Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

The rhythm of his heart...
By Randima Attygalle
His name Rangika denotes ‘dance’ while the middle name Jeewantha, meaning ‘spirit of life’ complements it. Doing justice to both his names, young Rangika Jeewantha, an undergraduate of the University of Kelaniya, ‘danced his way’ to the Singapore Summer School where he emerged the ‘Level 5’ winner. Held for the ninth year, Singapore Summer School exposes the participants to classical ballet, jazz, modern tap and many more under the tutorage of experts in the field.

Comprising six levels, an international syllabus of dancing is mastered by students. They undergo an extensive period of training under a qualified teacher in order to complete each level. “I was introduced to Ms. Niloufer Pieris by Piyasara Shilpadhipathi in early May last year and since then I’ve been learning classical ballet under her,” says Rangika adding that this year he was nominated by Ms. Pieris for the Singapore Summer School held from May 30 to June 4.

At the age of 23, Rangika has proved himself to be a promising dancer, having studied traditional Kandyan dancing, western modes such as ballroom, classical ballet, jazz and modern tap dancing under many eminent teachers in the field.
Rangika’s twin brother Rangana too is a talented dancer and they are the first set of twin brothers in Sri Lanka to have attained the level of wes or hisa wes bendima which means reaching the highest standards of Kandyan dancing and being recognised as veterans after years of systematic mastering of the art.
Their talents evident from a tender age, there was not a single school concert or a cultural event without their contribution at Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa and later Royal College, Colombo where Rangika gained admission especially in recognition of his dancing skills.

Recalling his treasured memories of the Singapore Summer School, Rangika says with a smile, “Although I have performed abroad, it was the first time I competed at international level and it gave me a lot of exposure. I was ecstatic when my name was announced as a winner.”

Rangika was chosen to play one of the leading roles in the ballet Sleeping Beauty which comprised 30 members, which he considers a challenge. “I was nervous at the beginning, especially competing shoulder to shoulder with Chinese and Malaysians who have a reputation to possess very lithe bodies with their exceptional stretching ability,” smiles Rangika.

According to Rangika, his ballet guru Ms. Niloufer Pieris, who accompanied him to Singapore, was a pillar of strength and was instrumental in boosting his confidence to face an ‘international audience.’ “Ms. Pieris always wanted me to consider this venture a new lesson and never a competition,” explains Rangika.

In addition to the group ballet, Rangika also gave a solo Kandyan dance performance which according to him enthralled the audience. “I was truly lucky to have got the opportunity to perform a Kandyan dance item before an international audience,” says Rangika adding that most of the fellow participants and foreign dance instructors were not aware of such a ‘vibrant dance style’ unique to Sri Lanka. “They were intrigued to see the Kandyan dance costume with lots of striking colours and the accessories that accompany it along with the movements peculiar to the dance,” says Rangika with a smile.

Rangika has indeed returned to the motherland with a wealth of experience which he longs to share with his fellow dancers and his students at Wycherly International School where he trains the Hewisi band and teaches Oriental dancing.

“Dancing requires lot of discipline and this was best manifested in Singapore where all participants were well-focused in whatever they did and displayed a very high level of professionalism,” says Rangika. He also added that time management is another valuable lesson he had learnt. “Irrespective of our backgrounds, we all worked as a team and within a very short period we managed to come up with an excellent performance because time was precious to us,” explains Rangika.

Rangika recalls with appreciation, the support rendered by his gurus, especially Ms. Pieris who was instrumental in exposing him to the international realm. “Teachers of Ms. Pieris’ calibre are rare. She is a dedicated teacher who values hard work and honesty and she supported me in all possible ways,” says Rangika who is also grateful to Piyasara Shilpadhipathy, his eastern dancing guru, Mr. H. L. B Gomes, former Principal of Royal College, Mrs. Sarojini Prelis (former teacher Royal College) and Kingsley Jayasinghe, Principal of Wycherly International School. “I am ever grateful to Mr. Gomes for recognising my talent and giving me the opportunity to enter Royal College and Mrs. Prelis who is still a pillar of strength to me,” says Rangika.

Rangika believes that it is important to be an all-round dancer fusing both indigenous and western modes. “Dancing is a gigantic area and we are still infants at it, thus a lot of hardwork is necessary to become a fully-fledged dancer,” says Rangika.

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