Mr. PETER SURASENA

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Peter Surasena is a grandmaster of traditional Kandyan dance whose ancestors performed in the royal court of Kandyan kings. As a youth, his natural and inherited proclivities for dance were recognized and cultivated by legendary instructor of dance, Heen Baba Dharmasiri.

Every year since 1978, Surasena has been awarded a gold medal at the Sri Lanka National dance competition. During the same time, he has performed as the lead dancer in the annual ritual processions of the Kandy Asala Perahara, the most well-known public ritual event in Buddhist Sri Lanka. A devoted and talented teacher, he has been a dance instructor for student in the intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education (ISLE) program for ten years. Some of these American student have returned to Sri Lanka to continue their studies with Surasena on fellowships provided by Rotary and Fulbright.

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In 1959, surasena went to India and participated as a ves dancer in the first ever cultural exchange coordinated between the governments of India and Sri Lanka. In 1962, he travelled with his troupe to Latin America to dance in the world Fare of  Folk Music and Dance. In 1965, he was a commonwealth Fellow giving performance in London, Switzerland and Sydney. In 1974, he performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In 1976, he performed at the World's Fair in Canada. Among other international experience, he has also given performances in Dubai (1979), Jerusalem (1989), and at the Film Fare Festival of India in 1998.  


Veteran dancer Peter Surasena passed away on February 25, 2025.💫

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