Vaidehi Subramanyan is a Canberra-based Bharatanatyam dancer, trained in the Kalakshetra style.
Bharatanatyam, originally known as sadir, is a classical dance form originating in Tamil Nadu, South India. The art consists of pure dance focused on rhythm and grace (nritta), story-telling (nritya) and acting (nātya). The dance has traditionally explored themes from Hindu scriptures and folklore, often by relating the divine with the everyday.
The main pieces of the evening’s show will each show the perspective of a different kind of nāyika (romantic heroine) – from the vipralabdha nāyika (one who feels deceived by her lover), the virahotkanthita nāyika (one distressed by separation), to the swadhinapathika nāyika (who is confident in her lover’s devotion to her).
The music and poetry which the pieces are set to are centuries old. A beautiful reminder of the universality of human experience, both in how we relate to others and seek spiritual enlightenment.
