• NCDDA to present ‘Mount Loveena Love Story’ on 18 June

The story of Lovina, a woman from the Rodi caste, and Sir Thomas Maitland, a British Governor, is considered by many as one of the greatest love stories of modern times. We see it weaved into the story of historical hotels, retold in literature, and given a lyrical spin. However, next week, we will be seeing the story of Lovina being told through ballet.

Nilan Creative Dance and Drama Academy (NCDDA), headed by dancer Nilan Maligaspe, will be presenting ‘Mount Loveena Love Story’ on 18 June. The performance will take place at 7 p.m. at the Lionel Wendt.

From idea to stage

It is customary for NCDDA to present an annual production; however, its last was ‘The Unwavering Mind’ in 2019. The annual tradition, which has seen the staging of productions such as ‘Kadatholu Nimeshaya’, ‘Sudu Paraviyo’, ‘Lovers of Thambapanni (Kuveni and Vijaya)’, and ‘Sinha’, was put on hold by the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic collapse that followed.

However, the NCDDA is bringing back its annual performances with the story of Lovina and Maitland. The performance is choreographed by Maligaspe, with the lead roles played by Abeywickrama Shashika Divyanjalee and Pathum Weerasinghe.

While the cast was busy rehearsing ahead of the performance, The Daily Morning Brunch had the opportunity to speak to Maligaspe as well as the lead performers to learn more about this production.

According to Maligaspe, the idea to retell the story of Lovina and Maitland through dance came from the late Sanjeewa Paranamana, a musician who for years handled the musical component of Maligaspe’s productions. Paranamana pointed out that while Sri Lanka had ancient love stories such as Saliya and Asokamala, Lovina was of historical significance, but was relatively recent, taking place in the early 1800s.

Maligaspe was drawn to this idea and felt it was an important story to tell. ‘Mount Loveena Love Story’ fuses contemporary ballet with classical ballet. There are also jazz influences. The production stays true to the historical story, but adds a fantasy element to it.

The performance will focus on the main characters of Lovina and Maitland, with the other dancers taking on minor roles, but mainly adding to the production as dummies. Maligaspe explained that the performance will depict the main characters’ thoughts and dreams.

“I use colour minimally. This production uses white, black, and red. The two main characters are in red and the others are in white and black. When it comes to lighting also, I don’t use a lot of colour. I like working with white light and smoke. Colour is only used in specific scenes, for instance blue in a scene that involves the ocean,” Maligaspe said.

He added that his productions don’t use a lot of props or sets either, which is partly due to having limited resources. However, he instead uses dancers to fill the emptiness on stage and depict various scenes.

“When props are used, they are given focus and they are highlighted on stage,” Maligaspe said of his minimalism on stage. “I mainly work with the stage light setup. I prepare a scene-by-scene script for lights. So the technical team, composed of passionate individuals, fills the emptiness on stage using lights,” he explained.

Support amidst challenges

Maligaspe explained that their annual performances require moving from one to the next, booking venues and beginning rehearsals a year in advance. However, today, there are many challenges that they face, mainly that many dancers have moved away from the craft, whether pursuing careers in other fields or migrating.

“There are challenges until the curtain falls,” he said.

But regardless of these challenges, his passion for the craft keeps him going. “I always say that I don’t give what society wants. If society wants something shallow, I can’t give them that. I want to give them something thought provoking, even if it’s for an audience of one and even if that person is critical of it. I know that I gave something good from what I know,” he said.

Maligaspe acknowledged the support he has received from various organisations, which he said has been a great strength. He also acknowledged the support he has received from cultural centres such as Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (formerly known as the Indian Cultural Centre), and Alliance Française. He also thanked the Sudarshi Institute of Sinhala Culture, while also thanking all his teachers, who have shaped his path in the arts.

Maligaspe explained that it is their support that gives him the confidence to keep presenting productions, adding that without such support, it is difficult to create productions today.

He added that today, the space for the arts have shrunk, with audiences going from filling up ballet houses to today watching productions in box theatres, which seat around 15 people. “The space for the arts has become so limited, and in such a context, we try to give our maximum in terms of performances,” he said.

Maligaspe also emphasised that today, despite artists being formed in higher education institutions or recognised at reality shows, there are no creations being born. This is a huge loss, he said.

