nATANDA takes their first steps in Kandy
nATANDA, has been making waves on the Sri Lankan contemporary dance front and even abroad, since their first public performance at Goethe Institut in 2005. Ten years down the line, they have just stretched their work to Kandy, with the nATANDA Community Dance Centre (nCDC), and are gearing up for ‘Nostalgia’, an aptly named walk down memory lane, recapping their most memorable performances and raising funds for the “juniors” of nCDC.
Kapila (right) at a session with the keen young dancers. Pix by Ashwin Dominique Jayalath
nCDC was started in October 2014 as a community project in line with the nATANDA mission of providing socially disadvantaged youth with unique opportunities to express themselves and gain self-esteem through performance. Founder Kapila Palihawadana travels to Kandy twice a week to meet with 26 teenagers and young adults, for vigorous training sessions. Each one of these students is keen on pursuing a career in dance, but also likely to experience financial constraints in making the choice to do so. They have been recommended to the programme by their schools on the basis of talent.
“The thing is,” Kapila explains the philosophy behind nCDC, “no matter where you come from, you can make a career in art, as long as you are committed and disciplined.”
The objective of the project, for him, is encouraging these young people to pursue a career in dance as true professionals, instead of settling for putting their art in a “hobby” box.
Pavithra Bandara, 20, is a student of Kingswood College, Kandy. Although he always wanted to pursue a career in dance, his dreams only extended as far as teaching at his alma mater, until he was invited to join nCDC.He had heard of nATANDA and seen some performances of contemporary dance before.
“I always thought it must be really hard,” he smiles. “But since we have a strong foundation of Kandyan training, with Kapila Sir’s skills, we’re learning that it’s not so tough.”
Prabath Ekanayake, 18, a student of St. Sylvester’s College, on the other hand, had not heard of nATANDA and did not have much interest in contemporary dance before. But since being invited to the nCDC five months ago, he finds himself motivated and inspired to dream bigger than the average dancer’s unfulfilling career.
“We have already become like brothers and sisters,” he says, of the first nCDC team in Kandy.
Pavithra
He believes that the students from nine-plus schools in and around Kandy who are involved in the venture will be much tighter knit by the time their two-year programme comes to an end. He is convinced that as a dance team, they will continue to work together and be able to change the atmosphere for professional dancers in their city.
And their trainer, Kapila, seems to have even more faith in them.
“These kids are amazingly talented,” he says, “the only thing is they have no exposure.”
And so with the help of ZONTA in Kandy, he has set out to change what he can. The nCDC programme is a two-year intensive course, involving hours of gruelling exercises and rehearsal every week. The students’ “graduation” will be a gala performance of Kapila’s interpretation to contemporary dance of the classic ‘Swan Lake’ by Tchaikovsky. The performance is scheduled for Nelum Pokuna in 2017, and although it is a massive undertaking for relatively inexperienced school-goers, Kapila believes in them.
“They are very keen and very talented,” he says. “It will be good.”
Prabath
nATANDA, when they first came together as a company in 2002 were a similar setup, Kapila reminisces, a group of young, talented and committed dancers who dared to dream bigger than just what they already knew. Unlike many dance companies that capitalize on the sensuous appeal of dance, nATANDA is focused primarily on “investigating the potential of dance for personal development, social inclusion and peace-building”. They aim at stimulating the mind with what they do, and using the sensual appeal of dance to do so.
The programme on Thursday, March 26 will include a number of nATANDA’s favourite pieces from over the years, which discuss social and environmental issues that are close to the hearts of the performers. These include the highly energetic ‘Cicada’ from 2013, ‘Fall’ which in colourful costumes portrays the shades of Autumn, ‘Touch’, part of their last major production with the British Council which explores the presence, absence, use and abuse of human touch as well as traditional Kandyan dance numbers.
| Nostalgia at Lionel Wendt The Zonta Club of Kandy presents “Nostalgia” by nATANDAat the Lionel Wendt Theatre on Thursday, March 26 at 7 pm. Tickets are available at the theatre. Call 722 911 703 for more information. All proceeds from the event towards Jeewakanda Home for Abused Girls, Centre for Handicapped, Kandy, and nATANDA Community Dance Centre. |