Dharshana leaves for Macau

By Sanath Weerasuriya

Dharshan Wijesooriya needs no introduction to dance enthusiasts in Sri Lanka. As the organizer of the popular Footwork Dancesport Championships, he is a well-known name in dancing circles both local and international.

Dharshan started his dance school, The Dance Academy, in 1987. The school has seen several thousand students pass through its portals in its almost 20 years of existence. The Dance Academy has throughout the years turned out many dance couples who have gone on to secure wins in Dancesport Championships both in and outside Sri Lanka.

Dharshan is also one of the few trained and qualified instructors in the country possessing qualifications from three British Professional Dance Organizations.

His liaisons with the international dance community began when he started organizing his own championships - the first being held in 1993 at the Hilton Colombo. In 2000 Dharshan was invited to adjudicate at a Dancesport Championship held in Singapore.

This was the first time that a Sri Lankan had been extended such an honour and it was a boon to the development of Dancesport locally as well.

The international dance community is a close-knit group and soon Dharshan was being invited to many championships within the Asian region as an adjudicator. To date he has adjudicated at over 30 international dance championships. Most times he was able to take Sri Lankan dancers with him to compete at these championships. This not only gave our dancers much needed exposure to the international dance arena, it enabled them to experience the high standards maintained internationally.

Next week, Dharshan will once again be leaving our shores, this time to Macau and Hong Kong.

He will be adjudicating at the 2006 3rd Macau United Cup International Championships and the Hong Kong 5th President Cup International Open Dancesport Championships 2006 respectively.