Deanna School of Dancing presents ‘Peter & the Wolf’! 

Deanna School of Dancing (DSD), a dance school set up in the heart of Colombo is home for many talented individuals who have a passion for dancing. Founded by Deanna Jayasuriya in 1980, DSD has its own studio on par with international standards, sprung floors, Barres and ceiling-to-floor mirrors. DSD has 2 studios each with a capacity to hold up to 50 students. As we walked in to the studio, an excited bunch of kids were getting ready for their upcoming play, ‘Peter & the Wolf.

Synopsis of the production

Peter lives with his grumpy Grandfather who never allows him to go out into the forest. Peter has a friend, the lovable Duck, with whom he hangs around Grandfather's yard. A Bird with a broken wing arrives in the yard and signals Peter to go into the forest. Peter tiptoes into the cottage and reaches over his sleeping Grandfather and the snoring, fat Cat to get his hands on the keys to the gate.

Once in the forest, Peter has the time of his life playing with his friends. He helps Bird to fly and then skates on the frozen lake. Meanwhile, Grandfather awakes to see Peter in the forest. He grabs his gun angrily, rushes outside and forces Peter off the ice back into the yard.

Suddenly as the forest goes quiet Peter looks out through a hole in the fence and sees the Wolf on the edge of the forest. Moments later the Wolf snatches up Duck, tosses her high into the air and swallows her in a single gulp. Peter slings a heavy net over his shoulder and climbs up the tall fence and into the tall tree. Here he falls from the tree and the Wolf attacks him. Eventually, after a fierce struggle, Peter catches the Wolf.

Grandfather drives into town with the captured Wolf, Peter standing triumphantly on top of the Wolf's cage. Peter opens the cage and the Wolf races back into the forest.

Natasha Jayasuriya : A driving force behind DSD

Speaking about her dancing career, Natasha Jayasuriya, Principal of DSD said that the school has become her life. “In addition to studies we give our students a sense of relief. Basically they get to enjoy, have fun and at the same time they also have exams. During concerts they just love every moment of it. Everything from makeup to being on stage keeps them excited. What is important for us is to see all our students performing at their best. So when we need to select someone for a main role we get their friends to select whoever they want. In that way we won’t appear to be biased or favouring anyone either. Our students are from different schools from around Colombo and we also have students coming from outstation, like from Galle, Negombo and Wadduwa. As a teacher I would like to ask all teachers to encourage students to participate more in extra activities. A talent is something that a child is born with and you should never discourage them if they want to proceed. Education is a huge part of life but the child has to enjoy the world beyond that also. Not every child has the same talents as another so we as teachers should appreciate their capacities and help them improve further.”

The excited cast

Speaking to the cast of Peter & the Wolf, an excited bunch of youngsters spoke to the Daily Mirror Life about how they feel about being part of the play. “We are looking forward to pull out a grand show. We have been coming to DSD ever since age 2 and we all have a huge relationship with one another. This is like our second home too.”

 

Date : 23 & 24 June
Venue : Bishop’s College Auditorium
Time : 7.30 PM onwards
Tickets : Available at the Deanna School of Dancing, Colombo 7. LKR 2,000, 1,500, 1,000, 750 and 500 (Balcony).

 

By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
Photographs by Nisal Baduge