Performing artist Sridaya Srivatsan’s open palms reach like branches toward the sky as she dances at the Dominion Arboretum and the Rideau Canal Locks. Her saris alternate between green and blue, like a visual homage to Mother Earth. Srivatsan’s latest dance project video, “Poetry in Motion,” released on November 23, grew out of her deep love for nature during COVID.
“As the pandemic came upon us, many took to the forests and wilderness to cope with the inability to connect with other humans in person,” she writes in the video’s description.
The ancient South Indian art form, Natyam, directly translates to “dance” and is known for oral storytelling through expressive hand and facial gestures. Srivatsan, a dancer and singer, worked with music producer Naledi Sunstrum to build a rhythmic melody inspired by two Tamil poets from the 8th and 20th centuries. The poets’ words celebrating divinity helped the artists build a musical backdrop for movement and show respect for the natural world—a world that provided Srivatsan with a refuge during lockdowns.
“I thought, well, that’s perfect because I’m trying to build this message of revering nature and understanding that we have to find nature divine, and then find the divinity through nature as well, that relationship that is explored by these two poets,” Srivatsan says.
Sridaya Srivatsan. Photo provided.
Mailyne Briggs filmed the video, which displays Ottawa’s greenspace with full tree foliage and brightly diffused sunlight. Much like its conception, “Poetry in Motion” was finalized in a very pandemic-era way, through a series of Zoom meetings between Srivatsan and Briggs. The project came to life through local collaboration and funding from the city’s Cultural Funding Support grant, which aims to amplify independent local artists and their communities.
It’s no coincidence that poetry appears in the piece’s title and composition. As program director for the reading series In Our Tongues, Srivatsan’s love for poetry is woven throughout her music and physical movements. In addition to providing the percussion on the song, she sings its lyrics. She says the integrated relationship between story and music is integral to Natyam and its role in passing on tales in Indian culture.
Sridaya Srivatsan. Photo provided.
“The type of stories that would be re-enacted were from Hindu scriptures or Hindu stories that convert into a physical presentation to story-tell to the masses,” she says. “And I think it’s very cool how a lot of the art forms in India have evolved from a very similar storyline of basically being a way for communities to tell each other stories.”
While pouring so much dedication into “Poetry in Motion,” Srivatsan says she’s worn a lot of hats, from researcher and grant writer to choreographer and marketer. She says support for independent artists is invaluable, since “we have to make $1 go very far when we do receive grants.”
“The music and the dance, they coexist,” she says. “They need each other so badly that it used to be very common, back in the day, that dancers would also sing. And so, me also doing the music for the dance is paying homage to that tradition that existed.”
Sridaya Srivatsan’s classical Indian dance video “Poetry in Motion” can be viewed on YouTube. Follow her on Facebook.
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