Tandav Dance Festival 2024 - Volunteering experience
The first time I heard of Tandav was from my friend, Vishnu, the founder of Smileys ↗️ and the person behind Tandav for the last ten years. I silently followed the updates of Tandav and secretly admired his dedication to build an inclusive dance festival. Tandav is a platform for specially abled kids and kids from orphanages to showcase their talent.
This year, when I went to Mitra Run, I struck a conversation with Vishnu and asked him when Tandav is happening and he mentioned that it scheduled for the next weekend. That’s it. That’s how I signed up to volunteer for Tandav.
The day began with welcoming the kids in a unique Tandav style. Volunteers will stand on the opposite side of the entrance giving the kids a very unique,enthusiastic dance style welcome. It is to make the kids feel they are the center of the show and pump their energy.
After that, I helped out at the registration desk, helping kids make lines and also checking with the teachers the name of their NGO. Then I was assigned to Diya Foundation ↗️ , to escort them across the various sections of the venue. They are specially challenged adults. After spending time with them through that day, I saw great camadarie among them. There are a few kids who are protective (of their friends) and encourage them when they lag behind. We had great fun playing different games, like walking on a path blindfolded (with instructions), dance workshop, throwing balls in a bucket. In the afternoon, a couple of kids from Diya wanted to do solo performance. I was pleasantly surprised to see the kids taking up initiatives by themselves.
The first kid did a dance for Appadi Podu ↗️ , and suddenly everyone in the audience stood and danced. It was eclectic to see. Then another kid, went and changed his dress and brought props to do a dance. The dedication of the kids was commendable.
After that, the event organizers organised Chenda Melam ↗️ performance (a traditional percussion ensemble and art form from Kerala, India that features the chenda drum, a large instrument that produces thunderous beat) and everyone (all volunteers and kids, totalling more than 800) circled around the drummers and started dancing. It was a sight to behold.
We signed off the day after dropping the kids to their respective buses. Overall, it was an eye-opening event for me, seeing kids from various background getting a stage to showcase their talents. Kudos to all the volunteers who made this event memorable for the kids.