STAGING SRI LANKAN DANCERS UNDER BRITISH COLONIAL RULE from the 1870S – 1930S

ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: COLONIAL CHOREOGRAPHY: STAGING SRI LANKAN DANCERS UNDER BRITISH COLONIAL RULE FROM THE 1870s – 1930s Sudesh Bandara Mantillake Madamperum Arachchilage, Doctor of Philosophy, 2018. Dissertation directed by: Dr. Esther Kim Lee, School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. In textbooks the terms “Kandyan dance” and its equivalent in the Sinhala language “udarata nätuma” are used to describe the dance tradition that was predominantly practiced in the Kandyan region of Sri Lanka. Nationalist histories portray Kandyan dance as a continuation of a pristine tradition that was passed down from ancient Sinhala kingdoms. As the Sinhala nationalist discourse glorified Kandyan dance vis à vis its Tamil counterpart, it obscured the British colonial encounter with Kandyan dancers by leaving out a part of the rich history of dance. As I demonstrate in this dissertation, colonialism transformed to a significant extent the Kandyan dancescape of the British colonial period, particularly between the 1870s and 1930s. Therefore, this dissertation re-examines the history of the so-called tradition of Kandyan dance with the focus on the British colonial encounter with performers of the Kandyan region. As a Sri Lankan dancer, I try to trace and interpret the histories of dancers that were ignored or shrouded in silence in colonial and Sinhala national histories. As a historian, I interpret archival materials through textual and visual analysis while as a dancer, I interpret archival materials through my embodied knowledge of Kandyan dance. I examine: How did the Sinhalese devil dance become a showpiece during the British colonial period, setting the ground for it to be elevated with the new name of “Kandyan dance”? Who defined its aesthetic parameters and repertoire? How did the performers respond to their colonial experience? I argue that, with the help of the native elites, the colonizers displaced, mobilized, manipulated, staged, and displayed performers of the Kandyan region for the benefit of colonial audiences through processions organized for British royal dignitaries, colonial exhibitions, photographs, and travel films. I call this process “colonial choreography”, which defined the aesthetic parameters and repertoire of Kandyan dance. However, the dancers were not just the victims of colonial choreography but also contributors to colonial choreography through their creativity and resistance. Therefore, I also argue that while collaborating with the colonizers, the dancers responded creatively to their experience and covertly resisted the colonial masters. COLONIAL CHOREOGRAPHY: STAGING SRI LANKAN DANCERS UNDER BRITISH COLONIAL RULE FROM THE 1870s – 1930s by Sudesh Bandara Mantillake Madamperum Arachchilage Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2018 Advisory Committee: Dr. Esther Kim Lee, Professor, Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (Chair) Dr. Franklin Hildy, Professor, Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies Dr. Maura Keefe, Associate Professor, Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies Dr. Lawrence Witzleben, Professor, Musicology and Ethnomusicology (Dean’s Representative) Dr. Nira Wickramasinghe, Professor, School of Asian Studies at Leiden University, Netherlands © Copyright by Sudesh Bandara Mantillake Madamperum Arachchilage 2018 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to Susan A. Reed, my great mentor who was there throughout my PhD studies. ii Acknowledgements During my first year at the University of Maryland, I took a graduate seminar titled “Historical Methods and Historiography in Theatre” taught by Dr. Esther Kim Lee. That’s when the seed for this dissertation was planted. I am indebted to Esther, who is also my advisor, for inspiring me and guiding me in my exams and in writing papers and this dissertation. Together with Dr. Franklin Hildy, she also secured for me graduate and travel funding, so I could focus on my dissertation. My gratitude is extended also to my dissertation committee members for giving me strength and confidence to complete this project. Dr. Hildy taught me to use the archival method to interpret performance history. Dr. Maura Keefe was my dance self in the committee. She encouraged me to bridge the textual materials with my embodied knowledge of Kandyan dance. Sri Lankan dance cannot be separated from its musical practices. Therefore, Dr. Lawrence Witzleben’s feedback helped me to contextualize Sri Lankan dance in the broader spectrum of performance. Since I was not a historian, going through historical materials on Sri Lanka was new to me. Without the guidance and feedback of Dr. Nira Wickramasinghe, I would not have