It has been exciting teaching these students dance, and working in the colonies over the past month. The Life Dance troupe is comprised of 7 girls and 6 boys with the focus of developing leaders for life. This new after-school program at Rising Star is not just about the steps but about helping the students develop essential life skills, such as self-confidence, teamwork, goal-setting and determination. These skills are taught through a specialized methodology called Promethean Spark which is used worldwide to teach leadership skills to impoverished youth through the performing arts.
I feel blessed to be working with both of these organizations and the great support they have given me this summer. I feel blessed to be working with such outstanding dancers, students and individuals! All of the member of the Life Dance Troupe come from leprosy affected families and are making history by receiving an education and breaking the social stigmas of leprosy here in Tamil Nadu.
PAPITHIA:
Papitha’s English is not great but her face lights up every time we start to dance. Papitha actually does not live on campus and so after rehearsal she walks the 30-40 minutes down a windy Indian dirt road to get home. She is quick to catch on to the steps and if you ask her whether or not she likes dance she just smiles and says, dancing makes me so happy and just smiles the sweetest and most sincere smile you have ever seen.
MAVALIKA:
Mavalika is very bright, her english is very good and she speaks Tamil and Hindi. At first she wasn’t sure if she liked dancing because it was difficult for her to pick up on the new steps. However, since our first practice she has been one of the first to arrive to rehearsals and she is eager to learn new steps. Mavalkika is a wonderful leader and example to the others because she is very bright and does so well in her academic classes.
MEGALA:
Megela is also very bright. She is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. Her family lives in a leprosy colony about 9 hours away and when she comes to school she never receives visits from her parents. This doesn’t seem to faze her because she has so many friends and loves everyone at Rising Star. Megala, loves the colors light blue and pink, and her personality is just as sweet as her favorite colors. She loves helping others and wants to be a zoologist one day. She is always on time and helps the younger girls focus during rehearsals. She has been a wonderful help and asset to the troupe.
GRACI:
Graci has got rhythm. She is a hard worker and very bright. From the moment I arrived this summer I have worked with her and have been impressed with her eager enthusiasm to learn new steps and techniques. Not only is she quick to pick up on dance steps she is always a successful students. She hopes to be a doctor one day and studies hard. When she is not practicing or working on homework she may be found helping her house mother with the younger girls.
BUGI:
Bugi is so full of life and spunk it’s just contagious. She always has a smile on her face and is a bit mischievous. She may not always get the steps right but she infuses every step with enthusiasm and energy which is a wonderful example of giving anything that we do in life are absolute best.
VINODINI:
Vinodini likes to be given a challenge; if it’s to easy she seems to lose interest. She is quiet but is very talented and when you give her a more challenging step and she executes it a huge smile breaks out across her face. She works hard and is someone who pays attention to detail. I am grateful for people like Vinodini who are able to pay attention to small details.
THERESA:
Theresa is a wonderful example of what it means to be patient. She has some of the longest arms in the troupe but rather than get frustrated that a step may take her a bit longer to do because her arms are longer she just smiles and will try again. Theresa is beautiful and is one of the most patient girls on the troupe. She is wonderful.
DEEPENRAJ:
Deepenraj works very hard, even if he is not able to get a step he continues to try and try again until he knows he has gotten all of the steps right. He takes dance seriously and sometimes I see him practicing after school. Deppenraj is a wonderful example of being persistent with something and achieving his goals. Deepenraj has improved leaps and bounds with his English and it is exciting to see things click on both the dance floor and in the classroom.
JOSEPH:
Joseph is one of the first to arrive to rehearsal every day after school and is usually one of the last to leave. Joseph is an artist. The other day I asked him what he had done and he said, ‘Today I have had the best day, because today I painted, I did my homework and then I came to dance class.” This is the kind of boy Joseph is, full of concentration, attention to detail and is very sincere.
VIGNESH:
Vignesh is a bit younger but is so full of energy and life you would never guess. In fact he catches on very quickly and is one of the strongest dancers in the troupe. Despite the 100+ degree weather here in Tamil Nadu Vignesh will often wear a read a white-stripped turtleneck sweater to rehearsal. I keep wondering if he’s comfortable but he doesn’t seem to mind and just keeps moving forward with the steps despite the terrible heat.
ASHOK:
Ashok’s smile could make anyone laugh. For an Indian boy he has fairly wild imagination and He loves to dance. If you sit down with him for just a few minutes he always has a story to tell and loves to share stories that will make you laugh. Ashok works very hard and sometimes I’ll forget a count or miss a beat to the next step and he is always the one to catch me. He is a bright student and with a smile as big as his it is impossible not to smile when you see him.
KRISHNIMOOTHY:
Krishnimoothy is small for his age but is one of the oldest in the troupe. He is also one of the most responsible students in the school. Not only is he one of the founding members of the Life Dance Troupe he also helps run the Rising Star’s Star Store every Tuesday afternoon. He receives top marks in his classes and is a wonderful example to the younger students. Krishnimoothy’s family also lives far away and this semester when he returned he came back with his little cousin who was recently enrolled at Rising Star. His cousin, Sugalykshmi has had a difficult time adjusting and Krishnimoothy has been patient and understanding with his cousin. When Sugalyskhm is found crying on campus Krishnimoothy comes running to the rescue. He is a very patient and sensitive boy.
VEMAL KANTH:
Vemal Kanth is one of the youngest in the crowd but you don’t seem to notice because of his big smile and his huge personality. If you ask him how he is doing he will stand back with a mischievous grin on his face do a fancy hand trick, salute you and say, “I am fine.” Mimicking one of his favorite Indian Hero’s Surya.
Thousands of Tiny Miracles 