The second annual FunCity-Kaleidoscope event concluded with thrilling wins by various local schools. 

FunCity-Kaleidoscope 2008, the second national-level inter-school pantomime and musical choreography competition for school children across the UAE concluded on Friday, 18 April 2008 in dramatic triumphs for the winning schools. The event is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and supported by the Sharjah Theatre Group.

The winner in Category A was The Indian High School (Dubai) and the winner in Category B was The Far Eastern Private School (Sharjah). It was a triple win for both these schools as the former also excelled in the Best Costume and Best Choreography categories whilst the latter prevailed in the Best Choreography and Best Music Selection Composition/mixing categories.

With the enthusiastic and brilliantly devised performances on stage, the judges acknowledged the decisions were tough. Lori Dorman, Director of the Sharjah Theatre Group stressed, “This is a competition about encouraging the kids to participate and enjoy themselves. The performances were outstanding and the winners scooped up the first place owing to their polished routines and excellent timings – they were indeed professional.”

Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Saleh, from the Students Activity Department remarked, “It was sheer pleasure to view these wonderful performances by the school children and we’re happy to be a part of this event. Every one tonight is a shining star and we look forward to taking this event to a regional and an international level.”

Sanjay Chakraborty, General Manager of FunCity, commented, “We are pleased with the enthusiastic performances of these talented youngsters tonight. FunCity-Kaleidoscope looks forward to hosting more creative competitions in the future, inspiring school children to showcase their talents and imagination.”

The six finalists all performed with aplomb, encouraged by a cheering audience at the University City Hall in Sharjah. Audience members and participants travelled from various emirates to witness and be part of this event. This second edition of FunCity-Kaleidoscope offered youngsters from all over UAE a platform to showcase their talent in the fields of music and drama. Performers are divided into two groups based on age: Category A with children between 5 and 10 years and Category B with children between 11 and 15 years. In addition to the Championship Trophy, individual performers also received certificates, attractive prizes and gift hampers from FunCity, Tiffany, MAX & EMAX.

Commenting on winning the first prize this year, Uma Raleh, supervisor of the winning The Indian High School (Dubai) said, “After winning a third place last year, we were determined to perform better this time. Our win tonight was due to hard team work – we had excellent teachers, our kids were immensely keen to excel and we all put in our best to win. We’ve also received maximum support from our CEO, Mr Ashok Kumar, to get involved in FunCity-Kaleidoscope 2008.”

Romeo Ancetta, music director at the Far Eastern Private School (Sharjah) stated, “We’re simply thrilled to win! It took roughly a week of intense rehearsals and dedication by the students. We’re also grateful for those who showed up to support us tonight. This was our first time and we’ll definitely be back next year.”

On winning the best performer in Category B, Nawal Ansari (from Far Eastern Private school) commented, “I was certainly surprised and very flattered by this win. The competition was tough and I’m delighted with our win”. Her peer and second place winner, Kris Flores, added, “We’re elated with our prizes and performance. We were initially nervous about entering a national-level competition but our enthusiasm and commitment carried us through.” 

List of winners:

Category A

Winner: The Indian High School, Dubai

1^st runner-up: Al Bahr School, Fujeirah

Best costume: The Indian High School, Dubai

Best choreography: The Indian High School, Dubai

Best composition and mixing: Al Bahr School, Fujeirah

Best performer (1^st prize): Aishwarya Lalinder, The Indian High School, Dubai

Best performer (2^nd prize): Fatema Abdul Rahman, Al Bahr School, Fujeirah

Category B

Winner: Far Eastern Private School, Sharjah

1^st runner-up: Our Own English High School, Abu Dhabi

Best costume: The Indian High School, Dubai

Best choreography: Far Eastern Private School, Sharjah

Best composition and mixing: Far Eastern Private School, Sharjah

Best performer (1^st prize): Nawal Al Ansary, Far Eastern Private School, Sharjah

Best performer (2^nd prize): Kris Flores, Far Eastern Private School, Sharjah

Judges

Ms Lori Dorman – Director, Sharjah Theatre Group

Mr Lalit Sharma – Head of Films Division, Landmark Group

Mr Ibrahim Haddat – Music Supervisor, Ministry of Education