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The magical dances of Kandy
About 115 kilometres from Colombo is the hill station Kandy. Before falling to the British in 1815 it used to be the capital of the Sinhalese kings. It has also been awarded the tag of World Heritage Site by Unesco. Locally it is still called Maha Nuwara or great city. It is one of the most culturally active cities of Sri Lanka and is famous worldwide for its dances. Ishita Guha reports.
Report: Ishita Guha
About 115 kilometres from Colombo is the hill station Kandy. Before falling to the British in 1815 it used to be the capital of the Sinhalese kings. It has also been awarded the tag of World Heritage Site by Unesco. Locally it is still called Maha Nuwara or great city. It is one of the most culturally active cities of Sri Lanka and is famous worldwide for its dances. Initially, these dances were just a male prerogative and were performed during religious occassions and pageants. Now women have also joined in and these dances are also performed at marriages and are often specially choreographed for spectators as well. Every evening, at four different venues, an hour-long performance is shown to tourists. Apart from the folk dances, the tourists are treated to the visual delights of acrobatic feats which showcase, not just the elegance, but also the grace of the dancers.
For these performers dance comes quite early in life. And by the time they are in their twenties they hone their skills to a perfection.
While watching these dances you cannot help but marvel at the beauty of the costumes and jewelry that adorns both the male and female dancers. But the highlight of the show is the fire eating and fire walking sequences. According to one such dancer, Samansiri, it is years of practice and faith in God that gives them the courage to go about such dare devil sequences.
Interestingly, no ticket or entry fee is charged from the spectators. Instead at the end of the show the dancers move around with tip boxes to collect donations. And going by the crowd that throngs these auditoriums it is no wonder that the boxes always keep tinkling!
About 115 kilometres from Colombo is the hill station Kandy. Before falling to the British in 1815 it used to be the capital of the Sinhalese kings. It has also been awarded the tag of World Heritage Site by Unesco. Locally it is still called Maha Nuwara or great city. It is one of the most culturally active cities of Sri Lanka and is famous worldwide for its dances. Initially, these dances were just a male prerogative and were performed during religious occassions and pageants. Now women have also joined in and these dances are also performed at marriages and are often specially choreographed for spectators as well. Every evening, at four different venues, an hour-long performance is shown to tourists. Apart from the folk dances, the tourists are treated to the visual delights of acrobatic feats which showcase, not just the elegance, but also the grace of the dancers.
For these performers dance comes quite early in life. And by the time they are in their twenties they hone their skills to a perfection.
While watching these dances you cannot help but marvel at the beauty of the costumes and jewelry that adorns both the male and female dancers. But the highlight of the show is the fire eating and fire walking sequences. According to one such dancer, Samansiri, it is years of practice and faith in God that gives them the courage to go about such dare devil sequences.
Interestingly, no ticket or entry fee is charged from the spectators. Instead at the end of the show the dancers move around with tip boxes to collect donations. And going by the crowd that throngs these auditoriums it is no wonder that the boxes always keep tinkling!