“The impossibility of conveying in words the living charm of dance is self-evident. All we can say of Vajira is that her mastery is beyond praise. Every gesture of her slender hands, every glance from her beautiful oval eyes, every movement of her slender legs and slim body is full of inexpressible grace.” – Anna Ilupina, Izvestia, USSR – 1963
These are the words of Anna Ilupina in her article written in the very well recognised Russian newspaper Izvestia, in 1963. Many decades later her words still sound true. Undoubtedly, Vajira Chitrasena is another name for Sri Lankan ballet and traditional dancing. Her solidity wasn’t simply a one-dimensional existence as a dancer; but it was her extraordinary and multifaceted personality that saw her excelling in choreography, directing, producing and teaching.
Being the first professional female dancer in Sri Lanka with a career spanning over six decades, the audience knew her when she was only 15 years, a young girl whose exotic beauty matched her talent. Groomed and moulded by her guru - the legendary doyen of dance, Chitrasena; who later became her husband. During her lifelong partnership with him, she maintained and further developed the Chitrasena Kalayathanaya, creating a series of exercises and rhythmic movements to train the formative stages of a dancer’s body which is framed within the traditional values of dancing, the single most important contribution to the technique of Kandyan dancing. The legendary duo broke tradition and reformed Sri Lanka’s traditional dance, which was lacking creativity and innovation.
Kalutara
Born in Kalutara to a Sinhala Buddhist family on March 15, 1932, Vajira studied at the Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya and Methodist College, Kollupitiya. Vajira’s mother N.C. Perera was a teacher and her father was an accountant at the Kalutara Urban Council.
It was Vajira’s mother’s wish for her to learn traditional dancing and before she met Chitrasena she trained under many teachers. However, none of them had provided her a vision for life. Therefore, she continued to dance to the needs of the school curriculum and her first two teachers were Anangalal Athukorala and Welgama.
Being an avid theatre-lover like her parents, Vajira used to go to the Kalutara Town Hall with her parents whenever there was a theatre or dance performance. One day, there was a performance by Chitrasena with his beautiful dance partner Chandralekha. That was the day Vajira saw Chitrasena for the first time, dancing the Nataraja in a circle of fire and she was mesmerised by his magnificent physique. Soon she became one of his students and their families became firm friends and that is how Chitrasena came into their lives when Vajira was not even a teenager.
Many Sinhala theatre groups and artists used Chithrasena’s house in Kollupitiya for rehearsals. Artistes such as, Somabandu, Sesha Palihakkara, Amaradeva, Ananda Samarakoon, Pani Bharatha and Lionel Edirisinghe worked there with Chitrasena.
Marriage
Vajira married Chitrasena when she was 18. By that time, she was the lead female dancer of the troupe and they began to travel around the world. They performed for many distinguished audiences and were highly acclaimed by audiences.
Vajira’s extraordinary performances have been appreciated and rewarded at many international events. She was one of the first cultural ambassadors for Sri Lanka.
At the beginning of her career, there were no professional female dancers in Sri Lanka. Miriam Pieris and Chandralekha had adorned the male ‘Ves’ costume and performed on stage before her. However, Vajira’s solo of the opening pooja dance for the ballet ‘Ravana’ in 1949 was the first Kandyan dance item that broke ground for female dance art to take root in Sri Lanka. Somabandu Vidyapathi designed a special traditional Kandyan dance costume for Vajira.
Guru Chitrasena being the first professional dancer in Sri Lanka had obstacles during the early 1930s and 1940s to prove to society that the dance profession was an accepted vocation in India and the world over.
By the time Vajira’s career in dance started in 1946, society had gone through many changes. The public had started to accept dance. Dance was a subject in the school curriculum. The elite of society in the capital city paid attention and it became a fashion to learn the national dance.
Vajira’s first appearance as a dance professional in Colombo was in 1948 in Pageant of Lanka, a ballet produced to celebrate the Independence of Sri Lanka. She played the role of a deer in Chitrasena’s interpretation of ‘Ramayanaya’.
Ballets
Years later she directed and choreographed a number of highly acclaimed adult ballets such as Kindurangana (1956), Gini Hora (1968), Shadi (1972), Dance of Shiva (1985), Rashamon (1991), Chandalika (1996) and Berahanda (2001).
In 1952, when she was 20, Vajira produced her first children’s ballet ‘Kumudini’. This was the beginning of a choreography career now spanning over many decades. She collaborated with Guru Chitrasena in producing Karadiya (1961), Nala Damayanthi (1965) and Kinkini Kolama (1978) - the most treasured classical ballets of Sri Lanka.
Although Chitrasena was her guru, when she started creating her own children’s ballet, he supported her without interfering in her creativity. For most of her creative work she got inspiration from Guru Chithrasena, nature and from the books she read.
Upeka and Anjali are the two daughters of Chitrasena and Vajira and they are well-established traditional dancers in the country. Son, Anudatta, although he attempted the arts, settled as an electronic engineer. Vajira has been the mother of the Chitrasena Dance Company for over seven decades. Being a multifaceted character she not only trained dancers but equipped them with other life’s skills such as designing, sewing, packing while taking care of them like a mother.
Vajira is the creator of the next generation of professional dancers in Sri Lanka. Daughter Upeka continued the great tradition by being the principal dancer of the Chitrasena Dance Company, combining the best of Chitrasena and Vajira, until her retirement from the stage in 2011. She continues to lead the Dance Company as the Managing Director at national and international level. Younger daughter Anjalika is also an accomplished dancer, teacher and choreographer, and created her first ballet Kumbi Kathawa in 2007. Son Anudatta has been technical director of the Dance Company for many of its productions. Daughter-in-law Janaki was also a dancer and a teacher.
Third generation
Vajira was the manager of Chitrasena Vajira Kalayathanaya for many years. Today, the third generation of the Chitrasena family, granddaughters Heshma, Umadanthi, and Thaji are continuing this great legacy. Heshma is the Art Director, Thaji is the Principal Dancer and Umadanthi is the Manager of the Chitrasena Dance Company.
Many students from the Chitrasena Kalayathanaya have set up schools and dance companies of their own, and have broadened the impact of Guru Chitrasena and Vajira.
Other than numerous lifetime awards and various other awards that she received throughout her career, in 2011 she received Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of the Visual and Performing Arts Colombo and in 2020 she received Padma Shri Award from the Government of India and it is the fourth-highest civilian award in the Republic of India.
In the interview that I had three years ago with Vajira Chitrasena, her tender but very firm words of gratitude towards her beloved husband and her guru, the legendary Chithrasena still resonate in my ears.
The writer ends this tribute to the legendary ballerina of our time, Vajira Chithrasena with those words: “Without Chitrasena I would have been nothing. I was always under his guidance and he was my strength. He appreciated my presence for his work. We were inspired by each other.” - Sunday Observer.
Long life to Vajira Chithrasena