Breathtaking Performance By The Little Stars Of Chitra Lane School 

Celebrating 50 years of service the Chitra Lane School for the Special Child staged an awesome production on the 8th of October at the Bishop’s College Auditorium. It was one of the most touching events I have been to. Seeing the amazing talents of these little ones who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves on stage was a very touching experience. Many celebrities and experts in their fields, had come together to help these little stars have their day of glory performing with music, song, dance and fashion. 

The show started with Danu and the co-host little Nitesh Abeysinghe welcoming the guest. Little Nitesh was absolutely brilliant at what he did. Then it was the drummers who took over with the welcoming drum role. This performance was also fabulous. Lanthra Perera and Krishan Perera from the band Doctor joined Charitra and Yasas to sing ‘Imagine’ which was so touching that there was pin drop silence. These two young musicians from the school were so talented. I was totally amazed. Then they sang ‘Kollo Naraka ne’ and a few more bailas. 

La Sari Fashions and Embark had a Fashion segment which the little children modelled for. Otara Gunawardene made a guest appearance on stage during the Embark segment. Samitha Mudunkotuwa sang two Sinhala songs while Tanuja Perera sang some English songs with the participation of the children. These little ones performed with much elegance and grace when it came to the dance item with the Deanna School of Dancing. 

Famous Tamil rap artiste Krishan Maheson’s, hit song ‘J Town’ was a phenomenal performance. He seemed so comfortable and connected with the children and the audience also loved this item. Then another beautiful item was the Ribbon Dance. Doing the Ribbon routine is not at all easy thought it looks like you are just waving the ribbons around. It needs some technique and rhythm, which the children seem to have mastered with ease. 

The highlight of the evening was the Bollywood dance performance to the very popular Hindi song ‘Tukur Tukur’ which was spectacular. Imran and Ridma of Imzy’s Dance School with their team had done an amazing job of training these little kids to dance so beautifully. The coordination was excellent and you could see that they were really enjoying themselves on stage. 

Lastly, it was the de Lanerolle Brothers who took the stage and they sang a few songs. 

We spoke to a few people in the audience as well as the some of the artistes who performed. Here’s what they had to say: 

"I’ve challenged the kids and made them learn a minimum of twenty moves. I wish there were more people to embrace this kind of thing and support these children." - Imran 

"It was a great experience to be on stage with these kids and to challenge them and push them to do these dances. They enjoyed every moment." - Ridma 

"This is the first time I am participating in an event like this. These children are really special they are a bunch of talented kids. They are really good with everything. The lyrics, the melody, everything was perfect. It was easier to work with these kids than working with more professional people in the industry." - Krishan from the band ‘Doctor’ 

"It was wonderful and done very well. The children enjoyed themselves. My mother manages Chitra Lane School. She’s 82 years old but she’s totally hands on and very much a part of the school." - Otara 

"It was beautifully choreographed and the dances were very entertaining. It shows that these children with Down Syndrome can do so much more than we think they can. My brother is Aloka who is 15 years old, and he is also in this school." - Selomi 

"My sister was also in this school so I help the school whenever possible. It’s very close to my heart. The performances were really touching." - Kanchana 

"It’s very touching and really sad to see these kids. They are so talented. It’s amazing. They should have more shows like this so that people can see what these kids can do." - Rashmi 

"It was very inspiring and super. The kids seem pretty empowered and excited. It’s encouraging to see so much support from high profile people." - Sam 

"It was beautiful from the start to finish. Not a dull moment." - Seema 

"This programme was absolutely awesome. It was overwhelming to watch these kids." - Rukshika 

"Amazing to watch these children perform. They have done wonders. Apart from performing they do cooking and various other things as well." - Koluu 

"It was very enjoyable. Everything was vibrant. The kids loved it and the audience enjoyed it." - Nuwan 

"The kids were so uninhibited and they really enjoyed the show. They are having a ball on stage and that makes you enjoy more." - Nishali 

Photographs by Waruna Wanniarachchi