Dances with a difference

Natanda :

by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

Kapila Palihawadana took to dancing like a duck taking to water when he was only 14 years while at school. A versatile dancer, he had the rhythm in him, an essential component for any type of dancing.

Therefore dancing wasn't a tedious task as far as he was concerned. It came naturally to him. He proceeded to Germany in 2004 after winning a Goeth institute scholarship where he learnt contemporary dancing. Whilst in Germany he studied dancing for a year before returning to Sri Lanka. While in the cities of Berlin, Frieberg and Heidelberg he worked with the best dancing companies there.

Kapila learnt contemporary modern dancing under celebrated teachers like Christino Kone, Biasuty, and Tommi Passonen. "Whilst in Friberg I worked for a company called Dance Theatre.

My dance teachers were Irina Pauls, Christino Kono from Japan, and Tomi Passonen from Brazil. People from different parts come there almost every day to learn dancing from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m." he said. He learnt choreography whilst in Friberg and in Berlin from teachers like Sasha Waltz, Irina, Pauls and Manuel Quero from Germany and David Boler from Ireland. Since then Kapila had come a long way.

Dancing was his forte and he continued dancing even after entering the Keleniya University where he read for a Bachelor of Arts degree and got a second Upper class. He also lectured at the Keleniya university. As a student Kapila learnt Kandyan, Low Country and Baratha Natyam dancing under the tutelage of well known gurus.

Kapila was the principal male dancer of Channa Upuli Performing Arts School when the group toured India and Germany in 1999. He was introduced to western classical ballet by Oosha Sarawanamuttu and was the sole dancer in "Joie de la dance" in 2003.

He was a student of Horana Sripali Vidyayala. After returning to Sri Lanka, an idea dawned upon him to start a dancing school but couldn't find a suitable place. But he forged ahead and formed a dancing centre named "Natanda" with the co-operation of the German Cultural institute at their premises in Colombo.

Now there are 17 students, altogether, five boys and twelve girls undergoing training at the Natanda dancing centre coached by Kapila himself. Classes are held on a regular basis on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for students.

Asked how much a student had to pay to enrol at the dance theatre, Kapila replied the dance classes were absolutely free for beginners. He said he was looking for young persons talented in dancing between the ages of 16-25 and was hopeful of initiating dance classes for juniors under the age of 10 years.

"I am very concerned about the style of dancing. Basically what I do is to incorporate elements of traditional local dancing into western dancing techniques. The arm movements of Kandyan, Low Country and the Indian dancing forms are merged with western dance techniques to create contemporary dancing.

Western dance syllabuses are more vividly described than the local syllabuses and were more disciplined. Especially ballet forms of dancing," he said. Kapila lamented the fact that there wasn't a suitable dance studio in Colombo for students to practise dancing.

He will be presenting his second dance performance called "MODABORN" on February 24 and 25th 2007 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre at Guildford Crescent Colombo 7.

His first two performances, MOKABALO were held at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on the 10th and 11th February and at BAREFOOT on 21 June 2006. MODABORN dance also depicts facets of life, such as birth living and death. Boys were seen clad in sarongs and girls in Elephant pants.

Dancing is colourful and vibrant. Contemporary dancing over the years have catapulted into modernity. Kapila has infused a breadth of fresh air into MODABORN dance.

The first dance is called colour, second called Geggii-Bells and third is a solo dance followed by a dance by two boys and then by three, called vibration.

There is also a specific dance called SECRET OF NATURE like the 18-Wannanam in the Kandyan dancing. Kapila speaking to the Sunday Observer stressed the importance of creating a separate identity for the Sri Lankan dance.

"If we simply imitate the dance styles of Europeans I cannot compete with them. It has to be a different form of dancing" he said. Asked what his projections for the future were and Kapila replied that he plans to stage a dance named PEACETALK comprising of 120school children.

Kapila is of the view that dancing as a profession has not thrived in Sri Lanka due to poor emoluments being paid to artistes. But in Western countries the artistes were quite well off, he said.

Modern Dance includes ballet jazz and other dance tradition pioneered in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Developed by Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan among others. Modern dance is unique in its focus on creative expression and its artistic response to the social, economic and political environment.

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