Deshamanya Dr. Vajira Chitrasena, renowned Sri Lankan traditional dancer, choreographer, and esteemed teacher, passed away on September 23 at the age of 92. This essay is a tribute to her life and legacy.
Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage includes a fusion tradition of dance. Only a few have contributed more to its preservation and 
modernisation than iconic Chitrasena and his wife, Vajira. The pioneering couple elevated Kandyan dance—a practice rooted in ritual and village traditions—into a recognised art form both locally and globally. Vajira was often referred to as the Prima Ballerina of Kandyan dance for her transformative role in reshaping how dance was viewed, especially for women.
The dance traditions of Sri Lanka were steeped in rituals, often confined to villages, with a limited appeal to urban audiences. Vajira’s husband, Chitrasena, sought to revolutionise this by adapting traditional Kandyan dance for the stage. It is a task that required more than skill ; it demanded immense dedication.
After establishing the Chitrasena Kalayathanaya in 1944, Chitrasena set the foundation for a national dance academy where students could study under trained masters. His students included his future wife Vajira. She would go on to play a key role in the development of female dance roles, an aspect of the art form that had previously been dominated by male performers. Vajira’s work, in collaboration with Chitrasena, helped create new opportunities for women in dance and solidified her place as the first female professional Kandyan dancer in Sri Lanka.
Unique path
Chitrasena is credited for pioneering Kandyan dance. However, Vajira’s influence carved a unique path for female performers. Traditionally, Kandyan dance was seen as a male-dominated art form, characterized by powerful, vigorous movements. Vajira, however, adapted these techniques, creating a vocabulary for the lasya—an expression of feminine grace within the Kandyan tradition. This work helped to expand the artistic boundaries of the dance and allowed women to step into a space that was once unavailable to them. The adaptation of the Gajaga Vannama, a traditionally masculine performance, exemplified how Vajira brought grace and softness into the male-centric technique.
Chitrasena and Vajira together introduced innovative choreography, integrated storytelling, and pushed the boundaries of what Kandyan dance could express. They faced initial resistance, particularly from those who were protective of traditional forms. Their vision eventually garnered international acclaim.
Vajira’s achievements extended beyond her performance on stage. She served as a teacher, inspiring countless young dancers who sought to follow in her footsteps. She balanced the demands of being a mother, wife, teacher, and performer.
Reluctant dancer
Vajira Chitrasena’s path to becoming Sri Lanka’s first female professional Kandyan dancer was not straightforward. At the outset, dance was not her calling. As a young girl, she would avoid dance lessons conducted by Chitrasena, then a striking and promising dancer who was gaining recognition across Sri Lanka. It was Vajira’s mother who persuaded her to continue attending these lessons, unknowingly setting her daughter on a path toward making history.
Vajira’s formal dance education began in earnest when she decided to join the Chitrasena Kalayathanaya in 1946 as a full-time student. Within two years, she became a soloist in Chitrasena’s troupe, showcasing her abilities on stages in Sri Lanka and abroad. By 1948, she performed in the Pageant of Lanka, a major cultural event marking Sri Lanka’s independence from British rule. Her presence on stage marked the beginning of her rise as a key figure in Kandyan dance.
Vajira’s unique contribution lay in her ability to transform Kandyan dance for female performers. Historically, Kandyan 
dance was rooted in masculine energy, with its strong, sharp movements designed to express power and strength. Vajira, however, introduced the softer lasya element into the dance, balancing the masculine (thandava) energy with grace and subtlety. Through her performances, she demonstrated that Kandyan dance could also express feminine elegance without losing its rigor.
One of Vajira’s most celebrated contributions was her interpretation of the Gajaga Vannama, traditionally a masculine dance performed to honour the elephant. In her version, Vajira imbued the performance with a softer, more fluid grace, allowing the dance to take on a new form while still respecting its traditional roots. This adaptation was seen as groundbreaking, providing female dancers with a platform within a dance form that had previously excluded them.
The international dance community quickly took notice of Vajira’s talents. She performed in major cultural capitals such as Moscow, Berlin, New Delhi, London, and Sydney. Her performances were widely acclaimed, with audiences and critics alike marveling at her ability to combine grace with strength.
