Srividya Natarajan

🪔 About

Srividya Natarajan is an accomplished Bharatanatyam artiste, academic, and author, born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. She received extensive training in Bharatanatyam under eminent gurus, including the legendary dance master Kittappa Pillai, a descendant of the Thanjavur Brothers' legacy, and the celebrated singer T. Brinda, who hailed from illustrious devadasi families. Natarajan performed as a principal dancer across India and internationally, and has taught classical dance for over thirty years worldwide. Beyond her dance career, Natarajan pursued higher education, earning a Ph.D. in English from the University of Hyderabad in 1998. She later immigrated to Canada, where she currently resides and works as an instructor in English at King's University College, University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario. Natarajan is also a prolific writer and illustrator. Her published works include the novels "No Onions Nor Garlic" and "The Undoing Dance," as well as graphic novels such as "Bhimayana" and "A Gardener in the Wasteland." She co-authored "Taking Charge of Our Bodies" on women's health issues and illustrated children's books like "Kali and the Rat Snake." In 2002, she co-directed "Silambakoodam," a documentary exploring the hereditary dance teachers of South India. Her writings often critically engage with the history and evolution of Bharatanatyam, particularly its devadasi origins and the impact of its "reinvention" on the art form.