This year, Sri Lanka Foundation (SLF) showcased a blissful finale to the year 2022 with the Academy of Performing Arts (APA) traditional Dancing Concert at Disney California Adventure Park Hollywood Backlot stage on the 26th of November. Flared with the festive vibe of the holidays, this event had the audience bubbling with joy in anticipation of the breathtaking performances of the members of APA, much like previous concerts of APA at Disneyland with much enthusiasm and awe. The ceremony was glorified by the presence of the Chairman, Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, President/CEO, Dr. Dishan Jayasinha, Vice President, Mrs. Aeshea Jayasinghe, Mrs. Zuigly Jayasinha, and the COO, Shirani Stanislaus of SLF. The students and the teachers of APA, and the community performers were zealous by the honor of their presence at the event. The show was set in motion with a beautiful Managalam Dance, welcoming all the spectators and guests, performed by
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As we all manage our way through to overcome the pandemic situation experienced not only in our country but globally at the moment which is not normal for any of us, we decided to close our school to establish the safety of our students and teachers. However, the learning process never comes to an end and we decided to initiate online classes for all our students. With an enormous amount of effort from our teachers, we were able to create a successful lesson plan to continue the syllabus online. Our online classes cover both theory and practical lessons to ensure the effectiveness of these classes. Teachers are very well engaged with the classes. The principal and director of Academy of Performing Arts follow up with the students and teachers every week. We are humbly proud as we are one of the few schools that teach dancing and drumming classes online.
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The Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka for the state of Hawaii organized a beautiful event in celebration of the 71st Independence of Sri Lanka onboard the Sri Lanka Navy Ship P-626 on February 10,2019. Hiruni Ranawaka, graduate of the Sri Lanka Foundation Academy of Performing Arts was invited by Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka for the state of Hawaii Mr. Bede Dhammika Cooray and Mrs. Niranjala Cooray to perform at this event. There were over 150 attendees at the event along with over 100 Sri Lankan Navy officers, the US Coast Guard and the Diplomatic Corp. Hiruni was excited to perform a beautiful village dance and an intricate Bharatanatyam item. She graduated from the Sri Lanka Foundation Academy of Performing Arts in December 2017 at the first ever Pahimpath Ceremony held in California. She also had her Arangetram” from the Thalam School of Fine Arts in 2016.
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Meet Yenuli Bimsara Wijethunga, our Student of the Month for March 2019. She is 3rd grader who loves both Sri Lankan Traditional dancing and drumming. Yenuli is a remarkable learner. She has taken part in over 12 performances with the Academy of Performing Arts since 2016. The Student of the Month program is meant to promote success in and out of the classroom. For a student to be a well-respected citizen, they must be able to balance many different areas of life. They must exemplify outstanding characteristics both as a student and as a citizen of the community. The student must be able to handle many different aspects of student life while maintaining excellence in the classroom.
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The Sri Lanka Foundation School of Performing Arts offers Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Dance and Drumming classes.Classes are taught by professional and qualified instructors with years of experience in dance, drumming and the visual and performing arts. On February 17th instructors, students and their families joined in for thier class field trip. This time it was to LACMA to witness the “The Bejeweled Isle: Art from Sri Lanka” the first comprehensive survey of Sri Lankan art organized in an American museum. The guided tour was very informative as the expansive show explores nearly 2,000 years of Sri Lankan history through 240 works featuring precious decorative objects fashioned from gold, silver, and ivory, and 19th-century photographs documenting the island nation’s extraordinary monuments, scenery, and flora. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog showcasing 39 objects from LACMA’s collection, and two introductory essays, one by Donald Stadtner presenting an overview of Buddhist practice in Sri
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The students of Sri Lanka Foundation School of Performing Arts were honored to promote culture at the 71st Sri Lankan Independence Day Celebrations in Monrovia, CA on February 2, 2019 The evening began with a beautiful traditional Ves Natuma known as Kandyan Dance performed by the instructors of the SLF School of Performing Arts. This centuries old tradition is said to be from a ritual performed in the 4th century BC to invoke blessings. It demonstrates the prowess and brilliance of a traditional Kandyan dancer. The students of the Sri Lanka Foundation School of Performing Arts showcased the beauty of Sri Lanka through a unique dance item using Sri Lankan traditional dance and folk dances, choreographed by our very own teachers; Lal Thilakrathna, Chathuri Wickramarachchi & Umendra Kahadawarachchi. Then the audience were taken on a journey from Maradhana to Kandy aboard the Udarata Manike to witness the Esela Perahara by
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Meet Semini Chethana Hewavitharana, our Student of the Month for February 2019. She is 8 year old who is very passionate about Sri Lankan Culture. Semini is a remarkable learner. She is self motivated and always challenges herself to be her very best. Semini is a 3rd grader at Capistrano Avenue Elementary School, West Hills. She will be performing “Annie”at school in April. She likes dancing, drumming, singing, acting, playing, reading, drawing and watching TV. Her favorite color is pink and she loves elephants. She also likes playing piano and playing with her sister and friends. When she grows up she wants to be a teacher. The Student of the Month program is meant to promote success in and out of the classroom. For a student to be a well-respected citizen, they must be able to balance many different areas of life. They must exemplify outstanding characteristics both as a
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The Jeweled Isle: Art from Sri Lanka, is the first comprehensive survey of Sri Lankan art organized by a U.S. museum. Drawn in part from LACMA’s collection of Sri Lankan art, and including numerous domestic and international loans, the exhibition presents some 250 works addressing nearly two millennia of Sri Lankan history. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Robert L. Brown and Dr. Tushara Bindu Gude, of LACMA’s South and Southeast Asian Art Department, and is designed by Los Angeles-based architecture firm Escher GuneWardena Architecture.
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Pasadena Media’s new program “Pasadena In Focus” is centered around events, programs and activities happening in the city of Pasadena. The first episode highlighted many local events including Sri Lanka Day Expo 2018. We are truely excited to be featured on the first episode of “Pasadena in Focus” We are also excited to inform you that we will be back at the Centennial Square on July 20, 2019 with Sri Lanka Day Expo 2019. Save the date and join us for a day of Culture, Music, Dance, Drumming, Food & a magnificient Parade.
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Over 600 people gathered at the USC Pacific Asia Museum in the city of Pasadena to watch the Sri Lanka Foundation Performing Arts Center at the ArtNight event on October 12th. ArtNight is free evening of art, music and entertainment as Pasadena’s most prominent arts and cultural institutions swing open their doors. The evening was produced by the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the Department of Transportation, Transit Division, Metro, and the Pasadena Center Operating Company, with the help of numerous media sponsors. Sri Lanka Foundation Performing Arts Center was chosen to promote Sri Lankan cultural arts at the USC Pacific Museam of Art in Pasadena. The segment began with a Beautiful Sigiri Apsara dance, a peacock dance by our graduates with the dance teacher and a Mask dance by the SLF juinor dancers who showed the good and evil sides of us humans. Later the drumming students,our Senior Instructor
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