Little feet weave poetry at DHiE dance contest

"Dance is the poetry of the foot," said the famous poet John Dryden. This poetry was set in motion at the Deccan Herald in Education’s inter-school dance competition.

From tiny feet dancing for spreading the message of empowering women to senior students setting the stage on fire by highlighting the ill effects of corruption through their dance, the competition was one of a kind.

While an ode to the elephant deity Ganesha was a theme emulated by many teams, the presentation was innovative ranging from pop music to popular bhajan tracks that played as part of the dance.

An avatar-themed dance highlighted the need for forest conservation and protection of wild animals. Patriotic performances ruled the roost as different teams took to the stage to show their love for the country via the medium of dance.

Children as young as seven underlined the issue of acid attacks that have destroyed the lives of countless women in India. Another group threw light on illiteracy and stressed that every child has the right to live and learn.

Over 35 teams participated in the junior category while 19 teams took part in the senior category.

The brilliant acrobatics and flexibility displayed by the little ones left the audience asking for more. While most performances were on Hindi songs, many teams struck a chord with Kannada songs, too.

From 'Mysore Se Aayi' by Raghu Dixit to the raging favourite Rockabye by Sean Paul and Anne Marie, the performances included songs across all genres and languages. The performances included classical dances, boying, acrobatics and Bollywood-style performances.

Innovative props, self-designed costumes and inventive makeup brought each performance alive. This, coupled with brilliant expression and amazing synchronisation, added to the beauty of the dance.

The famous Moonwalk step that was the signature style of Michael Jackson was brilliantly orchestrated by some teams as part of their performances while others performed the tap dance to popular old English numbers.

Vydhurya, an established dancer from Bengaluru, was the judge. "I had a hard time judging the performances as each of them was a masterpiece in itself. The grace and flexibility displayed by the children were highly impressive," she said.