been able to base my research on Sri Lankan and South Asian history. During my studies I learned a lot from past and current faculty members of UMD Theatre and Performance Studies. I am grateful to Dr. Laurie Frederik, Dr. James Harding, Dr. Faedra Carpenter, Dr. Caitlin Marshall, and Dr. James Reed Ball. I am deeply indebted to all my dance and performance teachers from my primary school till now for trusting me and sharing their embodied knowledge with me: Peter Surasena, Manthosa Bandara Tennakoon, Dulawansa Gunawardhana, iii Susanatha Gunawardhana, Irangani Rajapaksha, Waidyawathie Rajapaksha, Rekha Padmakumari, Vipula Janasantha, Mudiyanse Dissanayake, Moksha Samarasuriya, Leslie Felbain, Karen Bradley, Miriam Phillips, Patrik Widrig and Sara Pearson. This dissertation could not have been completed without the group of mentors who believed in me and always supported my academic career. I cannot adequately express my gratitude to Susan Reed, Ranjini Obeyesekere, Gananath Obeyesekere, Michael Fernando, Sunil Goonasekere, Ratna Handurukanda, Sinha Raja Tammita- Delgoda, and H.L. Seneviratne. The scholarly inputs and feedback I received for my research helped me enormously to enrich this dissertation. I am grateful to John Rogers, Anne Blackburn, Sujit Sivasundaram, Jeanne Marecek, Sharika Thiranagama, Daniel Bass, Mythri Jegathesan, Jonathan Spencer, Neloufer de Mel, Janaki Jayawardena, Tina Ramnarine, Antti-Ville Kärjä, Avanthi Meduri and Sitara Thobani. I could not have completed this dissertation without the intellectual and emotional support of the friends I made at Maryland. I would like to thank David Chavannes, Christina Banalopoulou, Maryam Houshyar, Daniel Dilliplane, Brittany Marie Ginder, Meghan Bowden and Patrick Crowley. Christina read two of my chapters and gave invaluable feedback while she had her own deadlines to meet. My friends and colleagues at Peradeniya helped in several ways. They ranged from emotional support and intellectual inputs to signing surety bonds by risking their provident fund for which I am indebted to Rohana Seneviratne, Sumudu Walakuluge, Chaminda Halvitigala, Athula Samrakoon, Manoj Alawathukotuwa, Leena Seneheweera, VinushaWijewickrama, Liyanage Amarakeerthi, Sumathy Sivamohan, iv Gamini Keerawella, Prasad Sethunga, Maduranga Kalugampitiya, Shavendra Dias, Sumudu Seneviratne, Arjuna Parakrama, Kalinga Tudor Silva and Buddhika Konara. I also wish to express my gratitude to all my friends who contributed to this dissertation in various ways. For rich discussions and emotional support, Janaka Bandara, Lohan Gunaweera, Harindra Dassanayake, Krishantha Fedricks, Priyantha Fonseka, Ellen Fisher, Bruce Gundersen; for hosting me during my archival research in London, Sunethra Kanumale and Jagath Weerasinghe; and for reading every page of this dissertation and copyediting it, Carlton Samarajiwa. I was lucky to have a group of academic colleagues who gave me invaluable inputs for my research. I want to thank Pradeep Dissanayake, Andi Schubert, Samal Hemachandra, Uditha Gunasekara, Eva Ambos, Ramla Wahab-Salman, Harshana Rambukwella, Vagisha Gunasekara, Nadeera Rupesinghe and Eshantha Peiris. Eshantha was so generous as to read two of my chapters and give me valuable feedback amidst his busy schedule. Finding materials would not have been easy without the enormous support of the library and archive staff. I would like to thank the staff members of the following institutions who supported me: Michelle Smith, Performing Arts Library, McKeldin Library, University of Peradeniya Library, the National Archives Kandy Branch and Colombo Branch, the Royal Asiatic Society Library – Colombo, The American Institute for Lankan Studies Library – Colombo, The British Library, The British Film Institute, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and The Library of Congress – Washington DC. v The priceless support of my extended family can never be forgotten: B.M. Walisundara (Amma), Gunatillake Banda (Appachchi), Keerthiratne Aluthge, Mercy Gangegedara, Sudeshika Mantillake, Sudarshini Mantillake, Athula Rathnayake, Prasad Anuruddha, Janaka Aluthge, Dinesh Aluthge, Nayan Rathnayake, Chandrika Karunarathna, and Sanuli Rathnayake. Last but not least, I would like to express my everlasting and special gratitude to my wife Vajira Mantillake and son Vimarsha Mantillake for their patience and sacrifice in foregoing their time with me, so I could complete this dissertation. Without fellowships and grants from several institutions I would not have been able to produce a dissertation like this. I would like to thank the individuals and committees that provided me the following grants: Fulbright travel grant, UMD Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) fellowships, University

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