Life is truly a circus
Ariyadasa
A veteran of one of Sri Lanka’s well known travelling spectacles, Circus Neevala, describes a lifestyle that may soon be a thing of the past
By Carole Ryu
from: sundaytimes.lk
May 13, 2012
Throughout centuries and across civilizations, humans have relied on each other for spectacle and entertainment. From the nomadic gypsy performers of the Rajasthani deserts to the crowd-pleasing gladiators in the roaring stadiums of Ancient Rome, the universal desire to enthral an audience endures. It is said that during the Kandyan era, each kingdom possessed a personal troupe whose role was to amuse and mesmerize. Now just a handful of circus performers continue their traditions, sacrificing the comforts of a home in exchange for a lifestyle based on dedication to a craft.
One such travelling circus called Circus Neevala set up camp in preparation for the 12 performances they would hold in Panadura recently. When the Sunday Times visited members of Circus Neevala were building the wooden bleachers, that serve as seats, under the illuminated glow of lime green and cherry red that reflected off the thick, vertical candy stripes of the tarpaulin tent.
Vidanarachchige Ariyadasa, the manager of Circus Neevala, was born and raised in the circus industry. He began working with Circus Neevala more than three decades ago when he first stepped into the circus ring as a trapeze artist.
Ariyadasa shares a stack of photographs that exhibit the variety of acts Circus Neevala performs, including unicycling, tightrope walking, and knife throwing. Amidst the photographs is a snapshot of two youthful trapeze performers suspended upside down at a 45-degree angle, captured in mid-swing.
“That’s me and my wife,” Ariyadasa casually mentions, pointing at the snapshot, “We met at Circus Neevala.”
Ariyadasa kindly agreed to an interview with the assistance of a Sinhala-English translator.
read more:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/120513/Magazine/sundaytimesmagazine_02.html
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