Bangalore is familiar territory for shows which feature bands performing or theatre groups on numerous available platforms. But, after a long time, the city witnessed visual art, theatre, dance and music come together on the same platform to deliver a spectacular art galore.
And what made it all the more special was that the performers were all kids! Presented by Sublime Galleria, the grand finale of Berserk 2014 was held over the weekend at UB City that saw children and parents gather to witness a visual and aural treat unlike any other. On its second edition, Berserk is an annual three-day residential art conference for children categorised under four key art verticals — theatre, dance, music and visual art.
Kicking off the show with the dance vertical, the kids of Lourd Vijay Dance Studio (LVDS) delivered a stellar performance with a brilliant blend of classical nuances and contemporary moves. This was followed by a dance performance by Sneha Kapoor from the show Jhalak Dikhlaja .
The lights on stage were turned off for the next act – an illusionary dance by the Illuminati U.V. group using ultraviolet light and UV-reactive costumes for a techno dance that was uniquely breathtaking. The audience were mesmerised by the creative genius unfolding on stage by the three skilled dancers who cast a lingering spell.
Not to be outdone, the students of LVDS stormed back on stage with a duet hip hop routine that continued to sustain the crowd’s excitement.
Then it was time for one of the main highlights of the evening, the UV act - a recreation of the popular video game Super Mario . Using the UV technology and a well co-ordinated team, Mario came alive onstage and went on to complete the popular game mission with the background score playing – much to the delight of the kids in the audience.
The sequence had its laughs and spills and a final battle with the dragon was exciting and thrilling for both parents and children alike.
The dancers had one last performance to deliver and the junior hiphop group of LVDS were back on stage for a fast-paced madly-energetic contemporary dance to a rousing standing ovation.
The theatre vertical saw an oddly-dressed moustached man get on stage and ask the audience to clap in time with him. Presented by Evam, the solo performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth was beautifully scripted with an interactive act that had more of the audience reacting than the actor acting.
The freestyle script meandered on in exciting waves of Macbeth’s acts in flamboyant disarray leaving the audience in peals of laughter. A member of the audience was also roped in to the act and played Macbeth and later killed in sarcastic humour.
The visual vertical was next and four art students, guided by members of 3-Peel, painted live on stage. The four painters dabbled in a blend of colours to create an unusual work of art that formed an image when the paintings were finished and kept next to each other. The tact of painting four pieces of the same image separately and then putting them together had the audience in awe.
Saving the best for the last, the final vertical was music conducted by Taaqademy, the music school of city band Thermal And A Quarter. They kicked off their set with a music video compilation that had students from the camp record a particular tune separately in the studio which was later compiled into a masterful blend of creative musical extravaganza. A visual and aural treat, the video showed the enormous skill the students could display musically in just three days of training.
A solo performance by singer Alapana backed by guitarist Sylvester Pradeep, a faculty member, followed. The vocalist, whose angelic voice is already making waves in the city’s music circuit, delivered her own compilation of songs in her versatile ethereal signature. From a medley of the Hindi song ‘Yaariya’, she moved to the English song ‘Someone Like You’ and back to a classical carnatic rendition of ‘Neram Encha’.
A band of kids from the camp came together under the name Sand Storm and started their performance with an original composition called ‘Darkness’ delivered in true rock style.
The reminiscent ‘Use Somebody’ by Kings of Leon followed that saw the young rockers notch it up with skilful recreation of the legendary song.
‘Chain of Fools’ by Aritha Franklyn was their finale song that ended with a rousing standing ovation from the audience of proud parents and kids. A perfect end to three-days of glorious art interactions.
