Dancing in his forefathers’ footsteps
The spotlight is no more. The colourful Esala Perahera with its powerful dancers and caparisoned elephants concluded its parade through the streets of Kandy to drum-beats and whip-cracks, bearing the venerated Sacred Tooth Relic, in August.
This year too, it is 38-year-old Galegedera Priyantha Samansiri, better known as Kondadeniye Saman, dancing in the footsteps of his forefathers, who was honoured with the title of ‘Vishshistama Nettuwa’ (Best Dancer).
This title he has carried for a decade, being presented with the Gold Medal at the Presidential Awards held amidst much pomp and pageantry at the President’s House in Kandy, once the perahera was over.
Before the honour was bestowed on him, it was Saman who danced at the perahera’s suvisheshama sthanaya – karanduwa vaddammana thena, the most important spot in the pageant, where the Casket bearing the Tooth Relic of the Buddha is ceremonially taken out of the Dalada Maligawa and placed on the tusker. A sacred opportunity afforded to Saman over and over again.
If that is not fulfilment enough, his troupe of dancers has also been declared the best on numerous occasions as in this year too.
To his childhood returns Saman to reveal how his people had a sampradaika hewisi urumayak (traditional hewisi legacy) at the Pattini Devalaya.
They were also the proud owners of nindagam, not so long ago. The tradition is being carried on by eight families consisting of 16 members, says Saman.
From dawn to dusk, what Saman heard as a boy in his village of Kondadeniya close to Katugastota was the reverberations of ‘bera, thavul and tammeta handa’ and ‘horane vadana’.
It was under maestro M.G. Thilakaratne that Saman took his very first professional dance steps, having swirled and twirled under the initial guidance of his school dance teacher, W.D. Weeratunge, as a 10-year-old at Vidyartha Vidyalaya, Kandy.
The art of udarata netum (Kandyan dance) he mastered from the Malagammana gurunnanse, Simon, and recalls vividly, the unforgettable day, January 1, 1992, when he was vested with ‘ves’ by Hapugoda Gurunnase, famed for his ‘Kohomba yak kankariya’ skills (dispelling the dos or ill-effects brought about by yakku).
Taking to teaching dance at the Ranabima Rajakeeiya Vidyalaya in Gannoruwa, Saman next aspired to qualify in dance, by securing a degree from the Visual and Performing Arts University in Colombo 7.
Long days and longer sleepless nights with hardly a proper meal to sustain him, his life had been one of toil and hardship, without a place to stay and without a cent in his pocket.
Armed with his degree, he taught dance at Trinity College, Kandy, temporarily for two years before taking up a permanent teaching position at Uda Deltota Kanishta Vidyalaya, where he still is.
The children’s plight moves him tremendously, as they are from homes of abject poverty, with their parents eking out a meagre living as labourers on tea estates close-by. Many children are also from single-parent homes.
“Uda Deltota Kanishta Vidyalaya is a hudakala ganaye, athi dushkara paselak,” according to Saman, who explains that it is a remote school sans facilities, in a hardly-accessible area.
There is no dancing room and it is on the hilly slopes of the school that he trains the students, with the vindication of his efforts coming when they danced their way to the top to the soulful tune of Sunil Edirisinghe’s song ‘Ada Ipadunu Newum Lowata’ at the All-Island Dance Competition 2015 in June.
While Saman persists at his task, he has a dream to take dance to a wider section of children.
| Kandy Dance Academy his dream Having showed his prowess not only in dance but also in teaching, Saman has a dream–to set up a vibrant Dance Academy in Kandy, the heart of tradition and culture. “Give me a helping hand to see my dream become a reality for the benefit of future generations,” is the plea of this talented dancer-cum-good teacher to the government and the Dalada Maligawa |
The spotlight is no more. The colourful Esala Perahera with its powerful dancers and caparisoned elephants concluded its parade through the streets of Kandy to drum-beats and whip-cracks, bearing the venerated Sacred Tooth Relic, in August.This year too, it is 38-year-old Galegedera Priyantha Samansiri, better known as Kondadeniye Saman, dancing in the footsteps of his forefathers, who was honoured with the title of ‘Vishshistama Nettuwa’ (Best Dancer). This title he has carried for a decade, being presented with the Gold Medal at the Presidential Awards held amidst much pomp and pageantry at the President’s House in Kandy, once the perahera was over.Before the honour was bestowed on him, it was Saman who danced at the perahera’s suvisheshama sthanaya – karanduwa vaddammana thena, the most important spot in the pageant, where the Casket bearing the Tooth Relic of the Buddha is ceremonially taken out of the Dalada Maligawa and placed on the tusker. A sacred opportunity afforded to Saman over and over again.If that is not fulfilment enough, his troupe of dancers has also been declared the best on numerous occasions as in this year too.To his childhood returns Saman to reveal how his people had a sampradaika hewisi urumayak (traditional hewisi legacy) at the Pattini Devalaya. They were also the proud owners of nindagam, not so long ago. The tradition is being carried on by eight families consisting of 16 members, says Saman.From dawn to dusk, what Saman heard as a boy in his village of Kondadeniya close to Katugastota was the reverberations of ‘bera, thavul and tammeta handa’ and ‘horane vadana’. It was under maestro M.G. Thilakaratne that Saman took his very first professional dance steps, having swirled and twirled under the initial guidance of his school dance teacher, W.D. Weeratunge, as a 10-year-old at Vidyartha Vidyalaya, Kandy.The art of udarata netum (Kandyan dance) he mastered from the Malagammana gurunnanse, Simon, and recalls vividly, the unforgettable day, January 1, 1992, when he was vested with ‘ves’ by Hapugoda Gurunnase, famed for his ‘Kohomba yak kankariya’ skills (dispelling the dos or ill-effects brought about by yakku).Taking to teaching dance at the Ranabima Rajakeeiya Vidyalaya in Gannoruwa, Saman next aspired to qualify in dance, by securing a degree from the Visual and Performing Arts University in Colombo 7. Long days and longer sleepless nights with hardly a proper meal to sustain him, his life had been one of toil and hardship, without a place to stay and without a cent in his pocket. Armed with his degree, he taught dance at Trinity College, Kandy, temporarily for two years before taking up a permanent teaching position at Uda Deltota Kanishta Vidyalaya, where he still is. The children’s plight moves him tremendously, as they are from homes of abject poverty, with their parents eking out a meagre living as labourers on tea estates close-by. Many children are also from single-parent homes.“Uda Deltota Kanishta Vidyalaya is a hudakala ganaye, athi dushkara paselak,” according to Saman, who explains that it is a remote school sans facilities, in a hardly-accessible area. There is no dancing room and it is on the hilly slopes of the school that he trains the students, with the vindication of his efforts coming when they danced their way to the top to the soulful tune of Sunil Edirisinghe’s song ‘Ada Ipadunu Newum Lowata’ at the All-Island Dance Competition 2015 in June.While Saman persists at his task, he has a dream to take dance to a wider section of children.