Sari Sir

Sari Sir is a dance drama that transforms the sari into more than clothing – through the South Indian classical dance form of Bharathanatyam, the six-metre length of cloth tells stories of joy, protection, longing, birth, grief, and even death. Flowing across bodies and scenes, the fabric embodies the resilience and fragility of life itself.

The production journeys into the world of indentured sugar plantation workers, exposing the wounds of colonial brutality:

physical hurt, stigmatization, and deep emotional trauma. Stripped of power, these docile labourers clung to survival, yielding to their masters with bowed heads and the timid phrase, “Sari, Sir” which in Tamil means, “Okay, Sir”.

The title weaves this haunting surrender with the ever-present garment of Indian womanhood, stitching together histories of pain and endurance.

Written, Directed and Choreographed by: Saranya Devan

Cast: Dino Vavatzanidis, Daniel Boucher, Tameka Petersen, Karabo Seitshiro, Cassidy Flatwell, Reanli Swart, Ree Strauss, Kabo Kola, Julio Volkwyn and Breyton Bridgens (Students from the Centre for Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies, trained in Drama and Bharathanatyam under Saranya Devan’s direction)