On December 16th, The Lewis Foundation of Classical Ballet’s emerging dance company National Youth Ballet (NYB) performed at Shishu Mandir. Our aim was to give the children of the organization a new experience that would spark an interest in ballet and would bring about an atmosphere of creativity and dreams for the students.
Shishu Mandir is an organization providing schooling for underprivileged children and youth. With a strong emphasis on the arts, and especially dance, it was an ideal place for our dancers to showcase ballet. It is a dance form unknown to most of the students of the school. At TLFCB, our mission is to provide a space where dancers of all ages and backgrounds are inspired to continue striving for excellence in ballet and in dance, and where the benefits of our classes reach beyond the studio walls. At the December 16th performance and workshop, our dancers did just that.
As our dance company has grown in both artistic excellence and technical proficiency, we have seen a genuine camaraderie grow within the group. This is especially important at an event such as the one at Shishu Mandir. We are showcasing not only classical ballet as an art, but also the impact that classical dance training has on the students’ lives. The unity of the dancers is evident both on and off stage. This could also be seen in the workshop held by Artistic Director Yana Lewis during the performance. The showcase was also a wonderful opening performance for our newest NYB dancers. They performed for the first time with the company.
Many students from Shishu Mandir came backstage after the performance to speak to our dancers. Curiosity and wonder spread across their faces as they asked about ballet and how to become a dancer. They were enthralled by the costumes, music and dancing. We could not have asked for a better audience or outcome to the show!
We look forward to continuing the process that has begun with Shishu Mandir through our dance in education outreach programme at TLFCB.
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