A brilliant choreographer with extensive experience in traditional Kandyan Dance, Bharathanatyam and Contemporary Dance Ama Siriwardana, commenced her early dance education at the tender age of 7 under Kalasoori Padmini Dahanayaka and Srimathi Rangana Ariyadasa Udayakumara in Sri Lanka. Performing her Bharathanatyam Arangethram in 1997, Ama continued to learn Kandyan Dancing under the personal guidance of eminent guru’s Kulasiri Budawatta and Piyasara Shilpadipathi.

Following her graduation from the University of Colombo with a Bachelor of Arts, Ama commenced her career as a dancing teacher at Gateway International School, Colombo. Her talent and dance ability have attracted numerous awards including the All Island Youth Award for Bharathanatyam in 1999 and Best Actress award at the State Drama Competition in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Under her guidance, her students at Gateway International School won the 2002 All Island International School Dance Championship.

Ama is the founder and artistic director of Ama Dance Academy. Since its humble beginning in 2004, it has established a reputation for excellence in dancing education. Working within a traditional framework Ama and her students have exhibited skill and technical perfection in five successful Ama Dahara productions in Melbourne.

Whilst remaining a firm advocate of traditional principles of Sri Lankan dance, Ama has displayed proficiency in experimenting in various other dancing methods. This has resulted in the creation of popular original productions which ranged from mythological dance dramas to socially thematic performances.

Ama Dance Academy has received invitations to perform in various notable stages across Melbourne, including Mayor’s Ball, National Day celebrations, International Wesak festival and CCC foundation fund raising event. Ama and her students have travelled across Australia with many Sri Lankan artists, displaying their dedication to promoting Sri Lankan culture in a land away from home.

Ama believes dancing is a language that can be extended to creating solidarity within communities. She has used her unique blend of traditional and contemporary dance style to choreograph performances for weddings, charities, schools as well as corporate, community and cultural events in Melbourne.

Ama is also able to draw on her experience in teaching as a Monash graduate with a diploma in teaching, currently working as a kindergarten teacher in Melbourne. She has conducted school holiday programs in early childhood settings and school workshops, as she strives to further extend Sri Lankan culture and dance to the younger generations in the Sri Lankan community of Melbourne.

Ama has nurtured over 1000 students over the years, into young women with a heightened awareness and respect for the Sri Lankan culture, a feat not easily achieved living in an Australian community. From the youngest of toddlers to the more advanced dancers, the students learn not only the way of creating art with movement, but also the significance of Sri Lankan dance in creating our cultural identity.

She sparks an enthusiasm within them to immerse themselves in the wonderful rich heritage and express these nuances through their performances. It is a mammoth task to preserve and pass on the unique elements of our identity as Sri Lankans, especially with the emerging young generation, yet Ama has taken on this responsibility, and has done so quite successfully over the years, through creativity and excitement of dance.

Ama continues to explore opportunities to improve her skills as a teacher, choreographer and nattuvanar. Her vision is to instil a love of Sri Lankan and Indian dance in her students, and to provide them with an outlet to explore their Sri Lankan heritage and identity.