Constant Speed
A unique dance production based on Einstein's physics to premiere on 24 May at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London.
COMMISSIONED BY THE INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS
CHOREOGRAPHED AND PERFORMED BY RAMBERT DANCE COMPANY
A new dance that celebrates Einstein's greatest scientific ideas will have its world premiere at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on May 24th. Constant Speed from Rambert Dance Company was commissioned by the Institute of Physics and marks the centenary of Einstein's ground-breaking ideas of 1905 on relativity, light and atoms. It is Mark Baldwin’s first work as Artistic Director Rambert Dance Company for the company and is just one of the activities taking place to celebrate Einstein Year.
Einstein Year is a year-long programme of events to highlight the contribution of physics to society. Dance is an ideal medium to illustrate abstract concepts like Einstein’s theories and the work was commissioned in order to encourage people’s curiosity about physics and its relevance to contemporary culture.
As part of the collaboration Mark Baldwin was introduced to Ray Rivers, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London. As well as his impressive academic credentials Professor Rivers has a keen interest in the arts and has acted as Mark’s scientific mentor throughout the project enabling him to visualise the impact of Einstein’s ideas.
Professor Rivers said “I have seen my role with Mark as that of an adviser, rather than collaborator. To me, when you commission an artist to create a new work, he or she has to work within his or her own vision. The best that I can do is to help provide the information about physics in a way that is as accessible to dancers as possible.”
Mark was given a crash-course on Einstein’s theories of 1905, and with the support of Professor Rivers was able to test out his understanding, before eventually finding ways in which scientific inspiration could be transferred into dance.
The principles of Brownian motion – the seemingly random movement of microscopic particles suspended in a fluid, such as pollen grains in water - provided the perfect choreographic device to create movement. Mark has imagined that the dancers’ bodies will move around the stage in a similar way to the pollen-grains – as if being jostled by unseen forces. The dancers’ internal impulses are driven by the idea that there are molecules shooting through the body, from hips to knees to fingertips, which direct the movement accordingly. This choreographic device generated a huge vocabulary of movement, creating an exciting series of unpredictable patterns, full of athletic and physical surprises.
Mark commented “What I discovered during this process is just how compatible dance and physics are. Both have the ability to fire the imagination and question the world around us, and movement is an ideal medium in which to explore abstract notions. I hope Constant Speed is a pleasure to watch and something that suitably celebrates the brilliance of Einstein in this centenary year.”
Jerry Cowhig, Managing Director of Institute of Physics Publishing, who commissioned the work said, “We are very excited about this collaboration. I love the work of Rambert which is always innovative and thrilling and I am confident this new work will trigger many people’s curiosity about physics in Einstein Year”.
Constant Speed will be a full-company work, employing all of Rambert’s exceptionally trained dancers. It will be performed to the music of Franz Lehar, and the six pieces chosen to accompany the dance were also composed around 1905, creating a timely relevance to the context of the work.
A significant element of this special project is the programme of education work that will support it. In collaboration with the Institute of Physics, Rambert’s award-winning Education Department will run a range of education work, including workshops and pre-performance talks, as well as providing resource materials. These are aimed at furthering the understanding and enjoyment of Constant Speed and the relationship between dance and physics.
The Institute of Physics and Rambert Dance Company have received a grant from Arts & Business New Partners to further develop their creative partnership.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Constant Speed will premiere at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on May 24th 2005 and is part of a mixed programme of dance. There are a limited number of press tickets available for reviewers. There will be a photocall on Monday 23rd May at Sadler’s Wells Theatre between 5pm and 6pm.
2. This event offers opportunities for interviews for journalists. Those available for interview include:
Mark Baldwin
Ray Rivers - Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London
Jerry Cowhig – Managing Director, Institute of Physics Publishing
Peter Main – Director of Education and Science, Institute of Physics (introduced Ray Rivers to Mark Baldwin)
PLEASE NOTE NEARING THE PREMIERE MARK BALDWIN’S AVAILABILITY WILL BE LIMITED.
For further information, press tickets and photographic images please contact Sally Fairclough, Einstein Year Public Relations Officer on 020 7470 4813 or sally.fairclough@iop.org
3. Einstein Year is a year-long celebration of physics and its relevance to all our lives. Marking the centenary of Einstein’s three ground-breaking ideas it communicates the vital role physics plays in developing new technologies like cancer screening equipment and mobile phones, whilst addressing big questions such as how the Universe was created and how climate change can be tackled.
Einstein Year is here - be inspired by physics in 2005. www.einsteinyear.org
4. The Institute of Physics is a leading international professional body and learned society with over 37,000 members, which promotes the advancement and dissemination of a knowledge of and education in the science of physics, pure and applied. It has a world-wide membership and is a major international player in:
scientific publishing and electronic dissemination of physics;
setting professional standards for physicists and awarding professional qualifications;
promoting physics through scientific conferences, education and science policy advice.
5. The Institute is a member of the Science Council, and a nominated body of the Engineering Council. The Institute works in collaboration with national physical societies and plays an important role in transnational societies such as the European Physical Society and represents British and Irish physicists in international organisations. In Great Britain and Ireland the Institute is active in providing support for physicists in all professions and careers, encouraging physics research and its applications, providing support for physics in schools, colleges and universities, influencing government and informing public debate.
6. Rambert is the oldest dance company in Britain, having been established in 1926. It is also Britain’s flagship contemporary dance company, employing 22 dancers. Under its Artistic Director Mark Baldwin, Rambert Dance Company tours throughout the United Kingdom and internationally with a wide spectrum of large-scale repertoire, including both new commissions and works from the Company’s heritage. Rambert Dance Company performs to over 52,000 people each year and reaches over 6,000 individuals through its extensive education programme.
7. The Institute of Physics and Rambert Dance Company have received an investment from Arts & Business New Partners to develop their creative partnership. Arts & Business New Partners is funded by the Arts Council of England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Arts & Business is the world’s most successful & widespread creative network. It helps business people support the arts & the arts inspire business people, because good business & great art together create a richer society.
Now five years old, the Arts & Business New Partners programme is designed to help businesses try something new with the arts. Through 18 regional offices, Arts & Business invests in ideas to deepen the relationship between arts and business and encourage new ways for the sectors to work together.
In 2004, through the New Partners programme, Arts & Business invested £2,450,220 in 276 arts/business relationships, levering significant funds of £7,758,146 from business into the arts and encouraging sustainable links between the two sectors.
See www.AandB.org.uk or contact Lydia.Penke@AandB.org.uk for more information.
Released: 2005/05/13 09:00:00 GMT+1
