Newly written and illustrated by Keya Punja, Ila’s Adventures is a children’s book and now a dance-led stage production. Its adaptation in the form of a dance performance is staged on March 28 at Braeburn Gitanga Road.
Punja was not planning to enter the world of children’s literature, but a conversation with Julie Duckworth, a choreographer and founder of The Academy of Dance and Art, inspired her to do so.
Duckworth wanted to stage an original children’s ballet and contemporary dance performance, and Punja took it upon herself to write the book.
Ila’s Adventures follows a little mouse named Ila who lives with her grandmother. In the opening scene, Ila learns knitting from her grandmother. This scene is drawn from Punja’s reality, whose grandmother taught her knitting and whose favourite place was the verandah.
“The book aims to encourage children and teaches them to be kind, follow instincts, be brave, and believe in themselves,” says Punja.
Without prior experience in writing for children, Punja asked her sister, a primary school teacher, to read and give feedback. She told him that she thinks she would be able to read and understand it even though it has longer words.
“The book doesn’t have the melody; it has proper prose with words that would challenge children to look up and learn new vocabulary,” she says.
The animals in the story aren’t drawn from here but are the kinds of characters she read about in books as a child. Punja shares that it was easy for her to envision those characters and hopes to write future stories that draw more from local environments.
As a dance adaptation, Ila is played by Naomi Nandi Wamwenje, a student who has trained with The Origins Dance Company, which is under The Academy of Dance and Art, since the age of four and is now nine.
At first, the role felt unfamiliar, and she wasn’t sure what exactly it was because she had never participated in something like this.
“As we practised and it started to come together, I got really excited. It is a very beautiful book, and Keya did an amazing job creating fascinating characters in the story,” Naomi says.
She tried thinking like an animal, which she says is easy because children like animals. They also created a relaxed, fantasy-like environment where she could just let her imagination go wild.
“There’s something dreamy about dancing with a huge butterfly. Dancing with the rabbit made me think of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit character. The fox reminded me of my brother Abednego,” she says.
Through her performance, she hopes that child audiences know that they can do hard things if they believe it and put in the effort.
As Naomi loved the whimsical adventures, Duckworth loved the novelty of Ila’s Adventures, and with it, she created a dance performance that will now travel to schools and engage children.
“Teachers are always looking for new material. The children first read the book, and then we go to their schools and perform the dance,” says Duckworth.
She admits that it is difficult to take words and turn them into a dance. She creates a move by visualising each scene and interpreting the book through bodily expressions.
For instance, for the opening scene, Ila, sitting and knitting with her grandmother, becomes a jumpy and fun dance.
Since the production is touring different schools, it can adapt to any stage. The set is minimal, with props mounted on wheels to easily move them in and out of the stage.
“We have a single backdrop and props like a rabbit hole, house, and reeds which can be rearranged. I can transport and use them in any venue,” she says.
The energetic and engaging performance is about 40 minutes long, and it has bright costumes designed by Evie Bertram. The performers are trained in ballet to ensure strength and precision, which keeps the performance visually clean.
The show incorporates a voiceover that follows what’s in the book. This allows children who have read the book to follow along during the performance.
With upcoming performances scheduled in school spaces after this public showing, Duckworth hopes that children feel inspired by it.
“I hope that they want to come to dance classes, that they use imagination and that they like to read,” she says.