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| Saturday, 12 January 2002 |
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Mega dance feast by Budawatta students For the first time in Sri Lanka, around 3,000 dancing students will perform on a single stage when " Ransilu Rangana " an extravagant traditional dance show presented by the students of the Budawatta Dancing Institute, goes on the boards next week.
Budawatta who now celebrates 45 years in traditional dancing, has been passing his knowledge to new generations for over two decades. His own institute also marks 20 years. "I have found a number of gifted dancing students in my classes who have no place to exhibit their talent, but are willing to do so," explains Budawatta as to why he was influenced to organise this show. Nowadays, the society exhibits a great deal of enthusiasm towards our traditional dances and performing arts. "This fact also convinced me," he adds. Budawatta plans to stage this show in two phases: one at Youth Services Council, Maharagama on January 19 and 20 the other at the BMICH on January 27. Each show with 28-30 dances will be held in two sessions.Students aged between 7 - 25 will take part in this show."First one includes our traditional dancing ( Wannam and other dances). The second includes musical dances," added Budawatta.
The unique feature of this show is that Budawatta has not sought any sponsorship. "I never perform under the banner of anybody and will not allow my students to do so either. So the whole cost will have to be covered by the souvenir that I am going to print for this occasion and the support from parents," he added. Budawatta also expects to award certificates to all students taking part in this show and scholarships to selected best students to follow dancing at his institute. Such students will be selected by an eminent jury. He also stressed that the authorities should take more steps to popularise traditional dancing among schoolchildren. ============================= Potter mania It was a magical moment. I was among the thousands who thronged Leicester Square on a cold November afternoon for the world premier of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first of J.K. Rowling's mega-sellers to hit celluloid.
That was November 4. The 150-minute film opened in the UK on November 16 and soon afterwards in many other countries. It has broken box office records in most countries, casting a spell on viewers from 8 to 80. Just two days after the November 16 opening, Warner Brothers began filming the second book - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Eventually, all seven books will have been filmed. Warner Brothers and director Chris Columbus have fulfilled the expectations of Potter fans with their faithful rendition of the book, which is exactly what Rowling wanted. She also insisted on an all-British cast (she vetoed a proposal to cast American child star Haley Joel Osmont as Harry Potter) and British locations. Radcliffe was a complete newcomer to celluloid, but the adult cast reads like a who's who of British cinema. Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Hart and Alan Rickman are all in the film. Emma Watson and Ruper Grint, both novices, play Potter's best buddies Hermione and Ron. The film duly brings the many adventures of Harry Potter to life: His admission to the Hogwarts School of Wizardry, Quidditch matches (a game played on flying broomsticks), a confrontation with a three-headed dog etc. The special effects are stunning, perhaps bettered only by those in this year's other big movie 'Lord of the Rings' (opens on December 19 in the UK). You will enjoy this film regardless of whether you have read the books or not. With Bloomsbury publishing 'adult editions' of Harry Potter books, more adults will also enjoy Potter's heroics on papyrus and on film. If this film is anything to go by, Harry Potter is in good hands. Catch the Hogwarts Express to your nearest cinema when the film opens here. ============================= New Bond movie set to start shooting in Britian amid secrecy LOS ANGELES(AFP) - The latest James Bond spy film is set to begin filming in Britain next week, studio executives said Thursday, with details of the movie's plot shrouded in unusual secrecy. The film, the 20th in the saga of the world's most famous and suave secret agent, will be released in November to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the release of the first Bond picture, "Dr. No." "We're thrilled to start filming on what promises to be one of the greatest Bond films ever," said producers Michael G. Wilson and Barabara Broccoli in a statement received here. Irish star Pierce Brosnan will reprise his role as 007 while actress Halle Berry and Korean-American actor Rick Yune, John Cleese and Dame Judy Dench will play alongside him. But while the film's Hollywood distributor, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), is beginning to hype the return of 007, studio expecutives are keeping mum about the title of the film and its premise. |
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Produced by Lake House |
Organising this enormous task single
handedly is veteran dancer Kulasiri Budawatta, a man dedicated to his cause - preserving
and exhibiting our traditional performing arts - through the talent and knowledge
inherited over the generations. 
Most of these musical dances are
choreographed to songs by veterans W.D. Amaradeva and Nanda Malani. 
London was awash with excitement. The
pedestrian area near the Odeon, Europe's biggest cinema, was a sea of heads. Children,
naturally, were the most enthusiastic. They were waiting eagerly to catch a glimpse of
Daniel Radcliffe, alias Harry Potter. 
