Our dance tradition to Australia
Against the ritualistic setting of chanting and drumming on stage, emerges a dancer who, with her sharp rhythmic moves and great stamina, attempts to prove her prowess and devotion to her guru.
An ancient ritual: The drummers. Pix by Anuradha Bandara
A celebration of diversified beliefs, rituals and worship within Sri Lanka’s dance tradition, Devanjali is the latest in a long line of productions from the Chitrasena Vajira Dance Foundation and will be showcased in Australia in January at the prestigious Sydney Festival
Another step forward: Thaji in Devanjali
2015.
In its mission to preserve the traditional dance of the country, the Chitrasena Dance Company is now led by its third generation members, following in the path of the legendary Chitrasena and his wife and principal dancer Vajira.
During a special rehearsal of Devanjali at the Kalayathanaya premises on Elvitigala Mawatha, the talented dancers of the foundation presented these ancient ritualistic performances that pay homage to the pantheon of Gods, such as Lord Ganapaththi and Goddess Paththini. The concluding act, unfolding in a duel and dialogue between the dancer and drummer, was a celebration of the evolution of the Kandyan dance from the ritual to the stage.
Heshma Wignaraja, who choreographed Devanjali is quite upbeat about the opportunity they have to perform at the prestigious dance, drama and theatre festival in Sydney four decades after the Chitrasena Dance Company toured Australia in 1972.
Devanjali which addresses and celebrates the diversity within our dance tradition in terms of various ideals, beliefs and worship that make dance sacred has a message in these times when religious differences are called into focus and boundaries are widening as a result of religious extremism.
Local audiences will have the opportunity to see the production when it is staged on Friday, December 19 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre in Colombo at 7 p.m.