7 November 2007
Times of India

As a Diwali gift to Mumbai, the irrepressible Shiamak Davar is giving the city 'I Believe'… a song-and-dance theatre extravaganza the likes of which has not been even fantasised here before. This is not a distinguished Zubin Mehta tapping his baton before the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at Homi Baba. Or a sexy Shakira shaking her hips at the MMRDA grounds.

This is Shiamak and the Hollywood Latin dance sensation Katya Virshilas (of Take The Lead fame with Antonio Banderas) in a live and pulsating, two hour thriller packed with 18 rocking songs, backed by 250 dancers in dazzling costumes, and infused by spectacular visual effects, larger-than-life sets, enormous animated puppets, light projections and music ranging from Indian fusion, broadway, Latin and pop to jazz, rock, hip-hop, Bollywood and Hollywood.

The dancing, naturally, will be top-notch with Shiamak leading his dancers and the lovely Katya in a stage-blazing choreography of the Indo-Jazz movement he pioneered years ago. "Theatre was dead in Mumbai, I felt the need to revive it, that's why I came up with the idea of this brand new show," Shiamak explained. He calls it 'I Believe' because when he was starting off in the 1980s, nobody believed in him and his dream of becoming the guru of contemporary dance in India, so he had to go the distance alone. "If you believe in yourself, there is nothing you cannot do," he said earnestly.

Happily for him, the Aditya Birla Group believes that Shiamak is a world-class entertainer and was proud to help him demonstrate his versatile vision and exciting talents through this show.

Neerja Birla, producer of 'I Believe' and chairperson of the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, explained this conviction by saying, "Few people realise their own worth and still fewer get opportunity to showcase it."

The 'I Believe' shows are slated to be held at the NCPA Jamshed Bhabha auditorium, Nariman Point from November 12 to 18. Tickets are being sold at the venue and also at Rhythm House in Kala Ghoda and St. Andrews auditorium in Bandra.

"It's a fun show, pure entertainment for the entire family, better than any broadway production, paisa vasool, what more can I say," asks an excited Shiamak Davar waiting for the curtain to go up. What more, indeed!