Vibrant ‘nATFEST’ back in action
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‘nATFEST 2016 Sri Lanka’, Sri Lanka’s only Contemporary Dance Festival, organised by nATANDA Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka will come alive from December 2nd to 7th at the Lionel Wendt Theatre.
nATFEST is Sri Lanka’s first-ever international contemporary dance festival curated by Kapila Palihawardana of nATANDA Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka.
This year, the Festival will be held in two separate venues in Colombo and Kandy.
The ‘nATFEST 2016 Sri Lanka’ Colombo fest will be held from the 2nd of December to the 4th of December 2016 under the theme of ‘Dance for Reconciliation’. The Kandy leg will come alive from 6th to 7th December in Kandy.
‘This year nine countries have accepted our invitation to take part in this festival. We have invited dance companies from Russia, Switzerland, Malaysia, Philippines, India, United Kingdom, USA, Germany, and Turkey. As was done last year several Sri Lankan dance companies from Jaffna, Eastern Province, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Sothern Provinces have registered to take part in this international festival’ said curator Kapila Palihawardana of nATANDA Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka.
‘The objective of this festival is to bring together a diverse set of artistes for the first time in Sri Lanka. nATFEST brings contemporary dance theatre to the fore, bringing Sri Lanka to the platform for contemporary dance in Asia’ he added.
nATFEST aims to bring different cultures together, enhancing tourism, highlighting dance and entertainment together with our rich traditions in the art and the history of this country. nATFEST also focuses on dance and reconciliation bridging differences in our own country and cutting across boundaries of ethnicity, disability and ego.
‘Our aim is to encourage and promote reconciliation through the art of dance by conducting daily workshops during the course of the festival and bringing all ethnic groups and cultures of Sri Lanka to share a common platform and art’ Kapila said.
This year, festival is further enhanced by the international and local artistes workshops conducted over five consecutive days. 150 young dancers will take part in this training programme gaining valuable exposure to the style and technique of contemporary dance.
