Rhythms of the Universe
Poetry, dance and physics will be entwined in a new show to be performed at 7 pm on Nov. 7th and 8th in the Emerson Cultural Center theatre in Bozeman.
The free public event, “Rhythms of the Universe: Words and Worlds in Motion,” will combine science and the arts in the vein of last year’s “Celebrating Einstein” event, said Montana State University physicist Nico Yunes who organized both. The event consists of a series of spoken-word performances that will use astrophysics imagery to convey human and social issues, followed by contemporary dance pieces aimed at providing an interpretation for the poems.
Spoken-word is a type of performed poetry that focuses on the beauty of word play and story-telling, usually in experimental collaboration with music, theatre and dance. In Rhythms of the Universe, MSU students will perform original poetry in spoken-word format, followed by contemporary dance interpretations by the Headwaters Dance Company. Also performing spoken word pieces at the event will be Yunes, MSU Profs. Stephanie Campbell and Zack Bean, and spoken word artist Adam Love, who coached the MSU students.
The students knew very little about physics, writing poetry and spoken word or performing when they signed up in the Fall 2013 to participate, Yunes said. But they agreed to meet every two-four weeks to learn, to be inspired and to write.
At every session last Spring, Yunes and Bean each gave a 30-minute lecture on physics and poetry respectively. During the Summer, Campbell coached the students on performance. The students started meeting this Fall via Skype with Love, while they continued to rehearse their pieces with Campbell.
The students didn’t have to write poems about physics, but they had to use images from astrophysics as metaphors to discuss whatever social and human issue they wished to talk about, Yunes said. For example, nothing – not even light -- can escape from inside a black hole, so the students could use this astrophysics image to represent all sorts of situations where one feels trapped. It’s the ultimate prison, Yunes said. The poems are brilliant, covering topics from love to death, from certainty to uncertainty.
It is important for scientists to explain themselves to the general public, said Yunes, who received NASA’s Einstein Fellowship in 2010 and researches Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity and gravitation, specializing in black holes, neutrons stars and compact binaries. The latter are objects that create gravitational waves by violently colliding.
“Rhythms of the World” was supported by MSU’s Office of the President, Office of the Provost, College of Letters and Science, and Extended University. Additional funding comes from the Young Investigator CAREER award that Yunes received from the National Science Foundation in 2013. This $500,000 award is the NSF’s most prestigious award that supports the early career development of teacher-scholars and honors outstanding scientists who haven’t yet received tenure.
The award includes a large component for public outreach, Yunes said. He added that many recipients fulfill that requirement by creating new courses, but he chose to organize public events like Celebrating Einstein and Rhythms of the Universe that combine science and the arts.
Last year’s celebration of Einstein was one of the world’s first events to celebrate the 2015 centennial of Einstein’s theory of General Relativity, its final prediction and the impending detection of gravitational waves.
Cost: Free
Age: all ages
Time(s)
This event is over.
Every Day until Nov. 8, 7pm
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