Dance Little Lady Dance

Ever since Kanthi Ranchigoda was a young girl, she had wanted to dance. Twenty-five years later, she celebrates a dancing career that has not only fulfilled her dreams as a young girl but has also gone onto shape the dreams of other five year olds.

Much to the anticipation and joy of her ardent fans, she will celebrate 25 years of her impressive career by holding a concert with over 150 performers at the Lionel Wendt on December 8, 9 and 10.

A popular art in Sri Lanka, modern dance and ballet remains her forte, with her imparting a wide berth of experience and knowledge on budding dancers. "Dance is popular here. Everyday there is someone who calls me and asks whether they can join or just watch," Ranchigoda says.

Starting out with ballet, tap and modern dancing, she continued her education under a variety of talented teachers, eventually making her way to Crishanthi Nagendra, the only Sri Lankan Examiner of the 'Royal Academy of Dancing,' a certified teacher, who took her under her wing.

Speaking on her love for all forms of dancing, she says, ‘Dancing to me is like breathing. It comes naturally to me. I love learning the different forms of dancing as a child and I still continue to learn as you can never know enough."

Much loved by her students, she is a dedicated teacher who holds classes featuring aerobics, modern dancing and ballet five days a week. "My students are of a diverse range in age - from little kids to older ladies who come to me because of their passion for dance and also for keeping fit. They are the reason I have kept going on for the past 25 years. You can see from how the faces of the kids light up as well as the commitment of the mature crowd, of how much they enjoy my classes," she says.

Commenting on the traits of a successful dancer she says that it is important to tone your body as well as stretch. "If you stretch correctly and your technique is right then you can dance anything. Yoga is excellent although it is not part of the training routine," she said.

Speaking on what drives her to keep dancing and teaching, she says that to her, it's not about teaching dance, but about teaching the correct technique. "Dance is a form of art that requires constant training. The routines and techniques keep changing, so it is important to update yourself. I go abroad and check out the ballet schools and dance academies. When I am in New York, I make sure that I go to Broadway because that is something that I love. I also enjoy going to modern dance schools there and following up on the courses provided."

"I will be doing excerpts and flashbacks from all the performances I have had during the past 25 years as well as a few new acts. We will have many items, comprising of Hip Hop, tap dancing, the Can Can, Rock and Roll, a Jazz item amongst many others. We will also have excerpts from the earlier ballet performances featuring water babies, butterflies and the like," she said.

All proceeds from the show will be going to SUROL - the Society for the Upliftment and Rehabilitation of Leprosy Patients.

"Right now my 100% focus is on the show. I have planned for this for a year now. Dancing is my life, my passion; it is what keeps me going," she said.

The Media Coordination of the event is handled by Glenda Parthipan of Emphasis.