Mosaic of dance 2017

October 14-15, 2017 saw an abundance of vibrance, talent and technique. A true celebration of dance, the 2^nd edition of The Children’s Ballet Competition Mosaic of Dance brought together over 70 participants from New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune, in one unforgettable extravaganza filled with joy, learning and lots of talent!

This competition was a long cherished dream of its organizer, Ms Galina Lyakhova, the director of The School of Russian Classical Ballet in New Delhi. She wanted to promote Ballet in India and introduce Indian people to this beautiful dance form, and to bring together dancers from different schools and cities and give them a platform where they could showcase their talent, learn from others, gain new exposure and experience. No such competitions have ever been organized in India, not for Ballet, which makes this competition very unique and the first of its kind. The dream is to take this competition to the international level so that it is appreciated and respected by the world dance community.

The 1^st edition of Mosaic of Dance took place in October 2016 and saw about 20 participants from 3 ballet schools of Delhi. Even though it was a small event, the first attempt was successful, as one of our Judges, Mr Pankaj Guglani, an Assistant Director of The Danceworx, Delhi, said: “Spreading Dance in India is just a beginning. These events encourage and challenge people to participate and think out of the box.” Our other judge, Ms Anna Voitsekhovich agreed with him: “I am very happy with the way the competition shaped up – it was a great first attempt! It was incredible to witness the work of the kids – their creativity, keenness, their hard efforts and excitement.”

After getting such an inspiring response, Ms Galina and her team of enthusiasts started working on planning the 2^nd edition of Mosaic of dance, with a plan to bring it to a higher scale. It took place on October 14 and 15, 2017, at Arya Auditorium, New Delhi.

Invitations were sent to all ballet and dance schools across India to encourage their students to participate in this one of a kind event and a very eager response was received from major ballet schools of Mumbai and Pune. This year more than 70 dancers participated in the competition. The eligible age for participation in the “Mosaic of Dance-2017” competition was 6 to 25 years. The competition included 4 categories: Classical Ballet, Modern Ballet, Character Dance and Contemporary.

The competition was judged by professional jury. The Head of the jury was Mr Gabor Sziraky, Ballet Master and international choreographer from Hungary, a graduate of the Hungarian Dance Academy and a former Artistic director of the Madach Musical Dance and Music School in Budapest.

Anna Voitsekhovich, Folk dancer, choreographer, cultural projects manager, an alumni and former soloist of the famous and oldest V.Loktev Song and Dance Ensemble.

Maia Glikstein, Ballet and Argentinian Tango dancer and teacher from Argentina.

Daria Fogel, Circus artist specialized in Aerial acrobatics (Aerial, silks, lyra, corde lisse), resident Aerial silks instructor at Delhi Rock, New Delhi

On Day 1 (October 14) kids competed in all age groups and judges gave them scores. After every participant performed, the judges decided on the winners based on their average scores.

On Day 2 (October 15) the show started with an award function for the winners after which the audience enjoyed the gala-concert in which guest performers as well as the winners of Grand-Prix and 1^st prize performed.

CLASSICAL BALLET category was sponsored by a Mumbai-based dance store called Dance Essentials.

MODERN BALLET category was sponsored by Zingrin, one of the leading providers of ballet and dancewear in India.

CHARACTER DANCE category was sponsored by School of Russian Classical ballet, the organizers of the festival.

CONTEMPORARY category was sponsored by EnPointe, the official dealers of Grishko in India (Grishko is the leading brand for dancewear from Russia).

The festival was received with great enthusiasm by the dancers as well as the audience. For some of the contestants it was a way to show their talent and for others it was an opportunity to come on stage to perform solo and to overcome their stage-fear. For some children it was their first stage performance ever! The members of the jury who remembered some of the contestants from last year, noted that they showed tremendous progress as compared to their previous performance. Big cheers to all the contestants! It takes great courage to participate in a competition judged by professional judges and they all are winners because they all share a common passion - the passion for dance!

Before the event, people were not sure if such competitions help motivate young dancers or if the titles of winning and losing are a hindrance in the spirit of dancing. There is nice quote by Nelson Mandela: “I never lose: I either win or I learn”. In competitions like this the process is the prize. It is true. The process of setting a goal and working on something is valuable. Dancers gain experience and exposure, get motivated to work hard and improve their skills, learn new things. The mere participation in such a competition is an opportunity for every dancer to test his capability, to overcome his fears and hesitance and emerge more confident and strong. Finally, managing the stress of a competition can teach you a lot about yourself—a valuable lesson as your career progresses.

The idea behind this competition is not making Indian Ballet schools compete and prove which one is better. No! The idea is to bring these schools together, to make them partners in spreading awareness about this beautiful dance form and its health benefits among the Indian people.

As a proof of the abovesaid, a very encouraging feedback was received from the ballet schools that participated this year.

‘Mosaic of Dance 2017 was a great experience for our academy and our students. It is such a good platform for ballerinas to showcase their talent and also get an experience of being in a competition. It gives them a reality check about how the world of ballet is growing around them when they see the whole community come together and compete.’ – Pamtoes Academy, Pune.

‘It was overwhelming to see so many trained ballerinas performing beautifully. It’s a rare sight especially in India to watch so many ballet performances under one roof. This is a great initiative to uplift and bring the ballet industry of India together and we are very happy to be part of this.’ – Rhythmus Happyfeet, Mumbai.

‘The academy and the students are very grateful for the learning experience that they have received. Seldom do we see such a positive attitude towards classical ballet in the country, and for your team to responsibly work towards this cause is a matter of respect. We hope to keep this association running and to see many more participants and supports for years to come.’ – Indian Academy of Russian Ballet, Mumbai.

The wonderful Guest of Honour - Czarina Villegas, a company ballet dancer from Manila, Philippines, was also very excited and supportive: ‘It is such a great joy to see children in this competition. How the very young competitors shared their talents here really make for exquisite mosaic pieces that came out as a beautiful whole which this competition showcased: we saw the finesse of their movements, the depth of their artistry, but more importantly, the discipline and dedication that have been instilled in their craft.’

The Children’s Ballet Festival “Mosaic of dance” is all set to return next year for its 3^rd edition – bigger and better! We hope to see many more talented dancers from all over India as a testimony to India’s diverse and great talent, we hope that many more dance schools will join hands with us and make this festival a true MOSAIC OF DANCE!

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