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| Sunday, 09 March 2003 |
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By Farah Macan Markar
Yes, these five young Sinhalese and Tamil artistes from the Centre for Performing Arts(CPA) led by the Centre Director Rev.Fr.N.M.Saveri flew to Europe on a three week Intercultural Peace Tour on February 7th 2003. Lodging it out at convents and homes of Sri Lankan's living abroad, meeting old friends and exchanging news from the four main points of Europe-Germany, Switzerland, France and the United Kingdom, this vibrant young group of dancers, presented a mixed programme that showcased the traditional dances of both races as well as the amalgamation of both forms as a symbol of hope for peace and harmony in Sri Lanka, within its people. Catching them soon after what they called an "enjoyable but tiring dance tour", on the very day of their return I buggled them about it over the phone. Twenty eight year old Premalatha, who hails from Thalayadi Jaffna, but for the past two years has been in Colombo comes on line first. This mature young woman who is half Sinhalese and half Tamil, and is incidentally the Deputy Director of the CPA, has some sense of humour, laughingly asking me, whether I wanted Father Saveri's age too (having asked each one of the participants ages earlier).
Performing what they say was a fusion of Sinhala and Tamil dances they called it the "Thommithaeinarthanam". "Thommi" being the Sinhala word for dance, and "Thae" the Tamil word for it. "When leaving our country and going abroad, like this, we wanted to show the people that we Sinhalese and Tamils can work harmoniously together in peace and build a wonderful culture. The fact that we are of two races enlightens it all the more, for we get a blend of two different and yet in many ways similar cultures together as one, Sri Lankan one", Premalatha says passionately. Their audience they say appreciated their work, wishing them good luck and happiness. The best response, however, came from the land of our past conquerors-England. "A lot of people came to see us. Both Sri Lankans and foreigners. We got an enormous applause and they even asked us to come back". Doing three types of Sinhalese and Tamil dances-Classical, folk and modern, individually and mixed, required a lot of communication, practicing and putting together. The three 18 year old girls Sutharshini, Dharmini and Maria had to practice their dance steps in the training school for fine arts which they attended. Twenty seven year old Mahesh, being a teacher of Sinhala dance, invented a piece of his own. It was later on in Colombo that the three girls, Mahesh and Premalatha(an expert in Tamil dancing) put their talent and work together to create a unique fusion of both cultures, only needing to rehearse it a bit before going on stage in each country. Any inside info on the trip? "Not much" says Premalatha laughing, "Our time period to relax was limited. We saw the Luzon in Switzerland and the Eiffel tower in France. There weren't much people about in the street. I think it was because it was very cold. There was a lot of snow. Mahesh over here danced outside as the snow flakes kept falling over his head. In London I saw the London Bridge and visited many theatres. They are very big".
Premalatha then goes off to give the dancing in the snow guy a chance to speak. Speaking to Mahesh who comes from Panadura, one gets the description of a journey full of cold fruits and various types of breads and buns. Well, other than missing the hot curry food of home, which howeve he was served once in a way at a friend's place, Mahesh says he was happy and had a lot of fun. "The best part," he says, "Was the party the Tamil expatriates living in London had for us in the last day. We ate, talked, sang and danced. I was the only Sinhalese but I didn't feel like an outsider. They were very warm and eager for news of home and to share whatever they had, whether it be news, song or food". How did they communicate? "Well, Premalatha did a lot of translating work", says Mahesh, "other than that I had to do a lot of miming, which was fun, for miming is a lot like acting and dancing. You don't need a language to communicate. A universal gesture is understood by all. It's all in the mind". Thus Mahesh leaves the line and 18 year old Maria comes on line, speaking she says, on behalf of the other two girls as well. "An experience" is the word, which describes their tour. "It was an experience which showed us that artists can bring about reconciliation and peace to the country. It was not just a fun trip. It was much more than that. People appreciated us for our culture, which is a beautiful mixture of all of us. What we did I feel is in a way our contribution towards bringing peace and harmony to our country". Having been through the trial of war, this is their final cry. "Going abroad" Premalatha ends up, "Is refreshing for a visit. But to live in, one always wants the warmth of one's home, no matter how imperfect it is". |
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Imagine, dancing in the snow, singing in the rain, performing on stage
(and off stage), indulging those juicy, sweet and sour fruits of Europe,
seeing a glimpse of what the world has to offer, living together in peace
and having fun. Sounds like an idealistic dream? Well it's a dream, which
came true for Premalatha Gunapala, Mahesh Priyanka, Sutharshini
Lourdunathan, Dharmini Edward Premakumar and Maria Goretpi Arulanantham.
Well getting on to business, she says, "The tour was fun but
crazily hectic as it was tightly scheduled. We first went to the Alps
where we performed in Olten and Basel. It was totally cool. This is my
fourth such visit to Switzerland. For the others it is their second.
However this was the first time we did a dance, whereas we've been doing
drama. It was also the first time we performed for foreigners. Earlier we
performed for Sri Lankans living abroad". Having warmed themselves up
having danced in the chilly climes of the Alps, the troupe proceeded to
Germany where they performed in Badsackchen, Paris, France and concluded
their festivities in Brombly, London.
