Children of Bubble Blue sang, danced, acted and even performed karate at Nazrul Tirtha recently. The occasion was their eighth annual function, Udaan, for which about 250 students had come from their Salt Lake, New Town as well as Narendrapur branches.
There were classical dances like the opening Swagatam, western dances to numbers like Waka waka and Chak de India, skits with morals and martial arts display where kids showed their moves as well as broke slabs with their chops.
“I had done karate on stage last year too but I couldn’t break the brick back then. Instead of being upset about it, I learnt from my mistake and this year I broke it in one go. Not just that, even my teacher broke a slab by smashing it on my thigh,” said Swapnil Sinha, a nine-year-old who lives in Highland Woods. “I also sang in the chorus for So long farewell and danced to the song Ashayein.”
Backstage the teachers, led by the head of the institute Nabonita Bose Mukherjee, had their hands full pacifying crying kids and going over last-minute instructions. “Teaching this age group is very tiring. Grace and movement come later; our first obstacle is complaints like: ‘Auntie she’s hitting me’ and ‘Aunty he’s pulling my hair’,” laughed Mita Mukherjee, the dance teacher at Salt Lake’s DB Block branch.
Parents were delighted to see their kids on stage. “I’m very happy with my daughter Saanvi learning new skills . She stays busy with activities. I’m proud of her,” said Priti Choudhury, a resident of Rail Vihar in New Town.
Brinda Sarkar
