Sambhuya – Understanding the Brain through Dance: A Bharatanatyam Recital
Sloka Iyengar PhD, a Bharatanatyam artist and neuroscientist, brings together her two passions in Saṃbhūya. A Sanskrit word that means “through joint effort,” Saṃbhūya is both a performance and a demonstration that articulates how the sciences and the arts are complementary ways of appreciating the world around us.
Sloka is passionate about relieving suffering through the sciences and the arts. Her dance practice manifests in three main ways: 1. Continuing to learn Bharatanatyam, music, and Sanskrit from her gurus; 2. Creating works that articulate the convergence between the sciences and the arts; and 3. Creating the foundation to use Bharatanatyam for creative aging.
Sloka Iyengar’s residency and performance are part of the CUNY Dance Initiative, an expansive program providing New York City choreographers and dance companies with creative residencies on CUNY college campuses. The CUNY Dance Initiative receives major support from the Howard Gilman Foundation and Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Additional support is provided by the SHS Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, and the National Endowment for the Arts. CDI is spearheaded by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College.
