Chandigarh: Dance as a medium of pure unadulterated joy found a legitimate expression at the 60-minute show that was part of the annual Winter Funk organised by the Shiamak Davar International and the Durga Das Foundation at the Tagore Theatre, here this evening.
As many as 200 participants in the age group 4 to 35 years strung together a vibrant ensemble of foot-tapping numbers that had the audience rapt with attention.
A culmination of a fortnight-long dance workshop, the dancers, most of them first timers, dabbled in different dance forms, from typical Bollywood energetic movements to the traditional steps of Hip Hop and the Disco style of the 70s and 80s, funk and rock n’ roll.
Shiamak’s instructors Purva, Sahil and Vimal worked with the different groups to finalise the selection of numbers which comprised well-known chartbusters from English and Hindi genres to classic melodies.
Atul Khanna, director of the Durga Das Foundation, said “Music and dance have a universal language. They do not recognise man-made differences. When on stage, it is just the performance that matters. I am glad we could create a space to allow children from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate and for the rest of the group to accept and accommodate them as one of their own. These life lessons are critical as they sensitise us to the larger realities around us.” The show stealer was the Victory Group that comprised of 35 boys and girls from ‘Hamari Kaksha’, an organisation working for underprivileged children.