Promotion of Patriotism/National Integration/Communal Harmony - Interschool Choreographic Dance Competition

What is the Interschool Choreographic Dance Competition?

Promotion of Patriotism / National Integration / Communal Harmony; Interschool Choreographic Dance Competition is Scheme No. 21 of the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG), which functions under the Art, Culture and Museums Department, Government of Goa.

The Academy's stated purpose is to inculcate values of patriotism, national integration and communal harmony in children, and the method it chose is an inter-school competition of choreographic dancing on Konkani songs carrying those themes. Children rehearse a Konkani patriotic song, choreograph it, and perform it in front of a panel of judges. The values arrive through the work rather than through a lecture.

The scheme is one of a linked pair. Scheme No. 22, under the same heading, covers the production of a musical programme or tiatr on the same themes for adults and institutions. This guide covers Scheme No. 21, the school dance competition.

Key features

• Dance performed to a recorded patriotic song in Konkani.
• Only one song may be used; no fusion of different songs is considered.
• Group of not less than 6 and not more than 10 dancers.
• Two categories, Standard 1st to 4th, and Standard 5th to 10th.
• 25 participating troupes permitted, on a first come first served basis.
• Travel allowance paid by distance, and refreshments provided.
• Judged by a panel well versed in dance and choreography, whose decision is final and binding.

What prizes and allowances does the competition carry?

Prize money; Standard 1st to Standard 4th

Prize money: Standard 5th to Standard 10th

Travel allowance, paid to every participating group by distance

Non-monetary benefits

• Mementos and certificates for all prize winners.
• Refreshments for the participants and their in-charge.
• Exposure on an inter-school competition platform.

The Best Choreographer prize is worth noting separately. It is awarded in both categories at Rs 3,000, and it recognises the teacher or choreographer behind the piece rather than the dancers alone.

Who is eligible to enter?

A school can enter if:

• The applicant is an educational institution.
• The group consists of not less than 6 dancers.
• The group consists of not more than 10 dancers.
• The entry is in either the Standard 1st to 4th category or the Standard 5th to 10th category.
• The performance uses only one patriotic song in the Konkani language.
• A recorded copy of that song on CD is furnished with the application form.

You cannot enter, or are not eligible, if:

• You are an individual student or parent applying on your own. The applicant under this scheme is the educational institution.
• Your group has fewer than 6 or more than 10 dancers.
• Your performance uses more than one song; no fusion of different songs is considered.
• The song is not in Konkani, or is not a song on patriotism, national integration or communal harmony.
• You cannot supply the recorded copy of the song on CD with the form.
• The 25 troupe limit is already filled when your application arrives, since places are allotted on a first come first served basis.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Interschool Choreographic Dance Competition

1. Obtain the prescribed application form for Scheme No. 21 from the Tiatr Academy of Goa, AS-1 / AS-4, Block A, 2nd Floor, Campal Trade Centre, Opposite Kala Academy, Campal, Panaji, Goa 403001, or print it from the Academy's schemes page.
2. Tick the category — (a) Standard 1st to 4th, or (b) Standard 5th to 10th, and fill in the name and address of the educational institution, the title of the Konkani song, the title of the album, the names of the singers, the name of the music composer, and the names of all participants.
3. Attach the recorded copy of the song on a CD, which is returnable, and ensure the group named on the form has between 6 and 10 dancers.
4. Sign and date the form, and submit it at the Academy's Campal office so that it reaches at least 30 days in advance. Apply early, only 25 troupes are admitted and places go on a first come first served basis.
5. Keep a copy of the submitted form and any acknowledgement, and confirm the competition date and venue with the Academy office.

How is the competition conducted and judged?

TAG organises the competition as an inter-school event with dances performed to recorded patriotic songs in Konkani. A panel of judges well versed in dance and choreography evaluates the performances, and the scheme states plainly that their decision is final and binding.

Awards in each category are given for performance at first, second and third place, and separately for Best Choreographer. With two categories running, that produces eight awards across the competition.

Every participating group: not only the winners: receives the travel allowance fixed by distance and refreshments for the dancers and their in-charge. For a school in a distant taluka bringing ten children to Panaji, the Rs 4,000 allowance is a substantial part of the real cost of taking part.

What should a school plan around?

