Vajira : The first professional female dancer of the sinhalese style

Abstract

This article analyzes the historical role of Vajira, the first professional female dancer of the Sinhalese style, analyzed according to her influence on the culture of Sri Lanka. Her life-work played a decisive role not only for the development of female stage dance, but also for the more recent movements of Sinhalese female ritualists. Here, Vajira's extraordinary career is described, and her most important ballets, tours, and awards are named. The article outlines some examples of her numerous contributions to modern dance training in some detail, and highlights her pedagogical role in the development of children's dance training techniques and children's ballet. Finally, it briefly presents Vajira's newest project for the preservation of traditional Sinhalese male up-country dance.