When Dance and Science Collide: New DX Project Premieres

Note: The premiere of Of Equal Place: Isotopes in Motion is being postponed due to evolving concerns and prevention measures related to coronavirus (COVID-19). We are working closely with our partners at Michigan State University to identify next steps.

Stability and instability. Measurement. Acceleration. Fragmentation. Navigating mystery. Are we talking about nuclear physics? Or are we talking about dance?

In Dance Exchange’s new collaboration, Of Equal Place: Isotopes in Motion, we’re talking about both. The project expands who gets to dance and who gets to be a scientist by centering the contributions of and possibilities for women and people of color in those fields.

Commissioned by the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University (MSU), Of Equal Place is co-directed by Dance Exchange Partnering Artist Keith Thompson and Associate Artistic Director Elizabeth Johnson Levine. The work premieres March 19-21, 2020 at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts at MSU.

As Keith and Elizabeth explain, “Watching a dance is a creative process, much like the creative process of scientific research: you set up an experiment. You observe. From those observations, you collect data. Then, there’s the key process of interpreting the data in a way that makes sense to you. Notice what you connect to, what meaning you are making, and let your own discoveries unfold.”

Learn more about Of Equal Place: Isotopes in Motion and read a recent newsletter about its development, including how it was inspired by and builds upon Dance Exchange founder Liz Lerman’s The Matter of Origins.

Stay tuned for updates from the creative team and highlights from the premiere. If you’re interested in supporting Of Equal Place and advancing our work at the intersection of art and science, we welcome your contribution.