Athens, Ga. – Movement and film engage with the study of the universe in the upcoming University of Georgia dance collaboration and performance. The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ departments of dance, physics and astronomy, and theatre and film studies present DAAP Stellar and the Dream Chasers! 2014 featuring performances by CORE Concert Dance Company, Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 26-March 1, at 8 p.m. in the New Dance Theatre at the dance building on UGA’s South Campus.
Tickets are $16 general admission and $10 for students/seniors and can be purchased at the Tate Student Center ticket office, online or by phone at the Performing Arts Center (pac.uga.edu or 706-542-4400); or at the door beginning at 7 p.m. each evening of the concert.
A large-scale collaboration by Franklin College units, the show will feature aerial, dance, film animation and spoken passages delivered by “morphed alien scientist” DAAP Stellar, a fictional composite based on UGA expertise. Ten UGA physics and astronomy professors will expound ideas reflecting leading-edge scientific research including astrophysics and black holes (Loris Magnani); elementary particles (Kanzo Nakayama); spin waves (Uwe Happek); galactic clouds (Robin Shelton); quantum levitation and superconductivity (Heinz-Bernd Schüttler); nanotechnology (Yiping Zhao); molecular dynamics (David Landau); electromagnetic spectrum (William Dennis); extra solar planets (Inseok Song); and “the search for truth in the universe” (Richard Meltzer).
Film-projected visual landscapes for the production were created by associate professor Mike Hussey and graduate students in the theatre and film studies dramatic media area. Live animated video mapping projections are designed and implemented by Adam Barfield, an Athens-based multimedia artist whose work for this project is supported by UGA Ideas for Creative Exploration.
The CORE Concert (Contemporary and Aerial) Dance Company will premiere an evening of dance and perform on bungee, single and triple trapeze, lyra, silks and the roue Cyr wheel. CORE student members are Victoria Faust, Mollie Henry, Larkin Merritt, Mirna Minkov, Francesca Mokry, Amanda Proctor, Mary Beth Stinson, Tsoler Terzian and Tyler Williams, and will be joined by alumni Shawn Evangelista and Alexandru Muresan for the annual season performance.
“This collaboration is an amazing opportunity for us as scientists to explore a completely new medium-dance,” said William Dennis, professor and head of the department of physics and astronomy. “These mixed artistic media will not only allow us to share with others the excitement we feel about physics and astronomy, but also to expose them to the beauty that we see behind the equations.”
“We hope the audience will enjoy the first draft of what we believe will grow into a much larger vision in the future-one that will demonstrate an original fusion of science, technology and the arts-that can enrich the lives of many people,” said Bala Sarasvati, Jane Willson Professor in Arts in the department of dance and artistic director of CORE.
Groups of eight or more students will receive a group rate of $5 (a $5 savings from general admission ticket prices). Interested student groups should contact the department of dance at 706-542-4415 by Feb. 25 to make arrangements for ordering tickets at the group rate. The New Dance Theatre is located between Soule and Green streets, across the street from the South Campus parking deck.
For more information, see coreconcertdance.com.
Note to editors: To view a trailer and images, see the URLs below:
YouTube Trailer
DAAP Stellar and the Dream Chasers! 2014
Online Photos
CORE Concert Dance 2014 PHOTOS
High Resolution Images
Drop Box: PAC Pictures Folder