The Choreography Camp took place in Kalpitiya from the 4th to the 10th of December. 15 dance and theatre university students, choreographers, dance teachers and theatre makers gained new knowledge and practical experience about various developments in choreography.
The focus was on: tools for improvisation, composition, butoh, contemporary techniques, concept development, choreology and dramaturgy. The different working sessions were offered by an international and professional team of dancers, choreographers, performers and dramaturgs. Anna Wagner is a German dramaturg and dance curator and former curator of the Colombo Dance Platform 2014. Yuko Kaseki is a Japanese Butoh Dancer, choreographer and teacher based in Berlin. Yuko's presence at the Choreography camp was supported by the Japan Foundation. Sandra Mathern is a teacher, choreography professor and performer from the US, currently lecturing at the University of Colombo as a Fulbright scholar. Mahesh Umagiliya and Venuri Perera are Sri Lankan choreographers, dancing performance artists and lecturers at the University of Colombo. During this week, the participants broke from traditional and restrictive patterns and experienced contemporary methods and approaches to dance and choreography.
The aim was to involve dancers from different regions of Sri Lanka. Therefore, the place was chosen decentralized not in Colombo, but in Kalpitiya. The communication between the English-speaking mentors, the Jaffna Tamil-speaking participants and the Sinhala-speaking participants was successfully facilitated by the simultaneous translation of Nicholas Kirutharshan, Venuri Perera and Mahesh Umagiliya. The camp made the participants question their definition of dance and develop individual expressions. The participants now want to create a network in which they remain in contact to plan future joint projects and to support each other.
Mentors:
Yuko Kaseki
Anna Wagner
Venuri Perera
Sandra Mathern
Mahesh Umagiliya
Sound:
Isuru Kumarasinghe
Participants:
Sellathurai Srikannan, Shalini Thurairasa Mathisalini, Gimantha Charith , Budhdhi Randeniya, Hasanthi Niriella, Namal Bandara, Thilan Dayananda, Kanchana Malshani , Rashmi Jayasinghe, Shanaka Krishantha Fernando , Jayampathi Guruge, K.T.A.Hasani Siwrangi, Sarawanan Zarwan, Rasiah Dhanarajh, Pathum Dharmarthna