Sri Lankan Traditional Dance

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Types of Traditional Dance


There are three main styles of Sri Lankan classical dance, The Kandyan dances of the Hill Country, known as Uda Rata Natum, the low country dances of the southern part of Sri lanka, known as Pahatha Rata Natum and Sabaragamuwa dances, or Sabaragamuwa Natum.

The three classical dance practices vary in their styles of movements and motions, in the outfits worn by the performers, and in the nature of the drums used to provide rhythmic sound to the dance.

The drum used in Kandyan dancing is known as the Geta Bera, the drum in low country dancing as the “Yak Bera“, and drum in Sabaragamu dancing the Daul beraya.

The main  feature that differentiates Ruhunu dance from Kandyan and Sabaragamu dancing, is that only Ruhunu dancers wear masks and some Ruhunu dance styles look more bold than other two graceful dance styles, to a person seeing it for the first time.




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