Arts
Oosha Garten of Ballet stays in step with evolving times
The workshop with Ukranian dancer Anton Safonov
One of the oldest ballet schools in Sri Lanka, the Ballet School of Colombo formerly known as the Oosha Garten of Ballet was synonymous for decades with the legendary Oosha Saravanamuttu. Rebranded in 2016, the ballet school now run by Oosha’s past pupils Romina Gyi-Wafa and Tara Cooke still follow the core principles they learnt as students.
They continue to foster the love for ballet with their students by driving the concordant fundamentals about discipline, beliefs and basics of dance.
“We still are very much the Oosha Garten of Ballet but we would like to think that we have kind of evolved with time in terms of technique in keeping with the current trends around the world,” Romina tells the Sunday Times.
By having workshops with professionals around the world, Romina and Tara expose students to new styles of ballet. Be it movement, variations, improvisation, tone and more, the students at the Ballet School of Colombo are provided with the chance to grow and learn as dancers.
Tara elaborates on how they keep their students on pointe, referring to their most recent – the February workshop they held with Ukranian dancer Anton Safonov, who focused on partner interactions in dance as well as connecting with one’s body.
Speaking to us about his time here in Sri Lanka teaching the senior class of the Ballet School, Safonov said that what he enjoyed most was the students’ eagerness to learn and find something new. “They love to learn something and they have open minds, they don’t have the fear of making mistakes. They learn something new and I learn something new as well,” Safonov added.
It was clear the students loved working with him.
It was a terrific experience, said Shalini De Mel. “Being pushed out of our comfort zone made us realize that we are capable of much more than we thought possible. Plus, we are actually stronger than we think we are. As Anton says, ‘It’s alright to make mistakes because we learn from them and know what to avoid and do different the next time. Never be afraid to try some new, and if you stumble, make it a part of the dance’.”
Another student, Sumaya Gunawardena described Safonov’s approach to dance as ‘unique and spiritual’, prompting them to see another side of dance. “His coaching guided us to see dance as a reflection of life itself. Life is riddled with obstacles and one must manoeuvre one’s way through it. His great emphasis on the mind also helped us perceive that both strength and will are trumped by the mind. Furthermore he mentioned that dancing is the combined effort of many parts of our body and not a sole activity. The movement of one part is the result of many others.”
“The difference in the movements and how you can complement each other when you are working with someone, is quite important nowadays as the dancers themselves get to learn about their body and for the other person to know what is appropriate handling,” Tara commented.
For Tara and Romina too, Safonov’s workshop was an experience since though he had trained as a Classical ballet dancer, he had evolved and created his own style.
“As teachers, we learnt new ways of doing certain things, how basic routines can be progressed further and how new perspectives can deliver the point across better. We hope to continue this trend of sharing with the international dance community and strive to give our dancers the best experience and education,” they say.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown that the country has been facing, the Ballet School of Colombo has quickly adapted to the situation and gone virtual.
Among the many exciting initiatives that they have lined up as part of their Virtual Dance Class experience is a programme not just for their students but for everyone out there, from children to adults who are keen to understand more about the art form, the fundamentals of ballet, to new aspects of the constantly changing dance world. A certification will also be awarded to those who successfully complete the programme.
For more information on how to support the Ballet School of Colombo and their future endeavours, please contact them on tbscolombo@gmail.com or call 0721580580 or 0777745791.