 Rhythmic movement performed to perfection
by Ruvini Jayasinghe
She was next to me, wearing a
skinny white top and black jeans, no make-up, no accessories, just a
single sliver ring and looked fabulously gorgeous. Though not much
familiar with her name, you ought to be familiar with her looks and
dance, for sure.
She is a dancer, teacher, actress, model, a multi-faceted colourful
personality, tremendously popular not only in Sri Lanka but also
overseas.
She is Prashadi Dilrukshi Ranasinghe, one of Sri Lanka's talented
dancers and the creator of the Prashadi Dance Academy. Prashadi's
birthday is on February 8, 1986. Her sister Poornima is an air hostess
and brother Oshan is overseeing his father's business most attentively.
Her parents are Ranjith and Vimala Ranasinghe.
Prashadi from, beginning to end had schooled at Anula Vidyalaya,
Nugegoda, although selected to the university, she gave up further
studies and devoted all her time to her passion... dancing.
"I started dancing with Daya Nellampitiya when I was small and then
under Kulasiri Budawatta who taught me traditional dancing for more than
12 years."
She was engaged in the Kandyan dancing style of Budawatta, and was a
member of the Budawatta Dancing Troupe.
 She was teaching at the Budawatta Dance Academy for a few years.
Having mastered Kandyan dancing, she moved to Indian and Arabic belly
dancing while also being skilled in Latin-American as well as freestyle.
She said, "Above all styles, I like Indian dancing very much because it
breaks a new ground of perception and opens entirely a new vision of
reality. It is a mixture of numerous styles and the costumes are
extremely interesting."
She started her dance academy in Maharagama in 2005. At present,
there are 200 students following her footsteps. "I teach them Kandyan
dancing, exercises and jumps here," she explained. In 2006, she started
her own dancing troupe comprising 12 members, that's growing in
popularity by the day.
"My team is highly versatile and they can learn new steps within a
matter of minutes. I always give them the best of everything, guidance
from professionals - not only Sri Lankans, but also internationally
recognised dancers. I take good care of them," Prashadi said. They have
performed in many events and today they are in great demand. Her talent
is not limited to dancing but also to acting. Recently, she played the
main role in Athma Senehasa and Himikari in which she showed her colours.
Nevertheless, she is not interested in appearing in the silver screen or
the mini-screen.
"If there is a good creation with lots of dance, where could I show
my troupe's talents, definitely I'd be taking part," she noted. She too
holds a unique dance show using all dancing styles, which could be
different from any other. She feels that "the need of the hour" is
something unique and creative. "It will take another one and half years,
as I want to make sure that my troupe gains in experience," she said.
 Prashadi made a fine comment about dancing competitions of the day.
According to her, the judges should be very professional and know
dancing in-depth and be able to guide the young new-comer in the right
path.
"My advice is that it is a futile exercise to go behind cameras.
Dancing is neither showing your face on television or pictures in the
newspapers," she said.
"Find a good teacher and learn everything to make your mark in the
stage. Practice and perform to perfection. If you aspire to be a star,
you need to be a multi-talented personality. Not only acting, not purely
singing, not merely dancing but you need to perform in every way,"
Prashadi said.
Last March, her debut in Indian dancing in India was a fantastic hit,
before a massive audience in Delhi. She was the only Sri Lankan to have
had this incredible opportunity.
"When it was announced that I was from Sri Lanka, they were
spellbound and were highly excited seeing me dance on stage mimicking
every step of the versatile Indian dancer. It was an unforgettable
experience in my life," she said. |
