Dubai: In a first, 50 lady doctors from India, who have been frontline COVID-19 warriors in the UAE, will perform a fusion dance to salute the country’s resilience and commemorate its 50th anniversary. All these doctors are from the Indian state of Kerala. Organisers of the event announced this at a press conference in Dubai on Monday.
Titled ‘Naseej,’ a cultural tapestry, the fusion dance event will be held on the main stage of Global Village at 7pm on March 13, said Dr Sirajudeen P Moideen, director of MeDeCON International Events, an event management company run by doctors in the UAE.
He said the firm, which has been hosting scientific events, is holding a cultural programme for the first time due to its unique nature.
Dr George Joseph, the organising committee chairman, said women doctors aged between 25 and 60 are part of the group. “They are working in various specialities and come from all the emirates.”
Dr Nita Salam, who ideated the concept, said the doctors decided to come together after two years of lull in their social life due to the pandemic. “Most of us have been quite active in the cultural field through our social circles, but COVID-19 put a stop to that. We were a bit depressed about that. We had decided to hold the event in December last year, to coincide with the UAE Golden Jubilee celebrations, but had to hold it for two months due to the [COVID-19] infections.”
Interlacing of cultures
She said ‘Naseej’ means interlacing of cultures and the doctors have chosen dances of the desert from this region and India. “It will be a fusion dance of Khaleeji (Arabic/Emirati style) and Ghoomar (Rajasthani folk dance from India),” she explained.
Dr Sajitha Prasad, convenor of the event, said some of the doctors are professionally trained and had performed in their medical schools back in India, while the remaining ones are amateurs. “But, everyone has been very dedicated to make this a success. We have faced many challenges, including positive cases among the doctors and busy schedules of some of them. Yet, everyone tried not to miss the rehearsals which we did over Zoom and also in person.”
The fusion dance has been choreographed by Anupama Pillai, wife of Dr Praveen Nair.
Felicitation ceremony
The doctors said they were thankful to the Global Village management for providing the main stage, reportedly for the first time, for an amateur group. “We are grateful that they have appreciated our work and agreed to facilitate the performance on the main stage where only professional performers with international exposure usually perform,” said Dr Salam.
The programme is supported by India Pavilion at the Global Village, which will host a felicitation ceremony after the performance on the main stage. The ceremony will be attended by diplomats from Indian Consulate in Dubai and cultural ambassadors from both India and the UAE.
