Dance

Narthana Pooja

A dance and music performance by the artists and students of Miranda Hemalatha Kala Ashramaya and Down Syndrome Children of 'Diri Daru Piyasa' titled 'Narthana Pooja' will be staged at the auditorium of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo 5.30 p.m. on November 10, 2015.

With a history of over 60 years, Miranda Hemalatha Kala Ashramaya has been contributing towards the preservation and promotion of classical, traditional and creative dance, and has done a number of dance dramas starting from 'Vasantha Thilaka' produced in 1957. Since then Miranda Hemalatha has won international and national awards for her choreography, lyrics, drama scripts and directing.

Miranda Hemalatha has represented Sri Lanka as a performing artiste, and an educationist on many occasions reading research papers and presented more than 100 students in Bharathanatyam Arrangettrams.

Her contribution in the field of dance and education is unfathomable and the experiment she did in the field of dance developing a Down's Syndrome child was such a success and she was compelled to start a special project for the Downs Syndrome Children.

Diri Daru Piyasa' is the project where they go through a course of vocational training. Narthana Pooja is being held to collect funds for a new building at Kindelpitiya, Hirana River Road needs to help children with down syndrome to do better.

'Narthana Pooja' will include performances by Sandya Bamunawita Veteran Bharathanatyam dancer and guru, Lakmini Vichitra who performed her Bharathanatya Arrangetram, and is a final year student at Jayawardenapura University and Dr. Udumbara Sewwandi. Guest artiste Theekshana Liyanage who has Masters Degree in Kathak dance will be performing with Danangi Fernando, while Nadeeka Samarakoon and Nirmal Ferdinando will perform with another group of Downs Syndrome Children from Diri Daru Piyasa.