Wacky, stylish and rhythmic

KG twins take dancing to a new level :

Demi HEWAMANNA

They are hyper, they are full of humour, they are known to be very notorious in pulling pranks, they make one's life incredibly fun and crazy to be in and every move they make is a like a mirror reflecting their actions.

Twins Kasun and Gihan Maddampetiya are the latest talk of the town these days. With the rest of their boys from the group Gampaha Dangerous Gangsters, they stole the show when they grabbed the trophy for Derana City of Dancers Best Dance Group 2012.

As great minds think alike, Kasun and Gihan were suited up with the best - Imalka, Tuan, Peter and Udara - and they who formed the Gamapaha Dangerous Gangsters were all full of natural talent, speed, beat keepers and motivated to be number one. The boys shared ideas and kept on changing styles till the last day and which eventually led them to victory.

At first glance you think you can't tell them apart but once you get to know them properly then you can surely tell who is who. Both are a product from Asoka Vidyalaya, Maradana, born 9 minutes apart with Kasun been the oldest, they turned 20 last month.

Kasun and Gihan grew up in a manner that totally is so different from their outer appearance. Their dad – M Somaratne - is working in the Police field and is said to be a very strict man and was not fond of all this dancing stuff. Their mum on the other hand is totally the opposite and always supports them in whatever they want to do and gets some blame when the father finds out.

Dancing was something that just happened to come across them as the two from the time they were in school were into athletic games. They played rugby and were in the cadet because of their father's training in the field. We all know how it is growing up with a strict parent – it isn’t easy at all. But these two youngsters somehow managed to get out of the tight grip and show their hidden talent.

When the first ever Derana City of Dance was telecasted, they had the idea to dance and show something that is quite unique and something that people haven’t witness before. So Gihan went on to the Second season and got to the second round but was eliminated due to some mistakes in the steps.

It was at this particular juncture that the two brothers met the lady who got them the chance to bring out their talents openly to the nation. Muddrika Swarnatilke of Muddrika Dance Studios happened to be a judge that particular night and her harsh remarks were very much stuck to Gihan’s mind that he along with his friends blamed her for his elimination never realizing that one day he will be meeting her face to face again.

One of their friends who is also another good dancer, Ramod needed two extra dancers for an event he was doing and he had asked Kasun and Gihan to go meet this person who is handling the event. When they went to the place and came face to face with their choreographer they were simply startled. The very person who ‘was the reason for elimination of Gihan’ was the person they were supposed to dance for. After a few stares and eyes rolling, the guys showed what they can do and from that day to today the three happened to be inseparable.

As Muddrika says, they are two people that help her to choreograph a show and are always just full of unlimited fuel of energy keeping the team on their feet when they are yawning away or flat on the ground.

When one sees them move, one will wonder how these guys who got into the world of dance just 3 years ago, dance like they’ve been dancing all their life. The rhythm in their body, the movement of their feet to every beat is like they got a timer fixed in their head to tell them when to change the steps and get on to the next cue. And they make sure that if one brother can’t get a step right, that the other learns the step to the heart before the day ends. Being twins, sometimes what one brother does, is not that easy for the other one to do.

Kasun and Gihan don’t want to stop dancing right here. They want to take their brand KG into international level and want to show their talents and compete with other twin dancers like them. After their big team win, the boy have got of offers in doing commercials, music videos, opening acts and many more events lined up for this year. Their aim is to take dancing to a whole new level while promoting themselves, their moves and also bring pride to the country.

These two other than the passion for dancing, love to shop till they drop. Whenever they get their payment from a gig, the first thing they do is go buy clothes, accessories such as bands, chains that are out of the ordinary and add to their collection. And also its war when they spot something they both like and only one can have it.

Both of them are like two wind-up toys that just don’t stop winding till someone comes, picks it up and stops the winding. But everything has opposites and just like they are wildly active, they are also very much active in a soft side as well. They are both very much devoted in the service they do at the Kelaniya Temple and they take what they do very seriously. They participate in every activity that takes place in the temple and whenever they are not at home or dancing somewhere, you can always find them in the Temple doing something good. When they were going to Daham Pasal, Kasun was made the Head Prefect while Gihan was the Deputy Head Prefect and they have been in the association for the last 12 years.

When they are home Gihan loves to sit in front of the computer surf, download music, chat with friends and much more. Kasun’s say on his little brother is that there are things he would like to learn from Gihan, he admits faults and overall is a good brother. In sports Gihan was the best runner up at the National Cadet Corps races in Rantabe and the Most popular student in school.

Kasun as Gihan puts it is very kind hearted, very sensitive, thinks a lot, a good dancer and also a good brother. Kasun was the Best student in the Kelaniya Sunday school.

They do love animals and have five Dalmatians at home. To them other dogs are not dogs except their own dogs. They are big fans of Papaya and they must have it no matter where they go and they are not big fans of tomatoes (they despise it). Kasun's favourite colour happens to be blue while Gihan's supposed to be red but funnily enough on the day of the interview they were wearing just the opposite of what they prefer.

The KG twins really now how to freeze the attention of it's audience and they learn every move, rhythm and styles just by watching their favourite dancers or listening to the latest happening dance tracks and bring every beat in the body alive through dancing. With the right guidance and the right sources they sure will take dancing to a new level and bring about a new generation of dance to the country and who knows to the world even.