Priya Srinivasan

🪔 About

Dr. Priya Srinivasan is an internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, author, and researcher, recognized for her groundbreaking work that interweaves South Asian classical dance, particularly Bharatanatyam, with contemporary and postcolonial frameworks to address social justice issues. Based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia, she holds a PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. Srinivasan is the author of the award-winning book "Sweating Saris: Indian Dance as Transnational Labor" (2012), a significant academic contribution that highlights Indian dance as transnational labor. Her artistic and scholarly practice is deeply rooted in feminist decolonization processes, aiming to make visible the often-untold histories of minority women. She began her professional dance career as a key dancer with the Bharatam Dance Company from 1990 to 1995, which was notably the first Asian Australian funded professional dance company. In 2019, Dr. Srinivasan co-founded Sangam, a dynamic performing arts platform in Melbourne, where she serves as its Artistic Director. Under her leadership, Sangam has become an acclaimed hub for South Asian artistic and research excellence, actively working to address systemic inequity in the arts and featuring a diverse array of over 300 artists, scholars, and creatives. Her experimental and interdisciplinary performances have garnered international attention, being presented in major festivals, theatres, museums, galleries, and universities across the USA, UK, Europe, China, India, and Australia. Dr. Srinivasan has received numerous prestigious accolades for her pioneering contributions to the arts and academia. In 2024, she was honored as the inaugural recipient of the National Award for "Asia Pacific Impact" from Creative Australia and also received the Game Changer Award from Asia Society. Her critically acclaimed interdisciplinary performance, "The Durga Chronicles," a collaborative effort with Uthra Vijay and Philipa Rothfield, earned a Green Room Award for Breaking Ground in 2023 and the DSA Award for Dance and Transformation of the Public Sphere in 2024. She has also engaged in significant intercultural collaborations, including "Agam" with veena player/composer Hari Sivanesan and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2023, and "Churning Waters," an intercultural work with Indian indigenous and First Nations artists that toured India for the Australia Festival. Prior to her current roles, she held a tenured position as an Associate Professor at UCR. Awards & Honours: National Award for "Asia Pacific Impact" (2024), Game Changer Award, Green Room Award for Breaking Ground (2023), DSA Award for Dance and Transformation of the Public Sphere (2024).