T. Shriraam
It is a privilege to live and dance on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people. It is with my deepest respects that I continue the process of Storying on their Land.
The dance practice of Bharatanatyam comes into existence by the tireless work by the Hereditary artists. I pay my repects to the Women & the Nattuvanars for giving us this Art.
Dance Artist | Researcher | Dance Educator
Born on the shared lands of the Woi Warrung & the Wada Warrung peoples, Shriraam is a dance artist, researcher and dance educator. With over 25 years journey of dance, Shriraam seeks to understand perception through dance making & research with criticality and sensitivity. Shri is constantly training in the practices of Bharatanatyam, Margi technique of Karanas, Bharata Nrityam, Hatha Yoga and Kalaripayuttu. Having graduated from University of Melbourne’s Victorian College of the Arts, Shriraam holds a First Class Honours of Masters of Dance. Shriraam is an emerging codified and contemporary dance maker and dancer within the Australian and Indian dance scene. Continuously training under great acharyas like Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, Shriraam has come in contact with various perspectives and dance art & performance art. Shriraam is the founder and artistic director of Shri Nrityam and seeks to make a lasting imprint on the global platform for a diverse art scene. Shriraam is currently developing the Shri Nrityam practice of Dance by researching into somatic movement, dance science and Saktha philosophy. Through the Shri Nrityam Sadhana program, Shriraam has designed the program based on the study of Critical Pedagogy and has created a Horizontal space of learning and exploration. Shri shares the art of dance and the philosophy of movement with over 50 students in Melbourne and other parts of the world of various backgrounds. Being an active performer, Shriraam is constantly in the process of refinement & research, thus creating a broader perspective of understanding subjective perception through dance, research and teaching.
In the Press
"Shriraam Theiventhiran, a Bharatanatyam practitioner, brings a productive sense of sprawl to the space. With his small orchestra seated to one side, he stomps and flaunts in widening circles, seeming to be everywhere at once.
Theiventhiran celebrates traditional dance but his lusty vigour also has a strikingly modern vibe. This is a work that is experimental in ways that we don’t usually see in contemporary dance. And it’s rollicking good fun." - The Sydney Morning Herald, 2021
"Shriraam Theiventhiran took to the stage next in Sacred Sensuality, accompanied by a four piece classical Indian band including vocals, string and drums. While this piece was dynamic and contemporary it was also the most traditional of the night, steeped in the form Bharata Nrityam – a combination of the classical South Indian form Bharatanatyam and the techniques of Natya Sastra. The tone and pace of the music and dance shifted back and forth as if in a dialogue and conflict with each other, creating an evocative sense of longing and taking the audience on a captivating journey. Theiventhiran took charge of the whole space, circling many times in fierce energetic bounds and leaps and transitioning to slower movements more imploring and delicate. The work is said to have explored religious sentiment, love and lust and was framed by an opening monologue that implored, “I crave something more. Nothing short of union will quench this great fire, burning for my Lord”." - The Indian Weekly, 2021
"professional dancer Shriraam Theiventhiran took to the stage, resurrecting an ancient Indian performing arts treatise from 200 BC called natyashastra to explore his feelings of dislocation growing up as the only South Asian in his white western Melbourne primary school. His eyes dramatically darted back and forth in unison with the beat – a hallmark of traditional Indian dancing where the expressions on a dancer’s face are as crucial as what they’re doing with their arms, legs, feet and hands. Using energetic yet precise movements, Theiventhiran’s spoken word and contemporary take on an ancient artform was simultaneously stirring and spellbinding." - Peril.com.au, December 2019
"An inner monologue followed, in an interdisciplinary exploration of spoken word, poetry and sculpturistic imitation in movement (neo Karanas). Music by Kalmi 'Duduksa' was presented by K. Shriram, who explored the isolation and loneliness of a migrant battling racial and sexual identity crisis. A bold piece, presented with such sensitivity, there were no cringe worthy moments. The spoken word between 'paccha Thamizh' and English helped easily grasp, in a word, the diverse cultural existence we lead - one in our homes and another outside. With childlike innocence, the protagonist negotiated both complex issues of racial and sexual identity." - Narthaki.com, November 2019
'And here was another remarkable feature of the performance: when he first came on stage I am sure I was not alone in wondering how a young man with very short hair was going to make me participate in the spirit and embodiment of a young devadasi girl. It is entirely a tribute to him that I simply ceased to be caught up by such thoughts - like all true artists, he made us see and imagine what he performed." - Narthaki.com, December 2018