April 7 | 6:30pm
Artist and educator Ahalya Satkunaratnam in discussion with ArtSpring’s Dance Outreach Coordinator Aina Yasué.
Join us on Zoom as we speak with interdisciplinary artist and educator Dr Ahalya Satkunaratnam to learn about her new book, Moving Bodies, Navigating Conflict: Practicing Bharata Natyam in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and dance project, Usha/Agni/Vyvastha (Dawn/Fire/Order).
Ahalya will be discussing how activism, academics, and art practice intersect. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A open to the community.
Presented by ArtSpring in collaboration with Made in BC Dance on Tour. To register to receive a free Zoom link email: tickets@artspring.ca You can also send questions in advance, by 5pm Tuesday April 6.
2020 marked the release of Ahalya’s book, Moving Bodies Navigating Conflict: Practicing Bharata Natyam in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Wesleyan Press. The book explores how dance practices make and undo local and state nationalisms, the intersections of gender and ethnicity with cultural practices, and the personal experiences of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war. Her written work can be found in the new edition of Rethinking Women’s and Gender Studies, Dance Research Journal, SAMAR: South Asian Magazine for Action and Reflection, Options Magazine, Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies, and in Women’s Studies Quarterly.
Currently, Aina serves on the Board of Directors of Made in BC: Dance On Tour (MiBC), and as a director for the Salt Spring Community Alliance, a non-partisan and grassroots organization that facilitates and offers public meetings on issues from climate change to racism in the community. She is excited to have recently joined ArtSpring in collaboration with MiBC as a Community Dance Connector. She is passionate about exploring dance as an intersection between critical theory and community organizing centered on care.
