Shamitha Hettige

Shamitha Ruchiran Hettige is an established Kandyan and contemporary dancer, performer & teacher.

Shamitha began his dance training at the age of 9, under the legendary dancers Channa Wijewardana and Upuli Panibharatha. His training range from traditional Kandyan, modern dance, and French ballet techniques. Shamitha has been lauded for his flawless & geometrically fine jumps rooting from Kandyan and other traditional dance forms of Srilanka. Ever since the age of 16, he has represented the country and Channa Upuli dance troupe at more than 60 countries and prestigious venues.

Shamitha is also the founder of Playmore, Srilanka’s and India’s first trampoline-based fitness studio. As a teacher, he has been imparting dance knowledge to hundreds of students on behalf of Channa-Upuli dance academy and on his own. He has an active set of students from around the globe learning Kandyan online. He has also recently developed a new method Dancer Flow which helps dancers of any form to become more aware of the body, mind, balance, and a lot more.

He is also currently learning Srilankan traditional drums, Mayurbhanj Chhau, and Kalaripayattu and exploring pedagogies of other traditional art forms of South Asia.