KANDYAN DANCE

History
According to the legend, the origins of the dance lies in an exorcism ritual known as the Kohomba Kankariya, which was originally performed by Indian shamans who came to the island. According to legend, the Indian shamans came to the island upon the request of a king who was suffering from a mysterious illness. The king was said to be suffering from a recurring dream in which a leopard was directing its tongue towards the king, believed to be as a black magic of "Kuweni" the first wife of the king "Vijaya". After the performance of the Kohomba Kankariya the illness vanished, and many natives adopted the dance.

It was originally performed by dancers who were identified as a separate caste under the Kandyan Fudel system. They were aligned to the Temple of the Tooth and had a significant role to play in the Dalada Perahera (procession) held each year by the temple.


The dance waned in popularity as the support for the dancers from the Kandyan kings ended during the British period. It has now been revived and adapted for the stage, and is Sri Lanka's primary cultural export.

Tänze (Uda Rata Natum) Ves Tanz "Ves" dance, the most popular, originated from an ancient purification ritual, the Kohomba Yakuma or Kohomba Kankariya. The dance was propitiatory, never secular, and performed only by males. The elaborate ves costume, particularly the headgear, is considered sacred and is believed to belong to the deity Kohomba.

Only toward the end of the 19th century were ves dancers first invited to perform outside the precincts of the Kankariya Temple at the annual Kandy Perahera festival. Today the elaborately costumed ves dancer epitomizes Kandyan dance.Kandyan dance highlights Sri Lanka's culture.Kandyan dance can be carried to the future as an example of Sri lanka's miraculous culture.

Vannam
The vannam belong to the kandyan dancing tradition and are thorught to have originated as song composed in Kavikara Maduwa in the reign of he 18th century Monarch ofThe word "vannam" comes from the Sinhala word "varnana" (descriptive praise). The Gahaka, Gajaga, Asadrusha, Udara and Thuranga Vannams - in praise respectively of the conch shell at the King’s consecration, the royal elephant, the king’s glory, monarchy and the chariot-horse – were the first written. The corpus later grew to eighteen Vannams. 

The word "vannam" comes from the Sinhala word "varnana" (descriptive praise). The Gahaka, Gajaga, Asadrusha, Udara and Thuranga Vannams - in praise respectively of the conch shell at the King’s consecration, the royal elephant, the king’s glory, monarchy and the chariot-horse – were the first written. The corpus later grew to eighteen Vannams. 

The Vannam dance tradition has seven components: 

1 Thanama - singing a note of the melody to each syllable. 

2 Thitha - the beat indicated with cymbals giving a rhythmic timing. 

3 Kaviya - the poem vocalized by the dancer. 

4 Bera-matraya - rhythm of the drum. 

5 Kasthirama - the finale of the first movement of the dance. 

6 Seeru-maruwa - the movement in preparation for ‘adawwa’. 


7 Adawwa - the finale of rhythmic body and foot movements.