• Apply 30 days in advance at minimum. The application must reach the office of TAG at least 30 days before, and the 25-troupe cap closes early in practice.
• Choose one song and stay with it. Fusion pieces are not considered at all, which is a common disqualification when choreographers try to build a medley.
• Check the group size on the day, not only on the form. A dancer dropping out can take a group of six below the minimum.
• Budget for costumes and rehearsal separately. The travel allowance and refreshments are the support offered; the scheme does not fund costumes.
• Bring the CD. The recording furnished with the form is what the dance is performed to.

Where to get help

• Tiatr Academy of Goa, AS-1 / AS-4, Block A, 2nd Floor, Campal Trade Centre, Opposite Kala Academy, Campal, Panaji, Goa 403001 to phone 0832-2230738 and 0832-2230739, email tiatracademy@gmail.com.
• Tiatr Academy of Goa schemes page, which carries the rules and application form for Scheme No. 21 and for every other numbered TAG scheme.
• Directorate of Art and Culture, Patto, Panaji, phone 0832-2404600, for the wider Goa art and culture framework.

TAG reserves the right to make any changes in the rules of this scheme, so confirm the current year's prize amounts, dates and the state of the 25-troupe cap with the Academy's Campal office before committing a school group to rehearsals.

Related TAG schemes for schools

Schools interested in this competition should also look at the Academy's other school-facing schemes; Promotion of Tiatr for Schools, the Children's Tiatr Competition, the Tiatr Competition for Educational Institutions at Higher Secondary level, and Scheme No. 22, which supports the production of a full musical programme or tiatr on the same themes of patriotism, national integration and communal harmony.

How to check your application status

This scheme runs on a paper application submitted directly to the Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG), not through an online portal, so there is no login or tracking number to check a status against. A school confirms where its entry stands by following up directly with the Academy office.

• Call the TAG office at 0832-2230738 or 0832-2230739 and quote the school's name, the category entered (Standard 1st to 4th, or 5th to 10th), and the date the form was submitted. The office can confirm whether the form was received and whether the school's troupe is among the 25 admitted.
• Email tiatracademy@gmail.com with the same details if a phone line is unavailable, and ask for written confirmation of the school's slot. Keep this reply as your record.
• Visit in person at AS-1 / AS-4, Block A, 2nd Floor, Campal Trade Centre, Opposite Kala Academy, Campal, Panaji, if the school is in or near Panaji and wants to confirm the submitted form and CD were both accepted intact.
• Ask specifically about the 25-troupe cap. Because places are first come first served, confirming receipt of the form is not the same as confirming a slot; a school should ask whether it has been counted within the 25 admitted troupes, not only whether the form arrived.
• Reconfirm closer to the event date. Since the scheme notes TAG can change rules from year to year, a school that applied weeks in advance should call again nearer the competition date to verify the date, venue, and category timing before finalising travel plans for the group.

Because there is no digital acknowledgement issued automatically, the burden is on the applying school to initiate this follow-up rather than wait for a confirmation to arrive unprompted.

Common reasons for rejection

• More than one song used, or a fusion of songs. The scheme is explicit that only one song is allowed and that fusion pieces are not considered at all. Choreographers who blend two Konkani numbers for variety are disqualified on this ground alone; the fix is to commit to a single song from the outset and build the full routine around it.
• Song not in Konkani, or not on the required theme. A patriotic, national integration, or communal harmony song in a different language, or a Konkani song on an unrelated theme, does not meet the scheme's condition. Confirm both the language and the thematic content of the song before choreography work begins, not after.
• Group size outside the 6 to 10 range. An entry with five dancers or with eleven is outside the permitted band. Schools should finalise the group first and treat absences before the actual performance day as a real risk, since a dropout can take a compliant group of six below the minimum.
• No recorded copy of the song submitted with the form. The application must be accompanied by the recording the group will dance to. A form submitted without this recording is incomplete and will not be processed as a valid entry.
• Application arrives after the 25-troupe cap is filled. Because admission is first come first served and not merit based, a complete and correctly filled form can still miss out simply because it arrived after 25 other schools' forms. Submitting well ahead of the 30-day minimum window, rather than exactly at it, is the only real protection against this.
• Incomplete institutional details on the form. Missing or unclear information such as the institution's full name and address, the category entered, the song and album title, or the names of the singers, composer and participants can hold up processing. A school representative should review the form entry by entry against what TAG's prescribed format asks for before it is submitted.
• Entry submitted by an individual rather than the school. Because the applicant under this scheme is the educational institution, a form submitted by a parent or student acting independently of the school does not meet the eligibility condition and will not be accepted as a valid institutional entry.