Dr. S. Panibharatha

 

Born into a traditional caste of teachers in Algama Medagama, Kegalle District, Mr. Panibharatha was well versed not only in Kandyan dance but also in other local dance traditions and Indian dance forms.

When he was young he came to Colombo with his stepfather Algama Kiriganitha Master. Mr. Panibharatha was the drummer of the famous dancer Chandralekha Perera, who at that time went down in history as the first woman to wear a Ves in Sri Lanka.

Among the special events in his life..

* Praised by scholars in India.

* Get a scholarship and go to India to study dance.

* Worked as a teacher at Royal College, Colombo, Mirigama Senior School and Mirigama Teacher Training College.

  * Served as the first Principal of the Government Art Institute of Sri Lanka and the Head of the Dance Division of the Institute of Aesthetic Education.

Is important...

In appreciation of his service to the field of dance...

* Participating in dance concerts in many countries of the world and giving great honor to Sri Lanka.

* As a ballet dancer, he created ballads such as 'Graha Apalaya', 'Gammane Mal Pipila' and 'Hathpaththini' and also created dances for ballet dramas such as 'Gamata Ira Payai' and 'Mahaweli'.

* Creating dances for movies.

Things like that are important...

Mr. Panibharatha's creations are the cutting-edge dance, reed-picking and traditional Kandyan folk dance, which are very popular in the academy as a folk dance.

At the same time he was well known not only as a talented drummer, dancer, singer and artist but also as a talented speaker.

He was awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of his service to the art of dance.