Sudesh Mantillake

Sudesh Mantillake serves as Randolph College's Quillian Visiting International Scholar in the Department of Performing Arts while maintaining a permanent faculty position at Sri Lanka's University of Peradeniya. He teaches comparative philosophy and performing arts courses, conducts dance workshops, choreographs public performances, and leads study abroad seminars to Sri Lanka.

His academic credentials include:

• Bachelor's degree from University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka)
• Master's in Communication Science from University of Lugano (Switzerland)
• PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies from University of Maryland

Mantillake's research centers on dance historiography, cultural heritage, and traditional dance forms, with deep expertise in Sri Lankan Kandyan dance (integrating dance, song, and drumming) and Indian Kathak dance (using body movements to narrate myths). His work critically examines how traditional performance arts shape national identity and cultural preservation in postcolonial contexts.

His distinguished honors include:

• International Teaching Fellowship (University of Maryland, 2013-2014)
• Leonardo Fellowship (University of Lugano, 2006)
• University Prize for Academic Excellence (University of Peradeniya, 2004)
• Best Solo Traditional Dancer (Sri Lankan Ministry of Education, 1997)

Professionally, he serves as Vice Chair of Sri Lanka's International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance National Committee and sits on the Research Committee of the International Association for Creative Arts in Education and Therapy. His pedagogy employs rhizomatic learning and Socratic questioning to foster student ownership, critical thinking, and tangible creative outputs through participatory, student-led classroom experiences.