Captivating evening of dinner and dance on 2 April

 With My Life Co-founder Trevor Rajaratnam (centre) speaks at the media launch of Dance Epicure. Others (from left): Shangri-La Colombo and Shangri-La Hambantota Director of Communication Ramesha Samarasinghe, John Keells Holdings Vice President Nadeem Shums, Standard Chartered Bank Head of Consumer, Private and Business Banking Aroshana Fernando and Maliban Biscuit Group Head of Corporate Affairs and Strategy Asoka Bandara – Pic by Sameera Wijesinghe

• Dance Epicure by With My Feet brings UK champion dancers and the best of Sri Lankan talent to the same stage in aid of charity

By Safna Malik

World-renowned dancers UK National Latin American Champions Gunnar Gunnarsson and Marika Doshoris, as well as Blackpool Open Smooth Champions Nauris Kalva and Manuja Hughes are set to enthral Sri Lankans at an exclusive engagement next month in Colombo.

The groundbreaking platform will be the Dance Epicure, Sri Lanka’s very first Dinner Dance Theatre concept produced by With My Feet.

The captivating evening of dinner and dance will be on 2 April at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo.

The vision and brainchild of the legendary Naomi Rajaratnam, the uniquely curated evening of dance and gastronomy produced by the Colombo Dance Theatre will feature a roster of extraordinary international and local dancers paired with a night of culinary delight.

In a written statement Naomi Rajaratnam said she was so honoured that some of the UK’s leading dancers have chosen to collaborate with them, and she was equally thrilled to be able to showcase the best of Sri Lankan talent on the same platform.”

“The concept of a Dinner Dance Theatre has been on my mind for the longest time and I couldn’t think of a better moment to finally turn this dream into a reality,” she added. “The calibre of these world-renowned dancers paired with the best of With My Feet dancers is the perfect opportunity to offer something truly unique to our Sri Lankan audience,” she added.

Sharing a glimpse of the event, With My Feet Co-Founder Trevor Rajaratnam told the media launch that the show would feature a roster of extraordinary international and local dancers paired with a night of culinary delight.

With My Feet, hopes to bring together some of the elite international and local dancers to Sri Lanka and give them the opportunity to showcase their skills along with excellent choreography. The dinner dance performance will also inspire local dance enthusiasts to experience a whole new culture and discover different styles of Latin dance.

He said, Dance Epicure will not only be a theatre inaugural performance, it will also be the first of its kind in Sri Lanka that has been carefully choreographed to feature a diverse performance from Latin-American and Ballroom to Jazz, Hip-Hop, Oriental, and Contemporary.

Rajaratnam also revealed that With My Feet, a performing arts group will collaborate with the Sri Narada Foundation to add a heart-warming performance by the children to the Dance Epicure dinner dance.

“My wife Naomi Rajaratnam was a dancer, and a choreographer ever since 2000, With My Feet she has produced so many dancers who are internationally recognised and she has taught dancing lessons free of charge for students who are financially struggling and she was able to bring out the best out of her students and to support their dreams,” Trevor said.

“She also had a desire to uplift dancers from far-flung rural areas in Sri Lanka by providing them with the opportunities and spotlight they deserve has always been encapsulated in her dance showcases. That’s one of the reasons to align the Dance Epicure dinner dance with the warehouse project; an urban community solution in partnership with the Sri Narada Foundation to appreciate and support dancers from rural areas,” he added.

He also assures that the sales that received from the purchased tickets of the Dance Epicure dinner dance will solely go to the Dev Siri Sevana Elders Home in Welisara.

The principal partners of the Dance Epicure are Standard Chartered Bank Priority, Maliban Biscuit Manufactories, John Keells Properties, SriLankan Airlines, Shangri-La Colombo, Wijeya Newspapers and Capital Maharaja Group.

Standard Chartered Bank Head of Consumer, Private and Business Banking Aroshana Fernando said the country has been coasting along for three years with COVID-19 to economic crisis and this would be a change. It’s also a good opportunity as a bank to pair with initiatives like With My Feet who are actively engaged in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects.”

Maliban Biscuit Group Head of Corporate Affairs and Strategy Asoka Bandara said for almost two decades they have been backing and encouraging the With My Feet initiative with their projects. This dinner dance will be exceptional because it will bring Sri Lanka back on the map and let the world know that we are progressing step by step.

John Keells Holdings Vice President, Head of Sales and Marketing (Property Group) Nadeem Shums, said the tourism industry in Sri Lanka felt the largest negative impact from the pandemic and the economic crisis. This dinner dance that comprises music and dance will attract tourists and it’s a great opportunity for foreigners to experience a vibrant side of Sri Lanka.

As the hospitality partner Shangri-La Colombo and Hambantota Director of Communications Ramesha Samarasinghe, said she is extremely delighted to inspire their customers with unique events. “Especially, events like this bring all the communities to a one place, and we are hoping to showcase Colombo as one of the dynamic cities through this dinner dance event,” she added.

Tickets for the Dance Epicure will be available for purchase from Saturday 11 March. The tickets can be purchased online at the official website of https://withmyfeet.com/. With My Feet social media pages will soon be updated to purchase tickets offline.