Dancing Science?

It’s not too often that the worlds of science and dance mix, but choreographer Liz Lerman is one of those starting to change that. Lerman has created two pieces as of now that deal with scientific topics: “Ferocious Beauty: Genome” (2006) and “A Matter of Origins” (2011). “Ferocious Beauty: Genome” focuses, as the title suggests, on the human genome—more specifically genetic research and engineering. “A Matter of Origins” is more physics related, focusing on the idea of beginnings: especially the world’s beginning and the Big Bang theory. Through her choreography, Lerman brings together scientific ideas and research with the art of dance to cumulatively make science more accessible for the everyday folk. Her pieces educate the audience on the facts of the topic, and bring up the questions that surround the research, such as the various ethical questions within the field of genetic engineering, and how it will change our futures. Scientific dance is still being developed, and explored (especially for its educational potential) but goes to show the beauty behind nature’s artwork, and the different ways people continuously find to explore and showcase that beauty.

Guest article written by Kerry (toujoursjamais.tumblr.com)

(Image Credit: 1, 2)