Dancers draw inspiration from nature

Ruwanthi ABEYAKOON

LIFESTYLE: In the dimness of lights they emerged on the stage moving their shaped bodies and arms into a rhythm. Their feet softly touching the ground they swayed to the music enchanting the audience.

Dressed in white and the jewellery glistening in the light they indeed looked like fairies. The audience was in a dilemma for a moment wondering whether this is heaven or earth.

The creators of this breath taking performances are Channa and Upuli. They have captured many hearts here and abroad with their dances. Every incident in their life revolves around dancing.

"Make the soul dance through the movements of your body" is the theme of this famous dancing pair." Dancing should start with the basics.

Our dancers practise the basics before performing. That is very important and a dancer should be dedicated. Your soul should reach the audience through the dance. Dancing is beautiful and the dancer should use the body as an instrument," said Channa.

Channa and Upuli takes immense pain in gifting this tough art to their students. Channa's most important critic is his wife Upuli. She knows exactly Channa's taste.

"Upuli handles the kids. She does an excellent job. Without her reaching this standard will be an impossible dream for me," Channa said with gratitude. Channa has been inspired and moulded by both Chitrasena and Dr. Panibaratha.

Today he has brought forward the teachings of his Gurus adding a personal touch. "We cater to all the audiences with our dancers. Dancing is wonderful but you have to do it well.

The dedication in us have taken us to international audience and we were privileged to perform at prestigious places like Sydney Opera House and Royal Albert Hall, London," Channa explained.

Besides dancing Channa and Upuli enjoy watching movies or going for a match.

"We always think of promoting the country. So whenever Sri Lankan cricket team plays a match we watch it if time permits. We go for Rugby matches too," Upuli explained.

Somehow they manage to take time off in their busy schedules to go on a pilgrimage. "Going on a pilgrimage always eases your mind after tiring tours and practices. We have a close link with nature. The depth comes from nature.

You can be creative by imitating nature," Channa said. He also added that the colours of the nature inspire him in designing the costumes for the dancers. "The blending of the colours in nature is wonderful. The colours of a peacock, birds or a fish tanks can do wonders for me," he said.

When it comes to food both of them prefer bread and they have developed a dislike for classy dinners. "Upuli is a good cook. When she is at home she prepares lovely meals. Artists always have a good taste in everything," he said commending his wife's delicious meals.

Both Channa and Upuli have reached the top in their profession but they have never forgotten their role as parents of their teenage daughter.

They have always been like her shadow guiding her in the correct path." She is an excellent girl. She chooses her dresses and she has a good taste.

We take her on tours if it doesn't clash with her studies," Channa and Upuli explained.

With loads of plans and programmes ahead the famous dancing pair enjoy life to the maximum. They look forward in blending their talent with upcoming dancers and spell binding the audiences round the world in future.

Nepali sexagenarian's last hurrah

MARRIAGE: A report from Katmandu states that a Nepali man who married six women but drove each away after they failed to give him a son achieved his aim with his seventh wife who gave birth to twins. The operative word here is AIM.

He had first married at 13 and wedded again at 20, 22, 30, 35 and finally married the mother of his two sons at the age of 64. The long wait had paid off one would assume.And what a reward to end up with a double whammy.

Now this raises a poser. How come that the man failed in his AIM in all those virile years of his youth succeeded only at a ripe old age.

Well, one could argue he was determined in his aim this time around what with the years catching up and no prospects of striking it rich beyond this. It was a kind of last hurrah. But didn't it pay dividends? Was there a wonder drug involved? Certainly his initial attempts were in the pre-viagra days.

Viagra or not the end result amply compensated for those long barren years. Could be he vented all those years of frustration on this one last bid, redoubling his efforts and was doubly rewarded for his trouble.

The effort would also no doubt arouse-even if they had not been aroused in any other way - the curiosity of all his ex-wives who would be left wondering what No 7 possessed which they did not have in the more active days of their husband.

And to be bestowed with a male offspring which is much cherished in Nepali society in contrast to female progeny who are accursed at birth. This episode is bound to have its knock down effect in Sri Lanka as well.

Male spouses who had achieved no results - though not for want of trying-will now be wont to discard their spouses for not delivering the goods. They would now have no qualms of seeking fresh pastures and greener ones at that.

