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| Sunday, 12 June 2005 |
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Saseela Kokila Samarasinghe : Born to dance by Rikaza Hassan She fell in love with dancing as a small child. She began its study from second grade, and the faithful relationship is still going strong, nearly two decades later, with no signs of wrinkles to be seen.
A versatile dancer, she prefers "Baratha Natyam, definitely," of the three forms of dance. And why does she love dancing so much? "I don't know. I was just interested in it from the start, as a little child." She has already sat for part of the 'Bath Skanda' examinations in dancing and will be sitting for her finals in December this year. She will be awarded the title of 'Visharada' in dancing once she completes her examinations. Apart from dancing, she was also a prominent figure in the school western band, having been a member for a year less than half a score. She was also involved in a lot of clubs including the interact club, having displayed her dancing prowess, many interact club events as well as the school Drug Prevention Society. "I've always felt that drugs were a really bad thing. I'm saddened by the number of people using drugs these days.
Not become a professional dancer? "I might go to India to do my degree in dancing and continue with dancing as a profession. It's another option. Or I might stay here and get into advertising. I've always found it intriguing and very creative." So how exactly does she occupy herself these days? "I finished my Advanced Levels last year and right now I'm at home. I go for practices twice a week, I hang out with my friends sometime but the rest of the time I'm at home. I watch the musical and dancing programmes on TV and maybe even watch a Hindi movie or two." Her inspirations? "No inspirations as such but I definitely have a lot of people to be thankful to. My parents foremostly. They always supported me financially and emotionally. Since I was little they let me make my own decision as to what I wanted to do and were then behind me 100 per cent. And my western band teacher at school Deena Maker. She was always there pushing me and giving me the encouragement to go forward, even though she wasn't even my dancing teacher." An individual with a wide range of interests, a person who prefers to remain silent if she has nothing to say, a person with ambition and daring to go forward. A professional dancer, a teacher of dancing, a banking professional or an advertising executive, whichever profession, or rather professions she opts for, Saseela Samarasinghe will always be a dancer in her soul. |
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Saseela
Kokila Bhashini Samarasinghe, only 20 years of age, held her Arangetram at
the Elphinstone theatre last month. An old girl of St. Paul's Girls'
School, Milagiriya, she has been under the private tutelage of Miranda
Hemalatha learning Baratha Natyam for the last thirteen years at the
Miranda Hemalatha Kala Ashramaya. She also studies low country dancing
under Mr. Gunathunga as well as having studied Kandyan dancing, also at
the Ashramaya since 1996. 
I
was the deputy secretary of the society and we carried out a lot of
awareness campaigns with posters, boards and such." Her other interest
lies in the field of commerce, having opted to sit for her commerce
Advanced Levels rather than dancing. "I liked commerce as well as dancing
and since I thought of a career in the field of commerce I chose that." So
is she thinking of a career along the same lines? "Well I've applied to a
few banks and I'm kind of waiting for their response, but of course I
shall always continue with dancing at least along the side lines." 
