Performing Arts and Visual Arts at TSRS Aravali aim to help students understand and discover themselves, re-cast perceptions and refine sensibility, enhance teamwork and leadership skills, develop confidence, understand emotions in a whole new way and raise awareness of social issues.
The Art department, besides teaching the Art curriculum, exposes students to various inter-school, national and international art opportunities. Senior Art students have earned their place at international art camps and summer programmes through their work shortlisted at camps and competitions, and many have developed the confidence to hold exhibitions of their work on their own.
Form mornings are a vital part of the PA calendar, as are various inter-school theatre and music events. In continuation of the tradition of glorious form mornings, 2014 and 2015 saw stage performances scripted, adapted and performed by different forms with themes ranging from pre-Independence nationalism, corruption and crime, fantasy such as Alibaba, and the advent of cinema in India. The Activities team organises the annual Shri Utsav, which is a successful student initiative. All performances begin with an invocation song or dance, based on the classical music and dance styles of India. Children with a passion and an ear for music find avenues in the orchestra on such occasions. 2015 – 16 saw 72 children from Aravali perform a bihu dance at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium on Republic Day and a choir of 10 children sing the national anthem at the Pro-Kabaddi final at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.
The Music Society and the Drama Society represent school at competitions, planning, directing and rehearsing their performances with the PA faculty more as facilitators.
In any PA event, while everyone strives for a polished end product, the process is more important than the product. Preparation, practice and run-through are exercises in creative coordination, constructive criticism, bonding, rigour and discipline.
Performing Arts and Visual Arts are instrumental in successful inter-disciplinary teaching initiatives and the grounding at school enables some students to gain admission to college under the ECA quota. Performing Arts constitute a part of the academic time table for classes 6 and 7 with the aim of providing a foundation in Indian vocal, Indian keyboard and Kathak. Classes 9 and 10, under the ICSE curriculum, are given the option of Indian Dance, an intensive course in Indian dance including knowledge of Indian music.
