Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Gliding through the water…
A love story made extarordinary, as it is performed in the style of water ballet and to the music of ABBA. Smriti Daniel was at the breathtaking event
This story begins, gentle reader, with a man and a woman very much in love. Their’s is a modern fairy tale. Unfortunately, as you and I well know, the course of true love never did run smooth. So it is that blood and betrayal come between our lovers (taking the form of a terrible accident and a misguided, possessive parent). They are now separated by miles, promises and ignorance, and all in all seem doomed to live out their lives in despair…

...and so on and so forth and blah blah. Predictably and fortunately, (because we would not have settled for anything less) the two are finally re-united.
The story of the (ultimately) happy couple, I soon discover, is to be the thread that links the various performances in Waterloo together. Courtesy the Interact Club of Visakha Vidyalaya, Waterloo showcased the skills of a sizable number of Visakhians – both as dancers and actors, and as synchronised swimmers.

If you’re doing a double take at the title, let me explain – this Waterloo was inspired not by Napoleon, but by ABBA. I cannot even pretend to be sorry it was so, and will further confess that I haven’t enjoyed a performance so much in a long time.

Now, this might well be because it was water ballet (the first I’ve ever seen that owes nothing to satellite transmission); but novelty value aside, the performances were strong and the girls truly talented. I don’t know about you, but anyone who can hold their breath, hang upside down in a pool and smoothly segue into a graceful somersault has my respect. The performances in the water were complimented and mirrored by dances, and scenes enacted by the poolside.

All were accompanied by the familiar, almost classic pop of ABBA; not just any random tracks either, but songs that were actually clearly tied in with the plot. And so it was that when our lovers were all caught up in each other, “Honey Honey” was the song being sung. Similarly when his mother tries to separate them, “Under Attack” was played. Songs like “I Do, I Do”, “Money, Money, Money”, “SOS” and “Dancing Queen” followed, illustrating crucial parts of the plot. Watching the show made me realise something – ABBA evidently made enough music to cover the whole spectrum of a life.

For those of you who remain happily ignorant, a water ballet essentially refers to a sport in which performers working alone, or in groups, literally dance in the water, moving in time to music. No small achievement, this. Watching them, you realise their art is a beautiful combination of gymnastics, ballet and swimming – hence they somersault, then pirouette even as they streak to the water. For the girls performing in groups the strain was doubled as they had to synchronise and coordinate their performance as well.

The girls in the water worked in groups, couples and occasionally alone. What they did in the water is difficult to describe with words, the closest I can come is to say, as I said before, that they danced beautifully. One was left with the impression that girls were almost flying through the water, defying gravity and absolutely in control. Some performances were particularly memorable.

For instance, Shahili Gomez, the swimmer who played the female protagonist, was exceptionally good. Her performance, though thick with technical skill, was passionate and convincing. Hashani Warnapura and Rovini Illukkumbura, who played the male protagonist and his mother, also did very well. Out of the duets, “Our Last Summer”, with Gayani Warnapura and Hashani, as well as “Lay Your Love On Me”, featuring Hashini and Shahili were utterly breathtaking.

All the group events were very good, noteworthy for how in sync and graceful all the swimmers were. It was at the culmination, however, with “Mama Mia” blasting out of the speakers that they pulled out all the stops. Nearly 25 swimmers clothed in differently coloured bodysuits formed and reformed complex patterns, dancing and somersaulting in the water, leaving their audience applauding.

The ‘outside dancers’ (those performing outside the pool) were spectacularly kitted out, with each new song revealing a fresh set of costumes. The choreography was also quite impressive as the girls went from ballet to gymnastics and into jiving with ease. However, the decision to have a large group of dancers (nearly 20) didn’t always work in their favour, as their coordination slipped every now and then. They made up for it, however, with a great deal of enthusiasm. Their dancing set a fast pace for the production, and one thing’s for sure, it never lagged. Much to my delight, the evening was brought to a fitting climax with a brilliant set of fireworks.

The show was directed by Gayani Warnapura and Anuruddha Fernando, with the latter responsible for the narration and editing as well. The delightfully old-fashioned, if somewhat sentimental, script was the province of Mahesha Jayawardana. The choreography of the outside dancers was the work of Ruchira Aberathne, while all the performances inside the pool were choreographed and directed by some of the swimmers themselves. Romesh Fernando did the lights and sounds. The main sponsor of the event was the Dulux Child Protection Trust, which is dedicated to fighting child abuse in Sri Lanka.

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