WIS Diwali Ball 2018: A spectacular finale!
350 performers, 20 choreographers, 12 committee members, 10 actors – all came together to showcase one of the most popular and much awaited events at West Island School – the Diwali Ball, celebrating the beautiful festival of Diwali!!
‘Diwali Dhamaka’, this year entertained over 600 guests, who enjoyed every minute of the exhilarating dance performances, drama and music that was presented by the students. This has also been a life changing event for many, especially for us, the leaders Simran Anand and Shivya Kima. The committee began their journey of creating this show in January. Meeting once a week for an hour, the team successfully created and planned every aspect of this amazing show.
We held the sign-ups in July and students from every year group rushed to join the long list of performers. Once the songs – picked by Moksh Vaswani – were sent to the choreographers, each year group worked vigorously to ensure every dance was shaped to perfection. The weekly acting rehearsals were directed by Ayush Kumar.
From the moment we opened the auditorium doors to the excited guests, all the way to the finale – we couldn’t have asked for a more spectacular show – displaying the true talents of West Island school students. Not only were there lovely dances from every year group, Diwali Ball also included a beautiful opening classical Indian dance, performed by Preksha Gupta, Simran Anand, Anajli Kathan and Gargi Joshi. Followed by a magnificent song by Anjali Kathan and Pasha Mirpuri. The second act began with a showcase of Rhea Minglani’s marvellous traditional Indian dance. The show had something for everyone! The audience members as well as the students in the show got to enjoy delicious dinner provided by Jashan, which was definitely one of the highlights of the nights.
We would like to thank all the teachers and support staff at West Island School who helped in bringing this show to life. Ms Cunliffe for ensuring that our dances had professional quantities and looked stage ready, Lok for using his phenomenal lighting and sound skills to create a delightful setting and Ms Nandakumar for selling the tickets and arranging the seating. Chi, Simon and Purna worked so hard helping set the stage and the dining area. Special thanks to Ms Hannaford, the coordinator of Diwali Ball, for taking on all the responsibility and helping us to create a performance to remember!
Overall, we were blessed to be supported by such a wonderful and understanding committee. We are also extremely appreciative of everyone who decided to participate and embrace the Diwali celebration and Indian culture. The show is a great reflection of all the opportunities and the diversity embedded in West Island School. This truly was an unforgettable experience!
Shivya Kima and Simran Anand
Please click here for the Diwali Ball pictures.
Please click here to watch the highlights of the Diwali Ball evening.
