The idea of exploring genomics through modern dance is unusual, but dancer Liz Lerman thinks art has a role to play in understanding science.
In September, audiences at Duke will have a chance to see the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange perform "Ferocious Beauty: Genome." The multimedia piece investigates the impact of genetic research on people's lives.
Three years in the making, the work will be performed at Duke on Sept. 14 and 15. Part of the performance will be developed on campus during Lerman's two-week residency with Duke scientists.
The first act of "Ferocious Beauty" illustrates how scientists work. Its portrayals range from Gregor Mendel, the 19th-century Austrian monk who worked out the rules of inheritance using pea plants, to the 1953 discovery of the double helix. It also features video backdrops of scientists explaining what goes on in their labs and "choreographing" genomic processes while dancers bring those processes to life onstage.
As part of the still-evolving project, Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy assistant professors Uwe Ohler and Sayan Mukherjee will appear on video discussing their work. This new version will be seen by audiences for the first time at the Duke performances of "Ferocious Beauty."
Both performances will feature pre-show talks by Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy Director Hunt Willard. There also will be a post-performance conversation with Lerman and English professor Priscilla Wald on Sept. 14 and with National Human Genome Research Institute Director Francis Collins on Sept. 15.
While Lerman admits to some qualms about genetic engineering and related technology, she simultaneously wants to avoid fear-mongering about them.