When I heard about ‘Guru Pooja’ by the students of Chitrasena-Vajira School of Dance to celebrate their teacher Upeka’s dancing career spanning over 50 years, I was rather taken aback. Has she really been dancing for so long, I asked myself. Looking back, I realized I saw her on the dance floor at the Kollupitiya premises way back in the ’60s. That was the time we parents used to spend Saturday mornings there taking our children to the country’s foremost dancing school. And it was a pleasure to chat to the ‘mul gurus’ Chitrasena and Vajira whenever they took a break from the classes.
Upeka is now the ‘mul guru’. And the Kalayatanaya – now housed at Park Road on the land graciously given for a well deserved cause when Chandrika Kumaratunga was President - is a hive of activity. Right now the young ones as well as the not so young ones are rehearsing for ‘Guru Pooja’ to be staged at the same venue for three days starting Friday, December 19. It’s the first time they are having a performance in their own premises.
True Upeka grew up and danced in the shadow of the father and the mother for many years. But it didn’t take long for her to prove that she is a born dancer. Ever since she did her first major role in ‘Kinkini Kolama’, Upeka has not looked back. Every time we saw her on stage, she showed signs of brilliance. The ‘Dance of Shiva’ showed her blossoming. Critics began talking about the “proud heiress to paternal majesty and maternal grace.”
The one who observed her progress very closely was her father and ‘guru’ Chitrasena. I remember an interview he gave in 1986 -- the year Chitrasena celebrated 50 years of dance. Talking about the new generation of dancers coming out of the Chitrasena-Vajira School of Dance, he had this to say about daughter Upeka.
“My daughter Upeka has all the qualities and attributes of an exceptional dancer. Being a third generation artiste and having grown up with the dance, she has naturally absorbed it in its widest sense. She is on par on her own amongst the younger generation of artistes and is a typical product of the new generation, skilfully blending the traditional styles with a more modern interpretation which she has developed into a style uniquely her own. Moreover, she has an extraordinary sense of drama and has proved herself a very dramatic artiste as evidenced in her portrayals in ‘Kinkini Kolama’ and ‘Dance of Shiva’. She is also endowed with a keen intelligence and sensitivity which are invaluable assets for an artiste.”
Chitrasena also picked Channa, Ravibandu and Samanthi as promising outstanding dancers. Today each of them has proved that Chitrasena was right in his judgment.
Vajira obviously is happy that her daughter is performing exactly the way she did at that age. She is a keen observer and is often by Upeka’s side supporting her. It’s nice to see Vajira herself still active although she does not do what she used to in the early days. And it must be so comforting to see not only her daughters but also grand-daughters in the field of dance.
Speaking at the ‘Art of Chitrasena’ Memorial programme, Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy paid a glowing tribute to Upeka. She said: “Though young artists are beautiful to watch, to watch Upeka is to move beyond beauty, to capture something that is transcendent, that is very spiritual and eternal with her signature stamped all over it. It is our duty to strengthen the legacy that lives in her being, by giving it our support and encouragement.”
It is most heartening to see Upeka continuing the traditions in exactly the same way that Chitrasena and Vajira did over the years. We enjoyed their creations then and would very much like to continue enjoying them in the same fashion. |
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