Dr Yamuna Sangarasivam

🪔 About

Dr. Yamuna Sangarasivam is a distinguished Sri Lankan-American dancer, academic, and writer, recognized for her contributions to Indian classical dance and her scholarly work in anthropology. Born and raised in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, she began her dance training at the age of six, initially learning Bharatanatyam. Her early artistic pursuits also included Western classical piano and Tamil Carnatic voice. She later emigrated with her family to the United States when she was nine years old. Sangarasivam furthered her classical Indian dance education by training in Odissi under the revered Guru Gangadhar Pradhan during her studies in Odisha, India. Her academic journey includes a Bachelor of Arts in Musicology and Piano from the University of Minnesota in 1990, followed by a Master's degree in Anthropology and Ethnochoreology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1992. In 1991, while pursuing her master's, she gained international recognition for her iconic performance as an Odissi dancer in Michael Jackson's "Black or White" music video, selected from over 3,000 auditioning dancers. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology from Syracuse University in 2000. Currently, Dr. Sangarasivam serves as a Professor of Anthropology in the Sociology & Anthropology department and is the Director of the Women and Gender Studies Program at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. Her scholarship explores themes of identity, culture, and diaspora, blending traditional artistic expression with contemporary global perspectives. She is also the author of "Nationalism, Terrorism, Patriotism: A Speculative Ethnography of War" (2021/2022).