By Mara McCallen
The moral of the story is: Never be too trusting of your friends.
The Monkey and the Crocodile is based on an old Indian folktale. A monkey forms a friendship with a crocodile that soon betrays him. The monkey then outsmarts the crocodile, teaching him a lesson he will never forget.
Menaka Thakkar is an East Indian classical dancer, teacher and choreographer known throughout the world. The Menaka Thakkar Dance Company has choreographed an educational program based on the story of the Monkey and the Crocodile. It exposes
elementary school children to East Indian culture and classical dance.
Each day-long session incorporates a performance and a hands-on workshop, using traditional Indian costumes and headdresses.
From Nov. 4-7, Thakkar visited five elementary schools in Ottawa. Instead of using adult dancers, Thakkar brought students aged 14 to 15 “to help relate to elementary-age students.” Her dancers played the principal roles and students in each school enacted all the other roles.
Thakkar says it is important to educate children at a young age and “clarify misconceptions about Indian culture.”
“I think that these children are our next generation. We are so lucky in Canada with its multiculturalism that we can learn from other cultures,” says Thakkar.
Students at St. Anthony School on Booth Street participated as part of the school’s “Shine 2003” campaign. The campaign identifies goals that involve performances and workshops and actively seeks funding through grants and community support to provide artistic opportunities to students.
In previous years, their campaign allowed them to bring in various performances, including musicians from the National Arts Centre and visual artists from Artists for Schools and Community (MASC), a charitable arts education organization.
John Dorner, the principal of St. Anthony, says expressive arts and physical and health education are areas of high priority.
“It enhances the spirit of the school to be involved in performance,” says Dorner.
Thakkar also visited Centennial School on Gloucester Avenue, where she had the opportunity to interact with disabled children and demonstrate the importance of the
facial techniques and eye emotions of East Indian classical dance.
Teacher Lori Lovett said she thought the program would benefit the children. She says that bringing a group into the school is more cost-efficient than going outside the school.
“It allows students to see a performance they may not be able to afford on their own,” says Lovett.
Menaka Thakkar and her dancers have also visited schools in Toronto, Vancouver and Regina. This is the first time they have done this sort of workshop in Ottawa.
MASC invited Thakkar to Ottawa to share her artistic experiences and talent with children who otherwise may not be able to afford such an opportunity. One of MASC’s main focuses is bringing professional artists into schools. Each year approximately 100,000 children are exposed to MASC programs.
Jenn Soutter, the community-coordinator for MASC, says Thakkar has a unique connection to their organization.
“Menaka was one of the first artists that worked with MASC when it started in 1989 and was actually one of the creators of the name,” says Soutter.
In the end, Thakkar has one goal.
“The most important thing is to get the experience and joy of dancing,” says Thakkar.