She danced and danced and held the audience spellbound throughout the evening with her poise and vitality on stage. Ten-year-old Danangi Fernando, a student of Kala Guru Miranda Hemalatha indeed won many hearts with her performance at the Elphinstone Theatre on September 27.
Danangi’s show was special for two reasons- because she was dancing to raise funds for the building of Diri Daru Piyasa, a special unit for children with Down’s Syndrome by the Miranda Hemalatha Kala Ashramaya and because she herself is a special child.
Veteran teacher Miranda Hemalatha took the stage to explain how there was a great need for a place where the special talents of differently abled children could be nurtured. A plot of land for the building of the Diri Daru Piyasa, where children could be taught dancing and music and other vocational skills has already been donated by a well-wisher at Kidelpitiya and it is hoped the funds for the construction could be raised to help special children from not so affluent families develop their talents and integrate with society, she said appealing for well-wishers to contribute their mite to this worthy cause.
Contributions could be sent to Bank of Ceylon Maharagama Current Account No 607348 or to the Special Children’s Unit at Miranda Hemalatha Kala Ashramaya, No 189, Old Road, Nawinna, Maharagama.
Mohanlal Grero, Managing Director Lyceum International School, Nugegoda where Danangi was the first student to be enrolled in their special needs section also spoke. |
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