Miro Dance Theatre – The Science of Spooky Action

MIRO DANCE THEATRE presents The Science of Spooky Action
special guest physicist to discuss the science behind Miro’s new work
Last Open Studio Series of 2008 @ Girard College, December 18th

WHEN:             Thursday, December 18th, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

WHERE:           Miro Studio at Girard College
2101 South College Ave. (at Girard Ave. & Corinthian Ave.)
Accessible by #15 & #33 buses; free and secure parking.

ADMISSION:     FREE; light refreshments will be served. For directions and more information, visit www.mirodancetheatre.org or call (215) 962-4773.

Philadelphia’s Miro Dance Theatre continues to delve into the science behind the company’s latest work in-progress, Spooky Action – an exploration into the theory of quantum entanglement and the invisible connection between objects. At the company’s last Open Studio of 2008, Miro invites audience members to discover the intricate science behind Spooky Action and participate in a discussion with a special guest physicist (TBA), offering audiences a greater understanding of the physics and science influencing the production.

In their research for Spooky Action, Miro co-Artistic Director’s Tobin Rothlein and Amanda Miller received a crash course in physics when they visited Chicago’s Fermilab, where the company explored the underlying principles of quantum physics, guided by the lab’s leading scientists and physicists.

In physics, subatomic particles can simultaneously spin clockwise and counterclockwise, but it is only when the particle is observed by the human eye does it pick a direction and maintain it. When one particle joins another, the particles spin and swivel in opposite directions, becoming fatefully entwined. Albert Einstein referred to this odd yet somehow romantic phenomenon of physics as “spooky action at a distance.” In this development phase, Miro is looking to science, researching and exploring the various ways to represent this scientific interaction through movement, sound, and video.

“The science behind Spooky Action sounds complicated, and of course it is, but it also ignites the imagination,” said Miro video and visual artist Tobin Rothlein. “Now our audience will have a chance to really delve into what’s behind our ideas so that we can talk about the work and where it is heading and people can really get that extra layer of understanding.”

Commissioned by Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s (IUP) Lively Arts Program and funded in part by PennPAT’s New Directions Grant, Spooky Action is slated to premiere at IUP in April 2009.

Throughout the year, the free monthly Open Studio Series, which launched in December 2006, has provided audiences with open access to the creative process and a chance to see and respond to new dance works in progress, as well as previous pieces from the Miro repertoire. All series events are held at Miro’s Girard College studio where the company also serves as artists-in-residence and continues to oversee an outreach program with the school’s students. Open Studio Series performances are free and open to the public.

“The Open Studio Series has been a great success for Miro,” says Amanda Miller. “The program has allowed a powerful forum for discussion, insight into the process of the company, and a more intimate relationship between our audience and the material. Miro Dance Theatre is dedicated to continuing this series in the coming years.”

Miro Dance Theatre and the Open Studio Series are supported by the William Penn Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Independence Foundation, Advanta Foundation, Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Girard College, and individual donors.

About Miro Dance Theatre
Miro Dance Theatre (”Miro”) creates and performs original work that explores the collaborative intersections of dance, video, and visual art. Miro uses classical technique as a departure point from which to explore new and challenging dance vocabularies, ideologies, performance disciplines, and the way media co-exist within the performance space. The company was founded in 2004 by dancer and choreographer Amanda Miller and video and visual artist Tobin Rothlein, following five years as Co-Artistic directors of Phrenic New Ballet. Miller, with ten years experience as a dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet and choreographic studies in Europe under Siobhan Davies, is at the helm of Miro’s choreographic exploration. Rothlein, whose work as video artist and visual designer for Rennie Harris Puremovement and others has garnered national and international accolades, oversees the company’s work in combining dance, multi-media and visual arts.

About Girard College
Girard College is a private boarding school for academically capable students, grades 1 through 12, from families with limited financial resources, each headed by a single parent or guardian. All Girard students receive full scholarships to take part in the school’s strong academic program and to live safely on its enclosed 43-acre campus in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. Girard is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools, The Association of Boarding Schools, the Coalition for Residential Education, and the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools. For information, visit www.girardcollege.com.