As the 9th edition of National School of Drama’s Bal Sangam kicks off in the city, the opening act saw 500 folk child artistes perform a recital they had been rehearsing for many days now. The cheers they were greeted with was testimony to their acts success. Choreographed by Dr Laique Hussain, it was an amalgamation of folk art, martial arts and songs from Rajasthan, Manipur, Assam, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Mizoram and Delhi. And, this is just the beginning.
The days to follow will be seeing diversity in dance, music, theatre with children from 13 Indian states. “A highlight this year will be regional folk performances like Chhou from West Bengal, Yakshagana from Karnataka, Bhand Pather from Jammu and Kashmir and Rass Leela from Manipur. This together with five workshops on paper puppet-making, origami, madhubani paintings, mask-making, potter craft and more will prove educating and entertaining,” says Abdul Latif Khatana, chief, TIE Co., a company that performs creative, curriculum-based and participatory plays in schools. On till November 25 at National School of Drama, Bahawalpur House, 1, Bhagwandas Road, Mandi House, 4 pm to 8 pm.