The Art of Dance

                                                                The Art Of Dance

 There are three main styles of Sri Lankan classical dance:

• The Kandyan dances of the Hill Country, known as Uda Rata Natum;
• The low country dances of the southern plains, known as Pahatha Rata Natum;
• Sabaragamuwa dances, or Sabaragamuwa Natum.

                                        

Kandyan dance takes its name from Kandy, the last royal capital of Sri Lanka, which is situated about 120 kilometers from the modern capital at Colombo. This genre is today considered the classical dance of Sri Lanka. In Sanskrit terminology it is considered pure dance (nrtta); it features a highly developed system of "tala" (rhythm), provided by cymbals called "thalampataa". There are five distinct types; the ves, naiyandi, uddekki, pantheru, and vannams.

The four classical dance forms differ in theirst yles of body-movements and gestures, in the costumes worn by the performers, and in the shape and size of the drums used to provide rhythmic sound patterns to accompany the dancing.