Dance Fest 2013 organised by Lanka Dancesport Council (LDC) will take place until May 5 which is a span of two weeks. This year’s Dance Fest will be held in three cities, Colombo, Negombo and

Kandy, and will include a Dance Champion-ship, a Dance Show, Workshops and Medal exams. It also happens to be the first time that a Dance Competition of this nature will take place in Negombo. LDC has made a special effort to reach out to Dance Schools

out of Colombo as the response received from them is tremendous.

The Main Event of Dancefest will be the Dance

Championship which will be

held in Negombo on Sun-day (April 28). The venue will be Avenra Hotel, Negombo.

This Championship will have Ballroom,

Latin American and Salsa Sections in which partici-pants may com-

pete under their respec-tive catego-ries which range from

Beginners, Pre-Novic-es, juniors under 12, juniors under 16, Novic-es, Pre Amateur and Ama-teur for Standard and Latin American, while Salsa will consist of the Novices and open category.

The juvenile events of course are very much anticipated events among the lot as it is a known crowd pleaser to watch our young take to the floor.

The medal exams conducted with-in the course of Dance Fest 2013 by United Kingdom Alliance (UKA) will provide for a formal world recognised certificate for those seeking to qualify themselves with in their respective levels - bronze, silver and gold.

In addition to the medal exams there will also be workshops conducted by for-eign trainers, which will be free of charge for all LDC members in Colombo, Negombo and Kandy. We have also allotted time within the course of Dance Fest for private lessons with foreign instructors for those who would be interested in having some one on one time with a Pro.

The final show at the Queen’s Hotel, Kandy is set to wrap up Dance Fest 2013 on May 5. It will take on a theatre style set up and will go on for two hours. This show will be put on by the winners of the competition.

In addition there will be dance items per-formed by the students of leading dance

schools in the country. It is a rare opportunity for the audience of Kandy to witness a show of such a caliber.

LDC is a group of dedicated dance teachers, professionals, amateurs and dance enthusiasts driven by their passion for dance, with the unwavering aspiration to promote Ballroom and Latin American Dancing here in Sri Lanka. It has worked tirelessly since its inception in 2011 and it has been rewarded for its dedica-tion and spirit.

Tickets for Dancefest events will be available at Footwork, 955/5A, Royal Gardens, Rajagiri-ya. For more information please call Footwork on 0114008822 or 0777777111.

Dance Fest 2013 to be held in three cities

Helping to find life in a society that made acting its soul, the debut of Adieu to Acting (Rangapem Ivarai) will unfold on at the Lionel Wendt on May 3 at 7 pm. Adieu to Acting will unite two mavericks of

acting, Kamal Addararachchi and Sriyantha Mendis after 15 years, to thrill theatre goers of Sri Lanka. Adieu to Acting is a creation brought to the stage by playwright and director Udaya-siri Wickremaratne whose stage drama ‘Suddek

Oba Amathai’ (A White Man Addresses You) which was enjoyed over a hundred perfor-mances island wide win-ning accolades for Best Music Score and Best Script at the State Drama Festival - 2010. Subuddhi Lakmali who starred in the Sinhala teledrama ‘Star Sri Lanka’ and ‘Rathu Hat-takari’ along with many other art-ists will join the veteran actors of the stage and screen Kamal and Sri-yantha in Adieu to Acting.

Lasith Wickremaratne who won the award for Best Music Score in ‘Suddek Oba Amathai’ will be showing his prowess once again in Adieu to Act-ing. Lighting will be by Chandana Aluthge and make up by Wasantha Wittachchi. Choreography will be by Prof.Ariyaratne Kaluarachchi, while costume design is by Kamal Addararachchi. Stage manage-ment will be handled by Rohitha Jayakody and Chamara Sandaruwan while the show will be organised by Jude Sri-mal.

All seats have been box planned and tickets are now on sale at the ven-ues.

