Physics and Dance

April 12, 2019

Yale faculty members Emily Coates, the director of dance studies and associate professor in theater studies, and Sarah Demers, the Horace D. Taft Associate Professor of Physics at Yale, discussed their new book “Physics and Dance” and gave a demonstration at the New Haven Ballet on April 7.

In their book, published by Yale University Press, the authors show how their respective disciplines can help us understand both everyday life and the deepest questions about the universe. They also speak about the importance a dialog between art and science to enrich appreciation of both fields, and so we can better grasp the phenomena that shape our experience and physical reality. Coates and Demers note in their book that — from the moment we step out of bed in the morning till when we admire the stars at night — we llive in a world of motion, energy, space, and time.

Coates, a former dancer for the New York City Ballet, and Demers, a particle physicist, have co-taught the  course “The Physics of Dance,” and they have long been engaged in interdiscipinary collaboration. They donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of their book at the event to the nonprofit New Haven Ballet.

This story is adapted from the Yale News  Story of April 9, 2019. Please see below for the link to the original story.

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