The araliya flower or the frangipani has many ties to our little island. And it is the frangipani that gave Kapila Palihawadana the inspiration to come up with his production titled Frangipani.
The production first went on boards at the Lionel Wendt in April this year and due to the response received with this performance and with the idea of hosting dance workshops, Kapila has decided to have the production again this month.
Kapila is the Founder and the Artistic Director of nATANDA Dance Theatre and is well-known in the area of dance in Sri Lanka. “My type of dance is a combination of Kandyan dancing, Classical ballet and Angampora,” says Kapila of the dance routines.
And as to why the araliya flower for this production he, “My fascination with the araliya flower started at a young age,” he says, and went on to explain, “When I was a kid, I loved this flower which bloomed on a tree just in front of my mum’s house and it had a lovely smell.”
Looking around the island it is clear that this is one flower which has very distinct connections to our country especially in religious terms, where it plays a role in both Hindu and Buddhist religious rituals.
The production centres around the aspects of the flower – being that of strong, mild and weak, which Kapila explains are all part of a Sri Lankan.
What he has done, is drawn a comparison from these aspects to our country, where he explains, “Our rich heritage and culture makes us strong, and at the same time it is what makes us mild and caring,” he say, adding, “And it is this 30-year-old conflict which ravaged our land, which made us weak and has made us lose our confidence.”
In terms of cultural beliefs Kapila mentioned how in Balinese culture a female wearing an araliya flower in her right ear, symbolises her single status while wearing it on her left ear symbolises the fact she is not! However, with most of these cultural beliefs being from Asia, it is interesting to note that the flower’s actual origin is from North America.
The environment and its conservation are very close to Kapila and he brings out this aspect in this performance as well. He hopes to deepen the audience’s understanding of nature and to open their eyes and their hearts towards respecting the environment.
Therefore, this time around too, he hopes those watching the performance will draw some inspiration and hopefully join the dance troupe. “I would like school leavers, senior students from schools and even those involved in dance to come and watch the performance and participate in the dance workshops.” The workshops begin on September 6, 2009 from 10am to 2pm at the Goethe Institut, Gregory’s Road, and will be free of charge.
Frangipani will go on boards at the John de Silva Theatre on August 10 at 6.30pm. A limited amount of tickets will be sold at Rs. 800/-while those interested in dance and interested in participating in the nATANDA Dance Theatre’s dance workshops will be able to walk in and enjoy the performance with prior confirmation. Kapila wanted to thank the Goethe Institute and also the main sponsor for Frangipani, the Prince Claus Fund. For further details please contact Malith on 072 803 6315.
So upon drawing all these cultural beliefs and symbolisms Kapila has created Frangipani, which will certainly be a treat, just like his previous productions.
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