معرفی
Sumedha Bhattacharyya serves as Visiting Instructor in Dance at the University of Utah and Lecturer at Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities (India), while pursuing her PhD in Ethnomusicology at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. An interdisciplinary dance artist and filmmaker, she explores performance-technology intersections through screendance and visual ethnography.
Her educational foundation includes:
- MA in Dance Knowledge, Practice and Heritage (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
- B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering (University of Engineering and Management, India)
- BA in Sociology (Sikkim Manipal University, India)
Bhattacharyya's research investigates how camera-work transforms dance expression, with emphasis on motion capture technology, traditional martial arts preservation, and gender dynamics in South Asian performance contexts. Her fieldwork spans Norway, France, Hungary, UK, Mexico, and Ghana through Erasmus Mundus and AHRC-funded projects.
Recent publications reveal dual scholarly trajectories: screendance theory examining its potential as secular space and international festival frameworks, alongside anthropological studies of gender paradoxes in Bangladesh's Lathi Khela martial arts tradition using autoethnographic methods.
Key recognitions include:
- Best Cinematographer award (Chalachitram National Film Festival 2023)
- Erasmus Mundus scholarship
- AHRC funding for "Water Nodes" project
- Kolkata Centre for Creativity fellowship (2021)
Her grant portfolio features Arts and Humanities Research Council support for "MOCAP Streamer" (2022) and practice-based arts research. Teaching roles at Ashoka University, Barnard College, and current institutions demonstrate cross-institutional mentorship.
Collaborative projects like "Water Nodes" integrate motion capture with intergenerational storytelling, reflecting partnerships with international dance-theatre makers across Romania, Scotland, Mexico, and France.
