Mind-blowing Choreography From 11-Year Olds at Hirana, Panadura-by Mayura Botejue
Source:Thuppahis
HIRANA KANISHTA VIDYALAYA CONCERT: I attended this concert on Friday (Jan 17) staged at the Panadura Town Hall and it literally blew me away!
Hirana (where I live) has emerged from a village status to a small town that adjoins Panadura. I have befriended many of the locals and occasionally stop by to chat with a couple who live with their extended family (home by my walking trail). During a recent visit, one of the granddaughters (cute kid) asked me to come to her school concert that she and her siblings were taking part in. I said sure, thinking that the matter would be soon forgotten. Not so! The talk spread that I was coming and they notified my ‘man Friday’ that they had bought a ticket for me. Okay, so no big deal. It will be at the Hirana Primary School located nearby and I could make the time to attend this small concert staged at the school premises. I received the ticket and it indicated location – Panadura Town Hall.
So, I went! After the typical laborious Sri Lanka cultural preliminaries, the concert commenced.
The stagecraft related tech was impressive, the costumes dazzling and choreography wonderful.
There was plenty of variety. Apart from the typical SL Kandyan dance routines and acts that covered SL cultural narratives (rice farmer scenes, Sara the farmer with gun slung over his shoulder), there was a drama in Tamil, another with girls in grass skirts that mimicked Bali or Tahiti, a Bollywood dance routine, a Hip Hop music and dance routine and a rock music and dance routine.
The teachers conducted the show and schoolkids made announcements of the upcoming drama in Sinhala and English. Note that these primary school kids are under 11 years old. I was simply amazed and full of admiration for the organizers.
Part way through the show, the Lady Principal of the school spoke and offered praised to her teaching staff for their hard work and dedication. The teachers organized the event, created and choreographed the performance routines and selected and coached the children. The Principal said that these teachers lacked specialized skills in dance, drama and stagecraft.
I learned later that the school raised the funds to stage this impressive event by seeking donations from local businesses and philanthropists. The school has filmed the concert and plan to post it on YouTube and the school Facebook site.
Hirana Kanishta Vidyalaya (Primary School) students with age range 5-10 years old and 230 in number are from families that belong to the lower income demographic group. Use of the Internet and social media is common among them. The teachers surf the Internet to gain ideas for creating performances.
This is a microcosm of the national education system. Go Sri Lanka!
