CAS Project: Colombo Dance Project

April 20 2021

For my CAS Project, I wanted to do something that would grow skills I already had while simultaneously pushing me into something I hadn’t done before. It was only after I partnered with two of my classmates, Ashvini and Rukshi, that I was able to realize and act on this idea with our CAS Project. I joined them fairly late after they had already decided what they would like to do, but I knew that we could work together to achieve our goal.

The Goal

Our goal was to take photos of Ashvini dancing at landmarks and different places in Colombo, after which we’d edit and post the photos to an Instagram account. We aimed to reach 150 followers by the time we were done with the project. This project was aimed at capturing some of the essence of Colombo with the motif of dance. We would also edit the photos to bring out specific elements that represented Colombo better. This project combined creativity and activity and allowed me to explore photography, something I’ve had few opportunities to experiment with, as well as highlight the beauty and uniqueness of the city I’ve lived in for over four years.

You can find the page on Instagram at @cmbdanceproject or click this link: cmbdanceproject

The Plan

When I joined, a general plan had been established, but I helped devise some of the final photos and where we would take them. I also became in charge of sourcing materials for the shoots, shooting all of the Behind the Scenes photos, shooting secondary photos in different angles from the main shots, editing the photos, and organizing any photoshoots that took place after the set date for shooting. Rukshi was in charge of the main photography and editing, and Ashvini was the dancer and model, who also chose and trained a partner for some of her shots, and choreographed all of the poses featured in the photos. We planned to shoot over the course of one day, the 14th of March, with different poses and focuses in each location. Our locations were:

School Lane
Diyatha Station
Arpico supermarket (Hyde Park)
Green Path
Independence Arcade
Old Cargills Building
Beach at Galle Face Hotel
Rukshi’s apartment building
Ashvini’s garden (March 31st)

The Process

Before we set out to begin shooting, I planned some of the shots like those in front of the paintings on Green Path, I finalized the location of the beach at Galle Face Hotel when discussing where we could find a beach to shoot at, and I planned and acquired the resources to shoot some photos of Ashvini dancing with a smoke grenade. I ensured this was entirely safe first, but we felt it would be good as this kind of shot was fairly popular in dancing photography, and we hoped it would help bring attention to our page. However, the smoke grenade did not work the first time, on the 14th, so we decided to instead photograph Ashvini by Rukshi’s apartment pool with Colombo’s skyline in the background, representative of the city’s innate connection with the ocean and island culture. I ended up sourcing two more smoke grenades several days later and organizing the second shoot to capture photos with the smoke, ultimately shooting in Ashvini’s garden so that the blue smoke and green background would contrast nicely.

(BtS of setting up the first smoke grenade, photo taken by Rukshi)

(BtS of practising with the second smoke grenade, photo taken by Rukshi)

These are two other photos I took. One is a Behind the Scenes shot of Ashvini and Rukshi looking over one of her photos (this specific photo can be found also on the Instagram account), and the other is one that wasn’t posted but was taken at Diyatha station.

(BtS of Ashvini and Rukshi checking the photos just taken, photo taken by me)

(Unedited black-and-white photograph of Ashvini on the old train, photo taken by me)

We finished with over 400 photos from 9 different locations, all in different angles, styles, and visuals, with different costumes, poses, and viewpoints. We edited the photos quickly afterwards, typically adding filters to highlight the colours of photos like those outside the old Cargills building and by the beach, as well as cropped some photos to present the focus better. We slowly posted these photos on the account, and by the 20th of April, we have 147 followers and averaged about 100 likes every post. Our most liked post was the second, with 139 likes, and the first post, a slow-motion black-and-white video I took of Ashvini jumping into the pool while striking a pose, has 657 views.

