FEATURE
★
The dance of life. Ali Ainsworth, St. Louis senior, is a double major in dance and human biology, and received an Undergraduate Research Award to study the relationship between the two.
appears shy but soon succumbs to his "predatory nature" and attacks Dr. Henslow.
To save himself from an untimely eating, Dr. Henslow gives Darwin a heart, sparking a tender exchange between two unlikely friends. Encouraged by Dr. Henslow, Darwin sets out into the night, accompanied by brightly lit fireflies, to explore the world and encounters many new creatures, including a gangly ostrich named Verla and a beautiful fish named Peche, who all give Darwin a new perspective on the world.
This story will unfold at the Lied Center when Darwin the Dinosaur, presented by CORBIAN Visual Arts and Dance, comes to Lawrence on Oct. 3.
The production uses electroluminescent lights and puppetry to explore the relationships between humans and creatures. This performance, says Karen Christilles, associate director of the Lied Center, carries on the ains started with the Creative Campus Project, a campaign to promote interdisciplinary learning that included last year's Tree of Life performance.
Darwin the Dinosaur combines topics of evolution and creation; exploration and discovery; and art and emotion to look at how humans interact with nature.
The bond formed between Darwin and Dr. Henslow, which is most touching in the final moments when Darwin battles the menacing
red dinosaur Brutus to save Dr. Henslow's life, teaches audiences to treat their environments with mutual respect, promoting ideas of sustainability.
*****
A giant screen projection in the middle of the stage shows a scientist making a simple statement: "How do I ask a question?"
A jazzy piano riff begins playing as male and female dancers — one at a time, at first, and then in small groups — take the stage dressed in organic-looking costumes that accentuate their fast-paced movements.
More images fill the large screen behind them and two smaller screens on stage, displaying a mix of dancers and scientists asking more questions. "How is our body able to react to changes as we grow and get older?"
The dancers move fluidly across the stage, interacting with each other through lifts and synchronized movements, but the performance ends with a single dancer in the middle of the stage, twirling along with the piano's tune before she exits the stage.
The opening act of Liz Lerman's Ferocious Beauty: Genome begins an interesting exchange between art and science.
When Lerman began working on *Ferocious Beauty*, which will be performed by the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange Nov. 7 at the Lied Center, she
realized she had the challenge of communicating both genetics and modern dance, two fields that are often misunderstood, to people in a way that both would be understandable.
Collaborating with more than 30 scientists, Lerman choreographed the human genome — the map of all human genes — creating a dance that is both humorous and graceful. Using dance and video, Lerman created a literal dialogue on stage: Portions of the interviews she did with scientists play during the performances, raising questions and ideas such as, "Science is neutral. It always has been; it always will be." that performers and audiences alike can reflect on as they see the human genome presented in a new light.
Events such as these and others, including last month's Amanda Shaw performance, which combined the singer's musical talents with her environmental efforts, and the upcoming performance by the Kronos Quartet, embody the Lied Center's overarching goal of promoting interdisciplinary ways of thinking about art.
"With performances like Ferocious Beauty and Darwin the Dinosaur, we see art in a much broader sense," Christilles says. "These ideas allow artists and audiences to question what art is and where it's going."
continued on page 12
These current and upcoming events engage audiences with their collaborations between science and art on campus this fall:
xy
An exhibition that uses visual arts to ask, "What does it mean to be a man?"
Where: Spencer Museum of Art
When: June 27 - Oct. 4
Admission: Free
The Graphic Imperative: International Posters for Peace, Social Justice, and the Environment, 1965-2005
An exhibition of sociopolitical prints that address topics such as environmental and health concerns, war, AIDS, liberation and human rights.
Where: Spencer Museum of Art
When: Sept. 5 - Nov. 29
Admission: Free
Darwin the Dinosaur
A glow-in-the-dark adventure that discusses topics of evolution, sustainability and the relationship between humans and nature. Where:The Lied Center When: Oct. 3, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Admission:$8
Pericious Beauty: Genome
A choreographed performance of the human genome, performed by the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.
Where:The Lied Center
When:Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Admission:$10
For multimedia content including photos of Jennifer David's finished work and shots of a Darwin the Dinosaur performance, as well as photos and a video of a Ferocious Beauty. Genome performance, check out this story at Kansan.com/Jayplay.
11
09
17
09