Artscope | Online edition of Daily News

His name is synonymous with dance and together with his spouse, Upuli, they bring magic on stage. His ingenuity and passion for the art helped carve productions like the globally acclaimed Thala series and the Sigiriya ballet.

Channa Wijewardena. Picture by Saman Sri Wedage

Proving his diversity further, he brought local artistes from the reel onto the live stage. The Ridee Reyak shows become so popular that it was a much looked forward to event in the arts calendar.

"There are a few small changes we do to the production but we always make sure that the tradition is preserved. It is essential to give a correct view. Therefore we have to change certain stances," says the virtuoso dancer cum choreographer who spurred aspiring youths to revolutionize the Sri Lankan dance arena with his Channa - Upuli Performing Arts, Foundation. The dance troupe's movements, gestures, rhythms and costumes have held audiences spellbound for over three decades

Our 'Encounter of the Week', Channa Wijewardena, the name which blends with Sri Lankan dance, is one amongst a few who taken the country's dance traditions to international stage.

Q: You once commented that our traditional dance forms are not suited to the stage.

A: When we take rituals like Kohomba Kankariya, Dewol Maduwa and Sabaragamuwa dances, they were not designed for the stage. It is a different eye view because it is normally done on the floor. Therefore we have to project the movement the correct way.

We have to change the posture of the dancer on stage. We have to make subtle changes just to preserve the tradition and maintain the real beauty of the dance. We also have to adapt to the light systems that we have in theatres. Nelum Pokuna is in the same category as Sydney Opera House. Our dancers delighted in performing there.

A: Traditions, the spiritual feel and the discipline of a dancer. I do a lot of dances from temple paintings. I choreographed the dance for the opening of Nelum Pokuna based on those aspects. It showed heaven on stage.

Channa with Prince Charles, former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and present President Mahinda Rajapaksa

Channa with former US President Jimmy Carter

Moments from Thala 2012 Pictures by Sagara Lakmal de Mel

When we take dance and movements there are two aspects that we have to consider.

There is some floor pathway which are the designs that you make on the floor. We play around with energy. The next is the air pathway which is the movement we do in space.

Even the tradition has a beautiful bodyline so you have to be very precise in the movement. There is a movement behind the traditional step which has to be analyzed and given to the dancer.

Q: It has been said that both the traditional and non-dance audiences are drawn to your work. In your opinion what is it about your dances that attract them?

A: It is the energy. Colour has energy. The speed of light is 299792.458 km/s. Every colour has the energy to captivate the audience. We dance to their hearts.

Human beings naturally love to dance from the time they take their first steps. Dance is in our system. The audience gets into the spiritual power of the dance.

A lot of people are copying our work and losing themselves. There is a history behind every movement and every design in the costume. I recently saw a troupe who had carbon copied a set of my costumes and doing the wrong movements in it. A costume is designed for certain movements. When you copy a costume and do the wrong movements, it looks totally out!

Q: You did the Sigiriya ballet which is dubbed the 'first genuine Sri Lankan ballet'.

A: That is what Professor Carlo Fonseka called it because there were no songs in it. It was total dance drama. I have been a part of Karadiya or Nala Damayanthi. Since I have danced in those productions it is easy for me not to take anything from them. My teachers were Chitrasena and Vajira. I was inspired into dance theatre by them. They were the doyens behind theatre dance and the discipline comes from them.

Sigiriya is a very powerful ballet. It brought tears in the audience's eyes for Kashyapa. The driving force behind this play is guilt.

A: Thala 2012 was an outcome of our visit to the States. A party from Huston who had seen the show phoned Colombo and said that they are lucky to have productions like this in the country. The other party in turn had said that the troupe does not perform in Sri Lanka. They made a request for us to stage the show at the Nelum Pokuna.

Each Thala embodies new items. Until the 2012 production I was staging 'Thala 2008'. We ventured more onto the spiritual lines in 'Thala 2012' and used less ornaments because I wanted the movements to play the main role in dance.

Q: You also spearhead the Ridee Reyak series. You work with actors rather than professional dancers in this event. How different is it staging Ridee Reyak from your other dance productions?

A: Ridee Reyak completed its ninth chapter recently. The concept of Ridee Reyak is to collect funds for the insurance of artistes. Our stars have a big fan following. Sangeetha Weeraratne and Yashodha Wimaladharma backed me in my concept. I used the stars first in the Maliniye show and the team got a big shock when I told them that I was going use the stars for the dance performances.

