Excitement was in the air from the moment we woke up on Saturday. After breakfast we all headed over to the venue so the kids could rehearse on the stage. You could see the wonder and awe in their eyes as they walked into the HUGE hall where the event was taking place. Most of these kids have only ever been to villages and the Rising Star campus so to be in such an enormous venue with a huge stage and tons of lights was a completely new experience for them.
After rehearsal, we all returned to our respective lodgings (the kids stayed in a nice apartment provided by Mona Vie and the volunteers stayed in comped rooms at the 5-star Le Meridien hotel--it was awesome). While at the apartment, Vadivu (the hostel warden who came with us on the trip) had her daughter come over, who lives in Coimbature and happens to be a beautician, and do all the girls' make-up for the show. I am so glad she was able to come and help get all the girls' ready--it made the performance that much more special.
We all met at the apartment a few hours later, helped the boys spike out their hair with gel, and then headed to the venue. The kids looked amazing all dressed up in their new costumes with their hair and make-up done. They were all ridiculously excited and nervous but kept their cool and held themselves together like pros. We got to the venue and had a few hours to kill before the show...so naturally we took a pictures.
I was in charge of taking video on the legit video camera, so I went and sat in the audience by myself to get a good shot of the entire stage. The president of Mona Vie brought Shaun onstage and they introduced the Bharatanatium girls. I was so nervous and excited, you would have thought I was the one onstage performing for 1,000 people! The girls came out looking absolutely gorgeous and did a spectacular job. Surrounded by Indian businessmen, I should have felt very stupid: sitting ramrod straight in my chair, my video camera held high and proud with a huge, beaming, goofy grin on my face...but I was barely aware anyone else was around I was so overjoyed and thrilled. Gracy and Vino were stunning and definitely got the audience's attention.
I am so blessed to be able to have been at this performance. Manodhaya kept saying throughout the day, "Don't forget this incident. Remember this incident" It was an unbelievable night that myself, the kids, and the entire audience won't soon forget.
Vanakkam
As they were taking everything in, Shaun sat them down and explained all that was going to happen at the performance. They listened to everything Shaun said with rapt attention, not wanting to miss out on anything important.
From there, they got on the stage and ran the three dances they would be doing that night: Bharatanatium (a traditional Indian welcome dance), Stayin Alive, and Somebody Out There. Even in rehearsal they were dancing as hard as they could. For a group that has rarely, if ever, been on stage, they did an AMAZING job adapting to the space and all the other little quirks that come with any performance.
The stage was literally ginormous complete with confetti canons, three jumbotron screens, and the cool plexi-glass background. The kids were going to be part of a legitimate show.
After rehearsal, we all returned to our respective lodgings (the kids stayed in a nice apartment provided by Mona Vie and the volunteers stayed in comped rooms at the 5-star Le Meridien hotel--it was awesome). While at the apartment, Vadivu (the hostel warden who came with us on the trip) had her daughter come over, who lives in Coimbature and happens to be a beautician, and do all the girls' make-up for the show. I am so glad she was able to come and help get all the girls' ready--it made the performance that much more special.
We all met at the apartment a few hours later, helped the boys spike out their hair with gel, and then headed to the venue. The kids looked amazing all dressed up in their new costumes with their hair and make-up done. They were all ridiculously excited and nervous but kept their cool and held themselves together like pros. We got to the venue and had a few hours to kill before the show...so naturally we took a pictures.
With all the gorgeous girls waiting for their time to perform
The boys looked so handsome all dressed up with their hair done :)
For the Bharatanatium, we rented traditional Indian costumes. Gracy and Vinodhini looked AMAZING!
Right before it was their turn to go, Shaun and Kelli led the kids in a quick warm-up and run-through of the numbers--they were ready to go :)
The last, most important thing before the kids went onstage: a final prayer of thanks for being able to perform at such a huge event and a quick blessing that everything would go well.
