Having had a fascination with the frangipani or what is known to us Sri Lankans as the araliya flower from a young age, Kapila Palihawadana, Founder and Artistic Director of nATANDA Dance Theatre, has created the dance production Frangipani.
Frangipani consists of 10 scenes which are all manifestations of what Kapila feels represent the araliya flower – strong, mild and weak.
There will be 10 dancers, including Kapila in this performance, and they are Malith Upendra, Ruchira Kolamba Arachchi, Dakshika Bandara, Neelika Madhushani, Lasantha Harsha, Hasani Kumari, Lekha Edirisinghe, Lakmini Suba, Nisali Elisha and Kalani Sadithra.
The evening begins with a male dancer, Harsha Nanayakkara (23).
“I highlight the three manifestations of strong, mild and weak through body language,” he says, adding that the beauty of the flower can also be seen here, which highlights the main concept of the production.
This is followed by the representation of the five petals of this flower, which is brought out through a dance by five female dancers.
Pollination is another aspect which is brought out in the next scene, through a duet by Dakshika Bandara (22) and Harsha, “It starts when moths come in search of nectar but the araliya flower doesn’t have nectar,” she says adding that Kapila has choreographed how the pollination takes place through this duet. “The dances are a combination of ballet, Kandyan dance as well as Angampora,” Dakshika adds.
A solo by Malith Upendra (24) shows the strength of the flower and then runs into how the frangipani affects cultural beliefs. “The frangipani tree can be seen in cemeteries as well as temples and it’s believed that these flowers are a shelter for ghosts,” says Malith.
He goes on to explain that the next scene portrays the ghosts in the cemetery, where female dancers are perched on the backs of the males dressed in white, creating the image of a tall figure. “This scene brings out the relationship with the temple through worshipping movements,” says Ruchira Kolamba Arachchi (26), adding, “It is the araliya flower which is the link between man and nature.” Ruchira can be seen as the first moth who comes in at the start of the pollination scene.
Every year, Kapila researches on a theme for his productions and this time it is nature. This is clearly brought in through the last set of the production when the many flowers which have fallen on the stage are swept away into cane baskets.
However, even though flowers die, they bloom again and this is signified through a dance done by Malith where he counts his five toes which represent the five petals of this attractive flower. “This is the cycle and rhythm of nature,” says Ruchira.
This cycle is represented throughout the performance through running dance moves.
nATANDA Dance Theatre’s Frangipani will go on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on April 22 and 23.
The show starts at 7.30 pm. Tickets are available at the Goethe Institute and the Wendt and are priced between Rs. 300 and Rs. 1500. The media sponsor for Frangipani is The Sunday Times.
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