Colombo World Sports & Arts Pvt Ltd is waiting to welcome you until April 30 for the Nuwara Eliya Fiesta 2013 (Selalihini Wasanthaya 2013) to make you embrase your self with the amasing events like:

Roller Coasters, Ice Skating Rink, Night Drag Races, Potted Flower Show,Indoor Football, 23 days of live music performed by well known artists, Disney land, Dodgem cars, International food court, Camping

sites, Gregory’s 4 by 4 Mud Challenge, Road races, Arts theater, Mayor’s cup (Horse racing) and so much more!!!!

Be prepared to witness a whole new level of Avurudu experience and entertainment throughout ‘NSBM Siyapathsiya Udanaya 2013’ on April 30 at 8 pm at Colts Cricket ground.

The American Center will host a presentation by Dr. Lionel Mandy on “The African Sri Lan-kans Culture, Community and Continuity on April 29 at 4 pm at the American Center Auditori-

um. The presentation will highlight the history of African people in Sri Lanka and their role in present day Sri Lanka. Dr Lionel Mandy is an internationally recognised scholar with a sound academic record in English Literature (BA), Afro-American Studies (MA), Social Work (MSW), Business Administration (MBA), Law (JD), Clinical Psychology (PsyD),

and Metaphysics (BSc., MSc., Ph.D.). He is an emeritus lecturer from the Departments of Africana Studies and Psychology at California State University, Long Beach. His current research interests include Afrikan Ameri-can male identity develop-ment, Afrikan American fathers and fathering, institu-tional racism in university and governmental settings, the con-nections between emotions and disease, healing and spirituality, and the Afrikan presence in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Mandy was the faculty advisor for the African Student Union, the Black Scholars Student Association, and the Black Student Psychological Associa-tion at California State University, Long Beach. His first book is entitled ‘The I AM Model of Afrikan/African/Black Male Iden-tity Development.’ He was a Fulbright Senior Scholar lecturing in the master’s degree Clinical Psychology programme in the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2010 and 2011. Please call Nowzad from the American Center on 0112498128 or 0772366368 for more information and reser-vations.

A presentation by Dr. Lionel Mandy

NSBM Siyapathsiya Udanaya 2013 at Colts

Nuwara Eliya Fiesta 2013 (Selalihini Wasanthaya 2013) till April 30

Adieu to Acting to go on boards

The SAARC Regional Seminar on ‘Tra-ditional Knowledge and Traditional Cul-tural Expressions’ will be held in Sigiriya on April 29 and 30. As part of it, academ-ics and experts on the subject are invited for the Seminar to present papers on a

relevant theme.The traditional knowledge and tradi-tional expressions on South Asian traditional healing, livelihood, agriculture, handicrafts, architecture, culi-nary arts, music, dance and costumes will be dis-cussed at the seminar.This week’s `Cultural Diary’ brings you details about several other

fascinating events happening in the city. Take your pick of stage plays, exhibitions or dance performance and add colour to your routine life. You can make merry and enjoy the adventures or sit back, relax and enjoy a movie of your choice. Make a little space to kick into high gear amid the busy work schedules to enjoy the exciting events happening at venues around the city. If there is an event you would like others to know, drop an email to eventcalen-dar25@gmail.com (Please be mindful to send only the essential details). Have a pleasant week.

SArAShi SAMArASiNghE

…

‘Balloth Ekka Be,’the lat-est popular drama written and directed by Ravindra Ariyarathne which cap-tured many audiences for its rich satire and humor and ‘Rathu Hattakari,’ a

popular entertaining drama in the 80’s which was written and directed by Lucien Bulathsinghala with the music composition of Austin Munasinghe,will stage a special show on Saturday (May 4) and on Sunday (May 5) respectively at 7 pm at the Lionel Wendt theatre, Colombo 7.

‘Balloth Ekka Be’ will be starred with renowned artistes such as Wijaya Nanda-siri, Roshan Pilapitiya, Gihan Fernando, Kumara Thirimadura and Anusha Dis-sanayake. Music will be by Shantha Pei-ris, background creations by Luvoline Vandawall and stage management will be by Asoka De Soyza and Shantha Udayakumara. The costumes will be designed by Gihan Fernando and Demal Fernando. The lighting effects will be by Upali Weerasinghe and make up will be by Saman Hemarathne. ‘Balloth Ekka

Ba’ is produced by Asle J.Lanka com-puter training institute while Jude Sri-mal is the main organiser.