I was in charge of taking video on the legit video camera, so I went and sat in the audience by myself to get a good shot of the entire stage. The president of Mona Vie brought Shaun onstage and they introduced the Bharatanatium girls. I was so nervous and excited, you would have thought I was the one onstage performing for 1,000 people! The girls came out looking absolutely gorgeous and did a spectacular job. Surrounded by Indian businessmen, I should have felt very stupid: sitting ramrod straight in my chair, my video camera held high and proud with a huge, beaming, goofy grin on my face...but I was barely aware anyone else was around I was so overjoyed and thrilled. Gracy and Vino were stunning and definitely got the audience's attention.
After the Bharatanatium, Shaun took some time to explain what Rising Star is all about. He told everyone about Rising Star's three-fold mission and really gave the audience a sense of where the kids come from and all they have overcome to get to where they are today. After he finished, the entire LifeDance team came out and performed "Stayin Alive": a brand new number they just finished before coming on the trip. Although they were nervous, you would have never guessed it. They held themselves together like pros and performed with confidence. Even when they set off a confetti canon at the end of the dance, they didn't jump or forget the steps or anything--they kept on dancing like they performed in huge venues in front of thousands on a regular basis. I was more and more proud of them with every step.
Their final dance of the night was "Somebody Out There". The message behind this dance is that no matter what grief or pain or heartache you are experiencing, there is always somebody there to help you and pick you up. Before they danced, Shaun talked about how few people have seen more grief and pain in their lives than these kids. They have dealt with pain and loss from the time they were young, yet have overcome it all to be shining examples of charity and love. From the minute the music started, there was a hush in the audience and I KNOW the spirit was there. As Joseph started dancing, I felt such warmth and pride to be lucky enough to work with such beautiful, inspiring children on a daily basis. From the first time I watched them perform this dance in the little upstairs foyer at the school to them performing it in front of thousands was awe-inspiring. I also couldn't help but marvel at their growth as dancers and people. They have come so far in just the 9 months I have been here, and I have been lucky enough to be witness to it. Then, as Manodhaya came through the fog to lift Joseph up and be his "guardian angel", I got choked up. The spirit was so strong and I felt so blessed to be able to witness this performance and be working with these kids.
As the dance finished, almost the entire front half of the audience stood-up: the kids were getting a standing ovation and boy, did they deserve it. Besides the standing ovation, they had moved most of the audience to tears. The founder of Mona Vie came out, visibly moved, and challenged all of his top level distributors to come to the front and donate, right there on the spot. They set-up a box at the end of the stage and as distributors came forward to donate, the kids stood on stage and were able to witness the effect their dancing had had on the audience. By opening their hearts and dancing their very hardest, they had touched the people in the audience and inspired them to open their own hearts and give back to the kids. It was in that moment, watching the kids stand on stage all in a line with such poise and grace, that I really began to cry. I have never been more proud in my life. I was so proud of the kids and what they had accomplished. I was proud to be associated with such a great organization. I was proud to be able to work so closely with these special spirits and really know them. It was a very powerful moment filled with more love than I thought possible.
As the kids stood on stage, they were able to watch as person after person came up and donated huge amounts of money to Rising Star based solely off their performance and spirit. 100,000 RS, another 100,000 RS, a man took a gold chain off his neck, another man offered up his next 30,000 RS paycheck, people were offering scholarships to the kids once they graduated....they had truly struck a chord with the people in the audience and moved them. To top it all off, each kid was given a dozen roses and treated like royalty--the farthest thing from untouchable. Seeing the effect they'd had on the audience brought most of the kids to tears. Below is sweet Savitha.
Once they finished up the donations, we all shared hugs and congratulations. One of my favorite moments of the night was when I came up to Joseph, put my arm around him and told him how amazing he had been and how proud I was. Already overwhelmed with emotions, Joseph started to cry. He really knew and could feel how special the night had been.
All the kids with Shaun, Kelli and the Mona Vie staff
I am so blessed to be able to have been at this performance. Manodhaya kept saying throughout the day, "Don't forget this incident. Remember this incident" It was an unbelievable night that myself, the kids, and the entire audience won't soon forget.
Vanakkam
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