The Family Planning people would be thrown into a quandary being hard put to buck the trend. Wizened old men who may look past their prime would now be suddenly galvanised into action not the least aided by aphrodisiacs and other wonder drugs which flood the market.

Performance enhancing drugs would no longer be confined to sports alone. There would be a new re-awakening in many a sphere in the rush to emulate the Nepali sexagenarian.

The development would have its effect on the religious and cultural fronts too with many a pious personage pontificating on the evils of debauchery and licentious conduct.

Panel discussions will follow to decide on the pros and cons of the new cohabitation trends.

There is bound to be a surge in the marriage market with sterile males going for another attempt if nothing else to bolster failing masculinity.

Fair damsels would be fair game to vulture like sugar daddies who would want to set the record straight both laterally as well as metaphorically speaking.

Classified marriage ads. in local newspapers are bound to occupy extra space as dotty old men well past their prime seek the hand of a fair partner to prove their libidos are well in tact.

This could also provide an opening for prospective parents-in-law to palm off their daughters past marriageable age onto sexual deviants trying to prove their manhood.

It is also bound to cause a depression in the dowry market as the driving force in the prospective groom would be to sire an offspring rather than any monetary benefit.

The crow and the piece of cheese (A modern version)

FABLE: Mr. Crow was hungry but was more angry that day as he had heard a Sinhala song describing the stupidity of a crow, and eulogising the cunningness of a fox. The song described how a crow was duped by a fox to let go a piece of cheese he had collected from a household.

"If I were him I would have never listened to that cunning praise of that fox," he thought for himself.

"Now the damage is done. Our crow nation has been insulted and humiliated. I must find ways to reverse this bad memory". Saying this the crow was off on his daily round to find food.

Roaming in the sky suddenly the crow saw a woman throwing away a large piece of a food item. He instantly recognised it as cheese.

"This is what I have been waiting for a very long time," the crow uttered aloud. "Today I'll show this fox how stupid he is and make him plead to ask for at least a small piece."

Saying this the crow swooped down and grabbed the piece of cheese.

It was a large piece and the crow had to make an extra effort to carry it in his beak.

The cheese was rotten and emanated a nasty smell. But that smell was very appetising for the crow who said, "Normally all cheese have this rotten smell".

The crow after holding the piece of cheese tightly in his beak flew off in search of a fox.

"It will be my victory as well as acclaim to our nation. I'll show the fox that it isn't worthwhile to mess around with crows hereafter". The crow was thinking aloud.

While flying over a jungle area he spotted an old fox who was running away from some

Wood cutters who were cutting down trees illegally. The crow witnessed this and followed the fox into the thick jungle. The fox after running for about three miles felt tired and slowed his pace and started walking.

The crow with his large piece of cheese flew close to the fox and perched on a nearby tree. The fox was tired and also very hungry. He had tried to steal some food from the wood cutters but was chased away.

The hungry fox noticed the large piece of cheese in the crow's beak and he made a friendly gesture to the crow. He remembered the old story how his ancestor duped a crow into letting off a similar piece of cheese.

But at this moment he noticed a different kind of crow who was trying to provoke him and entice him by showing the piece of cheese. "I feel he is trying to bring back the crow nation's "lost glory".

"This time I'll revert to a different strategy." Think aloud he fell down and showed that he was not interested in the food item.

The crow noticed this and he came closer to the fox holding the cheese lightly.

"Mr. Crow. I must tell you that I'm not interested in that rotten cheese and the nasty smell irritates my nose as well as the mouth. So please take your cheese and fly away."

The crow heard this but didn't say anything because if he opened his beak the cheese would fall down.

The fox again tried new strategy. "Yours is a nation of scavengers. "You think eating dirt is like having a meal from a five-star hotel. Mr. Crow what cheese for you.

Cheese is a refined food item which is eaten by the elite of society and for scavengers like you it's rotten cheese. You crows are also rotten like the piece of cheese you have in that beak. So go away scavenger. Let me be."

The Crow was angry. His whole body was shaking with rage. "This dirty old fox has insulted my nation. I'll show him who I am," and opened his beak to utter some choice words of insult to the fox.

That was it. The piece of cheese fell off the beak and the fox grabbed it and ran away into the thick jungle.

Moral: Don't try to provoke people.

- Rohana