How do Scientists and Artists Collaborate: Behind the Scenes of Dance of Scales
January 12th, 2010 by max
On Saturday January 23rd, Light and Winter will present Dance of Scales, a performance about the movement of organisms at the nano, micron, and millimeter scales, and beyond. Dance of Scales is the result of a collaboration between choreographer Maren Waldman, physicist Itai Cohen and Redshift Productions’ Max Evjen and Megan Halpern. The Light in Winter festival has a history of presenting the results of artist/scientist collaboration, but just what is involved in this kind of collaboration?
Of course, different events involve different sorts of collaborations. Dance of Scales is not just a unique performance, but also a pretty unique collaboration, even for Redshift Productions, a company with a history of creating performances about science. For example, there is no definitive director for the piece. Creative ideas and decisions are shared by everyone involved, including the productions’ dancers Kalay Mordock, Sarah Beth Matilsky and Holly Hibbert. This production has been shaped by feedback provided by audiences who saw a work in progress sneak peek of the first section of the show, and it is the first Redshift collaboration that has featured a scientist as a lead in the performance. The show was inspired by “Across the Great Divide,” a performance from last year’s Light in Winter in which Itai and Maren created a ten minute performance, so this also marks the second collaboration for this artist/scientist pair. But what is it like to be a part of this collaboration? Light in Winter recently caught up with Maren Waldman, Itai Cohen, and Megan Halpern to find out how a collaboration like this works.
LIW: What attracted you to participating in a science/art collaboration?
Maren Waldman: As a dancer with a background in science (Maren has a degree in Anthropology with a minor in Geology), I was excited about the potential to integrate two disciplines that are often considered to be far apart. The Light in Winter presentations I had seen in previous years were so interesting and engaging that I was excited about the opportunity to contribute. Dance doesn’t often provide me the opportunity to apply my scientific training and analytic thinking in the same ways that science does, so to be able to communicate with a scientist would allow me to think in different ways. I am also drawn to projects that build bridges between people and communities that are often isolated from each other. It was an exciting way to learn, experiment, and bring dance to a new audience.
Itai Cohen: I am always searching for innovative ways of communicating science to the public. I am also interested in learning about performance as a way of furthering this goal. The main thing that got me to participate was the opportunity to connect with others in the arts community. Megan and Max have been so good at putting all of these elements together. Their enthusiasm and assurance has been wonderful for this collaboration. I had so much fun the first time around that it was a no brainer for me to continue and try to make something bigger.
Megan Halpern: I’ve been working on art/science projects for about ten years now, and I still find that the intersection of art and science is one of the most exciting places to be thinking and working. After years of working as a producer, I decided I also wanted to be able to break new ground in art/science collaboration as a researcher. As a PhD student, I’m getting the opportunity not only to do create this work, but to think and write deeply about the process and implications of the relationship between art and science.
LIW: What challenges have you encountered during the collaboration?
Maren Waldman: I have been adamant about keeping the role of the dance as an art form prominent. So many science/art collaborations use the art as vehicle to explain science concepts, to make the science more accessible and more ‘fun’. That is a fine way to use the art, but it is important to me to increase education and appreciation for art – dance specifically, as it stands on its own. Modern dance is often a less-understood art form, so it was important to me to make the role of dance in this collaboration increase the of the understanding of dance. I wanted a production that helped audiences understand my creative process of making dances, as one example of the many ways choreographers construct performances for the stage. It might help audiences understand, for example, where the inspiration for a particular movement comes from, why the movements were ordered in a particular way, or be able to recognize how repetitive movements might create themes, as in music. And if none of that, at least an appreciation of the amount and type of work that goes into choreography and performance. Preserving the role of dance as I envisioned it as part of this production proved to be more challenging then I thought, though I’m happy with the way we have solved this problem, and the way we’ve shaped the production. Another challenge - fitting 4 dancers and 1 scientist on a tiny stage!!
