Dance fuses art and science

Audiences were awed at the IU Auditorium on Thursday night after The Liz Lerman Dance Exchanges’ multimedia performance. The performance, called “Ferocious Beauty: Genome,” featured various video and audio clips, as well as monologues from dancers.

The performance fused an eclectic mix of science and dance and focused on the ideas of the human genome and people finding their own individuality.

Elizabeth Shea, clinical assistant professor and coordinator for the IU contemporary dance program, said the performance was part of the Dance Exchange’s three-part residency with the IU dance program, which began in the fall. The exchange spent four weeks with IU dance majors and prepared a world premiere piece with them.

“It was a wonderful experience for the dancers,” Shea said.

Anya Royce, chancellor professor of anthropology and comparative literature, then organized a series of workshops that compared the relationships between science and the arts, in preparation for the third part of the project: the auditorium performance.

“The company is very community-oriented, but the purpose was to bring dance in the community and expose all kinds of population and movement to the people,” Shea said.

The performance began with one woman alone on stage. Whimsical music played as dancers young and old began a dance sequence, which demonstrated the uniformity of woman and man together.

The multimedia part of the performance began with a clip, asking, “What is a gene?” followed by responses from scientists all over the country.

The first act emphasized the beginning of genome research. While dancers spun and leaped, famous geneticists’ names rolled across the screen.

The mood changed as a dominatrix-type woman walked on stage, wearing fishnets and carrying a whip.

“Can I tell you something?” she asked. “My curly hair, my blue eyes, the curve of my hip – it’s all in my DNA.”

The second act focused on the tolls of age. A man sat in a chair on the stage, reading a screen that stated: “New laws for old folks.” He began doing sit-ups and push-ups and finally gave up.

Lerman’s exchange finished with a piece with the entire ensemble which included white sheets strung from the ceiling to the stage. They featured various messages, including one sheet that read “Biology without evolution is a character without a plot.”
Lauren Weinberg, audience member and Hillel program director, liked hearing spoken word in a dance performance.

“I think it’s pretty incredible that they’re bringing these concepts together,” Weinberg said. “Their stories don’t seem out of reach.”

Justin Zuschlag, a faculty member in the contemporary dance program, also enjoyed the dancers’ interaction with the audience.

“It’s great to see that dance has a standpoint beyond being pretty,” he said.