Alzheimer is one of the most psychologically and emotionally distressing diseases, especially for family members and loved ones who have to watch the disease strip memories. According to the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 Facts and Figures report, approximately 5.1 million people age 65 and older suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, which means one out of every eight in this age range have Alzheimer’s (the rate is much higher for those over 85).

Although this crippling disease is so prevalent in our elderly, few artists are inspired to take on such a difficult subject in their work. However, contemporary dance choreographer Kyle Abraham is doing just that in his award winning “The Radio Show,” performed by his company Abraham.In.Motion. On March 31, 2012, South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (SMDCAC) is bringing his show to Miami audiences.

In “The Radio Show,” Abraham investigates Alzheimer’s Disease and the discontinuation of the radio stations Hot 106.7 FM WAMO and its sister station AM 860, the only urban radio stations in Pittsburgh. The short works within the larger performance mix recordings of classical soul and hip-hop with contemporary classical compositions by Ryoji Ikeda and Alva Noto to explore personal history, memory and the voice these urban radio stations allowed the African American community. Aphasia, an inability to produce and understand speech, is caused by Alzheimers and, in this case, the demise of the radio stations. This loss of voice permeates a performance that strives to create a new language for this absence.

Janine Parker of the Boston Globe wrote, “Watching Abraham dance alone is deeply moving … Abraham is something of an emotional chameleon.” Throughout the past few years, Abraham received tremendous accolades and awards for his dancing and choreography, including a 2010 Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance for his work in “The Radio Show,” along with a 2010 Princess Grace Award for Choreography, a BUILD grant and an individual artist fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts. In 2009, he was honored as one of Dance Magazine’s 25 To Watch. Likewise, his company of dancers has been praised.

This performance is not a “feel-good” show, but this risk makes it all the more important for audiences. One of art’s greatest potentials is to encourage and aid discussion around taboo subjects, subjects so essential and human that they touch places we don’t want to visit. Abraham’s “The Radio Show” has the possibility to generate dialogue about this disease.

Saturday, March 31 at 8 p.m. at South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 S.W. 211 St., Cutler Bay. Tickets are $25, $15, $10. Five dollar tickets are available on CultureShockmiami.com for students ages 13-22. A discount of $5 off orchestra level seats for students, seniors and active military service members is also available. Call 786-573-5300 or visit www.smdcac.org for ticket information.