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ශ්‍රී ලංකා යුද්ධ හමුදාව

ජාතියේ ආරක්ෂකයා

Revived Army Dance, a Roaring Success

The final segment of the 62nd Army Anniversary celebration, ‘Army Dance’ that was revived on Saturday (15) night at Colombo Exhibition and Convention Centre, showcased an enthralling performance, coupled with rhythmic beats that went into the small hours on Sunday (16) after absence of many years.  

Over 750 couples of Army personnel to the tunes of varieties of rhythmic beats and melodies of yesteryear, western and oriental blend, provided thrill and entertainment to the occasion, attended by Secretary Defence Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Chief Guest and Mrs. Ioma Rajapaksa, Chairperson Seva Vanitha Unit, Ministry of Defence. Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the President graced the occasion as Guest of Honour. Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya Commander of the Army and Mrs. Manjulika Jayasuriya, President Seva Vanitha Army Branch welcomed them.
 
‘Army Dance’, one of the oldest socializing fellowship events that was introduced during colonial times by the British Army to then Ceylon Army, came to an abrupt stop some three decades ago after LTTE terrorism escalated and battlefield requirements rose.

The entertaining event was revived this year to coincide with the 62nd Army anniversary in response to popular requests of Army Officers who highly regard the occasion as a common platform that shares cherished memories, true sprits of fellowship, comradeship, brotherhood and goodwill, all of which were deprived to them for a long time.

Popular requests of serving Officers had to be restricted only to 750 couples considering space constraints and other concerns. The Army now expects to make it an annual feature in its anniversary calendar because of the enormous enthusiasm and interest shown by all in the Army.

Meticulously organized and carefully crafted sequence of the Army Dance programme got underway amidst thundering applause as elegantly dressed spouses of Army Families took the centrestage as the agenda began rolling.

The reintroduced Army Dance mirrored the unchallenged professional capabilities of the Army, as the largest organization in the country, not only in warfare but also in entertainment spheres of this nature and magnitude. The success of the Army Dance was attributed to the unfailing collective work of all the Officers and Other Ranks.