Rooted in the framework of the navarasas, or nine emotional states, this workshop invites participants to explore how these fundamental emotional states, such as wonder, fear, anger, compassion, and peace, can become tools for making sense of the unequal and fractured world we inhabit.

Ranjini is interested in how such practices might help us respond performatively to the realities of climate catastrophe and social injustice: how they can give language, movement, and form to the horror, grief, and urgency of our times, while also opening up space for resilience, solidarity, and re-imagination. At the same time, Ranjini does not romanticise the dramatic treatises from which these practices emerge, and will also point to the injustices written into the very texts that gave us these frameworks.

The session will be experiential, combining guided exercises in embodiment, storytelling, and reflection. Participants will be invited to map their own emotional responses to the crises around us, and to explore how these might be channeled into creative and performative acts, and most importantly how these emotional states are also reflective of how power structures operate. The workshop is inspired by Ranjini’s training in the navarasas under the Koodiyattam exponent G. Venu.

Ranjini’s invitation to the artistic community would emphasise that the session is for anyone; dancers, writers, theatre-makers, visual artists, or simply those curious about emotion as a creative force, who are engaging with themes of climate breakdown, inequality, or social injustice. Together we will ask: how might this framework help us navigate both the horror and the hope of our times, and what forms of collective expression might emerge from this encounter?

This will be a hybrid session, taking place in person and online. If you would prefer to attend this workshop in person, please click here for further information and to book.

Before booking this session, we kindly ask you to complete our Health & Access form. This is so we can best support your participation and look to arrange any necessary support.

Part of Sadler’s Wells Artist Development Programme: Artist-Led Sessions. Find out more about the selection process for this programme.

Header image © Manoj Parameswaran

Header image description: A black-and-white photo of Ranjini wearing patterned clothing and jewellery, leaning forward with one hand pressed to her chest and the other braced against a surface. The background includes a brick wall and blurred outdoor elements. Her posture suggests physical discomfort or distress.