Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Swaying to the music
By Lakmali Jayasinghe and Renu Warnasuriya

Tharini, aged nine, is a student of Sujatha Vidyalaya, while Kalpa, aged fourteen, is from Mahanama College. Tharini, an animal lover aspires to be a vet, while Kalpa dreams of being a pilot. Anyone who looks at them would see two regular youngsters… unless you see them on the dance-floor!

When this brother and sister combination put on their dancing shoes, there’s no stopping them. They are The Juvenile Winners of the Dancesport Championships 2000, The Juvenile Winners of the Ceylon Amateur Dance Association 2000, The Junior Ballroom Champions 2001 organized by the CADA, first runners up in the Footwork International Dancesport Championship 2003 in the beginners category and were placed 6th at the 14th Sunny Low Dancing Championships held in Singapore.

Now, to add to their trophies, Tharini and Kalpa emerged winners in both Junior Ballroom and Latin Categories at the 34th National Dancesport Championships held last Sunday. This is the first time in the history of this competition that both these categories have been won by the same couple. For this achievement they won the Tony Ferdinandez Challenge trophy.

The National Dancesport Championship is an annual event which gives dance fanatics an opportunity to display their talents. Ballroom, Viennese, Latin, Cha Cha and Jive are some of the categories included in the programme. On October 19, competitors from various dance circles waltzed into the Colombo Hilton for a night of dance extravaganza. Mr. Henry Tang and Alexander and Anastasia, the current champions of Ukraine, were the judges.

“We knew we could do it,” said a smiling Kalpa. Their favourite is the Jive and indeed, their instructor Tony sees this as their strong point. Salsa, mumbo and pop dancing are among Kalpa’s other favourites. Mondays and Fridays are their usual practice days, though when a competition draws near their schedule tightens.

Inspired by his sister, Kalpa began dancing in 1999, just a few months after her. Why anyone would prefer to dance with a sibling was intriguing. For Kalpa the answer was obvious, “We are brother and sister, we know each other.” The two decided to dance together from the beginning and Tony made no objection. Kalpa felt that his pretty sister was a good dancer and that she was easy to lead. The hardest thing about dancing with her is that she sometimes mixes up her steps. Well, she is only nine…

Popularity is one of the plus points of their hobby. Their friends seem impressed by their success and even invite them to dance at their birthday parties. Both schools are very supportive of their dancing and encourage them to dance at school functions and variety shows.

“They have rhythm in them,” says Tony. He realised from the start that they had potential and thus should be given the chance to shine. The youngest in his class, the two usually keep to themselves though Kalpa, he felt, is coming out of his shell. Tony mentioned that very few people could excel in both Ballroom and Latin dancing, as they require different styles and plenty of concentration. It’s a good thing that Kalpa and Tharini fall into this category. The only problem they have at the moment is their height, especially at international events. Luckily, it’s a problem that they will overcome… soon!

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