Introspection into the Evolution of Bharathanatyam in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora During and Post Civil War

Unity, devastation, courage, helplessness, perseverance, sorrow, valour and loss were experiences of the Sri Lankan Tamils living in Sri Lanka and the broader global diaspora throughout the nations Civil War period. During this time, Sri Lankan Tamil artists around the world introduced new gestures and movements as well as altered existing Bharathanatyam vocabulary in order to produce dance works that addressed their lived experiences. If this was not contemporizing Bharathanatyam, then what is? The pain and oppression endured overflowed as expressive dance works. Through the creation of two dance films, Iappu and Isolation, this thesis investigates the potential of furthering Bharathanatyam by contemporizing and secularizing. Exploration into dance works created during the Civil War period is the fuelling factor for Iappu. In addition to acknowledging the contributions of Sri Lankan Tamils to contemporary Bharathanatyam, this thesis will intensify the versatility of Bharathanatyam movement vocabulary to tell present-day, relevant and urgent stories, such as the ones coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Isolation, the second dance film as part of this thesis, is an exploration into the various different lockdown experiences. The shared experiences of the War and the pandemic is the common theme within the films.