♦ The stage looked as if a bevy of swans had descended, swaying gracefully to the music of Chopin and Strauss and engaging the audience such that they couldn’t look away. 

Budding ballerinas of the AB Block-based multi-activity centre Busy Bee had performed at BD Block’s Laban Hrad Mancha for their annual function recently. The event was held in collaboration with Rhythmosaic, the south Calcutta-based ballet school, whose instructors teach the students. 

To the layman, ballet means dancing on tiptoes but the ballerinas said that was for advanced learners. “That also requires wooden shoes. We have just been learning for about three years and so are still balancing on our toes and the edge of our feet,” said Aastha Burman, of Class IV, who was one of the lead dancers in her group. 

“Ballet is about smart postures, about creating straight lines with the limbs and about points,” said one of the instructors, Kathika Sengupta. “For instance, whenever a leg is extended, the toes must point outwards. A classical dance form like this is the basis of hip hop, locking and popping and all other fads of today.”

Ditsa Dey, of Class VII, was keen to spread word about the dance form. “Indian classical dances are always performed at school functions but for my school’s annual day I choreographed a ballet recital and everyone loved it,” smiled the girl dressed in red leotard and tutu. 

The audience at Laban Hrad Mancha loved it too. “Our granddaughter Ishana had performed at last year’s show too but she was new then and was positioned at the back of the stage. This year she has said she will be in front,” beamed Itu and Pijush Paul, seated in the front row for the best view.

One of the directors of the institute, Anindita Basu, said interest in the dance form was growing by leaps and bounds since they started the lessons three years ago. “Animated films like Frozen and Barbie play a huge role in influencing girls to start ballet. We have 10 batches now, of around 80 girls, out of which five are stage-ready and performed today,” she said.

In rhythm

♦ Taal Betaal, a cultural school based out of Falguni Abasan, celebrated its annual function at BD Block’s Laban Hrad Mancha. Founded by Ditipriya Sarkar around two years back, the school has a vast range of students, from kids to adults, enthusiastic about dance, recitation and drama. 

This event had about 20 participants and was divided into two segments. The first had a dance collage depicting the monsoon, and two other dance items accompanied by poetry. The kids also put up folk dance.

The second segment had in store an audio drama, adapted from Rabindranath Tagore’s Grihaprabesh. “We had practised for about four months to make this programme a success. It was quite a tough job putting together all the bits and pieces and making sure nothing went wrong, but at the end it was all worth it,” smiled Sarkar, herself a dancer. 

“I like dancing and have been leaning how to dance from a young age,” said Anusakha Das, a resident of Purbachal and a student of Taal Betaal. “I study in Class 6 but never has dance hampered my studies or my exams.”

The audience liked the show too. “I have an acquaintance in this school and she invited me to come. It is great to see kids and adults share the stage,” said Sukrit Munshi of AE Block.

Shreya Chatterjee
 

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