Chitrasena is recognised as the father of modern Sri Lankan dance. Vajira played a key role in helping him realise his vision and take it to greater heights. Together, they expanded the boundaries of traditional dance, merging performance with innovation and making the art form accessible to a global audience.
Vajira’s mission
Chitrasena’s contributions to dance began early, performing on stage at the age of 15 and eventually forming his own dance company in 1943. His vision was to elevate Kandyan dance from village rituals to a more formalised stage performance, bringing greater structure to the art while still preserving its traditional roots. Vajira was central to this mission. In fact, it was through her involvement that women were introduced into an art form that had traditionally excluded them. Prior to her, women did not perform Kandyan dance professionally, making Vajira a trailblazer.
Vajira’s work was not limited to just dancing; she also took on the role of choreographer and teacher. She developed her own style of teaching Kandyan dance, making it more accessible to a new generation of dancers. Her methods incorporated lessons from her experiences abroad, where she encountered other dance forms such as classical ballet and modern dance. These experiences, including tours to Eastern Europe and interactions with renowned dancers like Martha Graham, influenced her approach to choreography and teaching. She devised new training exercises that helped break down the complex movements of Kandyan dance, making it easier for students to learn and perform with precision.
Together, Vajira and Chitrasena created new productions that pushed the boundaries of traditional dance. Their works, such as Chandali and Kinkini Kolama, brought Sri Lankan dance to the international stage. These productions were not only admired for their technical brilliance but also for their storytelling and innovative choreography. The couple’s tours to Russia, India, Australia, Canada, and Europe brought them into the limelight, and their performances were often attended by prominent figures, including global leaders and royalty.
However, their journey was not without challenges. The pair faced initial resistance from the local community, with many critics accusing Chitrasena of tampering with tradition. Others dismissed Vajira’s involvement as a mere accompaniment to her husband’s work, not recognising her own contributions to the field. Over time, however, their persistence paid off, and they earned respect as cultural icons.
The accolades poured in, with both receiving prestigious cultural awards for their efforts to promote and preserve Sri Lanka’s dance heritage.
Their artistic partnership, based on mutual respect and shared passion, helped establish a foundation for generations of dancers to come. Today, the Chitrasena Kalayathanaya continues to thrive under the guidance of their children and grandchildren, ensuring that the legacy of Vajira and Chitrasena lives on.
Vajira’s teaching methods were a culmination of her lifelong exposure to various dance forms, from the classical Sri Lankan traditions to her brief encounters with ballet and modern dance. Her commitment to teaching went beyond simply preserving tradition—she sought to make Kandyan dance more adaptable, accessible, and refined for contemporary performers. One of her notable contributions was the creation of specific training exercises that broke down the complex and vigorous movements of Kandyan dance into more manageable components. By doing so, she ensured that her students could achieve the clarity, precision, and strength required for professional performance.
Combined elements
Her work as a choreographer is equally notable. Vajira pioneered the development of dance theatre in Sri Lanka, co-creating the genre of Mudra Natya (Sinhala ballet). This form combined elements of traditional dance with narrative storytelling, music, and drama.
It represented a significant shift in the way Kandyan dance was performed and perceived, and Vajira’s contributions to this form were instrumental in its success. Despite the physical challenges of motherhood and advancing age, Vajira never ceased to be actively involved in dance. Barely three months after giving birth to her child in 1957, she resumed her place on stage, performing in the USSR.
Her passion for the art form defied the social conventions of her time, where women were often expected to prioritise domestic roles over personal ambition. Instead, Vajira balanced both, continuing to tour and perform around the world while raising her family. Vajira’s impact extended far beyond her own performances. Through her teaching, she helped shape the careers of numerous dancers who went on to become prominent figures in the Sri Lankan arts scene. Her influence is especially felt in the Kalayathanaya, where her daughters Upeka and Anjalike, as well as her granddaughters, have followed in her footsteps.
As the first female professional dancer in this tradition, she not only opened the door for future generations of women but also elevated the dance form to new artistic heights.
Her legacy, along with that of her husband Chitrasena, continues to inspire dancers in Sri Lanka and around the world. As she once said, “Dance is not just something we do; it is who we are.” For Vajira, this statement rings true in every sense, as her life’s work has become inseparable from the history and evolution of Sri Lankan dance.
Sachitra Mahendra