A significant milestone

This year marks NCDDA’s 31st anniversary and Maligaspe’s 41st year in the arts. Having taken up dance as a distraction during childhood, Maligaspe is today not only a dancer, choreographer, and a teacher, but is also using dance, drama, music, and other forms of art to help both children and adults relax. This is done through his Body and Mind Relaxation programme, for which there is a high demand.

While continuing his work, Maligaspe said he holds annual auditions to find talented kids for his academy. They are trained for free.

He pointed out that one didn’t need prior knowledge to dance, as talent, dedication, and passion were sufficient. However, a dancer who lacks these traits is difficult to train.

“Now, a lot of talented kids are involved in other things. I personally call them and go through a lot to have them involved. This is rather unfortunate. We have become a narrow-minded society. And no matter how many talent competitions there are, we don’t see any productions or creations that come through them. Everything is commercialised,” he said.

He added: “When we talk about dance, we think about movement. But there is so much more here. That’s what we fail to understand. Dance is built on certain values. Any form of art or subject is built on a set of values. Without those values, we can’t embrace the craft.”

‘I want to do justice to my character’

• Abeywickrama Shashika Divyanjalee on playing Lovina

Playing the main character Lovina in ‘Mount Loveena Love Story’ is Abeywickrama Shashika Divyanjalee, who told The Daily Morning Brunch: “This is a story that took place in the past, and because of that, I have to get into character by going back to those times. People are coming to see our performance and I want to do right by them by portraying my character well.”

She added: “So, no matter how tired I am, what condition I am in, I need to do justice to the character. I need to live in this character.”

Her approach here was to first understand the character’s role in a particular scene. Having understood it, she was able to get into character and tell the story along with her partner on stage.

When asked why people should watch the production, Shashika said that usually, a drama is understood through its dialogue. However, this particular production leaned on the creative. “It’s through dance that we create the story. So, the audience will find this to be a new experience, and I invite them to come experience it with us. It’s an enjoyable performance.”

She also spoke about her experience learning under Nilan Maligaspe, saying it is easy to do so, as he explains aspects about dance beautifully. However, his lessons go beyond the craft, and include lessons about life, facing challenges, and so on.

“I joined the class in 2015, when I was in Grade 5. I have worked with him since then. It’s easy to work with him,” she said, adding: “For my A/Ls, I didn’t do art. I did commerce. But I didn’t want to leave the arts field because of Nilan Maligaspe. I don’t want to leave this class and I want to continue to be part of this.”

Pathum Weerasinghe (right)

‘This will be a great experience for the audience’

• Pathum Weerasinghe

Pathum Weerasinghe will be playing the character of Thomas Maitland in NCDDA’s production, ‘Mount Loveena Love Story’. He paid tribute to the late Sanjeewa Paranamana, who gave the idea to NCDDA to tell this particular story.

“I’m not someone who did dancing. I’m an actor, in theatre and teledramas. That’s where I started. In 2017, I connected with Nilan Maligaspe because actors need that rhythm in their work,” Weerasinghe said, recalling Maligaspe’s suggestion that he practice this craft despite having no prior knowledge.

“When I joined the class, most of the others had studied this subject for O/Ls, A/Ls, or at university. But I hadn’t studied it at all. But under his guidance, I was able to learn the steps. After the first year itself, he suggested I play the main role in ‘The Unwavering Mind’, a ballet by Nilan Maligaspe,” he said, adding that Maitland was his second leading role in a Maligaspe production.

“This is challenging. We read this story a lot and it’s interpreted and told differently by different sources,” Weerasinghe said. “We wrote the story having considered all these interpretations. Despite various challenges, I hope to do my best to do justice to this character.”

Given his background in acting, we asked Weerasinghe if it was challenging to tell a story solely through dance, without any dialogue. He admitted that it was challenging, but explained that Maligaspe’s support was key in this regard. He also watches a lot of foreign ballet performances online, which helps him further.

Inviting people to watch ‘Mount Loveena Love Story’ next week, Weerasinghe said: “It’s a lovely production. Ballet isn’t done much in Sri Lanka and I think we have presented the most amount of ballet productions in the country, with our annual performances. We get a good response from the audience and the styles are different in each production. So, I believe it will be a great experience for the audience.”

He added that the academy’s 31st anniversary coupled with Maligaspe’s birthday a week and a half before the production is staged motivated the cast and crew to do their utmost as a gift to him.

PHOTOS Krishan Kariyawasam