varshini sudhakar
Varshini Sudhakar is an undergraduate student at Boston University majoring in Human Physiology, with a minor in Public Health. She is a Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer under the tutelage of Guru Smt. Gayathri Sudhakar, and is the Assistant Creative Director and principal dancer at Nrithya Samarpanam School of Dance, where she has choreographed various pieces and curated module lessons. Varshini is currently working towards a dance diploma program through the Sanchari Kala Parishad and has performed at various events, including the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, World Culture Festival, Natyanjali, and TEDx. She has received the Yuva Nrithya Manajari Award, created a contemporary dance piece for Bow Seat's Ocean Advocacy Program, and was an Indian Raga Fellow in 2022. She is also a dancer on BU's competitive classical dance team, Dheem. Outside of dance, she is a trained Carnatic vocalist and Veena player under Guru Smt. Malathi Krishnamani. She is a Clinical Research and Recruitment Assistant at Boston Medical Center through the BU Stepp Lab, and is researching the development of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome in female veterans at the Center for Military Health. She hopes to conduct research related to the intersections of health and dance, and pursue a career in medicine.
abstract
Vivadanugatha Varnanam- Bharathanatyam's Representation of Women in Epics
Poster
Vivadanugatha Varnanam discusses the concept of Bharathanatyam's portrayal of women in epic stories, feminism, stereotypical "background characters,” and various perspectives of a dancer with differing positions. The dance form showcases women as a symbol of strength, a warrior, a lover, and most popularly, a nurturer, as listed in the Abhinaya Darpana's Nayika Bheda. Many of the Epic stories, such as the Mahabharatha, and Ponniyin Selvan, are shared through observations, word of mouth, and written scriptures, with the representation of women slowly evolving throughout the years. This work includes an ongoing survey sent to Bharathanatyam dancers on their opinions on the controversial and stereotypical depiction of women in these works. The study investigates how performers reinterpret these characters to reflect evolving ideas of femininity, individuality, and resistance, to identify the shifts from traditional portrayals to a more empowering and nuanced understanding of female figures.