The Challenges and Learnings

Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

As I stated before, photography was something I wanted to explore and learn about further. I had started to dabble in it after my 2020 Highland Week Without Walls but never had another opportunity after that. This allowed me to not only experiment with different compositions, lightings, angles, focal points and more but I was forced to problem solve and think critically when I was taking photos. If we had the perfect background but poor lighting, we had to find ways to create shade for the camera and take clearer photos, and when we were thinking of places to shoot, I had to think quickly to come up with locations with our limited time. Furthermore, I was aware of my lack of experience in photography. I had a few lessons in the past, but I was not overly confident in my ability to take good photographs, so I had to learn what kind I was good at and when to support Rukshi or Ashvini rather than try taking my own photos.

Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

It is clear that this whole process was fairly challenging. None of us were experts, or even novices, in many of the things we set out to do, and not only did we have to plan for them, but we also had to come up with solutions to problems on the spot. These were the biggest challenges: planning and adapting our plan for where we would shoot, what Ashvini would wear, the poses she would strike, the backgrounds we wanted, the focus of the image, the aspect of Colombo it represented or highlighted, where we would get materials, etc. Again, when things went wrong with the smoke bomb, we quickly acted to shoot replacement photos and videos and agreed to meet another day with more materials prepared so that we could wrap up the shooting. There is also no doubt that all of us developed new skills. I know Rukshi’s photography experience was limited to the same WWW trip as me, Ashvini had never performed many of the poses she did, let alone had to teach them to a partner with no background in dance, and I had to come up with locations and shots like I had never done before. I also have almost no experience in editing photos past applying filters. The photos we took had to be vibrant, focused, clear, purposeful, and representative of some aspect of beauty or uniqueness in Colombo, be it the Old Cargills building or the beach.

Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

While I was not privy to the initial stages of planning the shoot, I was completely in charge of the final few shots and had a lot of control over where we shot when we actually arrived on location. I ended up organizing and taking many photos that were not planned. The photos in front of Green Path were my idea, as I recalled the times I drove down the road and looked at the paintings. Many of the photos taken at Independence Arcade, while not posted, were organized and set up by me. I had to independently source the materials and locations for the smoke grenade photos after proposing the idea and had to set up the second one after the smoke grenade malfunctioned the first time. On top of this, there was the general setting up of shots when we were at the locations, like running across the road to take well-positioned photos at Green Path. Finally, and arguable most importantly, there was organizing Ashvini’s costumes and poses at each location. The costumes had to either complement or contrast the background, and the poses had to work with or separately from the background, which was surprisingly hard to figure out.

Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

This outcome was one I foresaw before I started my CAS project and came back to when I joined Rukshi and Ashvini in the Colombo Dance Project. I knew that working in a group would allow for a better organized, more dynamic, and all-around larger CAS project. Working in groups allows people to combine interests, talents, and capabilities, like my combined background in dance and photography, Rukshi’s ability to transport the team around Colombo, and Ashvini’s extensive background in dance. I do not believe any one of us working independently would have been able to achieve anything close to what we did together, and for that, I am proud. There were challenges at times with arguing over the best photo from a specific location, the best location as a whole, etc. However, we were always quickly able to work through issues as we were always willing to listen, communicate, and evaluate the benefits of any decision we made. I can honestly say that working in a group made this process much more enjoyable and fruitful in the long run.

The Possibilities

I thoroughly enjoyed the process of planning, organizing, and carrying out several photoshoots, even though I was not always the main photographer or model. I loved working in a group with other people and finding ways I could help the most while still developing my own skills. My background in both (ballroom) dance and photography helped me with the structure and organization of taking photos and helping Ashvini dance. I believe my skills in photography, editing, and planning have all drastically improved, as well as my ability to do many of the smaller parts of this project, like coming up with captions for posts on a shared account. I do see myself doing something like this again in the future, be it organizing an event or simply taking photographs of people. If I get an opportunity like this again, I will take it, as I am aware of my minimal experience and skill in photography. I am simply glad I had this opportunity to work with others and create something that will stay after I graduate, and possibly have an impact on a small group of people.