By Bernadine Rodrigo
Quite often in our country Sri Lanka, especially in our big city Colombo, with the constant modernising of the world at a furious rate, we are led to forget what it means to truly be Sri Lankan. In simpler words, we forget our culture. As such, it should always be appreciated when someone takes time to carefully orchestrate an event reminiscent of the good old days when our culture was the utmost priority and would spark some of that fiery patriotism buried deep within us all, while at the same time allowing us to enjoy ourselves and be immersed in the art that is music coupled with dance.
The Oriental Dance Troupe of Bishop’s College is preparing to do just that. They have organised a festival of dance and drums titled “Dwani”, a concert that will be held on 4 October at the Bishop’s College Auditorium. The concert would celebrate traditional oriental dance supported by traditional instruments while also providing a platform for the hardworking students to showcase their talents. They hope to perform some of their original creations such as “.=re f.or” – an item which exhibits how dance was nurtured in young students many years ago, “mka ú,” – an item related to the reed industry that prevailed in our island, “fudayskS” – an item which represents deep social meaning, and many more creations by the Oriental Dance Troup of Bishop’s College.
The concert will be supervised by the school’s Principal Sharmila Gunatilake, Vice Principal Chemali Herath, and teacher-in-charge Hashini Dissanayake. The performance will be choreographed by the dance master of Bishop’s College, P.W.T. Dian.
The organising committee for this event includes Oriental Dance Society President Amasha Thewarapperuma, Secretary Raadhiya Salley, Hewisi Band Leader Amrista Polgampola, and Hewisi Assistant Band Leader Devmini Bandara.
With plenty of time to go till the concert, do save the date. “Dwani” is an event that must be attended by those of all ages.
