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She calls it a reflection. But it is a song bursting forth from the depths of the soul, as powerful as a ravaging storm and as tranquil as a silent prayer, given voice in the language of the soul - dance. It's a celebration of movement and music that has over a lifetime bound mother and daughter, teacher and student.

For dancer and teacher Niloufer Pieris, her latest work is both a tribute to her mother, Linda Pieris, and a teacher's gift to her students as she opens up a world of possibilities for the young dancers she untiringly trains in honour of the woman who made sure that for her daughter life would be one of possibilities.

Principal of the Nelung Dance Academy, Niloufer's classes are an absolute treat to sit in on. The girls are breathtaking and the boys spirited - or "an absolute hoot," chuckles the teacher who obviously plays the multiple roles of teacher, mentor and friend as she watches their every move like a hawk, always one step ahead of the student. "It's like training race horses," she says describing her work in an interesting metaphor - one has to know how much and how far to push.

At the Girls Friendly Society hall where Niloufer rehearses, which fills with music and her steady "and a one and a two and a three," you become aware of how beautiful it is to watch three adult dancers (two female and one male) at the barre performing a 'ballet workout’. Little girls in pink leotards are a common sight, but dancing years are over all too early and it is a rare pleasure to enjoy the grown up ballet dancer execute one technical feat after another.
Having made this journey of dance herself, Niloufer is emphatic that the task is far from easy. "Ballet training is arduous, lengthy and expensive, requiring not only the correct physique but dedication and determination." Fulfilment of the dream of being a dancer, however, is possible. For the determined child Niloufer who was told she could not have ballet lessons (they were only for English children) in pre-independence India, sheer hard work eventually led her to the Royal Ballet School, London, making her the first Asian to be admitted to the school.

For Niloufer, "Reflections" honours the memory of her mother and the sacrifices she made in life to give her child every opportunity to learn the arts. Marking the 10th death anniversary of Linda Pieris, the performance programme reflects her deep appreciation of the arts, music and dance in particular. "I have lovely memories of her," says Niloufer, remembering the days when her mother learnt Kathak under Ram Gopal in Bangalore and witnessed first hand the revival of Indian Dance. "I have memories of watching her dance and I certainly remember her playing the piano for me to go to sleep."

Thus, opening the performance will be a selection of music - Linda's first love. With Meneka Sahabandu Fonseka at the piano for Debussy's Claire de Lune - Arabesque No. 2 and Rachmaninoff's Prelude and Trees for piano and voice, Saint Saens' The Swan and Faure's Apres un Reve, both recorded music, will accompany a montage of slides.

Next, enter the dancers. Athletic Sureni Salgado and lyrical Wendy Perera are living evidence of the benefits of an arts education and the satisfaction of the personal growth such an education can bring. The girls take over the next section of the performance with their work performed for the Grade 8 exam of the Royal Academy of Dance, London, a performance exam, presented on stage with permission from the Royal Academy of Dance.

Both bubbly eighteen-year-olds, the duo have been dancing for more than a decade and have over the years shown real dedication (according to their teacher who describes teaching them as a joy), working consistently through Graded Syllabi exams and Performance exams. Both have just finished their A/Level Exams and have been accepted by La Salle, College of the Arts, Singapore for the Bachelor of Arts degree programme in Dance and both in their lifetime, as Sureni passionately puts it, "Never want to give up dance. Ever!"

A love for dance is what binds the performers before me - the teacher and her students - Niloufer, Sureni, Wendy, Mohan and Rangika, diverse in personality, dancing tradition and experience. Still, they all come together in performance; for they speak the common language of dance. The Dance Dialogues in the final "Crossing Borders" section of the performance is truly a section of experimental dance, showcasing each performer's interpretive work. With Mohan Sudusinghe in an experimental dance to the music of Bach highlighting his special movement quality, Rangika Jeewantha Vidanage - dancing spirit - a traditional Kandyan dancer, with an aptitude for ballet clearly displayed in the determination with which he perfects his style in the storm he brings on stage and Kapila Palihawardana and his dancers in an excitingly executed contemporary dance, Niloufer presents in this performance male dancers from different disciplines.

Without innovation and fresh ideas brought in by talented young artistes any art becomes stagnant, says Niloufer, who firmly believes in the invigorating power of experimental work that keeps any art form alive. In the two girls with sparkling eyes who dance to Helen Reddy's catchy tunes in the final section of the performance lies the hope of a tradition being passed on to the next generation.