The forces that can unite, uplift, inspire, and lead

Dance and Drama

by Aditha Dissanayake

Dance is the hidden language of the soul, said Martha Graham. Janaki M. Hill, Director, Diriya Daruwo Workshops is someone who seems to believe strongly in this dictum.

Emphasizing the importance of movement as a means of communication, particularly unconscious or 'authentic' movement, which can trigger powerful images and feelings arising from the depths of the sub-conscious, Janaki says the goal of these free classes is to introduce children to dance and movement vocabulary which would bring out their own developmentally focused abilities.

Exploring these movements through improvisational dances to a wide variety of music the students will discover all the natural ways their bodies can move, and how moving in all of these different ways will enable them to express their feelings; build their leadership qualities and teach them how to interact with one another.

With a diploma in performing arts from the Crucible Youth Theatre in England, Janaki, with the support of her husband Peter Hill, had begun these workshops, which have now been staged in almost every town in the country with Kurunegala next on the list, from the village of Arakavila because she was born and educated there.

"I would like to do something for my country" says Janaki and recalls an incident in a remote village in Anuradhapura which had triggered this bout of altruism. "I took a bag of chocolates with me when I was visiting a village in Anuradhapura. But when I handed a Mars bar to a little boy he didn't know what to do with it. He had never seen a chocolate in his life.

He was more interested in the bottle of mineral water in my hand. Water was far more important to him than the chocolate" Reflecting how she had taken everything in her life (i.e spending hours under the shower when there were twelve year old girls walking miles and miles in search of water) she had begun the Diriya Daruwo workshops held regularly in different districts with around 200 students selected from the schools in the area.

Janaki believes the salient elements in her life are dancing and drama. Listening to her as she struggles to express her innermost thoughts through words I feel she would have said it better had she been given the chance to turn her words into dance movements. Yes, for Janaki, dance has become a symbol of nonverbal expression which has the potential to be communicative.

Watching the students taking part in the workshops it becomes evident that through anatomical and postural structure of an individual's body one can express a range of emotions. Each student's nonverbal movement style becomes the fundamental communicative tool.

The actual tempo and the rhythm of their movements enhance the spoken dialogue. "Becoming attentive to the qualities of a person's nonverbal cues provides a window into that person's experience, expression and development of his or her sense of self." explains Janaki. "The students at the workshops will thus develop their talents, gain leadership skills and learn team work while having fun at the same time".

Knowing that the drive to know oneself and to express the deepest feeling of self through the body can be achieved through dance and drama Janaki aims to help students to use their bodies through dance, drama and music to express their experiences of relating, to and developing within, their surroundings.

The improvisational atmosphere of each session, held often in the Town Hall of the city, supports the student's free expressions while encouraging social interaction. As they begin to take part in the events organized for them they learn leadership and social engagement skills.

Conclusion; the skills the Diriya Daruwo Workshops instil in students through the expressive quality of movement, should be seen as a good facilitator for character development, if only because it differs from the conventional methods of teaching via blackboard, text books and exams.

The next workshop will be conducted at the Kurunegala Town Hall on December 18 and 19.

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