<p>Unlike other graduation ceremonies, the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, which <br />recently held its Graduation Day, allowed its students to showcase what they had learnt over the last one year of their diploma course through an energetic and creative dance recital.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Proud parents, extended family, friends, ex-students and teachers had gathered at the venue to watch the performances. And the excitement in their eyes was evident. Jayashri, a mother, had come with not only her family but also her friends to watch her daughter take the stage. <br /><br />“I have seen my daughter really work hard in this course and I have seen her grow not only as a dancer but also as a person. So this day is as special to me as it is to her,” she added. <br /><br />The graduating students were visibly excited backstage and no one was allowed to talk to them before the performance. But a few did manage to come out to greet their loved ones only for a few seconds and quickly headed back.<br /><br />Breaking away from the traditional form of dance, ‘Attakkalari’ allows the dancer to gain complete knowledge of each dance form and then understand its principles in this contemporary style.<br /><br /> Eliamma Rao, the manager of education and development at the centre, said, “Attakkalari is a challenge and a very demanding dance form. But it’s only after a student gets through the course that he or she really become more aware of where they are exactly headed. It’s almost like an inner journey.”<br /><br />This year, the event had a special chief guest, actor and theatre personality Naseeruddin Shah. Incidentally the actor’s daughter Heeba Shah, was one of the graduating students that evening. “It is a special occasion to watch my daughter take the stage and really put her soul and spirit into this form,” he said, while congratulating the entire batch and the staff. <br /><br />The evening’s recital focussed on the journey taken by the students themselves. They presented the different dance styles that they had learnt through the year.<br /><br /> It began with a bharatanatyam performance, which was followed by a contemporary dance called ‘Organised Chaos’ after which came another piece called ‘Arrivals and Departures’. The real highlight of the evening was the kalaripayattu. <br /><br />Soon enough, the night made way to the official graduation ceremony and the distribution of certificates.<br /></p>
<p>Unlike other graduation ceremonies, the Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, which <br />recently held its Graduation Day, allowed its students to showcase what they had learnt over the last one year of their diploma course through an energetic and creative dance recital.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Proud parents, extended family, friends, ex-students and teachers had gathered at the venue to watch the performances. And the excitement in their eyes was evident. Jayashri, a mother, had come with not only her family but also her friends to watch her daughter take the stage. <br /><br />“I have seen my daughter really work hard in this course and I have seen her grow not only as a dancer but also as a person. So this day is as special to me as it is to her,” she added. <br /><br />The graduating students were visibly excited backstage and no one was allowed to talk to them before the performance. But a few did manage to come out to greet their loved ones only for a few seconds and quickly headed back.<br /><br />Breaking away from the traditional form of dance, ‘Attakkalari’ allows the dancer to gain complete knowledge of each dance form and then understand its principles in this contemporary style.<br /><br /> Eliamma Rao, the manager of education and development at the centre, said, “Attakkalari is a challenge and a very demanding dance form. But it’s only after a student gets through the course that he or she really become more aware of where they are exactly headed. It’s almost like an inner journey.”<br /><br />This year, the event had a special chief guest, actor and theatre personality Naseeruddin Shah. Incidentally the actor’s daughter Heeba Shah, was one of the graduating students that evening. “It is a special occasion to watch my daughter take the stage and really put her soul and spirit into this form,” he said, while congratulating the entire batch and the staff. <br /><br />The evening’s recital focussed on the journey taken by the students themselves. They presented the different dance styles that they had learnt through the year.<br /><br /> It began with a bharatanatyam performance, which was followed by a contemporary dance called ‘Organised Chaos’ after which came another piece called ‘Arrivals and Departures’. The real highlight of the evening was the kalaripayattu. <br /><br />Soon enough, the night made way to the official graduation ceremony and the distribution of certificates.<br /></p>
