Rangana Nawodini Ariyadasa

🪔 About

Rangana Nawodini Ariyadasa is a distinguished classical Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, and instructor hailing from Sri Lanka. She currently serves as a lecturer in Classical Bharathanatyam at the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo. Her artistic journey began early, deeply influenced by her mother, Kalasuri & Kala Bhushana Mrs. Padmini Manel Dahanayake Ariyadasa, who is recognized as the first Sri Lankan woman to achieve significant acclaim in Bharatanatyam. Ariyadasa's family boasts a rich artistic heritage, including a grandmother known as a singer, a grandfather who was a Tower Hall actor, and her great-grandfather, former Prime Minister Dr. W. Dahanayaka. Her foundational training encompassed Up-country, Low-country, and Sabaragamu dancing forms, which she pursued at Musaeus College, Colombo. She furthered her studies in Kathak under the tutelage of Mrs. Srimathi Rasadari and subsequently Mr. Jayasena Kottegoda. For five years, Ariyadasa immersed herself in the rigorous curriculum of the Kalakshetra Institute of Fine Arts in Chennai, India, where she specialized in Classical Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, and Karnatic music, also mastering the Thambura. Her formal debut, or Arangetram, was held on December 24, 1984. Throughout her career, Rangana Ariyadasa has graced numerous stages, performing at various state festival ceremonies, presidential award ceremonies, and events hosted by foreign embassies. She has also lent her choreographic talents to dance dramas, notably depicting the life story of Siddhartha Gautama. In 2000, she established her own institution, "Shree Padma Ranga Nrithya Nikethan," officially registered with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Through her academy and her role at the university, she has mentored hundreds of students, with over 52 having successfully completed their Arangetrams. She has also conducted international workshops.