'Dancing through the Decades'

The synchronised swimming team of Ladies' College presented Dancing Through the Decades, a water ballet at the College pool. Starting off with Benny Goodman's Sing, sing, sing, followed by Frank Sinatra's New York New York and Alicia Keys, Empire state of mind which was the story of jazz and how it evolved over the decades. The fascinating performance of the swimmers enthralled the audience.

The other performances were, Timeless - performed to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker and Barcarolle. This was a routine of power, grace, elegance and strength which transported the audience back in time. A solo, spellbinding performance by Achala Ratnavale - Wishing you were somehow here again, Can can, a popular dance of French origin which was given an aquatic adaptation. Here comes the sun, a song by the Beatles was beautifully performed by children from the special education unit. The show culminated with an exhilarating performance - Shake rattle and roll, a medley of rock and roll which kept the night away.

The little ones stole the show with their performance in D.I.S.C.O. Which was a europeaonised 'Dancing through the Decades' was a chart topper. About sixteen children took part in the event. Another event was 'Oh what a night', ABBA's Dancing Queen which was a favourite during the'70s and '80s consisted of many ABBA numbers to which the swimmers danced in the water.

The team was trained by Sonali Ratwatte who is the synchronised swimming coach who spared no pains to ensure that the event will go without a glitch.

The program was to felicitate principal Nirmali Wickremasinghe who was saying bye bye after a decade of service at the school. Incidentaslly she was instrumental in reviving synchronised swimming at Ladies College and Dancing through the Decades was a fitting tribute.

Pix: by Sudath Nishantha.