Dance Like A Man

Rangmanch Cincy

           Rangmanch is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Indian theatre in Cincinnati. Through a blend of classic and contemporary productions, multilingual performances, and educational initiatives, Rangmanch celebrates the richness of Indian theatrical traditions and fosters cultural exchange within the community.  Rangmanch has presented packed shows of celebrated Indian theater (“Kauon ki Paatshaala”, 2023; “Charandas Chor”, 2024; and “Padmashree Mister Darling”, 2025) and a dance ensemble (“Nritya Rang”, 2025). More information: https://www.facebook.com/share/14wzQEvVNPk/?mibextid=wwXIfr

NSPA

             Founded in 2004, NSPA is a non-profit organization that was founded for traditional teaching of Indian classical dance and sharing the rich cultural heritage of India.  The school has taught  more than 300 students across the Greater Cincinnati region and beyond. The school has held 15 formal dance debuts since 2010.

Today, NSPA has evolved into a dynamic cultural arts center and a leader in multicultural education, celebration, and collaboration in the Greater Cincinnati Area.  For example, NSPA launched World Dance 2009 in Cincinnati and the annual event has become a community tradition; 200+ Midwest artists representing 16 countries and 30 dance genres have participated.

“Dance Like a Man”

              “Dance” is a multi-layered masterpiece that explores the overarching role of expectations based on gender, society, socioeconomic status and other biases.

According to ChatGPT, the thought-provoking play evokes consideration of many questions: gendering of dance, or any form of art; balance of personal passion and societal/familial expectations; inter-generational values, even if well-intentioned; ego and ambition and their impact on relationships. Ultimately, “Dance” conveys that authentic self-expression is often stifled by rigid social structures, and that true freedom comes from breaking those barriers, even at personal cost.

“Dance” showcases the timeless splendor of Indian classical arts, even as the drama is set in contemporary Bengaluru with present-day issues.  The play is in English, and the universality of the compelling themes will resonate broadly.

Playwright – Mahesh Dattani

             Mahesh is an Indian director, actor, playwright and writer. He has written plays such as “Final Solutions”, “Bravely Fought the Queen”, and “On a Muggy Night in Mumbai”.

Mahesh is also a film director. His debut film was “Mango Souffle”, adapted from one of his plays. He also wrote and directed the acclaimed movie “Morning Raaga”.

He is the first playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award.

Director – Srinivas (Sri) Mirle, PhD                                                

           Sri has acted and directed in theatrical productions since his college days at IIT-BHU, Varanasi, India.  He acted in Theater at Lehigh productions such as August Strindberg’s “The Father” while pursuing his PhD in Polymer Science & Engineering at Lehigh University.  He was active with theater groups in the Washington DC area and appeared in “Kamala”, “Khamosh! Adalat Jaari Hai” and “Ballabpur Ki Roopkatha”.  He played a lead role in Mahesh Dattani’s “Final Solutions”, performed at the Smithsonian Institution.  He also directed Badal Sircar’s “Bhoma”, which had invited performances at the World Bank and at the University of Virginia.  He has been active in assisting with dance drama productions for NSPA.  He produced, directed and acted in “Unheard Voices”, presented at the South Asian Theater Festival 2014, Cincinnati and also performed at the University of Maryland.  He has written several short plays as well as the three-act play, “Bengaluru”. Most recently, he acted in “Kauon Ki Paatashaala” and “Charandas Chor” with  Rangmanch Cincy. He retired as Technical Director – Principal Scientist from P&G and works on individual/team self-growth as a Life Coach and a Trainer.

Choreography – Anupa Mirle, MBA, MFA   

            Anupa is the Founder and Executive Director of NSPA.  Anupa possesses an MFA in Dance, an MBA, and an MS in Chemistry, the latter of which brought her to Cincinnati to work for P&G before founding NSPA.  Her unique background in the arts and the sciences has helped her to develop powerful dance pieces exploring issues as varied as environment, smoking, and gender balance alongside a traditional dance  repertoire.

She has created and championed cross-cultural enrichment by numerous collaborations with museums, dance companies and arts entities such as Cincinnati Ballet. For example, she co-choreographed the Cincinnati Children’s Theater production of “The Jungle Book”.

Anupa has been recognized for her contributions by awards such as UNESCO (2006 Council of Dance), Ohio Arts Council (2013 Ohio Heritage Fellow) and Eye of the Artist (2015 Dada Rafiki).