University Chronicle

Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Intermission

Media Credit: Anya Vaverko Ridma, a professional dance group from Sri Lanka, came to perform a series of concerts for a variety of venues across the United States for one month. Their second to last stop was Wednesday night's performance for SCSU in Ritsche Auditorium.

The drums were beating hard Wednesday night in Stewart Hall as Ridma, which translates to rhythm in English, took the stage.

Ridma, a professional dance group from Sri Lanka, came to the United States to perform a series of concerts for a variety of venues for one month. Second to last on their tour was Wednesday night's performance for SCSU in Ritsche Auditorium.

Sri Lanka is a tropical island in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of India. The traditional dances of Sri Lanka date to the fourth century B.C. and fall into three categories: Kandyan dancing of the up-country region, low-country dancing of the south coastal belt and the dances of Sabaragamuwa Province.

SCSU's University Program Board (UPB) and Multi-Cultural Services played host to Ridma, the Sri Lankan Thalgahogoda Dance Troupe from 7 to 9 p.m.

Each dance they performed had traditional roots in Sri Lankan culture, but a couple had modern influences as well. Each dance told a story or had a meaning which was explained in detail by MC's Dimalshi Fernando and another member of the SCSU Sri Lanka Organization.

Each dance involved elaborate costumes, traditional drums and a story plot interpreted in the dance. Ridma originates out of The Thalgahagoda Dance Institute, a professional dance school at the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage of Sri Lanka.

The institution has more than 150 students in dance classes training to become professional dancers and is located in Colombo City in Sri Lanka.

In 2002, the troupe won first place among 36 countries in the 36th International Folklore Festival in Croatia.

Wednesday night's performance was a part of UPB's fall concert series. UPB tries to bring a diverse group of performers each year.

"Diversity is one of our top concerns in the UPB, as a lot of our performing arts events are focused on diversity," said performing arts committee program coordinator, Pratik Singh. "We make sure our audience combines all people, traditional and non-traditional; you know, people from different parts of the country and international students."

The UPB has had a large group of international students participate as committee members for the past few years.

"Currently we have 30 people from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the U.S," Singh said. "So diversity is one of the key concerns; that's what we try to focus on being apart of UPB."

Ritsche Auditorium was packed with a variety of students with different backgrounds Wednesday for Ridma's show.

Next on UPB's fall line-up are Homecoming week events and performances, which conclude a concert headlining Dashboard Confessional's solo tour.

For more information about UPB or to see their fall schedule of events, visit www.stcloudstate.edu/upb/.

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