TONY SCHULTZ Dance + Technology Expert Bronxville, NY USA BIO | POSTS

This weekend brought the World Science Festival to New York. From Thursday through Sunday science came into focus through various lectures and performances throughout the city. On Friday night I went to see Armitage Gone! Dance present The Elegant Universe as part of The Guggenheim Museum’s Works & Process series. This new dance work by Karole Armitage was inspired by theoretical physicist Brian Greene’s book The Elegant Universe about string theory.

The work consisted of three different chapters, each based on a piece physics. First relativity, then quantum mechanics and last string theory. According to the Armitage website, this triptych is meant to “unveil the central drama of current theoretical physics” namely the incommensurability of the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics, and the promise of “string theory, which resolves the conflict and revolutionizes our understanding of the universe.” Each chapter was itself split into sections the title of which was projected through the dark on a large sheet of paper held by two dancers. I enjoyed this as a theatric pedagogical device. My favorite section was Quantum Foam.

The dancing was much bigger than the stage space. Armitage has beautiful dancers all of whom are great to watch and the Guggenheim stage is terribly small. This made it especially wonderful when the dancing came off the stage and into the aisles. I always enjoy watching dancers close up especially when they its large fast movement and you know there is a possibility you might get clipped in the head. Hey, I like danger.

Blending physics and dance is also risky. If they are not thoroughly mixed, the combination of these two ingredients can create an excess convective heat. Framing the dance work, theoretically and chronologically, was talk by Karole Armitage and physicist Jim Gates director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland in College Park.

I wish Jim and Karole had spent more time trying to bridge the gap to have a conversation with each other rather than trying to teach the audience about either physics or dance. Opening up any line between the arts and sciences is valuable so I will try not to be to critical. Perhaps if they spoke about something as basic as symmetry they might have been able to have a more enlightening exchange. As it stood their conversation didn’t seem very productive for each other or the audience.

It is not that often you open up a dialogue between these two fields so I had high hopes. Physical theory and dance composition certainly have things in common regarding operations in time and space. Thanks to the Guggenheim for hosting the dance and talk. The performance of music by Lukas Ligeti held its own amidst all the high legs and high minds. The whole event and reception were enjoyable.

I hope events which help connect dance to other fields continue to be developed and sponsored.