Widening the stage for aesthetic talents

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

Many of us believe that talent is an inborn quality. It is true that some children have a knack for creativity but research suggests that all kinds of creativity are more of a skill that needs to be developed to bloom to its full potential.

This is an important task that has been the centre of focus of the Education Ministry in recent times. Noting that academic excellence goes hand in hand with the enhancement of artistic talents, many local schools have taken the initiative of encouraging the students to pursue their aesthetic interests by organizing programmes to display their talents before the public. One such event is the recently concluded annual All Island Music and Drama Competition 2011.

Each school in the island was permitted to apply for three categories out of around 20 in the competition. The competition begins in the zonal level and those who clinch first place proceeds onto the provincial level competition. The participants had to win first place in the second competition too to make it to the all island event. Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo, enrolled for the Classical New Creations, Opera Style Drama and Classical Sitar Solo and attained the rare feat of winning first place in all three events.

Around eight schools competed in the Classical New Creations with the Devians and Opera Style Drama finals while about five students played the sitar before the jury at the Classical Sitar Solo finals.

“We used to clinch solo items at the past competitions though we won our first group event in 2010. This is the first time we won first place in all the three events that we took part. It is a rare circumstance,” said the school’s Eastern Music teacher Shiromi Weerasinghe.

“Another specialty about this competition is that each of the participants gets two points added to their G C E Advanced Level grades while applying for university. The students were very enthusiastic to take part in the productions and they are thrilled about the triumph,” she explained.

Amandya Uthpalie Vidhuri Pabasara

Around 30 Devians took part in the competition. They competed with girls’ schools, boys’ schools and mixed schools across the island. The team had to choose a theme for their production in the Classical New Creation segment. Students from grade nine to 13 took part in the item. Their Sinhala teacher Kusum Poddhiwala scripted the song based on the goddess Paththini.

“A lot of schools choose to revolve their classical creations around goddess Saraswathi and god Kataragama. We wanted to try out something different. The music derives from the Bageshri raga. We were not allowed to present the item we did in 2010,” said Amadya Uthpalie.

Amadya is one of the members of the troupe who had taken part in last year’s competition as well. She said that the competition was tougher this year as some of the other schools were well prepared.

“Practice, dedication and determination got us there. We had a lot of well wishers,” she mused.

The opera style drama that the team presented too was scripted by Poddhiwala.

It was a story sung in verses by background singers and was based on a story in which a child gets lost in a forest and is captured by a gang of thieves. The leader of the gang decides to keep the child with them at first but later puts himself in the shoes of the child’s parents and decides to return her to them. Sakitha Ratnayake was the teacher in charge of the production.

Teachers in charge of the project: Kusum Poddhiwala, Sakitha Ratnayake, Shiromi Weerasinghe and Anomajee Rajapakse

The Opera Style Drama troupe

The Classical New Creation troupe

“Students from grade six to 13 took part in this event. We began practices quite early and by the time the competitions were coming up we have perfected most of the difficult aspects. I believed that is what spelled our success,” Vidhuri Pabasara Wickramasinghe enthused.

All the costumes for the three events were designed by the school’s art teacher Anomajee Rajapakse.

She even prepared the stage sets and props for the productions with the help of the students.

Sasi Pabasara Kumarage of grade 13 topped the Classical Sitar solo category in the competition.

She said that it has been a tough competition but she managed to pull through due to her teacher and sitar master’s guidance.

“We were asked to play a raga at the finals. I was in the advanced section and had to perform the Bageshri raga,” she said adding that she had started off her musical stint with the violin.

“The event was a stepping stone for those who wanted to explore a repertoire that is more demanding and fulfilling. The girls got an opportunity to shine as well as to work in groups, grading each other’s strengths and weaknesses and combining their skills to make a stunning production,” said principal W D P K Samarasinghe.

Speaking about the after effects of the event Vidhuri revealed that they are already getting set for the 2012 competition.

“We hope to do a hat-trick in that too. We wish to thank everyone who contributed to our success,” she noted with a smile.