The students managed to raise over Dh50,000 for underprivileged children through the show.
More then 500 people attended the Kaleidoscope show performed by students, including determined ones, to collect funds and support under-privileged children living in foster homes in Sri Lanka.
Dubai-based International Association for Human Values (IAHV) and students, who had completed a variety of courses at the Art of Living, put up a two-hour spell-binding performance at the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium within the Indian High School, Dubai. The students managed to raise over Dh50,000 for underprivileged children through the show.
The programme was a culmination of an intensive three-week workshop by an Indian director, Anshumali Ruparel (Darshali Arts, Bombay, India), who has over 38 years of theatre experience in India and overseas. Over 40 youngsters took to the stage - some for the first time - and learnt a variety of skills that went beyond mere acting and dancing.
Raksha Patel, coordinator of the event, said: "The foster home in Sri Lanka was built at the time of tsunamis to accommodate orphans and later on, it started giving shelter to children who suffered abuse, or whose parents were in jail. This foster home, which has around 100 boys and girls (in separate sections), now needs some repairs due to the incessant rains in the country. We also want to buy them a minibus." Kaleidoscope comprised of carefully designed segments with powerful messages from various facets of Indian culture and village life. A skit performed by the students demonstrated a deaf, dumb and blind child come together to solve a tragic situation which goes on to prove that challenged people are blessed with a sharpened sixth sense that is often not used to its optimum. Three short segments demonstrated the theory aspects of drama that children had learnt over three weeks.
A demonstration depicted how humans can even replace inanimate props such as furniture, lamps and windows etc to create a stage setting. In another, an entire village was brought to life by rural folk such as a potter, an ironmonger, an open air school etc to show that a play needs very little to come to life.
Showcasing the richness of India's diversity in dance and culture was a mesmerising kathak based semi-classical dance and a song in which two dancers dressed in both male and female outfits put up a humorous dance based on the colourful Indian festival of Holi.
Apart from a ramp walk by the participants, another heart touching performance was a depiction of a woman's journey - from a girl, to student, to wife and mother - embracing each stage to emerge confident as she comes full circle.
"This was the fourth edition of the show and the first time that they contributed for those in need outside of the UAE. In the previous three editions, we had supported the determined ones by donating the proceeds of the show of over Dh50,000 each year... At the end of these shows, these eight- to 18-year-olds emerge confident, self-aware and are made to feel empowered to help the lesser privileged as they truly understand what it means to belong to the "one world family," concluded Patel.
SOURCE : KHALEEJTIMES