I still hear my inner voice saying “Namaskaraya”. Before starting and ending our traditional dancing, A dancer should make it a practice to do Namaskaraya. We gather our hands in three positions; Hands above the head, Hands in front of the forehead, and hands in front of the chest. Hands above head to seek permission from God. Hands in front of the forehead to seek permission from our parents and lastly to seek permission from the earth’s soil in which we keep each step in our traditional dancing. Clasped hands together is a gesture which shows obeisance or profound gratitude.
Performing at High comission of Sri Lanka - Dhaka
I was a shy and timid girl. My mom wanted me to go to dancing classes. I remember some days she even dragged me from bed to go for dancing practices. Initially, I hated dancing. That’s because I was super lazy to do something which moves my body. Slowly with time, I started liking it. That was the turning point of my life.
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul, of the body. And it's partly the language that we don't want to show.” ~~ Martha Graham
Dance I would like to define it as a therapy for the mind, body, and spirit. I take it as a gift given by God to connect with people’s feelings and emotions. It is the purest form of self-expression. I started dancing at the age of 12. My first ambition as a child was to be a dancing teacher. I thank my parents for showing me the right path.
Dance with the flow, Move with the stream. Let the rhythm of water set your soul free ~ Magival Verses
There are various dance cultures in Sri Lanka but mainly traditional dancing is divided into three main types; Hill country or upper country dances are known as Uda Rata Natum, Mid country dance is known as Sabaragamuva Natum, And Low country dance is known as Pahatha Rata Natum. I followed traditional Kandyan dancing including Sri Lankan Folk dancing and I was also interested to learn Baharatha Natyam.
By now you must be wondering how dancing connects mind, body, and spirit.
Dance helped me a lot in my life. While doing my studies I continued dancing as an extra activity. Dance helped me to have peace of mind. I didn’t get stressed with my studies. A dancer knows how much it helps to sharpen the mind. It’s not something which works only your muscles but your brain too. It increases our memory power. I enjoyed dancing a lot which made me feel very relaxed. I think dancing is the best way to keep stress away.
Sri Lankan Folk dance
I should say my laziness vanished after I started doing the dancing. As a child, I lacked self-confidence. I was afraid to stand in front of an audience. I was inactive and was not interested in anything. Through dancing, I was able to find solutions. By doing regular physical and mental exercises kept my body and mind active. At the same time, everyone started recognizing me as a dancer through my body posture. Dance helped me improve stamina. Self-love is the first thing I learned from dancing. I started to care about my body and posture. I started eating healthy. I continue doing exercises which I did in my dancing class.
Bharatanatyam Dance Performance
I enjoyed performing on stage. I felt dancing as a spirit lifter. I noticed the audience enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed my performance. Dance is a universal language. Entertaining an audience is not an easy task to do, I feel it’s like magic. I learned to communicate with the audience through different facial expressions. For that, I need to bring my mind, body, and soul together. Dance is something that speaks to your soul, which connects with people’s feelings and emotions. When I started to receive comments from the audience, I felt really happy. That joy and happiness are hard to express in words. I started to believe in myself.
Us performing at a cultural show in Bangladesh
Dance helps to increase awareness of the society we live in. It is an excellent way to learn our cultural values and pass them on to the next generations. It also allows us to learn teamwork and self-discipline. The most important thing I learned is to live in the moment. When focusing on the task which is at hand, It helps to increase our concentration. All my fears drifted away and I gained confidence each day I danced.
Dance was the only thing that I found to get closer to myself. Finding inner peace and having control over the mind and owning a beautiful posture is not easy to get. I found all three together in dancing. Dance elevates my mood and keeps me happy always!
Nice. It's really good to read about your life and how you got into this art of dancing. I enjoy watching dancers because it's something I appreciate a lot. All thanks to your Mum for encouraging you to get into this. Regards to you too for making the necessary effort to become a dancer.
Are all these your pictures? I'm really curious.
Yes they are mine. Few years ago :)
Nice. Good to have you on the blockchain.
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