Rangana Ariyadasa

🪔 About

Lenaduwa Lokuge Rangana Navodini Ariyadasa is a distinguished figure in Indian classical dance, currently serving as a Lecturer in Classical Bharatha Natyam at the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Born to Kalasuri & Kala Bhushana Mrs. Padmini Manel Dahanayake Ariyadasa, who was the first Sri Lankan woman to gain renown as a Bharatha Natyam dancer, Rangana Ariyadasa inherited a rich artistic lineage, with her grandmother being a well-known singer and her grandfather a Tower Hall actor. Her great-grandfather was Dr. W. Dahanayaka, a former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Her early education was at Musaeus College, Colombo, where she diligently studied Sri Lankan dance forms including Up-country, Low-country, and Sabaragamu styles. She pursued Kathak under the tutelage of Mrs. Srimathi Rasadari and, following her demise, continued her studies with Mr. Jayasena Kottegoda, who is now the Vice-Chancellor of her current university. Rangana Ariyadasa further honed her skills in India, spending five years at the prestigious Kalakshetra Institute of Fine Arts in Chennai. There, she mastered Classical Bharatha Natyam, Kathakali dancing tradition, Karnatic Music, and the Thambura instrument, also acquiring proficiency in Tamil and Sanskrit. Her inaugural public performance, or Arangetram, took place on December 24, 1984. After graduating from Kalakshetra, she served as a Fine Arts Instructress at the National Youth Council for five years and held instructress positions at the University, Tower Hall Foundation, Mahaweli Centre, and the Cultural Troupe of the Armed Forces. In 2000, she established her own dancing academy, "Sri Padma Ranga," registered under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, which is also known as the Rangana Ariyadasa Dance Academy. The academy currently trains approximately 200 students, with around 52 having successfully completed their Arangetrams under her guidance. She joined the University of Visual and Performing Arts as a visiting lecturer in Bharatanatyam in 2007, later becoming a permanent staff member. Rangana Ariyadasa has performed extensively at state festivals, presidential award ceremonies, and at foreign embassies, and has served as a judge for various dance competitions and reality programs in Sri Lanka. She has also choreographed dance dramas and scenes for films. More recently, she has expanded her teaching to Melbourne, Australia. Awards & Honours: Award for contribution to the dancing field (2009).