Itai Cohen: Well, I’ve had to learn to dance. I’ve had to adapt to the way that performances evolve. In a physics lecture everything is planned out before hand. Here there was a lot more improvisation. It’s challenging enough when I have to create something with a physicist. But at least there we have the same language and more or less the same way of going about things. Here I have had to let go of things a lot more and trust in Maren, Max and Megan.
Megan Halpern: I’m working as a creative partner, a producer, and a researcher on this project, and I find that while it is rewarding to engage in this experience in all three ways, sometimes they conflict with one another. I’ve sometimes been torn between jumping in with new ideas and sitting back and watching what happens between Maren, Itai, and Max. This is also tricky logistically sometimes, and during rehearsals or meetings I’m torn between observation and what I would call ‘stage management’. My notes from rehearsals and meetings are an odd combination of field notes, to do lists, and meeting minutes, so I have to spend some time sorting out which hat I was wearing when I wrote everything.
LIW: Have you experienced any surprises during the course of the collaboration?
Maren Waldman: I was surprised at how easy it was to apply some colloquial physics language and physics terms to dance concepts. For example, to describe the way Brownian particles move, Itai said they move in “random walks.” This phrase immediately conjured up a picture of people walking randomly in all directions – a common improvisation exercise that we use in dance to help people learn how to navigate through space, building their spatial awareness; spatial awareness being an important skill for dancers. (And really, for all people – think how many less times you’d bump into someone as you navigate the grocery store, or how less often you’d stub your toe on the wall if you had better spatial awareness. If you had better spatial awareness, you’d be able to better assess the distance between yourself and other objects or people, then quickly adjust your body to avoid bumping. It makes you feel and look much more graceful).
Itai Cohen: I was definitely surprised at how much time and effort this all took. But I think it was well worth it. I really am having a blast. I was also surprised at how much is left to the very end of these things. There is a lot of last minute fixing up that takes place. Finally I am surprised that it is actually all coming together into a performance that I myself would be interested in watching.
Megan Halpern: Though it has been challenging to be a researcher and collaborator, it has been a very rewarding experience both intellectually and artistically. I think the latter was a surprise to me. Also, Maren, Itai, Max, and I created the first section of the dance together, and then Maren brought in several new dancers. Because my research so far has been about one-to-one collaborations, I didn’t anticipate what this new dynamic would add to the process.
LIW: What kind of effect, if any, do you think this collaboration will have on your future endeavors?
Maren Waldman: This collaboration has opened my mind to many new ideas of future collaborations, especially with non-artists. It has been so much fun (and hard work!) to figure out a common language in which to speak, and to create a performance totally from scratch. In the face of interacting with a scientist who had little exposure to modern dance, the collaboration challenged me to articulate concepts specific to dance. It required me to be extremely articulate about my ideas of dance, the reasons why dance is important as an art form, what it contributes to the world, and how dance differs from other arts. Why do we need dance? What role does it fill in the world of the arts, and in the world in general? Where does it overlap with science and where does it stand on its own? What does it contribute? Asking myself these questions will serve my future in dance – the ideas I’ve had for a long time necessarily needed to be articulated, and to be translated into words that non-dancers could understand. This is infinitely helpful for continuing my work inside the field of dance, communicating with the outside world, and in any future collaborations I have.
Itai Cohen: Well, I definitely will be doing more of these in my future. I think the performance aspect of all this is also helping me become a better lecturer. I will also have a much greater appreciation for dance and choreography. The work Maren does is really inspiring.
Megan Halpern: As a researcher, I have opened new questions about collaboration, imagination and creativity, about the differences between art and science, and how those play out in these kinds of projects. Artistically, I think I’m dealing with the same questions, but I’m less sure what the future holds.
Dance of Scales takes place at 2:30PM on January 23rd in the Stater Auditorium at Cornell University, and will be a unique way to experience dance and physics together. Be sure to get your tickets today!