The cast of ‘Rathu Hattakari’ includes Niroshan Wijesinghe, Ishara Wickra-masinghe, Jayanath Bandara, Gamini Samarakoon, Anura Bandara Rajaguru,Tiran Warnajith, Buddhika Premathilake,Naraka Senarathne, Subuddhi Lakmali, Randima Thilini and Pinsara Samarasekera while cos-tume designing will be handled by Sumithra Subasinghe.

With Harsha Bulathsinghala’s recrea-tion of the original music and Jayanath Warakagoda’s instrumental playing, this drama will bring back its glamour and entertainment which once cap-tured many audiences. Make up will be by Buddhadasa Galappaththi, set designs will be by Upali Herath and stage management will be by Newton Gunasekera.

‘Rathu Hattakari’ is presented by Serenity Entertainment. Tick-ets are available at Lionel Wendt theatre. All seats have been box planned.

30April

29April

29April

03May

05May

05May

High Noon

High Noon (1952) will be

screened on April 30 at 6 pm

at the American Centre, No 44,

Galle Road, Colom-bo 3. (Running Time:

85 minutes)Written by Carl Fore-

man (who was later blacklisted during the

anticommunist hearings of the ‘50s) and superbly

directed by Fred Zinnemann, this 1952 classic stars Gary

Cooper as just-married lawman Will Kane, who is about to retire as a small-

town sheriff and begin a new life with his bride (Grace Kelly) when he learns that gunslinger Frank

Miller (Ian MacDonald) is due to arrive at high noon to settle an old score. Kane seeks assis-

tance from deputies and townsfolk, but soon realises he will have to stand alone in his showdown with Miller and his henchmen. Innovative for its time, the suspenseful story unfolds in approximate real time (from 10:40 am to high noon in an 84-minute film), and many interpreted Foreman’s drama as an allegorical reflection of apathy and pas-sive acceptance of Senator Joseph

McCarthy’s anticommunist campaign.

Marius et Jeannette

The movie, Marius et

Jeannette (1997) by Robert

Guédiguian will be screened on Tues-

day, April 30 at 3pm at Alliance Française

de Colombo, 11, Barnes Place, Colombo 7.

Marius and Jeannette who live in the districts North

of Estaque in Marseilles are in love. Marius lives

alone in an unused cement factory

which dominates the district, guard

of this factory in demolition. Jeannette raises her two children only with her poor salary as a cashier. Their meeting will not be simple because, in addition to the difficulties inher-ent in their social situation, they are hurt by the life.The movie is most suitable for mature audience and is subtitled in English.

Argo (USA)

Argo (2012) by Ben

Affleck’s will be screened

on April 29 at 3 pm and 5.30

pm at the Inter-national Centre

for Ethnic Studies(ICES)

uditorium,2,Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8.

(Running Time: 120 minutes)

Argo, a film about the Iranian hostage crisis,

cracks the code between fiction and truth - and uses both to deliver the rous-ing Hollywood adventure through a harrowing time in history. In 1979, the Amer-ican Embassy in Iran was invaded by Iranian revolu-tionaries and several Americans were taken hostage. However, six manages to escape to the official resi-dence of the Canadian Ambassador and CIA was eventually ordered to get them out of the country with the help of some trusted Hollywood con-tacts. CIA Agent Tony Mendez devised a dar-ing plan: to create a phony Canadian film pro-ject looking to shoot in Iran and smuggle the Americans out as its production crew. With the help of some trusted Hollywood con-tacts, Mendez created the ruse and pro-ceeded to Iran as its associate producer. Argo took the award for Best Picture at the 85th Academy Awards in February this year with having already been show-ered with multiple accolades, including a BAFTA for Best Picture.

SAArC regional Seminar in Sigiriya

30April

Balloth Ekka Be and rathu hattakari at Wendt