‘Dancing for the Gods’ returns
The Chitrasena Dance Company will be restaging its most recent
production, Dancing for the Gods, in a one-hour performance at the
Lionel Wendt Theatre on October 8 and 9 at 7 pm.
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Thaji and
Kushan. |
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Upeka and
Thaji in Kuveni. |
This performance is a celebration of the Kohomba Yak Kankariya, the
Kandyan Dance Ritual. The ancient language of the Kandyan Dance is used
to explore how this ritual art form has developed over the years. The
production uses a modern format inspired by the original ritual
framework. Through this commemoration of the ancient, we also celebrate
what the Kandyan Dance has evolved into – once a diamond in the rough,
now a refined, beautiful jewel.
As this ritual has been performed over thousands of years to cure
afflictions and ward off evil, in ‘Dancing for the Gods’, we dance a new
interpretation of it to cure the dying art form of obsolescence, and
through innovation and artistic experimentation, we usher it into a new
era of discovery.
Dancing for the Gods is choreographed and directed by Heshma,
Chitrasena and Vajira’s eldest granddaughter, who has combined her
lifelong learning of the traditional dance with her training in modern
dance and theater, to envision this production. Thaji, the youngest
granddaughter of this first family of dance, is the star of the show and
is supported by the talented and highly skilled dancers and drummers of
the Chitrasena Dance Company. The performance received rave reviews and
a standing ovation from an appreciative audience when it first premiered
in 2010.
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