A Kaleidoscope of Dance: Lyceum International School Presents “Maathra 12”
‘Maathra’ has dazzled audiences for over 10 years, since its beginnings in 2007, the performance art show has redefined school shows. Starting as a school production and progressing to one that is on par with professional performances . This one of a kind production is back after a 4 year hiatus to enthrall audiences once more with a 12th edition.
‘Maathra’ was initiated by Mr. Rasika Kothalawala, the head of the Cultural Dancing department of Lyceum International School and today Maathra is led by Mrs. Nisha Kothalawala. Having conducted traditional dancing items for school concerts, Mr. Rasika came up with the idea to create a show with the best dancing items from each Lyceum branch. With the approval of the Founder of Lyceum, Dr. Mohan Lal Grero and Co-ordinating Principal, Dr. (Mrs) Kumari Grero, Maathra was born.
The name ‘Maathra’ is derived from the term for measuring the duration between each step in Kandyan dancing, commonly known as ‘thaalaya’. The first ‘Maathra’ took place at the Maharagama Youth Center, the performances comprised of 12 to 13 traditional Sri Lankan dance performances, with one item performed by the teachers. Despite being the first show, it received positive reviews from all who attended, encouraging Mr. Rasika and the school to continue the show the following year.
The Founder and Co-ordinating Principal are avid patrons of the cultural arts, and their enthusiasm inspired both Mr. Rasika and Mrs. Nisha to create more original and diverse performances which now incorporate a mixture of traditional dancing and contemporary dance. Initially, only the best dance items were selected from each Lyceum International School Branch but with the popularity of the show increasing, the organising team worked closely with the cultural dancing teachers of the other branches to create original performances. As the years passed the expertise of the teachers and the skill of the students increased, and each Maathra performance outdid the other. Along with these improvements, Maathra moved on to other stages, the Musaeus Auditorium played host to the 5th, 6th and 7th installments of ‘Maathra.’
After the 7th ‘Maathra’ the dance items were more nuanced and advanced with more detailed and elaborate costumes and make-up. The students were selected for each performance through auditions to ensure only the best talent was selected. Funding a large scale event is no easy feat but Maathra has always had supportive Sponsor partners who have helped elevate the overall quality of the show yearly. Organising the next ‘Maathra’ starts almost immediately after one is over, the 2nd and 3rd week of October is dedicated to discussing the previous concert in depth, studying the performances and looking at any drawbacks and what improvements can be made to the next. The organising committee works around the clock to ensure the concert is picture-perfect on the show date.
The 8th ‘Maathra’ concert marked a turning point for the show as artists and outsiders were invited for the first time. The involvement of the crowd outside the Lyceum community made ‘Maathra’ a household name amongst the masses. The concert had 700 dancing students performing expert-level performances to a crowd of parents and arts patrons, and the concert was well received by all. For the 10th instalment of the show, the President was present as the Chief Guest, making this the first school event graced by a Sri Lankan president at the time. The President even suggested that the ‘Maathra’ DVD be distributed to state schools to inspire them to aspire to the skill level Lyceum Students showed on stage. Dance items from the ‘Maathra’ concert are even studied at prestigious state universities for the arts, this is a testament to the hard work, skill, and team effort of all involved in ‘Maathra.’
This year will be the first show after a 4-year hiatus due to the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis. The 12th ‘Maathra’ concert is to be held at BMICH; there are a total of 700 dancers from Lyceum Nugegoda, Panadura, Wattala, Ratnapura, Gampaha, Nuwara Eliya, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala branches. A total of 65 teachers are involved in the production guided by Chief Coordinator Mrs. Nisha Kothalawala and Mr. Rasika Kothalawala taking a more consultant-based role this year as Chief Advisor. Each performance has specially composed music and bespoke costumes, jewellery, hair and makeup. ‘Maathra 12’ will be held on the 14th of October at BMICH with the first show at 4:02 p.m., and the second show at 6:58 p.m.
