Well, our troup is back from New Delhi where they performed at SAMBHAV 2008. The verdict?…….The performance was a resounding success! After all that hard work, our team enjoyed a few days of taking in the sights, sounds and not to mention shops in Delhi. Well done to them!
Here’s a copy of the press release which was published in all the major English, Sinhala and Tamil Newspapers upon our return -
Sunera performs in New Delhi
Sunera Foundation was honoured to be invited to perform at a cultural programme entitled “Sambhav 2008” in New Delhi on the 9th of November 2008.
Sambhav was a dance and music show, organized by the Alpana Society, a Delhi based organization which, like Sunera, promotes the performing arts amongst those living with disability. Whilst Sunera constituted the Sri Lankan delegation to this event, teams also attended from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
Sunera’s performance showcased aspects of Kandyan and Indo – Sri Lankan dance (typical of the tea plantation region), with a few acrobatic moves thrown in for added variety. Paying attention to detail, the costumes and props were colourful and ornate and remained true to these dance forms.
Alpana Nayak, organizer of SAMBHAV 2008 stated “Sunera’s performance during SAMBHAV 2008 was superb. The music, choreography and costumes were ideally suited to an international audience…”
Sunera’s Chairperson, Sunethra Bandaranaike was invited to address the conference on Sunera’s positive experiences and challenges in working in the performing arts. IN the light of the fact that delegates from other countries were invited to do the same, SAMBHAV proved to be a valuable opportunity for organizations doing similar work in this region to build networks and share experiences.
It was the first time that the members of this cast had travelled abroad. There is no doubt that this trip gave them a wealth of happy memories, and more importantly, an added sense of self confidence.