A Sky Full of Stars at SDA Spring Recital 2019!
/Our Spring Recital 2019 - A Star is Born was a stupendous success. Each and every star performed his or her part to perfection bringing life to our vision of a star studded theatrical performance.
Our show started off with Dr. Hameer Ruparel’s rendition of ‘Aye Ibaadat’, a song depicting our child artists soaring to great heights. Dr. Ruparel received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University and has a Sangeet Bhushan from the Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh. The audience was spellbound listening to his rendition of this soulful track.
We started the show off with our two JC Dance Stars 2019 Winning groups. They created a ripple effect with their mesmerizing acts that effortlessly blended the East with the West. Performing the contemporary piece, Breathless Reprise, our gorgeous adult dancers stunned the audience with their finesse and precision. Full of grace and flair, our Squad Junior hit the ball out of the park yet again with their energetic take on Classic India Raga songs. Their choreography was a mix of a classical Bharatnatyam and Bollyhop with an acrobatic twist added to the mix.
Themed A Star is Born, our recital aimed to pay tribute the iconic Bollywood stars who have brought so much happiness and excitement into our lives with their stellar performances in Indian Cinema over the years. Kicking off these iconic performances was Ajay Devgan’s song ‘Singham. Dressed smartly in their Indian Cop Costumes, the PS 16 3pm Students were a delight to watch on stage. Our youngest stars of the evening, the Primary Prep 1 students took to the stage to charm their way into the audience hearts with their take on the fun track, ‘You are my Soniya’. Our little replicas of Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor were a delight to watch on stage. Ramping up the cuteness factor were our BGC 1 kids who brought their charm onto the stage with ‘Zoobi Doobi’. Zoobi Doobi is picturized on the unparalleled Aamir Khan who bring his charm and wit to every character he plays. Our little cuties more than made up for his absence with their mischievous grins and adorable moves.
‘Pinga’ is one of the most challenging songs to master for 6-year olds. The song is slow paced, full of emotions and complex moves based on the Laavni form of folk dance, native to Maharashtra. Our Pinga girls conducted themselves with grace and style and delivered a well-rounded performance full of emotions and expressions. Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra Jonas would be proud of this act.
Our performance would be incomplete without a tribute to the incomparable, Madhuri Dixit Nene. Madhuri’s thumkas and style were performed to perfection by the grit and determination of 4 of our Primary prep students to the song ‘Aaja Nachle’. Dressed impeccably in their black and gold Indian wear, our PS37 4pm kids shone brightly dancing beautifully to Salman and Sushmita’s hit ‘Chunari Chunari’.
Our ode to the golden days of Indian Cinema and dance styles came in the form of the Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Woh Ladki Hai Kahan’ track. Our little PS5 4pm starlets and stars dressed in white dresses and spiffy bow ties, recreated the magic of this track and charmed the audience with their 70s moves. ‘Rangilo Maro Dholna’, one of the most loved tracks of the 90s brings out the patriotic sentiment in our hearts. Our SDA Pre Juniors did a fantastic job showcasing this fast paced Malaika Arora number with their bold and energetic moves. They truly stood up to the test and passed with flying colors.
Our PAW 1 Desi Girls made our hearts flutter with their trendy sarees and Jhatka matkas. They shone bright and confidently dance in front of our appreciative audience. Look out Priyanka Chopra Jonas, there are new ‘Desi Girls’ in town. ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ was one of the most loved tracks of the early 2000s. Performed on stage by our BGC 2 students- their big broad smiles and disco outfits lit up the entire auditorium. Replicating Shahrukh, Rani and Kajol’s cool moves was no easy feat but these kids managed to perform exceptionally.
‘Soni De Nakhre’ is a perfect example of Govinda and Salman Khan’s impeccable comic timing; a quality that our PS37 3pm students were successfully replicated on stage. Their style, fun expressions and charisma were very well received by the audience. Theirs was one of the more difficult routines and they did not bat an eyelid in working hard to excel. Next, it was wonderful to see our PS5 3pm students recreate the magic of ‘Mauja hi Mauja’ by bringing Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor’s energy and bold moves to the stage. Their superb timing and dancing had the crowd clapping and cheering them on throughout their act.
Our Primary Prep 2 class was on point in bringing to life our vision of a wedding track through ‘Tenu Leke’. they formed a unique combination of Band, Baja and Baraatis (pomp, flair and the grooms’ side of the family). Our heart filled with pride watching the coordination and transitions between the older and the younger children working as a team to deliver a wonderful act. We challenged our PS16 4pm kids this semester to perform a complex Bhangra-Jazz routine to the beats of the fast-paced track ‘Nach Baliye’ made famous by Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherji. They rose to the occasion and matched up to the movie stars with their attitude and energy on stage. Their performance had everyone clapping to the beats of the track.
Our Penultimate act, 'Nimbooda, was our tribute to the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai. Our PAW2 girls excelled at showcasing her grace and charm in this song. The perfection in their complex moves and seamless changes in formation throughout the act made for a stellar performance. We could not be prouder of our little divas.
Our finale was a combination of style, drama, action and movie star quality of the BOLLYWOOD IT STAR, Ranveer Singh. We documented the rise of Ranveer through a medley of his hit songs exclusively created for us by Deejay Jagrut. Our dancers brought the house down with their stylized and catchy choreography blending various styles of dance to create one magical act. Our Squad kids matched steps with our adult dancers effortlessly and we could not be prouder of their progress. It was the perfect end to this magical evening of our Spring Recital 2019!
We are in awe of every student that took to the stage this semester and the caliber of performances delivered by all our students makes our heart fill up with pride. We are thankful to our wonderful audience that encouraged our performers with their enthusiasm and thunderous applause throughout the show.
A special thank you to Ms. Harry Bebe for gracing our event with her presence. We are deeply appreciative of the support from our community and local businesses: Patel Brothers, Jersey City, Downtown Medspa, Tangletime with Anushya, and Family Fitness Karate & Kickboxing. A big thank you to Vibgyor Creations for their sponsorship and for a wonderful collaborative semester. We are extremely thankful to Dunkin Donuts (Grove Street, Jersey City) for generously providing treats for our performers.
A big thank you to our wonderful photographer Beauty Captured who worked tirelessly to get the perfect shots and our videographer Sunshine Shotz for the fantastic videos.. Our emcee Ms. Syra Bhatt brought her charm and wit to the stage as always and kept the audience engaged throughout the show with her friendly banter. The costumes by Sketchboard4Kids created a film star aura for each student and allowed them to shine brilliantly on stage. We want to recognize and thank our schools PS5, PS16 and PS37 and Primary Prep for making us a part of their school families. A special thank you to Performing Arts Workshop, Boys and Girls’ Club, Hudson County and the Jersey City Board of Education for all their support.
We attribute the success of our Spring Recital 2019 to Team SDA and our hardworking backstage helpers who made all the moving pieces fit seamlessly to provide the audience a visual treat. We are extremely grateful for the support and encouragement of our SDA families and patrons. Looking forward to seeing you all at our Winter 2019 Recital!