"Autistic is Artistic" Project concepts

For this performance, we are aiming to explore several themes, which define some of the characteristics of autism and use Kathak to portray these in a dance and theatrical way.

Sensory themes
Sight – some individuals with autism react differently to various forms and colours of light. The dance stage will be divided into using different forms of light; one half using dim lighting and second half using flashing colours and using dance in both of these lights to display reactivity to these.

Sound – some individuals with autism do not like loud noises, while others prefer specific sounds. Using live musical compositions, we will experiment with loud and quiet sounds and some prominent elements of Kathak such as footwork and exaggerate the sounds our bells on ankles to portray this.

Touch - some individuals with autism are fond of very close interactions, while others opt to stray away from social interaction. Here, we will use a group of dancers to portray close social interactions while an individual solo dancer will display how they like to be alone and display repetitive behaviours.

Obsessions & routines theme
Some children with autism tend to get ‘stuck’ on a topic of interest having it become an obsessive or all absorbing interest. We can use dance and music to show a repetition of a particular movement and footwork pattern and progressively this becomes a pattern amongst a few dancers.

The symbol for autism is the jigsaw puzzle. We aim to use this notion of the jigsaw puzzle to demonstrate some of the complexities of autism. ‘The puzzle piece itself represents the complexity and mysteriousness of the disorder. The different colors represent the different colors and backgrounds of people affected.’

We propose to have 8 dance pieces through out the show, with each dance piece demonstrating a characteristic of autism based around the themes mentioned above.

To use the concept of puzzle pieces, we hope to incorporate the use of symbols that are placed somewhere within the stage decor to tie all the performances and something to bring it all together.

Exhibition:

We aim to hold the exhibition throughout the day and after the show for members of the audience to see. Display – art work created by children with autism Photographs of individuals with autism, inc. both children, adults and families of these individuals. Display educational videos on autism & slide shows. House stalls for NAS, BOAT and perhaps other mental health organizations.