An interdisciplinary project aimed to study and promote the science and dance collaborations in the fields of education, research, and performance.
This page demonstrates the senior thesis research of Elena Georgieva entitled: "Science Choreography (SC): Science and Dance in Education, Research, and Performance." This page is made to serve as a guide to any science and dance enthusiast. The page will eventually include useful links and tips, as well as some of the thesis discoveries. Feel free to contact the page administrator at egeorgieva@w
esleyan.edu if you have any questions or suggestions. The main goal of this study is to understand how dance and science interact through embodiment (the kind of connection between mind and body) and inform each other in the fields of education, research, and performance. This intentional interdisciplinary connection I broadly name science choreography (SC) after Liz Lerman's collaboration with the molecular biology department at Wesleyan University. To understand how SC affects contemporary creators and their communities, I conducted a review on educational literature and interviews with several science researchers, science and dance educators, and artists; I led a movement exploration of SC with college students; and I taught a “Science and Dance” class with local home-schooled students. The data indicate that participation in SC activities leads to a significant educational social impact. The results suggest that with its accessibility and impact, SC parallels John Dewey’s2 very successful model for community service learning. If the importance of SC as a powerful interdisciplinary tool is recognized and implemented in fields such as science communication and learning, SC could have an immense effect on academia, research, and the arts. Further research to support this hypothesis should address the limitations of this study.
