I’ve got a new inspiration to finish my PhD. I realize the true purpose of my overly long academic undertaking. And why I retired from dance to enter the world of the mind. It isn’t to create a completed dissertation. No, that’s only a step on the way to creating a dance choreography.
I was stoked to find that researchers have been making interpretive dances about their PhD dissertations and entering them for a contest. The winner will have their ‘choreography’ performed by professional dancers.
I watched a lot of them and some of are pretty funny. Many of them are what can be kindly called a celebration dance of cathartic goofy movements, most of whom are men. Then there are some danced by women who appear to have some kind of dance training, but the movements don’t seem to have much to do with their thesis. But who cares, they’re having fun and they’re creating art out of their years of research.
This one is my favorite, a modern dance performance using what looks like trained dancers. It seems to actually ‘interpret’ the subject of her thesis. So here’s “The role of folate in epigenetic regulation of colon carcinogenesis”
Here are the instructions on how to enter your PhD dance choreography and an article with the winners. I’ll most certainly be choreographing something and entering it once I complete my own masterpiece.
More of my favorites after the jump. And more dances on youtube.
The Quilting Sword 