NGO Schools Artists Outreach Programme
What is it? 
The Pickle Factory Arts Outreach programme addressed two distinct needs for children. The NGO Schools Artists Outreach programme particularly focuses on creating these opportunities for marginalised children
- The Pickle Factory Arts Outreach programme addressed two distinct needs for children. The NGO Schools Artists Outreach programme particularly focuses on creating these opportunities for marginalised childrenThe UN Convention of Rights of a Child, Article 31 states that ‘every child has the right to engage in play appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts’ Participation in cultural and artistic activities are necessary for building children’s understanding, not only of their own culture, but other cultures, as it provides opportunities to broaden their horizons and learn from other cultural and artistic traditions, thus contributing towards mutual understanding and appreciation of diversity.
- The National Education Policy by the CBSE board has also laid out Art-integrated learning to promote joyful learning in classrooms that address & develop multiple intelligences in children and enhance classroom learning outcomes through the arts.
Dakshini Prayash
A new partnership was forged this season with another NGO school Dakshini Prayash. As part of their performance Hear and Now, Cielaroque engaged 20 students between the classes 6 and 8 to explore and practise choreographic phrases in the style of contemporary dance. It was conducted by
Azahara Sanz Jara and Nejma Larichi of the Austrian company as they discovered with these 20 children storytelling through movement of the body. The culmination of these 3 days of workshop, choreography and spontaneity was showcased at the New Town Community Centre as a part of LEAP!: Pickle Factory Season 4.
Ek Tara
Artists: 10
Student participants – 80+
4 community leaders
2 facilitators – Dr. Raju Raman & Gulan Kripalani
The Ek Tara partnership was a series of immersive workshops and performance experiences designed for students and burgeoning community leaders. Its mission to empower through arts education, particularly within marginalised communities, was realised over the course of the year. The collaboration featured a diverse roster of talent, including esteemed local, national, and international artists.
Our local luminary, Shashwati Garai Ghosh, along with her AngaShuddhi ensemble, led an evocative 4-day workshop and performance series delving into the foundational principles of Odissi dance, its mudras, taal and decorative expressions through the exploration of a Nritta, Abhinaya pieces. The final showcase, deftly moderated by Raju Raman, drew lovely responses from parents and guests about the students’ journey.
From the city of Imphal, national artist Surjit Nongmeikapam infused the Yangshak dance with his innovative vision. His workshop brought upon new challenges for the participants as they found new avenues to share ‘weight’ of a steadily moving bamboo scored with mathematical counts, culminating in a specially unusual showcase that foregrounded teamwork, focus, structure. In the post showing discussion thoughtfully moderated by Gulan Kripalani student audiences gave voice to deep social commentary that stirred in them after watching the piece.
On an international note, the third workshop with Ek Tara was with international company CieLAROQUE from Salzburg, Austria. Their three-day workshop on contemporary choreography was a masterclass in artistic empowerment, leading to a energizing showcase which was a part of their performance of Hear & Now during Weekend 2 at New Town Community Zone, as part of LEAP!: Pickle Factory Season 4.
The Ek Tara partnership gave students a glimpse of the rich and diverse range of movement expression in the world, delving into artistic and cultural histories and crossing national and international borders. The workshops attempted to give them heightened sense of focus, discipline, inter and intra-personal awareness, connection across borders & joy inspiring a new generation of dance-curious youngsters and community leaders.
The highlight of the show was the elaborate performance with the children, by the children. A bunch of 40 children of age group 10-14 years from the NGO EkTara and Dakshini Prayas delivered a commendable performance after 3 days of workshop by the CieLaroque artists.
“As a participant of the practitioner’s workshop and coordinator of the children’s workshop at Dakshini Prayas, I closely got an overview of CieLaroque’s inclusive practices of performance designed for people with any capacity. This was absolutely a very enriching experience as I was switching between roles and adapting movement-oriented challenges with whatever knowledge I had of theatrical practices.”
Sohini Dalal
