets now available at Computicket and the Suncoast box office. Prices are R120 for the first five rows or R100 for other seats.