Found in Translation

Larry Pratt, Courtney Peix, and John Bohannon

Monday, March 4, 2013, 5-6 pm

Broad Auditorium, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
In partnership with ClimateArtPizza

Larry Pratt, oceanographer and photographer and Courtney Peix artistic director of Contrapose Dance discussed their recent projects, as did biologist, science journalist and creator of the "Dance Your PhD" contest, John Bohannon. They engaged each other and the audience with their respective ideas of using movement to express science.

Both art and science seek to comprehend our world and ourselves. Dance is a way to express in and on the body what we deeply feel; science is the rational way of seeking that understanding and beyond. Larry Pratt and John Bohannon are part of a group of adventurous scientists interested in expanding the reach of science and communicating ideas through dance. The exciting development of the collaboration of the two disciplines creates new ways of informing one through the other. In the case of Larry Pratt's work - Dance and Oceanography: A Collaboration with Contrapose Dance, the choreography is informed by ocean science. John Bohannon is interested in how scientists can explain their research through interpretive dance and explores this with Black Label Movement, a dance company based in Minnesota.

Larry Pratt is a senior scientist in the Physical Oceanography Dept. and teacher in the WHOI/MIT Joint Program. He also a fine art photographer, represented by the Panopticon Gallery in Boston. His artistic adventures often merge research interests on meandering ocean currents, waves and turbulence, with the dynamics and form of the human body.

John Bohannon is a biologist and journalist. As a visiting scientist at Harvard, he studies the evolution of fame using data provided by Google. Using an alter ego known as the Gonzo Scientist, he runs the "Dance Your Ph.D." contest for the journal Science, an international competition for scientists to explain their research with interpretive dance.

Courtney Peix is a choreographer, dancer, teacher, and founder and artistic director of Contrapose Dance. She has performed with many Boston dance companies including Chambers Ballet Company, Boston Dance Company, Margot Parsons Dance Company, and Sokolow Now! She was awarded the Green Street Studios Emerging Artist Grant for her original choreography.