Rhythms
The Kanthula Foundation Awards 2009 took place recently with enlivening performances from GCC Rolls 4 Soul spicing up the evening.
the State Youth Centre, Yavanika,the State’s Cultural destination hosted an evening that celebrated many firsts. The occasion was the International Students Awards Evening under the aegis of the city based, Kanthula Foundation, recently.
For some time now, this event has come to signify the tremendous work being done by host families in India and the bridges they have built with students from distant lands. The charitable organisation, guided by entrepreneur Shri Ravi Shankar of KK Corporations, Raymonds distributors for Karnataka State promotes academic excellence through the annual awards recognizing the achievements of international students during their sojourn in the south Asian sub continent.
There were plenty of positives from the evening. In what was a welcome change from the previous awards functions, GCC Roll for Soul Dance Academy, the in-house dance academy of Garden City College presented a lively dance medley that had the audience tapping their feet after the presentation.
The performance, a 30 minute non stop music and dance featured lively Bollywood hits, a variety of dance sequences and colourful costumes. Besides their dance artistry, it was refreshing that the troupe established an instant camaraderie with the audience.
The dance and musical treat began with the number, Bakhuda from the movie Kismat Konnection. The slow dance steps were well complemented by the choice of costumes –Lehenge cholis and kurtas. The accompanying diyas further enhanced the presentation showcasing India’s rich cultural traditions to a predominantly foreign audience.
The next item was Salaam E Ishq from the movie of the same title. The variations and innovative use of the famed Indian dandiyas provided a sure blend of traditional and contemporary lifestyles. The graceful steps of the artistes carried the day. The song from the Singh is King was also a hit with the crowd who by now seemed to be marching the artistes beat by beat. Thereafter, the catchy beats of Desi Girl from Dostana took centre stage. With the artistes clad in ghaghra and cholis, it was not hard for the audience to take to the song that has got acclaim across the world. In between was the song, Mehbooba depicting Middle East cultures.
But the best was reserved for the last. In ‘Om Shanti Om’, the entire team came together to provide a befitting end to an evening where creativity and the best of Bollywood came together on a common platform.
Speaking to the team members after the show, they were elated by the response their performance elicited. All of them were in praise of the organisation and the lessons learnt. Chinmay, a member of the troupe believes the way the audience received the dances boasted their morale. It is a view shared by Siddharth who hails from Shillong. On his part, he was surprised by the adulations from the predominantly foreign crowd. “The cheers and enthusiasm throughout the show was something to cherish,” he says. Echoing similar sentiments, Mayuri Datta, an MBA student says everything turned out to be good. “For us, life begins on the stage and ends on the same, so it we had to be perfect in all that we presented.”
GCC Roll ‘4’ Soul has completed two years of its existence and it was great to see the tremendous works of Choreographer Jigar has begun to pay. The team has performed at various events and has received offers to perform abroad. Through their work, they have been able to reach out to people from all ages providing a positive energy to connoisseurs of dance and music.
