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March 2025: Sujit Vaidya

Who is Sujit Vaidya in a sentence?

I’m an independent dance artist trained in Bharatanatayam, interested in accessing personal histories in the dances that I make.

Tell us a bit about your work and practice.

My practice is rooted in many histories, many experiences passed down through many bodies. It holds rich intergenerational knowledge while simultaneously holding violent histories of erasure, marginalization and appropriation. Equipped with this information, I engage with the form that I carry in my body, with responsibility. I choose to tell stories from my personal histories and find intersectionality with all of what I have inherited as a practitioner with privilege. I engage with curiosities around body, gaze, shame and eroticism. I make dances about my queer experiences and influences. I continue to train with my teacher in India, to ground myself deeply inside of the form, so that I can access it responsibly and effectively as a language to tell stories. As I get older, I find myself drawn to silences and small gestures. I’m interested in sculpting abstract spaces for my audiences imagination to inhabit. Some of this reflects in my current work. I’m also deeply drawn to what I know as “traditional” Bharatanatyam as was handed down to me. I’m invested in deepening the language and performance of it and I think this intersectionality is what makes my voice unique.

How long have you been dancing?

My formal training in dance began in 2006.

How does dance fit into your life currently – are there any upcoming projects you want to share with us?

Dance is not separate from my everyday life. My physical practice includes 2-3 hours in studio 4-5 times a week irrespective of whether there is a performance looming. However, dance is constantly happening, whether in random creative thoughts, or in grant writing or in how I navigate life. As I get older, I am really starting to marvel at the things about my body that had never factored in my thoughts. I love access to the mind body connectivity through dance. It is a big part of my mental and physical wellness.

Currently, I am immersed in reviving a work that was presented in 2023. It is a work that is very close to me. It is called Breathe In The Fragrance. I’m getting ready to remount it for VIDF on March 11 and 13. It is a beautiful celebration of the dance form that I deeply love. This work was created over 3 years. It is an organic intersection of a poem that is part of the “traditional” repertoire in Bharatanatyam, and is infused with my queer lived experiences and influences. To briefly summarize the work, it is a RITUAL, an INVITATION and a FANTASY. It is a sensory ritual, of taste, smell, sight, touch and sound, created with Mogra or Indian Jasmine flowers that are part of the dance design. It is an invitation for collective transformation through a queer fantasy.

I am also working on a “traditional” margam presenatation, to tour in BC in the fall.

How would you describe dance’s impact on your life?

Dance has taught me presence; in accessing the moment without dwelling on the past or future. And gratitude! Deep gratitude for being able bodied and unlocking physical potential that leaves me humbled. I carry both these lessons in my life. 

What three core values drive your engagement with dance?

Intention, Integrity and Hard work.

Do you have a particular practice that you carry out each day or have you implemented new practices over these last few years?

My daily practice includes dancing adavus and an alaripu. These are movement structures that immediately connect me to a familiarity and a way for me to enter my practice space for whatever is planned (or unplanned). I do not meditate beyond the dancing. I weight train 5 times weekly. A new practice I have incorporated in the last few years is creative writing. I find that this helps connect me in more tangible ways to the things I’m dreaming about. It is also helpful resource material for when I’m creating work and for grant writing. I have very deliberately made the choice of not integrating other physical practices in my body. The only other physical practice I have engaged with briefly is Kalari. I want everything I say to come from the language of Bharatanatyam as I know it. Whether it is perceived as such is not of interest to me. I’m happy for folks to have their own opinions about that. For me, it is about clarity. It is really important to be completely grounded in a language before the expression of it has resonance. This is also why I continue to train and perform “traditional” margams, to keep developing language at a cellular level.

What would you say are the most significant benefits for you in being a Dance Centre member?

The Dance Centre has consistently supported and presented my work. I have been part of residencies, dance labs and workshops offered here. All of these have helped advance my artistic practice and led to many creative collaborations. I find that The Dance Centre values artistic merit and nurtures meaningful artistic expression by making career building resources and networking opportunities available to many artists including myself.

As an emerging choreographer, I appreciate having subsidized access to the many studio spaces for research, creation and rehearsals. I immensely value the collective team expertise of Mirna, Raquel, Linda and Heather to seek guidance when needed. I have had many opportunities to meet with and pitch my work to programmers from all across Canada.

The Dance Centre’s commitment to nurturing audiences while supporting the work of Canadian and international artists creates a vibrant space for evolving artistic practices to thrive, be seen and be celebrated. It connects artists to newer audiences, and fosters both to learn, grow and evolve. This enriches cultural landscapes and inspires artists to push boundaries and share their unique voices. The Dance Centre, in my opinion is vital to the future of Canadian arts.

Sujit’s Member Profile
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Photos by Seenu Yellapu Images and Laura Lee