Photo credits: Michael Tanksley, Melanie Futorian, Libby Lussenhop

On June 2, 2025, I look forward to speaking with volunteers of the American Museum of Natural History on the convergence of the arts and the sciences. More specifically, I will be sharing how a study of Bharatanatyam can give us clues as to how the brain functions. A few themes I will discuss are the study of symbols and semiology through hand gestures (hastas), the study of narration, movement, patterns, and rhythm (tala). 

Post-event reflections:
About 25 people joined, and there was rich discussion on a variety of topics.
A few things that stood out to me, including testimonials:

• "Indian dance needs to be seen up close to appreciate it. American dance is more appreciated at a distance"
• "(In Indian dance), it seems that the hands are as important as feet and integral to movement , I think."
• "Yes, I've seen Indian dance. I see that every move is part of telling a story and the face is very expressive, especially the eyes."
• A physician participant recounted her experiences of a class called "Compassionate Medicine" where they looked at art. The struggle of the fisherman in this Homer's painting was something she still remembers. 
• Another participant talked about viewing art intensely as a way to learn how to pay attention. She mentioned losing the art of looking at others in the eye while treating them due to computerized systems, but that art can be a way to bring that back. 
• Participants wondered the neuroscience of bird song and dance.
  
• They also discussed the impacts of viewing works of art on enhancing attention and focus. 

I am excited to announce that as part of the LMCC Manhattan Arts Grant mechanism, I am one of the awardees of its Creative Engagement Award! "Creative Engagement is an arts funding program that provides seed grants to individual artists and nonprofit organizations for projects and activities that offer Manhattan communities diverse artistic experiences" (see here for more details).
I thank LMCC for its continued support of my work, and I look forward to presenting Bharatanatyam at several locations in uptown Manhattan, such as Buunni Coffee, the YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood, and Aaron Davis Hall at City College.  

In past posts, we looked at the vocabulary of gestures in Bharatanatyam, called hastas. While numerous hastas have been defined and systematized in texts such as the Natya Shastra, there is immense scope for the creation of new gestures as well [1]. However, for the most part, the gestures aren't static; movement and gestures are combined to give meaning. Indeed, a recent study suggests the involvement of sensory and motor areas in language perception [2], leading others to theorize that language acquisition may be multi-sensorial and embodied [3]. 
​Speaking, listening, writing, and reading all help us learn a language. I wonder if a study of Bharatanatyam can help understand how the brain ascribes meaning to movement. 

This piece was written by the Tamil poet Suddhanatha Bharathiyar, where the poet is requesting a bee to take his message to Lord Shiva, who resides in Thillai. 

Composer: Suddhanatha Bharathiyar
Ragam (melody): Sindhubhairavi 
Talam (rhythm): Aadi
Music: Sri. Jayan Nair (voice); Krishna Nair (nattuvavgam); Manav Nair (mridangam); Sri. Rajendran Nair (flute)
Gurus: Smt Maheshwari Nagarajan and Smt Vanitha Jayan; Nritya Kala Kendra, Ahmedabad 
Video credit: Warut Snidvongs
Venue: The "Artful Mind" at Manhattanville Community Day Summer 2024 at the Zuckerman Institute 

Literature cited:

1. Iyengar S. (2024). The Use of Hand Gestures (Hastas) in Bharatanatyam for Creative Aging. The Journal of medical humanities, 10.1007/s10912-024-09861-1. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-024-09861-1. 
2. Zheng, Y., Zhang, J., Yang, Y. et al. Neural representation of sensorimotor features in language-motor areas during auditory and visual perception. Commun Biol 8, 41 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07466-5. 
3. How the Brain Links Gestures, Perception and Meaning. Quanta Magazine 2019. Link here. 

I read the recent article investigating several studies in arts-based interventions, and the conclusion that the benefits of these interventions are overstated.1 The review methodically analyses several research studies and uncovers errors in methodology such as the lack of an appropriate control group, confirmation bias, inappropriate statistical analyses, etc. The authors also show the lack of evidence showing a causal relationship between “art” and the physiological correction of the disorder. Finally, they discuss many methodological concerns with imaging studies that show the benefits of viewing and engaging in the arts [1].

My comment is from the perspective of a neuroscientist and practitioner of a traditional Indian dance form called Bharatanatyam - a 2,000-year-old art form. I have been a practitioner of Bharatanatyam for more than 30 years having started my journey in my hometown of Ahmedabad, India. In New York City now, I continue my training from my gurus in dance and music; and work as a science consultant, writer, and educator [2, 3]. I am also creating the foundation to use Bharatanatyam for creative aging [4-6].
In this paper, I would like to explore the benefits of gaining insights from non-Western art forms and discuss the potential of harm in arts-in-health practices.

I suggest that a study of traditional art forms and their practitioners in the intended context can be a way of uniting and harmonizing the findings of the paper. For example, the practice of Bharatanatyam involves a minimum of seven years and the learning of associated mythology, texts, semiology, and culture. Its study requires a commitment to the art form, and the explicit intent is devotion, not the vague promise of well-being. The study of Bharatanatyam very importantly, also requires a teacher. The study of Bharatanatyam depends on the close relationship between teacher and student. However, who gets to teach? I discuss the lineage of pedagogy in this dance form and the attributes of a teacher. Practices such as Bharatanatyam and other traditional art forms are not documented in scientific journals. How can then, the scientific community learn from them in ways that are respectful to the art form and its practitioners? How can we understand the power of Bharatanatyam, especially in its cultural context of India, a country that was colonized until very recently? Overall, does the quantification of the arts mirror its original intent? Were the arts ever meant to be used as a pill, a panacea?

Is the arts-in-health field doomed? Skov and Nadal rightly suggest the many concomitant factors that may be at play including novelty and social interactions. From my experience using Bharatanatyam for creative aging, I suggest that engagement in the arts could provide a window of opportunity for behaviors or interest, which could be sustained over time depending on factors possibly outside the artists’ or the researchers’ control.

Finally, I discuss the potential for harm. In addition to the lack of standardized methodology, and the low quality of research techniques, also missing is the potential for arts-in-health practices to harm the individuals involved and the artform in question. I suggest that researchers and practitioners spend time thinking about anticipated harms and ill-effects of art interventions, how they might be addressed, and finally, to what end.

In conclusion, I agree with Skov and Nadal that the benefits of arts-in-health interventions are often inflated and the lack of critical examination of research studies is associated with the confirmation bias they report. However, by using insights from my practice as a Bharatanatyam practitioner, I question what we gain by quantifying the arts, and if the arts were ever meant to be a quick fix for life’s maladies.
 
Literature cited:

1. Skov M, Nadal M. Can arts-based interventions improve health? A conceptual and methodological critique Phys Life Rev. 2025 Mar 14;53:239-259.
2. Iyengar SS, Lubbers LS, Harte-Hargrove L, CURE Epilepsy Post-Traumatic Initiative Advisors, Investigators. A team science approach for the preclinical and clinical characterization and biomarker development for post-traumatic epilepsy Epilepsia Open.n/a.
3. Lubbers L, Iyengar SS. A team science approach to discover novel targets for infantile spasms (IS) Epilepsia Open. 2021 Mar;6:49-61.
4. Iyengar S. The Use of Hand Gestures (Hastas) in Bharatanatyam for Creative Aging J Med Humanit. 2024 Jun 24.
5. Iyengar S. Indian Dance (Bharatanatyam) to Ease Social Loneliness and Isolation in Older Adults Critical Public Health.
6. Iyengar S. Facilitating adaptive movement in older adults through Bharatanatyam Perspect Public Health. 2024 Sep;144:282-284.