Shanti Bhavan Arts Camp 2024
We wrapped up a whirlwind two-week arts camp at the Shanti Bhavan Children's Project, and culminated in something truly extraordinary!
Students dove headfirst into their artistic passions with five “majors”: dance, design, vocal music, instrumental music, and directing. Then, students chose from five additional
”minors” in dance, theater tech, writing, acting, and music, so they could explore hidden talents from painting murals, to script-writing, to learning new instruments, to perfcting singing in harmony.
Amidst all of the hard work and rehearsals, we played tons of camp games including toothpick bridge competitions, parachute launch accuracy contests, water balloon battles, and more.
The students channeled their newfound skills to perform their VERY OWN ORIGINAL MUSICAL! Students created the costumes and props, wrote the script, directed and ran all of sound, music, curtain cues and lights. From a teachers perspective who has been working with some of these students for many years, it was amazing to see so many campers take up leadership roles and try new skills for the first time. Shanti Bhavan now has it’s own full lighting, sound, and design crew ready to put on a beautifully designed show at a moment’s notice.
Feedback from the campers was overwhelmingly positive, and showed that we were successful in creating a space where these incredible kids felt loved, supported, and like they could achieve anything. They're overflowing with gratitude for the opportunity to grow, and they're feeling empowered to chase their artistic dreams with unstoppable confidence.
A massive round of applause for our incredible team members who came from all corners of the globe! We're so grateful for the support of Sing for Hope and their incredible team members Sharyn Pirtle, David Fernandez, Bridget Hogan, Genevieve Quarshie, Peter Herr, and Victoria Donu. We also extend our deepest gratitude to BAE team members Ben Houghton, Brittany Stone, Dr. Christopher Sierra, Manuela Restrepo, Sravan Suresh, and Rahul Jhunjhunwala.
Check-out more photos from rehearsals below:
Our melodica orchestra posing during a tech rehearsal.
Ms Bridget leading the vocal majors in a warm-up.
Ms. Sharyn leading the directing majors in a workshop.
Mr. Peter (Mamoshi) putting the finishing touches on the new mural in the music room.
The dolphin and her sea-creature friends tell their story about water pollution in “A Change for A Change”
Mr. Rahul works with the piano section of the orchestra.
Some of the younger boys “focusing” backstage during a rehearsal.
The design team hard at work making costume mock-ups with various fabrics.
A still from our big opening number. The perfect student (center, seated) focused on his studies while his classmates focus on their dreams.
Dance majors take a bow in their beautiful costumes following the Air Ballet.
Our team of teachers, interns, and administrators who made all of the magic possible!
Directing majors getting the blocking just right.
Showing off their design skills.
Dance majors rehearsing the “cricket dance” from Act III.
Focusing the lights for the final pose.
Taking a break from rehearsals with water balloon games.
Luffy and Laco, two chickens on the run from a hungry panther, strategize together in the woods.
Sing for hope team posing right before a zoom with one of their educational programs in the Bronx.
