The Arts Appreciation Day (TAAD) which is represents the recognition of the importance of various forms of art (performance arts, fine arts etc.) was held on the 24th of February. This time, we got to learn a lot about the folk dances of India. Presented by Mr. Girish, TAAD looked at folk dances ranging from Orissa to Tamil Nadu to Rajasthan. Mr Girish covered a variety of forms where he looked at visuals that took us on a journey across the vast terrains of India.
Apart from viewing some video clippings, we also had some of our students who performed short pieces for the dances. The boys of grade 5 danced to the Punjabi Bhangra. Towards the end of the dance one boy was carrying the other on his shoulders, just as the Punjabi dancers would. Girls of grade 4 danced the garba of Gujarat, clapping hands and moving in formations. Finally the girls of grade 3 danced the Thiruvathirakalli from Kerala, which is a dance during the month of Dhanu where women dance around a lamp making various formations.
The TAAD ended with everyone curious about the multitude of folk cultures that are prevalent in our country. Mr. Girish noted that these dances were but the tip of the mountain that is our culture, and he had managed to capture very little. It left us wanting to know more about the other folk forms that we could not touch upon during this Arts Appreciation Day.
