Small,happy feet

What’s hot?Put children,some of them toddlers trying hard to balance themselves on their two little feet,on to the stage in fancy dresses and make-up and our baby crazy country is bound to get hooked. The children on both the shows are the stars,sometimes fumbling and at other times ranting with innocence. You can’t help but laugh when you watch a child suddenly stop in the middle of his performance to a fast track because he wants to use the washroom. On occasions,their quick wit can beat the elders at their own game.

If one discounts the child factor,DID emerges as the more vibrant of the two shows. The judges display camaraderie (with the repeated reference to Kapoor as Geeta Maa,which can get to one) which instantly endears them to the children. This is difficult to emulate on CDD with Saroj’s grandmotherly,more assertive demeanor. Ahmed is mostly neutral and at times fun with the participants. Maybe that will be taken care of once eight-year-old stand-up comedian Saloni Daini joins in as a host and buddy to the kids.

What’s not?The waiting period during the qualification stages for both children and their parents often lasts half the day,during which they are expected to stay outdoors in the heat. This can take toll on the children’s performance when their turn finally comes. Also,one gets the impression that some parents are more ambitious than their children who don’t even realise the importance of their victory. However,watching these two shows one realises that very few children these days train in Indian classical dances. And on CDD,there were occasions,when one thought they chose children with western dancing skills over those trained in Indian classical forms.

Should you be watching it?Watching some of these children perform on stage like professionals can be awe-inspiring. The loss of innocence that the competitive world causes is heart breaking though. Since the two shows air around the same time,one can catch the best of both by flipping channels.