Overview

• Manisha Biswas, a doctoral candidate at Humboldt University’s Berlin School of Mind and Brain, won the Dance-Your-PhD competition's social sciences category, receiving a $750 prize.
• Her nine-minute video features synchronized dance sequences in Berlin’s Gleisdreieckpark, U2 subway, and a fictional club, illustrating the role of movement in identity formation and self-perception.
• The project was a grassroots collaboration involving friends, a DJ, trained dancers, and a director, with scenes filmed on a limited budget in local spaces, including a basement club.
• Biswas was inspired to create the video after friends found her dissertation topic complex, aiming to make her research accessible and engaging for a broader audience.
• Following this achievement, she plans a field study to explore physiological synchronization, such as heartbeat alignment, between DJs and clubgoers in real-world settings.