The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Dance school for the visually challenged

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 27, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Dance school for the visually challenged

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: `Lawrence Masteru', who makes top Telugu and Tamil stars dance to his tunes takes up a new role as a dance master for visually and mentally challenged children including dwarfs in a unique initiative.

He set up a dance school for children at the Devnar Foundation for the Blind. It all began when ten visually challenged children from the school featured in his recently directed and choreographed film `Style'.

"What they enjoyed most was the loud claps and cheers of encouragement," says Jyothi Goud, correspondent of the Devnar Foundation for the Blind. describing her students' brush with stardom in the title song, which was choreographed by Raghava Lawrence.

But it was not just the visually impaired children who found a new potential within, the experience changed the dance master himself.

"When he saw the children he was so happy, he cried and wanted to do something," she says.

To be run by Raghava Lawrence Trust, the choreographer will be at the dance school twice a week.

The first class will be held at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday. Till now 24 students of the school have registered and some more have applied from other schools taking the total to 40.

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