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Mirror Magazine

Keeping the flame alive
By Vidushi Seneviratne
The rhythm, the tune and the beat - it's all a part of them. Coming from the home of Kandyan dancing, these young people naturally take to it like ducks to water. Be it drumming, dancing or any thing else that would give the performance that extra beat, these young artistes have proved that they've got what it takes to excel.

On the stage for Vishva Ranga.

In a day and age when computers, cell phones and the latest high-tech gadgets seem to be high on the list of priorities for young people, it was indeed heartening to see almost 60 girls and boys, students of Hillwood and Trinity Colleges, all between 13 and 19, take the stage for a recital of traditional Kandyan dancing.

What makes this even better is the fact that this was for charity, a fund raiser in aid of the new Shanthi Nivasa Elders Home building project at the St. Margaret's Convent premises.

What sets these dancers apart is that their style is not influenced by contemporary dance forms as we so often witness. Their style is authentic and in this way upholds the integrity of the art form itself. The recital, 'Vishva Ranga,' held on June 7, at the Bishops College auditorium amply illustrated this.

As we walked into the crowded hall, we were greeted with the sight of several enthusiastic young people going through their routines with their dance instructors. They were rehearsing for their next performance which was to be held that evening (the first was a school show) and this gave us an opportunity to meet some of these talented performers.

Namalee Kamaragoda, last year's school captain (head girl), was compering that night. The band leader of Hillwood College, Janesha Amerasinghe (17) had been dancing since 1996, and had been a part of the troupe which toured Malaysia in October 2001. She was performing in five items that night, but seemed confident, sans any trace of nerves.

The Hillwood College dance troupe has had much exposure on the international stage having toured U.K., Sweden, Pamplona (Spain), Paris, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia in 1992, 1997, 2000 and 2001 respectively. Their performances have been highly acclaimed. According to the band leader, this recital had been organised by their principal Ms. Sumithra Rathnayake, as a project purely for charity. It just goes to show that international experiences hadn't dampened their enthusiasm for local shows.
The youngest in the troupe was 13-year-old Ranga Janashantha, who is incidentally the daughter of the dancing instructor of the dance troupe of their brother school.

The band leader of the Trinity dance troupe, O.N.B. Seneviratne (18), has been dancing for the last five years. Their troupe has three senior members who had completed their A/Ls last year, but still continue to perform. One of the trio, Janitha Nandalochana (19, recalled how he had toured the U.K. in 1998, along with the then troupe.

A major stumbling block for proponents of Kandyan dancing is the dearth of male dancers. This would bring about a highly unfortunate scenario as Kandyan dancing wouldn't be the same without the 'Ves' dance or the drummers in their ceremonial costumes, as these aspects are exclusively defined for the male dancers. Though there seems to be a lack of numbers in Colombo, looking at the 30 young Trinitians, it seemed Kandy is still able to produce boys who are sincerely interested in keeping this art form alive. An interesting fact was that the band leader for instance, was involved in sports such as rugger, and this showed that appreciating exceedingly diverse forms of interest and entertainment could be done at any level.

The Trinity College dance troupe has been touring since the '70s, having performed in England, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, France, Thailand, Hong Kong and Australia. They have also been the proud winners of the Drum Orchestra competition for 14 years.

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