My passion for Dancing- Harsha Boralessa

My Passion for Dancing

Harischandra Boralessa

Origins

In our ancestral home in Akuressa, whenever we had dinner parties, there would always be music to entertain our friends and relatives.  My father played the violin; a retired gentleman living with us called “Lansi Mahathmaya” played the piano. The opening pieces were usually La Paloma or Over the Waves (“The Loveliest Night of the Year”) followed by Roll out the Barrel, You are my Sunshine etc. When the baila music started, my father used to ask me, an eight-year-old boy, to dance. My dance was a simple one, solely consisting of jumping up and down on the spot and clapping my hands to the beat. That was my introduction to dancing.

As schoolboys, we did a lot of baila dancing in the college boarding, particularly during the Royal Thomian Cricket Match period, but no ballroom dancing.

During my medical school days, I was very keen on ballroom dancing, and one of my favourite hobbies was listening to Music for Dancing played on a Saturday Night, Radio Ceylon Broadcast. I would imagine that I was on the dance floor. I was able to keep to the time to the Music but did not know many steps. The two dances I was able to do were the Social Foxtrot and the Quick Step – no Cha Cha, Rhumba or Tango. During my undergraduate days, the combination of being shy, having an intense study schedule and having difficulties in finding a dancing partner, restricted the opportunity for social dancing. Looking back, this was a period during which I would have really enjoyed dancing. Maybe I missed a trick or two.

Things changed dramatically after qualifying as a doctor. I metamorphosed: a more confident, better-dressed and smiling personality. Finding a dance partner was not as difficult as before. I remember the late Lucky Weerasoriya at one of our early batch reunions commenting that I had improved and looked quite the man about town. I had the good fortune of finding a partner who was also passionate about dancing. In the late sixties and early seventies, Harshi and I used to go dancing frequently to the Coconut Grove and the Arcasa Kadde.

In England we have been going for tea dances and evening dances regularly – two to three times a week. In so doing, we have been able to expand our repertoire to include all Latin American Dances and the waltz. It is Strictly Come Dancing. Everyone sticks to their wives or partners. Some venues used to do a “bus stop” during the short break:  some ladies, particularly the single ladies, stood in a queue. The men would take it in turns to invite the lady at the top of the queue for a dance. After going round the dance hall once, the man would leave her at the end of the queue and then ask the lady at the top of the queue for a dance. This practice stopped with the onset of the Covid epidemic. Some of the nicest people I have met in the UK have been through dancing. We also go on dancing holidays to Spain and Cyprus. Regular dancing has enabled us to keep our joints supple and to maintain a good posture.  Randomised controlled studies have confirmed that ballroom dancing delays the onset of dementia. So, keep dancing.

The above YouTube video shows Harshi and Harsha performing the Opening Dance at the annual dance hosted by The Past Pupils Association of Visakha UK on the 18th of October 2025 at Crowne Plaza, Beaconsfield, to music provided by Frontline. Click on the white arrow with the red background and the video will play OR, you can watch it on YouTube by clicking on the link given- your choice!