K. A. Perera

DANCE:Panadura a well-known town in the Kalutara district has produced some of the best talented persons preserving the country's rich cultural and artistic traditions for posterity.

Asha Githanjali S. Wickramasingha is one such artiste who has brought international fame to Sri Lanka with her two daughters.

Asha Githanjali remembers with gratitude the encouragement she received from Soma Amarasekera, the dancing instructress of Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Panadura. She joined the Lalitha Cultural Institute at Panadura and acquired a sound knowledge of upcountry dancing from Karunadasa Atukorale and Padmini Dhahanayaka a teacher of Bharatha Natyam. Further underwent training in Bharatha Natyam under Chandrika Jiwanandan.

She has specialised in the field of dancing by entering Lucknow University of India and obtained a degree in Music and Drama.

When she returned to Sri Lanka, she was appointed as a dancing teacher, and completed training course at the Aesthetic Teachers' Training College at Giragama, Pilimatalawa.

Later she was appointed as a dancing teacher at Sri Sumangala Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Panadura and she is the dancing instructress of the college even today.

She established a cultural institute at Panadura, popularly known as Githanjali Cultural Institute about 15 years ago. The students of this institute have won the first place in the All Island Drama Competitions.

She has been conducting training classes for young students for more than 17 years. The capabilities of students are depicted in the Gitanjali Rangadhara concert which is held every two years.

Asha Gitanjali said there are four ways of learning dancing: learning by watching, learning by listening, learning through practice and habit brought from previous birth.

"These four methods of learning are very important to achieve excellence in dancing," she said.

Her intention is to revive the three distinct styles of dancing - Kandyan, Sabragamuwa and low country.

She created history by conducting the first concert of Bharatha Natya 'Arangethram' concert in 1984 at Panadura Town Hall.

It was also a great credit to her and the Githangali Cultural Institute that one of her students conducted a similar concert at Panadura Town Hall in 2002.

She is the eldest daughter of E. T. S. Wickramasinghe a retired govt. servant and Mrs. H. Dhanawathie, a retired music teacher of Sri Sumangala Maha Vidyalaya, Panadura.

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