HARMONY OF THE SPHERES: DANCE, ASTRONOMY, MUSIC AND MATHEMATICS
Catherine Turocy, since her early days of star gazing and making choreography, has been fascinated with ballet's beginnings and its relationship to cosmographic theory. She is eager to bring her studies to the general public, to young dancers of all dance styles and cultures and to anyone who has gazed upon the night sky! The NYBDC is submitting formal grant requests but this money will not be seen until 2018-19. Meanwhile, during our planning period, the project needs funds to pay administrative costs and travel expenses for research. We are turning to you for help.
THE PROJECT: The New York Baroque Dance Company and Pajarito Environmental Education Center and Planetarium will produce a 25 minute 360 degree dome show, highlighting connections between dance and science, based on research of ballet’s origins with content reaching from the Greeks to the Baroque when dancing masters discussed the Golden Ratio, Kepler, and the harmony of the spheres.
Geometric patterns in Baroque choreographies were full of meaning and poetic metaphor. These patterns could be seen during the performance of the dancers or they could be seen in the very notation of the dance. Dances reflected geometrical patterns thought to imitate the motion of the stars and planets. It was believed that the motion of the cosmos affected man’s very being.
The dome show will display dancers of the NYBDC with youth preprofessional dancers, targeting youth through adult audiences from arts and science sectors. The project will be produced and evaluated in New Mexico and exhibited around the US and internationally. Catherine Turocy of NYBDC and Mariel McEwan, videographer, with ARTS Lab Innovating Digital Technology, Dr. Peter Pesic (history of music), and Dr. John McGraw, Astronomer, are key inividuals involved in the project.
(photo by Frank Wing from "Le Temple de La Gloire" produced by Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Cal Performances and Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles.)
We are all stardust. Any donation amount will help us on our way. Thank you in advance for at least reading this far!
Visit Our Website Harmony of the Spheres for further information on the proposal, the storyboards, videos, bios and partners.