Natasha soars to stardom

Reviewed by Gwen Herat

From All that is Jazz, Rukshika Fernando, Samanthi Wijesekera and Natalie Jaya Suriya belting it up.

The star was born that night, kicking her way to the top in sheer choreography. All her talent, energy and innovation, Natasha Jayasuriya gifted her class of tomorrow's dancers. The youthful dancer-cum-artistic director of Deanna School of Dancing, has come a long way from when I saw her sulk while older sister, Natalie was already showing signs of what she was going to be tomorrow, in her class. She was way behind but Natasha I saw today, stood tall and confident pushing her way through classics to modern and now to jazz.

Brilliance

She has discovered her forte, jazz and her brilliance at it has pushed to the top most rung in the ladder with very few dare challenge her artistry. When Natasha presented and mounted UNLEASHED at the Bishop's College Auditorium a few days back, I went with half a mind left behind because I am essentially a classical ballet person and never studied anything besides it.

However, I was taken up by surprise in awesome way when all the time I thought jazz like its music was nothing but a noisy culture with free-for-all limbering up. It was simply marvellous in every aspect. The girls were brilliant in their footwork, coordination at its highest and limbering gracefully to carefully elected music that was appropriate for such frisky dancing, noisy though like jazz music. Jazz is for the young but somehow I too went along with the thumping young audience. The unusual visions projected on screens were very novel and highlighted every movement and mood.

Yet another contemporary dance from Unleashed.

Credits-wise, Dhammika for magnificent lighting effects, jojo, Lilani, Russel, Mihiri and Kumari for well fitted beautiful attire and DJ, Rami for music-mixing, contributed hugely for the success of UNLEASHED and Natasha Jayasuriya with her choreography, rose to the occasion.

Audition

Performance-wise, picking the best from the group, I go for Roshali Fernando who opened the concert in the audition. She was full of grace, tall and lanky with confidence and alluring while Roshani Abey swept it off with tantalizing tap kick-off.

Natalie Jayasuriya who led her team of girls, Karin Wijeratne, Minali Wickramatunge, Anushka Cooray, Samanthi Wijesekera, Rushika Fernando and Rashmira Balasuriya in 'All that is Jazz' were very professional with their immaculate timing and footwork. 'Thriller' failed in their bid to immortalise Michael Jackson. The rest were boisterous as it had to be. A little bit of ballet and modern in between were refreshing and was rounded up in a grand Finale with over 35 girls joining the chorus to bring down the roof. I will be failing in my duty if I did not mention the acrobatic modern movements the males presented that were special and much appreciated and went on to enhance the show.

Natasha had the ability to appeal to both the young and the not-so-young and judging from tonight's performance, she has put Jazz on a pedestal for long life in the dance scene but somehow I am not very happy at the idea because it may push aside whatever little ballet that exist in Sri Lanka.

Natasha must continue on the road to success and not turn back because at the end of the tunnel she will realise her dreams unlike poor me who found only a shattered dream.

Natasha Jayasuriya has unleashed her potential.