Kalasuri The Kala Suri ( si, කලා සූරී; ta, கலாசூரி, translit=Kalācūri) is a Sri Lankan national honour awarded "''for special contributions to the development of the arts''". It is conventionally used as a title or prefix to ...

Rajini Selvanayagam (1951/1952 – 20 October 2023) was a veteran Sri Lankan traditional dancer. She was popularly dubbed as the Queen of Dance.

Biography

She was born and raised in Balangoda.

Career

She founded her own dance academy "Chamara Kala Nikethanaya" in 1975. She ran the Chamara Kala Nikethanaya which was solely intended at building a value-based society enhancing culture, traditions, customs through the art of dancing. She was well known as a professional teacher of dancing during her illustrious career and she gave so much emphasis on the propagation and sustenance of unique forms of Sri Lankan dance art. She was conferred with prestigious

during the

2005 Sri Lankan national honours In November 2005 President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Kumaratunga awarded national honours to 231 individuals for distinguished services. The awards ceremony was held on 14 November 2005 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Co ...

. She was also conferred with Kala Keerthi and Vishwa Kala Keerthi titles during her career.

Death

She died on 20 October 2023 at the age of 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selvanayagam, Rajini 1932 births 2023 deaths Sri Lankan female dancers Sri Lankan dancers Dance teachers People from Sabaragamuwa Province