Dance 2012 Text
The annual Royal-Thomian cricket encounter, the Rugby Carnival, Stag Night, the Scrabble Tournament, and the Christmas Party are highlights of the Thomian social season in Toronto but nothing, absolutely nothing, surpasses the anticipation and excitement surrounding BlueBlack Night, the crème de la crème of Toronto’s school dances. Over the years the organization of this extravaganza has been brought up to the level of an art by the Dance Committee and in 2012 they outdid themselves.
Appropriately so, because BlueBlack Night 2012 was special. Special because it was graced by none other than Dr. David Ponniah, the distinguished old boy and former Warden of College, who flew in from Scotland with his wife especially for this event. Special too, because it was the venue of the launch of “Reflections: S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia in the 1960s and 1970s”, a volume of reminiscences by students of that era, the sales of which will go towards the David Ponniah Scholarship Fund that will be set up to assist S. Thomas’ College – Mount Lavinia students who require financial assistance and for sports development.
BlueBlack Night 2012 commenced with the launch of the book, copies of which were signed for purchasers by Dr. Ponniah. Copies of the initial print run will be sent to Sri Lanka, the UK, Australia, and the United States for distribution and readers are asked to avail themselves of the opportunity to purchase this humorous and interesting volume. After the canapés, formalities, and speeches, the doors were opened to the Grand Ballroom of the Holiday Inn and the nearly 400 guests streamed in to pre-assigned tables.
The first order of business, of course, was the traditional ‘perahera’ of all the old boys present preceded by the blue, the black, and the blue proudly flown. The College Song was lustily rendered. Camaraderie, wonderful cuisine, and superb music ? mostly Western but baila, too ? from the live band and ensemble of professional musicians put together by Thomian Ravi Niles who himself accompanied the group on guitar and keyboard, packed the ballroom the entire evening. The main star and highlight of the evening’s entertainment was the legendary performer Desmond de Silva and a most able disc jockey DJ Pradeep kept the crowd of old boys, their elegant wives, and other guests happy and active until the wee hours.
Asoka C. Yapa