Episode Notes

Suranya Siriwardana is a Sri Lankan, Australia based kathak dancer who has been learning kathak for the past 10 years under Guru Pali Chandra at Gurukul Studios International. She is currently undergoing training for her Vocational Advanced 1 exam. She has performed globally in Dubai, India, England, Switzerland and more. Having come from a different background Suranya's passionate about using dance as a way to communicate. She personifies this concept in her first choreography, 'Dancing in Silence'. With a fascination for Sign Language and her past knowledge in ASL, Suranya choreographed a piece for Advaita's Mo Funk portraying a young deaf and mute girl who embraces her disabilities through dance and strength from a divine power. Suranya continues to amalgamate her pre-existing ballet movement vocabulary and her kathak movement vocabulary to communicate societal obstacles and advocate for the disabled.

Show Highlights

(0:01:06) Experience of being a young dancer

(0:06:00) Balancing age and experience in dance

(0:10:46) Vocational in the Gurukul environment

(0:11:32) Working with Gurukul International

(0:14:53) Learning Kathak as a Sri Lankan

(0:16:37) Importance of observation in dance

(0:18:35) Exploring social messages with 'Dancing in Silence'

(0:23:31) Using Sri Lankan heritage within kathak

(0:26:02) Cultural Identity

(0:28:40) Focusing on Nritta

(0:30:13) Kathak in Australia

(0:34:43) Personal endeavours with kathak in Australia

(0:41:13) Journey with ballet

(0:46:07) Choreographic process

(0:49:28) How to decide movement placement within a choreography

(0:54:59) Future projects and legacy in kathak