Dancing before YouTube/Tik Tok or social media existed: A Personal Reflection

Borgerrio 2025, Sultan Kitaz Photography

Last weekend, I had the joy of performing a traditional Sri Lankan dance at Borgerrio in Antwerp. After the show, several people came up to me with a familiar question:

"You’re a traditional dancer? Are there any videos of you from before?"

It’s a question I’ve heard many times — and one that always makes me smile.

I grew up dancing long before smartphones and social media were around. Back then, there were no video reels, no social media platforms, and no need for likes or followers. We danced for something else entirely — for the art, for the rhythm, for our passion. For the joy of moving as a community.

As a child and young adult in Sri Lanka, I trained and performed for years — at school shows, temple festivals, New Year celebrations, and cultural events. It was never about capturing the moment on camera. It was about living it.

Even now, when I return to Sri Lanka, I always dance with my former dance school when I get the chance. It’s something that’s never left me — it lives in my body, in my breath, in my roots. And now, to share it here in Belgium, is a gift I cherish deeply.

No, I don’t have many videos from my early days of dancing. But I have something better: a soul shaped by movement, memories held in muscle, and a lifelong devotion to the spirit of dance.

And that… doesn’t need to be always on a reel to be real.

—

With love and rhythm,
Chaya



I curate & lead tailor made journeys to Sri Lanka together with my husband Thibaud. 
Interested in discovering Sri Lanka through traditional dance? 😊Feel free to drop me a message.