Onwards to the Olympics?

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

Who would have thought eight years ago that a little girl terrified of water would one day be a potential Olympic Games participant? Who could have known that a small push into a pool would result in one of Sri Lanka's sports success stories?

Behind every success story is another of fear, failure, hard work and determination. Very early in life Radiesha Daluwatte showed everyone that she wouldn't give up easily. The terrified little girl went on to win international championships including four silver and three bronze medals at the South Asian Federation Games in Kathmandu last year.

And as I sit in front of her, I'm impressed. While she chatters away in a pair of shorts and T-shirt, right after swimming practices, with her sentences punctuated ever so often with 'like', I'm watching the way she seems so unaffected by her achievements.

But what is life really like behind all the medals and popularity? 'Well,' says Radiesha, 'I'm getting a little sick of it now. Swimming has never been my life, and I'm getting tired of the daily practices.' She practises every weekday for an average of three hours a day after school. 'Some day, I think I'll quit swimming. I'd like to try tennis or something. I'm also quite fond of basket-ball as my mom, dad, and brother are players' and mom and dad have both been national players (dad being former Army Commander Rohan Daluwatte). This multi-faceted young lady is also a budding artist, with a seemingly natural flair for mixing colours.

So what does it feel like to know that you may represent Sri Lanka at no less an event than the Olympics? 'Well, I'm a bit careful about being thrilled yet, because we may have to undergo some trials before being chosen. But if I am, wow, what can I say, it's been a lifelong dream. I used to kid around about it, but to think that my dream may actually come true, that's simply incredible.'

Amazingly Radiesha does manage to find time for friends and studies, despite her punishing schedule, which brings her home on most days, especially close to swimming meets, past 7.00 p.m. 'I love making friends. After your family's gone and you're sitting all alone you realise friends are all you've got,' she says philosophically.

'But living my kind of life makes it hard on friends too. I have a bodyguard trailing me 24 hours a day, even if I'm with a boyfriend. Sometimes I get so bugged I just tell them to stay in the car. There is so much security checking to be done before anyone enters this place (they live within the high security zone compound and visitors have to inform of their arrival long before). Friends can't surprise me at home, and even for them to drop in it's a bit of a process. I can't even sneak out of the house at night,' she says, only half-jokingly.

But all in all, life seems to have been pretty good to Radiesha, who despite her achievements and restrictions, still manages to have a lot of fun with friends and family, and for whom the world seems to be her oyster.

Dance ballerina, dance!

By Hiranthi Fernando

A group of little girls, six to eight -year-olds, dressed in pale blue frilly skirts and pink ballet shoes skipped and twirled around the studio. They went through the paces of their ballet exercises under the watchful eye of their teacher. The primary class of the Deanna School of Dancing seemed to enjoy their ballet lesson in the spacious new studio. This class was preparing for the Primary Examination of the Royal Academy of Dancing of the U.K., to be held in Sri Lanka in October. These exams are conducted regularly by the British Council.

"A dream I had for a long time, finally became a reality when we opened this new studio in October 1999", said Deanna Jayasuriya, Principal of the Deanna School of Dancing. Since she first opened the school in Sri Lanka twenty years ago, Deanna has conducted her classes at the Jaycee Secretariat and at various rented premises. As the school expanded and the classes became more crowded, it was difficult to manage in temporary premises.

The new three storeyed building built specially for a dance school now provides the students and the teachers with the ideal conditions to achieve the highest standards in dancing. The ground floor contains the reception, office, canteen, changing rooms for the students and a waiting area for parents. "Some children come for their classes straight after school", Deanna said. "All facilities are provided for them to have their lunch and change their clothes before the class starts. We have two people responsible for the children all the time. There is a friendly atmosphere and it is a home away from home for them". The first floor is occupied by the dance studio. The second floor contains an apartment. Eventually, Deanna plans to convert the apartment also into a second studio. She herself handles 90% of the teaching, while the Vice Principal Sandra takes over when Deanna is away.

"The students have improved tremendously since we moved into this studio", Deanna said. The entire back wall of the spacious and airy studio is taken up by a mirror, adding further depth to the hall. Fans whirled overhead, keeping the hall cool while the students danced. The floor was boarded. Below the windows, which occupied the length of one wall, barres were fitted for practicing. The studio was equipped with a piano and a stereo set up to provide the music. Deanna explained that the floor was a sprung floor, especially constructed according to international standards.

The Deanna School of Dancing, which opened with 50 students, now has over 200. Classes are conducted five days a week, from 2.30 p.m. till 7 p.m. The children start learning ballet dancing as young as at 2 years in the Baby class. They do their first examination, the Pre-Primary at around six years. "This year, for the first time, we are entering students for the Grade 8 Award. It is the first school in the island to send children for this exam", Deanna said. "They are mostly Advanced Level students. Most of them have gained admission to prestigious universities like Cambridge, disproving the common belief that children who take up dancing have no time for studies"

"I was only 2 years old when my mother took me for ballet classes to Yvonne Bradley", Deanna recalled. "I am so grateful to her for teaching me and helping me to gain the confidence I have today. After Yvonne Bradley left Sri Lanka, I danced and taught under Bunty Saffrey. She helped me to start off my career as a teacher".

Deanna studied at the Royal Academy of Dancing (R.A.D) in the U.K. under a well known senior examiner, Ruth French. Today, Deanna is a fully registered teacher of the Royal Academy of Dancing. Taking classical ballet as her base, Deanna also followed other forms of dancing such as Jazz, Tap and Spanish Dancing. Having qualified at the R.A.D, Deanna opened a dance school in the U.K. and taught there for ten years, gaining the knowledge and experience she needed. She finally returned to Sri Lanka in 1980 to open the dance school in Colombo. "I go to the Royal Academy every year to update myself and learn the new trends in dancing", said Deanna, who was leaving for the UK this week for her annual refresher course.

Deanna recalled that when she started learning ballet dancing in the late 1940s, there were many foreign ballet teachers in Sri Lanka. "They gradually left the country and western ballet came to a halt", she said. "It was difficult to bring it up after a drop. However, dancing has now picked up again. We have classes for each group twice a week and the children enjoy coming for the classes".

Several of the little girls in the primary class echoed her words. "I love ballet", said Meneka who will be seven years old in April. "I started when I was about five years old. I took part in the Nutcracker Suite last year", she said enthusiastically. "I don't know how long I have learned ballet for I was very small when I started", said little Sheranya who is just six years old. "When my Mummy asked me whether I like to learn ballet, I said yes. I love it".

In the Grade I class, the children were more experienced and danced still better. Dressed in tights and close fitting ballet attire all in pale blue, the girls followed their exercises in a very disciplined manner. Ayushka, seven plus, has completed the Pre-Primary and Primary Examinations. She is now preparing for Grade1. "I love both classical and modern ballet", she said. "I took part in Beauty and the Beast and the Nutcracker Suite".

The Deanna School of Dancing has given a solid foundation to many talented students who are now teaching in many parts of the world. She hopes that her daughter who is also a qualified R. A. D dance teacher, will one day take over the school and continue the work she has started.

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