Soul of the Island
View(s):Sir Christopher Ondaatje reveals some of the origins and different forms of Sri Lankan dancing
Dance has always been an important soul of ceremony, rituals, celebrations, and entertainment well before the very earliest of human civilisations. There have been traces of dance from prehistoric times and rock shelter paintings in India show dancing figures as long as 9,000 years ago. However, the ancient chronicle the Mahavamsa records that when Prince Vijaya landed in Sri Lanka in 543 B.C. he actually heard sounds of music from a wedding ceremony. The origins of the dances of Sri Lanka are dated back to the Aboriginal tribes. These dances were part of religious and ritual ceremonies held to expel disasters and encourage prosperity, happiness and good health.
Pantheruwa Dancers by George Keyt, 1927. Image courtesy Jonathan Clarke Fine Art
One of the oldest styles is known as the Kohomba Kankariya – a dance initiated in the 4th century B.C. during the reign of King Pandukabaya. The origins of this dance lie in an exorcism ritual originally performed by Indian shamans who came to the island at the request of the King who had a mysterious illness. He suffered a recurring dream in which a leopard directed its tongue towards him – an action that was believed to be a curse conducted by Kuveni – the first wife of Vijaya. After the dance performance the King’s illness disappeared. Thus many contemporary dance forms can be traced back to historical and ethnic dances.
There are three main styles of classical dancing in Sri Lanka: The Kandyan dances, known as Uda Rata Natum; the Low Country dances, known as Pahatha Rata Natum; and the Sabaragamuwa dances, known as Sabaragamuwa Natum.
Kandy, in the hill country north of Colombo, became the capital city of the last remaining independent kingdom of the island after the Portuguese had captured the coastal regions. It remained independent until 1815 when it was taken by the British. This is the seat of all classical dancing in Sri Lanka and features a highly developed system of tala rhythm provided by cymbals called thalampata. There are five distinct types of Kandyan dancing:
The popular Ves dance which originated from the ancient purification ritual – the Kohomba Kankariya – and is performed only by males. The Ves costume is sacred and belongs to the deity Kohomba. Ves dancing originally was allowed only to be performed outside the Kankariya temple during the Kandy Perahera.
The Naiyandi dance which allows dancers to perform only before the Kohomba Kankariya festival during the lighting of lamps and preparation of food for the demons. Dancers wear white cloths and white turbans, chest beaded decorations, a waistband, bead neckwear, as well as silver chains, brass shoulder plates and anklets. (This graceful dance is now also performed in Kataragama Devales in the South on ceremonial occasions.)
The prestigious Uddekki dance – which takes its name from a small hourglass shaped lacquered drum with taut drumskins. It is an extremely difficult instrument to play with the dancer singing as he plays, tightening the strings to obtain variations of pitch.
The Pantheruwa dance – which uses a Pantheruwa dedicated to the goddess Pattini. Similar to a tambourine, but without a skin, the circular instrument has small cymbals attached to its edge. The Pantheruwa dance is said to have originated 400 years before Christ during the time of Prince Siddhartha who became Buddha. Both Gods and Kings employed Pantheru dancers to celebrate victories in battles. The dancers are naked above their waists around which they wear elaborate silk scarves.
The Vannams dance has seven different components and were originally recitations or songs inspired by nature, history, legend, religion and sacred love. Dancers used Vanna as background songs for their solo performances. There are eighteen classical Vannams said to be composed by an old sage named Ganithalankara with the help of a Buddhist priest. Each of them is composed and interpreted in a specific mood (rasaya) or sentiment.
Low Country Dances (Pahatharata Netum) include “Devil Dances” which are an attempt to banish ailments created by unknown beings. These tovil ceremonies can be restricted to a simple ritualistic ceremony for a single family, or involve a whole village. In the gam-maduva or devol-maduva masked dancers take part in at least two of the well known tovil ceremonies referred to as Maha Sohon Samayama and the Gara Yakuma. The Maha Sohona is believed to be the terrifying demon of the graveyards. The performer of the tovil disguises himself as a bear and wears a mask. Sometimes several dancers wear masks. These sanni dances refer to as many as sixteen ailments with separate demons being responsible for each of them.
Other Low Country Dances like the Leekeli or stick dance, Raban (hand drum, and Polkatu (coconut)are also performed; as well as a satirical dance drama called Kolam where all the performers wear masks depicting animals or people in high positions.There is also the Gini Sisila (or Fire Dance) — a specialised form of dance which originated in South India. During this spectacular performance the dancer places a burning torch in his mouth, in some cases up to ten minutes, and drags the burning torch along his arms and legs. The absolute faith of the dancer protects him from the flames – and as a result the dancer emerges without any burns.
Finally, the Saparagamuwa dance (Sabaragamuwa Natum), which is similar to the village devil dance gam-maduva is performed to placate the goddess Pattini. These dances too are to banish disease and sickness, and to encourage health and a good agricultural harvest.
Today Sir Lanka’s dancing has become one of the country’s most exciting cultural exports. It was an art form virtually discouraged when the British ruled the island from 1790 to 1948. Then, because the island of Ceylon was so dominated by British culture, Sri Lankan dance as an art form went into a steep decline. What a wonderful thing it is that today Sri Lankan dance, which originated with a traditional exorcism ritual introduced to the island by Indian shamans in the 4th century B.C. is now a revered and growing cultural activity.
Kandyan dancing in particular has now spread from the city of Kandy into outlying areas including the Low Country. Schools have been opened and dance has integrated with other forms of historical and contemporary expression. It lives on as an enduring feature of a country endowed with an amazing historical culture.
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