Veronika Dassanayaka also spelt as Veronika Dassanayake [1] is a Sri Lankan dancer, choreographer, artist and lecturer. She has also served as a major of Sri Lanka Army and also served as the leader of Sri Lanka Army dancing troupe. [2] [3]
She pursued an interest in dancing since her school days. She began her primary education at the Pushpadana Girls' College in Kandy and she later switched to Anula Vidyalaya in Nugegoda to complete the remainder of her school studies. [4] She initially learned Kandyan dancing under the guidance of Vidhawathi Rajapaksha. [1]
Veronika received the prestigious Indian Council for Cultural Relationship scholarship offer in 2002 and enrolled at the Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (also known as Bhatkhande Music University), which is a renowned art school based in Lucknow. [1] She received the opportunity to study at Bhatkhande Music University soon after completing her GCE Advanced Level Examination. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with first-class honours in 2008 from the Bhatkhande Music University. [4]
She gained her intensive training sessions in Kathak dance from the prominent Kathak teacher, Arjun Mishra. [1] She obtained her Master of Arts degree at the University of Visual and Performing Arts in 2012. [1] She has also conducted Kathak dance lectures to students in Sri Lanka. [5] Two of Veronika Dassanayaka's notable Kathak dance students, Chithreena Medis and Thelma Medis, became the first mother-daughter duo to conduct a Kathak dance stage performance. [5] [6] During her career, she created and developed a unique style of performing arts as part of her experiments in order to enhance the quality of performing arts by adding a wider canvas of emotions, expressions, and dimensions. [4]
She has performed Kathak dances catering to Indian audiences during occasional tours to India in her illustrious career and has also extensively toured other countries, performing recitals and lecture demonstrations. [4]
Kathak is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance form from Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers. The term Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word Katha which means "story", and Kathakar which means "the one who tells a story", or "to do with stories". Wandering Kathakars communicated stories from the great epics and ancient mythology through dance, songs and music. Kathak dancers tell various stories through their hand movements and extensive footwork, their body movements and flexibility but most importantly through their facial expressions. Kathak often has a strong beat, and can be danced in many taals. Kathak evolved during the Bhakti movement, particularly by incorporating the childhood and stories of the Hindu god Krishna, as well as independently in the courts of north Indian kingdoms. During the period of Mughal rule, the emperors were patrons of Kathak dance and actively promoted it in their royal courts. Kathak performances include Urdu Ghazals and commonly used instruments brought during the Mughal period. As a result, it is the only Indian classical dance form to feature Persian elements.
Sri Lankabhimanya Wannakuwattawaduge Don Albert Perera, better known by his adopted name Amaradeva, was a prominent Sri Lankan Sinhalese vocalist, violinist and composer. Primarily using traditional instruments like sitars, tablas and harmoniums, he incorporated Sinhala folk music with Indian ragas in his work. Many consider his contribution to the development of Sinhala music as unmatched; hence, he is occasionally cited as the "Maestro of Sri Lankan Music".
Damayanti Joshi was a noted renowned exponent of the Kathak dance form. She believed Kathak is the art of storytelling. She began in the 1930s dancing in Madame Menaka's troupe, which travelled to many parts of the world. She learnt Kathak from Sitaram Prasad of Jaipur Gharana and became an adept dancer at a very young age, and later trained under from Acchan Maharaj, Lacchu Maharaj and Shambhu Maharaj of Lucknow gharana, thus imbibing nuances from both the traditions. She became independent in the 1950s and achieved prominence in the 1960s, before turning into a guru at her dance school in Mumbai.
Sangeeth Nipun Herath Mudiyanselage Sanath Nandasiri was a Sri Lankan singer, musician, music director, composer and playback singer. He was the Chancellor of the University of the Visual and Performing Arts in Sri Lanka. One of the iconic singers in Sri Lankan music, Nandasiri received several awards for his compositions in a career spanned more than six decades. He also composed the music to Sandamalige Kathawa, the first TV serial on Rupavahini.
Neila Sathyalingam was a Singaporean classical Indian dancer, choreographer and instructor of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. An alumna of Kalakshetra in Madras under the tutelage of Srimathi Rukmini Devi Arundale, she emigrated with her family to Singapore in 1974. In 1977 she and her husband founded the performance arts company Apsaras Arts, which has staged performances throughout the world. She was the company's artistic director and continued to teach dance.
Manjari Chaturvedi is an Indian Kathak dancer. She belongs to the Lucknow Gharana.
Chitra Visweswaran is an Indian Bharata Natyam dancer who runs a dance school, the Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts, in Chennai.
Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (BSV), formerly Bhatkhande Music Institute Deemed University, Bhatkhande College of Hindustani Music and Marris College of Music, is a state university in Lucknow. Established in 1926 by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, it was declared a deemed university by University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2000, and upgraded into a state university in 2022 by The Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya Act, 2022. It offers music education in Vocal Music, Instrumental, Rhythms, Dance, Musicology and Research and Applied Music.
Mirihana Arachchige Nanda Malini Perera, popularly as Nanda Malini, is a Sri Lankan musician. One of the best known and most honoured singers of Sri Lanka, Malini's choice of singing themes are based on real life and social-cultural situations. Her songs intricate notional ideas of relationships, life-circumstances, and emotions that stem out of human realities.
Maya Rao was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and educator, in Kathak dance. She is known for her pioneering work in Kathak choreography, especially in dance ballets, and is credited for bringing Kathak, a North Indian-dance style to South India, when she opened her dance school, Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC) in Malleswaram, Bangalore in 1987. She was also the founder director of her dance company, "Natya and Stem Dance Kampni", an amalgam of NIKC and the STEM Dance Kampni based in Bangalore. After her early training under Guru Sohanlal of Jaipur Gharana, followed by Guru Sunder Prasad also of the Jaipur Gharana, and went to train under Guru Shambhu Maharaj of Lucknow Gharana at National Institute of Kathak Dance in Delhi.
Nighat Chaudhry was born on 24 February, in Lahore, Pakistan. She moved to London with her parents when she was one year old. She is a trained Sufi & Mystique Kathak classical dancer. She started her journey from London and has been active as a professional Kathak dancer for over three decades. She studied ballet and contemporary dance. She met Nahid Siddiqui aged 14, regarded as one of the greatest Kathak dancers, and trained under her guidance. Inspired to learn the classical forms of her own culture, she abandoned ballet to understand and absorb the nuances of the style. This required her to be closer to its origins and she moved back to Pakistan.
Puru Dadheech is a Kathak dancer. He is a choreographer and educator of Indian classical dance, and is known for his pioneering work in the field of Kathak. At the oldest Kathak department which was formed in 1956 at Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya Public University located in Khairagarh, Puru Dadheech instated the first Kathak syllabus in 1961. He is the holder of the first Doctorate in Kathak Classical Dance and emphasizes the relevance of Shastras in the Kathak repertoire. He was awarded Padma Shri, the 4th highest civilian award of India He is currently serving as the Director of the world's first dedicated Kathak research Centre at the Sri Sri University, Cuttack called Sri Sri Centre for Advanced Research in Kathak.
Sirimathi Mary Fernando [Sinhala]), popularly as Sirimathi Rasadari, was an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, as well as a renowned Kathak dancer. Considered as the first in Sri Lanka to mastered the art of dancing, acting, singing and writing at the same time, she is the pioneer to establish United Ceylon Fan Club in 1957.
Deshamanya Vajira Chitrasena is a veteran Sri Lankan traditional dancer, choreographer and teacher. Vajira is regarded as Sri Lanka's first prima ballerina. She is the first Sri Lankan woman to practice the traditional Kandyan dance which was traditionally performed only by men. Vajira is credited for creating brand for female style of Kandyan dancing and set the tone for women to become ritual dancers. She was married to Chitrasena who was a well known legendary dancer and dance guru. On 26 January 2020, she along with late professor Indra Dassanayake was conferred with the Padma Shri award which is one of the highest Indian civilian awards coinciding with the 71st Republic Day of India.
Suhasini Abhisheka Wimalaweera is a Sri Lankan singer, an entrepreneur, an indigenous skin doctor, novelist and a lyricist. In 2022, she became the Winning Coach at "The Voice Teens Sri Lanka".
Thotagamage Shelton Perera, was a Sri Lankan musician and a singer. Started as a tabla player, Perera became one of the most influential singers in Sri Lankan classical music industry. He is also a prolific percussionist as well as a film composer.
Nahid Siddiqui is an exponent of Kathak dance.
Kalabushana Gajanayake Arachchige Somi Kalani Chandrika Siriwardena, popularly as Chandrika Siriwardena, is a Sri Lankan songstress and playback singer. A pioneer artist in reality musical programs in Sri Lanka, she recorded the songs Midule Mal Sooriya Gaha Mudune, Igillila Yanna Yan and Ranabima Marune in a career that spanned more than six decades.
Dr. Ranatunga Arachchige Dayarathna Ranatunga, popularly as Dayarathna Ranatunga, is a Sri Lankan singer and music director. One of the most honored singers of Sri Lanka, Dayarathna is considered as an icon in Ragadhari music in Sri Lanka.
Prof. Dona Amara Kasthuriarachchi, popularly as Amara Ranatunga, was a Sri Lankan singer and music director. One of the most honored singers of Sri Lanka, Amara is the first Professor of Music in Sri Lanka.