Home » Rajyashree Ramesh » Research
Research
As a dancer and Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst, Rajyashree Ramesh has taken her dance knowledge and in-depth study of the intricacies of human movement into academic research. The unique and extensive cross-disciplinary analysis of the theory and practice of Natya, the Indian performing arts tradition, from the perspectives of linguistic gesture studies, cognitive linguistics, brain research on emotions and movement studies, has opened up new ground for the potential performing arts holds as a movement discipline both in practice and for research. In unveiling the very nature of innermost movement, the research thus instantiated, sheds light on how and in what ways specifically movement practices such as dance theater are of relevance, not only for performance, movement education or therapy, but also for discussions on meaning, embodiment and body-brain processes in varied research fields of research from a bottom-up perspective.
Lectures, lecture-performances and workshops
- 2021 – Workshop "Sensing&Shaping: "FasciaNatya" methodology for performance, pedagogy and therapy" for CMTAI’s online Annual Conference. https://www.cmtai.org/images/media/1637001520itAS3hiS.pdf
- 2021 – Keynote "Reversing Perspectives" for Symposium POSITIONS:DANCE#4 Creating Access #Diversity organised by Dachverband Tanz Deutschland. http://www.dachverband-tanz.de/fileadmin/dateien_DTD/PDFs/Projekte_laufende/Sym- posium/Documentation_Symposium_2021_FINAL_English.pdf
- 2021 – Lecture "Nāṭya and current embodiment research Relating kalā and śāstra: A cross-disciplinary analysis" for University of Bonn, Institut für Orient- und Asienwissenschaften.
- 2021 – Lecture-performance "Indische Tanz trifft Emotions - und Gehirnforschung" for Videokonferenz Lecture Series of Humboldt University Berlin.
- 2021 – Several online and live seminars on "Zwischen den Welten: Von interkultureller Kommunikation zu Transkulturalität" for academy - intercultural and specialized communications e.V. https://seminare.academy-isc.de/live-seminare-sommer-2021/
- 2020 – Lecture "Dance in embodied dialogue with current science. A cross-disciplinary analysis with Indian dance theatre" for Laboratory of Dance online symposium. https://sites.google.com/view/labofdance/2020-0nline?authuser=0
- 2020 – Lecture-demonstration "Fundamentals of Human Movement in Indian Classical Dance" for Nalanda Dance Research Centres Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai, India.
- 2020 – Lecture "Sensing and Shaping - the emotive-kinetic grounding of meaning. A cross-disciplinary analysis of Indian dance theatre". University of Hyderabad, India.
- 2018 – Workshop "FasciaNatya and the Cosmic Body(Elements,Chakras,Fascia) - a Transcultural Perspective" at Eurolab Conference 2018
- 2018 – Lecture-performance "Embodied concepts in the aesthetics of Indian Dance Theatre" for LIMS Laban 2018 International Conference, New York.
- 2015 – Lecture-performance "From Bharata to Bartenieff", Laban Conference, Hamburg
- 2015 – Lecture-performance and lectures in seminar "Leib und Berühren", MA Religion und Kultur, Humboldt-University Berlin
- 2014 – Invited for lecture and discussion with Prof. Gabriele Brandstetter on "Zeitgeist and Tradition in Indian Dance", Ballett-Universität Gesprächssalon at State Opera Berlin.
- 2014 – Lecture-performance in seminar "Zu den Quellen", MA Religion und Kultur, Humboldt-University Berlin
- 2013 – Workshop: Movement analytic approach to Indian dance for Master students, Dance Department, University of Hyderabad, India
- 2012 – Workshop at Festival of the Moving Body, Stonybrook University, USA
- 2011 – Workshop at "Dance Yatre" – a dance festival organised by Vyjayanthi Kashi, Bangalore
- 2010 – Lecture "Cognitive Semiotics of Natya", University of Hyderabad
- 2010 – Performance (Goethe's Iphigenie) and Lecture at ISGS Conference, Europa-University Viadrina, Germany
- 2009 – Lecture-Performance at Gesture Research Conference of Freie Universität Berlin, at House of World Cultures Berlin
- 2009 – Lecture-Performance at Interdisciplinary Symposium – New Perspectives in Dance and Cognitive Science, Bielefeld Universität
- 2007 - Lecture "The aesthetics of stylized gestures": Interdisziplinäres BGC-Kolloquium, Museum of Communication Berlin
- 2007 – Workshop, CORD/SDHS International Conference "Rethinking Theory and Practice", CND, Paris
- 2005 – Workshop, 24th Biennial Conference of ICKL. LABAN, London
- 2004 – Workshop, DNB/CCU International Dance Conference, Chinese Cultural University, Taipei
- 2003 - Performance and workshop in collaboration with Ciane Fernandes (Brazil), Annual Conference of the International Federation for Theatre Research, Jaipur, India
- 1993 - Lecture and performance: Annual Congress of Europäische Märchengesellschaft, Erlangen, Germany
Symposiums
- 2013 – Curator and Panel with Prof. Phillip Zarrilli, Ashish Mohan Khokar, Dr. Avanti Meduri and Prof. Martin Puttke at symposium "Art and Embodiment – looking beyond exoticism" (in collaboration with Eva Isolde Balzer and Werkstatt der Kulturen Berlin)
- 2013 – Lecture and panel discussion at international symposium "Indian Dance in a Global Age" (Co-curated with Dr. Avanthi Meduri in collaboration with Interweaving Performance Cultures, Freie Universität Berlin and Indian Embassy Berlin)
Published Articles
- 2014: Gestures in Southwest India: Dance Theatre. In Cornelia Müller, Alan Cienki, et al (eds.), Body-Language-Communication. An international Handbook on Multimodality in Human Interaction. Vol. II. Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
- 2013: Indian traditions: A grammar of gestures in classical dance and dance theatre. In Cornelia Müller, Alan Cienki, et al (eds.), Body-Language-Communication. An international Handbook on Multimodality in Human Interaction. Vol. I. Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
- 2012: Benefits of Dance. http://srutimag.blogspot.de/2012/05/benefits-of-dance.html. Best article award at Natyakala Conference Chennai 2010/2011
- 2010: Teaching Bharatanatyam in foreign countries. In: SHANMUKHA, special issue. Mumbai: Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha
- 2004: Can an ancient dance form like Bharatanatyam be copyrighted? http://www.narthaki.com/info/articles/art118.html and in Talam, special issue.
- 1995: ABHINAYA, Erzählkunst im indischen Tanz. In: Margarete Möckel, Helga Volkmann (eds.), Spiel, Tanz und Märchen, 123-127. Regensburg: Erich Röth Verlag
- 1982: Krishna zeig Dein Gesicht! Erzählender Tanz aus Indien. In: Johannes Merkel, Michael Nagel (eds.), erzählen. Die wiederentdeckung einer vergessenen Kunst.Geschichten und anregungen: ein handbuch, 68-82. Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt Verlag