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| Sunday, 15 May 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Dancing to a different tune
Kapila's workshop commenced on May 8th at the Goethe Institute Colombo, Colombo 7. Enrolment and introduction will also be held on May 16 from 9 am to 11.00 am. His career as a dancer Actually when I was in school I studied Kandyan dance. And I was the only guy who was really interested in dancing. After that I went to Channa Upuli Performing Arts School to learn Body Language in Dance. After working as a member of the ensemble and being one of the senior instructors of the school, I suddenly stopped dancing because I was a bit bored doing routine work. It was at that time that I joined the University of Kelaniya to study Russian and German at the Department of Modern Languages. After graduation I joined Oosha Sarwanamutthu at her school Oosha Garten of Ballet, where I had complete exposure to Classical Ballet and was the principle dancer at the program 'Joie de la dance' in 2003. I am still working with Oosha Sarwanamutthu because I believe that I need a good training environment. Being a choreographer I believe strongly that one cannot be a good choreographer without being a good dancer, who is constantly working with his or her body. When a choreographer stops dancing because he is a teacher with obligations of instructing many students, his creativity becomes very limited. Being a dancer over the years has helped me in choreography. Again to choreograph, you need good dancers who understand the dance language. This is why I am interested in developing the contemporary Sri Lankan dance language. His scholarship to go to Germany to learn modern dance and dance theatre. Actually it is a very interesting story: I was invited to do a 'performance type of choreography' for a stage play directed by Dr. Asoka de Zoysa. This was a German classic called 'Woyzeck'. There was a chorus on stage, which is articulated through movement. This was a new experience not to choreograph a 'ballet' but to bring body movement on stage. What he has done during his stay in Germany So many things. Before I started my dance training in Germany, I did another Language course in Goethe Institute Germany for two months. Then I started my Modern Dance training under well-known teachers in Europe such as Christine Cono, Biasuty, Tomi Passonen, Alexander. At the same time I could learn choreography from Sasha Walz, Irina Pauls, Manuel Quero from Germany and Devid Bolger from Ireland. The next thing that I did was the children's ballet teaching course. It was also really interesting, quite different to the teaching methods here. Then did a yoga training that was also really helpful for my dance body and my mind to be relaxed. I also did a few dance performances in different places in Germany. I should say it was a very successful trip, because I could do my best. The difference between modern dance of Germany and ballet in Sri Lanka. There is a big difference. For example just look at Sri Lankan music, it's always changing but for instance Sri Lankan dance is not changing. Everybody is trying to do the same thing without trying something new. But in Europe everything is always changing in the scene of dancing also. Dancers are very individualistic and are always thinking in different ways. Sometimes if someone is moving on the stage at the same time he or she can talk or laugh or whatever on stage, for them it's also kind of performance or a kind of a dance. And the other most important thing is that they are not trying to show the beauty of the dancers. Here, in Sri Lanka only beautiful people have a dancing career. Dancers must have a 'standard body' and there is no personality behind the body. Dancers are crammed into a frame of dancing 'beautifully' and this is based on stereotyped movements. In Europe they also use video, projectors. This I see as a big difference and I think our choreographers are a bit afraid of outputs through many channels like video and sound, not necessarily music. Modern Dance gives freedom to the body. It is not governed by the idea to be graceful, sensuous or violent or forceful on stage. Nothing is extraneous or mapped out by the choreographer. The choreographer gives the general idea and we come out with different solutions, then we discuss different possibilities and keep developing the body movements. Irina Pauls, my trainer for example never shows what to do. Choreography becomes a long process between dancer and choreographer and dancers among themselves in the ensemble. About his dance troupe called NATANDA. Actually I started it two years ago. Nobody knew it. I did not want to tell anybody not even my teachers. I started it in a simple way and I did not want to publish it or advertise it. Because I did it to relax and was looking for something new. I think because of this scholarship I have found a way to be creative and I will try it out with my dancers. Future plans I want to try something new. My first work will be the workshop at goethe Institute. At the end of this work shop I am going to select some dancers for my forth-coming production which is going to be in November. Here I would like to invite young people who are really interested in modern dance and theatre dance. But you don't have to be a dancer or have that perfect body, as I mentioned earlier. Later, I will be working with dancers from Germany, who will be visiting me here. Sri Lanka has a very rich tradition in what one may call 'performance'. We do not have to ape the West and copy western movements. Our healing rituals have a variety of body movements and our drums are an excellent source of inspiration. It is sad that our local ensembles just repeat choreography that is marketable at public functions or in front of the television camera. Our young people are very talented. Through exercise and a lot of practice the creative energy in them can be liberated and I feel that we can create a form of expression with a very pronounced Sri Lankan stamp. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Exploring the many fields of dance to understand the language of dance
and sublime comfort of mind and body, Kapila Palihawedana, a dancer cum
choreographer is back in Sri Lanka to introduce some of the new concepts and
techniques in modern dance. Kapila who has returned after seven months
training in modern dance with well known dance companies of Germany, says
he's willing to train interested youth in Sri Lanka to dance to their hearts
content. 
