Siyawasaka Ridmaya - a fiesta of dance and music
Nayomini - R Weerasooriya
In an era bursting with vanity and self-promotion, Siyawasaka Ridmaya,
presented by the students of the Deaf & Blind School of Ratmalana at the
Ladies College hall,came as a soul-satisfying evening filled with music,
dance and rhythm. The evening was flavoured not with pity but with
exuberance and celebration because the visually and sight impaired
children had so much to give, share and tell the rest of us that they
too could be the child next door, the dancing star, the powerful voice
behind the mike.
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Dance items |
The momentum generated by the visually challenged children dancing on
the stage, hit a high note when the audience, politely reminded by the
compere , raised their hands in earnest applause instead of clapping. It
was a moment that would always stay in my mind.
Siyawasaka Ridmaya, the centenary concert celebrating the founding of
the Deaf & Blind School at Ratmalana, turned out to be exactly the kind
of evening it promised to be.
Not a pity party for differently abled children but one that
showcased the talents of their students in perfect rhythm, flawless
motion and absolute harmony. It did not matter that the hearing impaired
students could not hear the music they were moving so beautifully to -
no one knew until the compere reminded everyone that they were in fact
dancing to a tempo they could not hear but one that god put in their
hearts.
Each performance must have been challenging for the students and the
dedicated teachers who taught them to sing and dance but in the end, it
took your breath away and brought tears to your eyes - not because they
lacked sight or hearing the rest of us take for granted but because the
movements and the performances conveyed their desire to sing and to
dance, just like children and youngsters everywhere. It was impossible
to think that they could not hear or see - the motions were so perfect,
the tempo so accurate.
In their earnest desire to perform so beautifully, they gave the
audience the kind of feel-good experience that made spending a Friday
evening in their company a truly worthwhile occasion.
Each act had been tirelessly coached and perfected by devoted
teachers whose belief in the talent of their students, it seemed,never
wavered. What they lacked in terms of being challenged by limited or
non-existent faculties we take so easily for granted, they made up with
fervor, commitment and elegance.
The young hearing impaired boys dressed smartly like any other boy
band, danced their hearts out to the famous Bollywood tune of Doom
Machale- they could not hear the catchy tune but in their hearts, they
had captured the perfect rhythm of their hero Hrithik Roshen, the star
of Doom. A hearing impaired girl performed a flawless solo dance to yet
another popular tune. They could not hear but we could and we lifted our
hands as high we can to show them that the applause was indeed
thunderous.
Siyawasaka Ridmaya was not a mere show of talent - it confirmed to
everyone that there is a wealth of god given abilities inside each of
us. Nurtured right and motivated right, talent can rise up inside each
one, irrespective of their limitations.
The visually challenged children presented a drama that captured the
essence of what it is like to be pitied, ignored and challenged in a
society that assumes a lot and takes everything for granted. No, they do
not want our pity nor our welfare that stems from a well of pity inside.
They want recognition and respect - for their talents and abilities,
just like we all do. They want to play, dance, sing and do what children
everywhere do. And they can - the barriers to them leading fruitful
lives, it seems, exist mostly in our heads.
There were many generous donors and well -wishers without whom the
children could not have presented such a magnificent show. The costumes
were fabulous and the acts timed well - it could only have been a labour
of love for the teachers and the staff of the school who took the time
and believed in what they could do and presented a magnificent show that
was second to none. |