When writing “Do the Dance”, it was intuitively clear to me that the spirit of the piece was one’s search for home. No, not search, longing. The deep longing to find and exist in spaces that feel like honest, open, clear, warm, liberating breaths of fresh air; home. It was a fulfilling experience working on the video for “Do the Dance”. We shot it at the Malibu Hindu Temple and worked with UCLA’s Raas Bataaka dance team. Both of these elements feel like deep snapshots of my experience growing up Indian in California.
Growing up, I would frequently visit and perform at temples just like this one with my family. In high school, my Gujarati friends would bring me to Dandiya Raas events every year, and I vividly remember those nights being filled with the same excitement and joy we’d feel when going to school dances.
The Malibu temple has such a powerfully calming energy, grateful to have shot there. And big shout out to the girls from UCLA Raas for bringing a palpable joy to the shoot.
The final element that felt necessary was someone to embody this combination of search/longing/joy. I’m deeply grateful to Tanima for welcoming my request for her to be in the video. Her presence in it is effortless, subtle and powerful.
The Indian Diasporic experience in America is specific, layered and full of dimension. Tanima approached the creation of this visual with a true sensitivity, care and respect.
It feels like home.

Shouts to everyone involved:
Director - Tanima Mehrotra @bytanima
DP - Cam Roberts @cont4ct
Production - Muddy Water @muddywater / Studio Puja @studiopuja
Executive Producer: Farah Idrees @idr_farah
Executive Producer: McCray Sutherlin @mccray
Producer: Nour Sayeh @noursayeh
Associate Producer: Sahnah Dhrif @sahnahhh
Editor - Michael Rees @leadprotagonist
Colourist - Connor Bailey @connorjbailey
Stylist- Quinci Bryant @quinci
Location- Malibu Hindu Temple @MalibuHinduTemple
Dancers - UCLA Raas Bataaka @bataakanushaak

Label- @defjam


Key Gaffer - Evan Croker
Gaffer - Ricardo Biggs
1st AD - Robert Blair ll
1st AC - Ethan
2nd AC - Tanner Charnstrom
Key Grip - Samuel Diaz

Grooming (artist) - Kandi Hernandez @makeupbykandrirose
MUA (lead)- Ashley Ysabelle @ashleysabelle

PA - Natalle Jastrow
PA - TJ Gormely
PA - Diego Albuerne

Music video by Sid Sriram performing Do The Dance. © 2023 Sid Sriram Music, under exclusive license to Do What You Love Records LLC/ Def Jam Recordings a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

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