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Sri Lanka is rightfully known as the "Wonder of Asia." Sri Lanka is a multicultural country which boasts of its unique nature as well as cultural heritage which enriches the richness of the country. The country boasts of  various folk dances, today there are three distinct traditions of dances of Sri Lanka which differ from each other based on the costume, rhythm and the body movements.

These dance styles of Sri Lanka include:

1. The Kandyan dances of the Up Country
2. Pahatha Rata Natum which are low country dances of the southern plains
3. Sabaragamuwa dances (Sabaragamuwa Natum)

History of Dance in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is well known for its different classical and folk dance forms, which come to life with the colourful costumes and rhythmic music. Looking back, the concept of Sri Lankan dance originated from the ancient times to the 4th Century BCE. The primary purpose of these dances of Sri Lanka was to expel natural disasters and sickness.

Later in the 15th Century CE, with the end of the Polonnaruwa era, the people of Sri Lanka were influenced by the dance forms of South Indian culture. This South Indian form of dancing later found its way into the folk dances of Sri Lanka. With time, the people of the country developed new dancing styles which were distinct and different from each other concerning a particular region.