Aniruddhan Vasudevan

🪔 About

Aniruddhan Vasudevan, born in 1982, is a prominent Indian classical dancer, writer, researcher, and activist specializing in Bharatanatyam. A native of Chennai, India, he began his dance training at the age of six, after his parents noticed his interest in music. He is a senior disciple of the renowned Bharatanatyam exponent Chitra Visweswaran. Vasudevan has been performing Bharatanatyam for over two decades, having been noted as a performer for 13 years as of 2007. His career includes collaborations with dancers across India and international performances, notably with the Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington D.C.. He is recognized for his ability to infuse contemporary themes, such as war and environmental issues, into traditional Indian dance narratives, moving beyond typical mythological subjects. He also created a solo performance piece titled "Brihan Nala" to explore complex themes of gender and sexuality, drawing from Indian epics like the Mahabharata. Beyond his performance career, Aniruddhan Vasudevan is a prolific writer, contributing reviews to publications such as narthaki.com, Pulse, and Nartanam. He is also a research scholar at the University of Madras. An ardent activist, Vasudevan is passionate about issues concerning gender, sexuality, social justice, and human rights. Identifying as queer, he has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ equality in India and is a founder of The Shakti Resource Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering discourse on these critical issues.