A night of colours and lights

A beautiful dance routine on a slow songLast weekend on 3^rd October 2015, the Commons was transformed into an invigorating blend of colours and lights for the Annual Residential Talent Night Show.

By the end of the exhilarating night, the female Block 2 was crowned winner of the 2015-2016 talent night. The second position was awarded to Block 4, third to Block 5, fourth to Block 1, fifth to Block 6, and sixth to Block 3.

Judges deliberate over the performancesThe purpose of the programme each year is to encourage unity within all residential blocks.  Thus, part of the judgment criteria includes negative marking if students perform for a different block than their own. Each routine lasted between 5-10 minutes, and students maximized on that short period to showcase their creativity through performances ranging from live singing to different cultural dances and monologues featuring social messages.

In an effort to engage their audience more fully, this year’s Masters of Ceremony Yohan Mutta and Asma Shariff, who are both Year 10 students, invented a unique cheer for rating the quality of each act. The audience would scream “Camels and Bananas!”  in response to every outstanding performance.

Block 6 boys perform the Haka DanceAlthough one block claimed first position, the diversity of the performances and the competition from all blocks was spectacular. Block 6 boys ended their act quite literally with a bang! They enacted the Haka dance, which is a war cry of the Maori people of New Zealand, normally practiced by New Zealand’s national rugby team before the start of their international matches. In contrast, Block 3 girls touched on the audience’s heartstrings by using the impactful effect of soft background music, tea-light candles in the dark, and dialogue to talk about feminism.

The night ended with the Community, Action, and Service (CAS) group called Football For Hope, mesmerizing the audience with aerobatics and pumping the atmosphere with energy, enthusiasm, and ambition as they performed to the lyrics, “My dream is to fly so high…”

Yohan cheers "Camels and Bananas" with the audienceThe ceremony concluded with remarks from the Head of Academy, Bill O’Hearn, who announced the winners and also appreciated all the performers. He also applauded the judges who were the ones allocated the most difficult task for the night, that of picking the winners among such amazing performances.

We hope that the residential students enjoyed the entertainment, and all the lights and colours of the event. We also wish all the students a happy midterm break and look forward to receiving them back at school energized and refreshed from the holidays.

Photos by Farosat Alamshoeva, Year 10