About

Weber State University’s Moving Company Presents:

Dance Science Fest: A Body In Motion

A performance linking the study of motion with the practice of motion

Erik Stern (Performing Arts) and Adam Johnston (Physics) work with WSU students to create an interdisciplinary performance highlighting the connections between the arts and sciences, with particular focus on physics and dance/choreography. Performances are being conducted for up to 1000 students at a time at Weber State, as well as some smaller audiences in school auditoriums and public showings at the spring 2015 Orchesis performance.

Support for this program is provided by the Hall Endowment for Community Outreach, a Hemingway Collaborative Project Award, and a Lindquist Faculty Fellowship for Creative and Artistic Endeavors, all through Weber State University.

Philosophy

The “elements” of dance (time, space and energy) are not only compatible with physics, they are partly derived from them. A Body In Motion demonstrates traditional concepts such as waves, forces, and fluids. Additionally, “big ideas” and practices of science are inherent in the dance performance, including experiment, investigations, questioning, and even data analysis.

Far from being in competition with one another, science and art reinforce and share fundamental thinking. Creating a dance requires complex problem solving with attention to design elements. These skills correspond with the planning of a research study to investigate something as simple as the nature of matter. Put another way, science and art are more than boxes for organizing some of what we know about the world and our culture; they are ways of thinking that lead to rich and powerful human endeavors. They represent some of the best outcomes that we could hope for in our educational system.