Traditional Dances of Sri Lanka
Dance was then initiated in Sri Lanka during the 4th century B.C for the purpose of expelling natural disasters, sickness and greet people and land. At the end of Polonnaruwa period (15th century A.D.), chola influence came into Sri Lanka and was adopted in Sri Lanka folk dancing.
The classical dance forms are associated with the performance of various rituals and ceremonies which are centuries old and are based on the folk religion and folk beliefs going back to times before the advent and acceptance of Buddhism by the Sinhalese people in the third century B.C. These rituals and ceremonies reflect the values, beliefs and customs of an agricultural civilization of Sri Lanka.
With the time, unique dancing forms were developed and varied from each other according to regional and local traditions. Today there are three principal dancing forms that can be seen in Sri Lanka.
Each of the style quite differ from each other from the dress, drums, songs and way of dancing and movements of hands, legs and fingers.
The drum used in Kandyan dancing is known as the GETA BERE, the drum in Ruhunu dancing as the YAK BERE, and drum in Saparagamu dancing as the DAVULA
