Rehearsal

Due to the lack of time, we wound up having to schedule our only rehearsal on the day of the concert itself! We all showed up bright and early but almost all the other performers failed to do so…resulting in unnecessary delays. Pri (backstage) had to continuously communicate with Saba and Mo (lights) to let them know when the performers are going onstage. In addition to this, the spotlight had to be focused on the MCs (me and Chris) every time we went on to introduce the next performance which took some adjustments. We had quite a fright because one of the two spotlights had blown but we managed with just one all the same. Problems concerning the sound arose as well especially when the drums were being played for the larger bands so that had to be attended to by Mr. Rana. Overall, the whole run through didn’t go as smoothly as I would’ve liked although we were glad to have had the opportunity to identify and attempt to fix the major faults.

Pre-concert pressure

To say that there were a lot of preparatory work that had to be done in the few days leading up to the concert would be a tremendous understatement. Here’s a concise list that summarizes the small tasks that gradually built up:

• · Making sure our sponsors’ posters got put up in the auditorium – this was mostly Mr. Rana’s job.
• · Collecting the printouts of Natalie’s photos and putting them on display for people to see as they enter.

• · Finalizing the lineup; this was a lot more difficult than anticipated because we had to make sure that the peaks and troughs of the concert came at precisely the right intervals, balancing the soft with loud, the songs with dances, the Western with Eastern performances.
• · Designing and printing out programs for the concert as well as the invitations for the invitees done by me and Dylan respectively.

• · Getting Pesta, our canteen, to donate snack parcels for the performers. They generously provided us with 50 packets comprising of short eats, cake and a drink in return for selling food during the break.
• · Assigning ticket sellers (teachers), t-shirt sellers (Upandha) and pledge form handlers (Emily and Ms. Shameela).
• · Putting aside reserved tickets, mostly for the performers’ friends and families, in clearly labeled envelopes.
• Editing Priyanka’s MC script (done by Ms. Fernando) and practicing it. Turns out it’s going to be me and Chris!

Making progress in badminton!

Our coach, Mr. de Silva, took me under his wing when he noticed that my footwork was not as quick as it needed to me. We did a range of very tiring drills where he showed me how to step towards the net in the most efficient way, left and right. He then started shooting shuttlecocks near both corners near the net alternatively at first and then randomly which kept me on my toes.

In the next lesson, he did the same thing but going away from the net to the further corners. After I had gotten used to the new steps, he combined all four of them and had me running back and forth on the court. It was absolutely exhausting but I felt like I was getting somewhere. I also learnt that, since I’m left-handed, my left foot should always follow my left arm, especially when hitting the shuttlecock. This is especially useful when playing away from the net and allowed me to use my weight as well as arm strength.

My primary objective is to focus on my backhand because I had noticed that I kept missing a lot of easy near shots as I was not fast enough. I’ll also have to continue the drills with Mr. de Silva when I start again next semester to keep my footwork and stamina level in check.

Nail art course: designing my own spa!

To run a nail art business, you’d need a carefully arranged spa. This was our next surprising assignment: designing one!

Our list of requirements included:

• · A client consultation sheet
• · A list of services with their prices
• · A sketch of the spa plan

• · A spa profile
• · The spa name and logo

Jani said that the name of the spa must relate to our identity so I chose ‘Swanflower’ as it is an alias to my name Malindie (meaning flower) Hansika (meaning swan). It has a lot of hard work and I had to get a friend’s help with editing the logo design, which I sketched myself, but in the end I was very proud of myself. Never thought I had it in myself to design a spa!

Lights? Check. Sound? Check. Performers? Performers?!?

Now comes all the technical details. A tech run was essential to ensure that all participants got precisely the right atmosphere for their performance. Saba and Mo agreed to control the lights with the help of Mr. Rana the auditorium manager so we called everyone over on Saturday to get everything sorted out. The majority of the performers were able to come but it was quite frustrating when you leave a task incomplete for the rest of them. Upandha came along armed with her laptop to show us the video she created which we planned to show the audience before the show. It served two roles: to spread awareness of cancer and to inform the viewers what exactly Hope for Kids is. She had done a wonderful job but we felt that it needed a few tweaks for it to be perfect and Tara helped her out with those adjustments.

Nail art course: I think I’m being hypocritical…

There were three others who were taking the same course and one day Jani split us into two teams of two and announced that we’re going to have a debate! Our topic was whether the constant exposure to the chemicals found in nail art spas is hazardous to our health. My teamed ended up having to argue for the topic so I had to go and do some research on how nail polish and other cosmetics can be harmful. I actually made some shocking discoveries. For example, one source contained a lengthy list of all illnesses that can arise due to overexposure to cosmetics and how nail artists are liable to suffer from them.

On the day of the debate, I came armed with my points only to find that my partner hasn’t showed up! Jani insisted that we continue without her anyway so I had to defend my side of the argument on my own. The opposing team put up quite a fight although even they were shocked when I revealed how potentially harmful these cosmetics can be. Jani eventually had to intervened, saying that there’s nothing to worry about as long as the users know how to handle them correctly. This included maintaining a clean workstation, putting on base coats, using face masks to cover the mouth and nose when filing and avoiding buying products with harmful constituents such as DBP. Knowing these points would undoubtedly be useful if any one of us is planning to pursue this stream professionally in order to defend the market.

Voice workshop

Ms. Grant, our drama teacher, who also has invaluable singing experience, agreed to give the singers some tips before the big day. Around 8 participants showed up and Christina and I stayed as well to make sure things ran smoothly. And we might have tried (and failed!) to join the vocalizing with the rest. There were also two 6^th grade girls who wanted to audition and sang ‘Girl put you records on’. They were adorable but they just weren’t loud enough to perform in an auditorium that can hold over 400 people! Overall, we felt that the workshop managed to help the singers gain confidence as well as creating a sense of unity among the them since we needed to promote the notion that all of us were acting together for this cause.