However I knew that I could pull it off because some of the artistes like Malini, Dilhani and Sangeetha were learning from me.Every person has a movement within themselves. The choreographer should detect the movements that they are capable of. For example I know what movements Ravindra Randeniya is capable of.

Similarly I note what movements Suraj Mapa has the ability to perform. Therefore I am not going to give what Suraj can do to Ravindra and vice versa. They have their own capacity of movements.

Due to the artistes' heavy schedules there is lack of time for rehearsals. If we are coming down in Ridee Reyak it is due to that. Unlike in films you need to practise for this kind of performances.

In cinema there are stars that have done one film and become the best actor or actress in Sri Lanka. You can never do that in dancing.

You have to work really hard for long spans to become a dancer. You should know what movement is and movement consists of time, space and energy. You should know what designs to make according to those. Without knowing the fundamentals behind movement you cannot create a movement.

You can borrow steps from here and there, gather it and put it out. That is not a creation.

To create a movement you need to know the anatomy of the system, the muscles that you are using, how the muscles and joints move. We teach all that to our dancers including how to do their make up, how to move, fall, get up, expressions, different ways of leaping etc. Steps come second to movement.

It is similar to a person flying a kite. The person is the tradition, the kite is the performer and the string is performing arts. The more powerful your performing ability is the higher your kite will sore. You cannot send the string higher if there is no person gripping it. Therefore tradition plays the key role.

Q: How do you prepare for the vulnerability that your work demands, as a dancer and as a choreographer?

A: To be a choreographer you have to be a dancer and a good teacher. Then you need to know the technical aspects behind the dance such as lighting and the camera angles.

A lot of problems that we face in Sri Lanka is because they just draw a figure and sketch a costume on that figure but when you take dance there are a lot of angles to be concerned about because a dancer moves all round the area.

The costume has to be designed for that. You have to give the exact line of your movement to the audience whichever way you turn.

A teacher has to remember that when he or she gets a dancer, he or she gets the most valuable time and age span in the child. Discipline and etiquette has to be maintained in the child because when the dancer go overseas and behave, they will know if he or she is refined or not. While carrying the art they also carry the personality of the country with them. Dancers should have knowledge about their country because they get invited to dinners while on their tours. They do not know with whom they will be seated but they should know how to get into conversation and through the conversation the other person will judge the speaker's country.

A: I am always looking out for something new. I never look back at old productions and compile the new one. Life is all about experiencing new things. I even change the interior setup of my house every three or four months.

Any human being likes changes. Change means blooming yourself like a flower. You are open to more aspects.

Q: You have gotten the chance to showcase your work in many internationally known venues and festivals. Any special events which you consider as the highlights of your career?

He said he wants to meet the Indian group. We corrected him saying we are from Sri Lanka. He came backstage and spoke to us.

We also performed for Prince Charles on his visit to Sri Lanka. He too expressed his desire to speak to us. He said that he now knows where Sri Lanka stands because through dance he saw the development of our country.

He realized that this is a refined country. I have also met Sai Baba and he conjured a gold pendent out of thin air for me.

We got the opportunity to open door for Sri Lanka at the Sydney Opera House. They requested to see us performance before granting us permission. Even India had not been given a chance to perform there then. We sent them a CD and they were so impresses that they gave us immediate access.

A: I am currently choreographing for Naveen Gunaratne’s Siddhartha. I love the theme because it is very spiritual. I have worked a lot with Naveen and we made the Sama ballet together five years ago. I am not into commercial films but more into artistic films.

I have also done some music videos but the problem is that some people go to the set and decide on the camera angles and lighting. I prefer pre-planning, have some sort of breakdown and then start choreographing.

When there is dance there is a lot of synchronizing. You just can’t go to the sets and do it. That is the reason why there are a lot of failures in our dance choreographies. When I invent a movement, it takes time for the dancer to grasp it.

A: I am hoping to do a ballet on Gautama Siddhartha with the Light of Asia Foundation. We hope to stage it during Poson.

There are a lot of talented young troupes coming up. People who hire us and other troupes should have a way to see them perform. They should be given an opportunity to showcase their talents to the public.

Changing the face of dance