back to article Boffins explain research with interpretive dance

Australian scientists have won this year's Dance your PhD competition, an event boffins who explain their work with interpretive dance. Material scientist Peter Liddicoat, from the University of Sydney, took out the competition with a performance of A super-alloy is born: The romantic revolution of Lightness & Strength, …

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  1. Magani
    WTF?

    "...this year's Dance your PhD competition..."

    April the first is either very early or very late.

    In the immortal words of John McEnroe, 'You cannot be Sirius!'

    1. James Micallef Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: "...this year's Dance your PhD competition..."

      'You cannot be Sirius!'

      That's exactly the point! I love it that these guys aren't taking themselves too seriously, and it's also great to see some scientists getting out of their labs and enjoying themslves. All good fun

  2. Magister
    Facepalm

    WTF!

    What next; competitions to write the best haiku to determine who takes over at CERN?

    (Read "Interesting Times" by Terry Pratchett)

  3. RainForestGuppy
    Unhappy

    Interpretive Dance...

    Only one very small step above Mime at the bottom of the list of things that can be descibed as legitimate art.

  4. TeeCee Gold badge
    WTF?

    Next week:

    Grayson Perry appointed Lucasian professor of mathematics. "It was a difficult decision, but this small, ugly pot with a crude representation of a willy on it shows a profound understanding of n dimensional Modular Forms. Having said that, it was his pigtails that swung our decision. We really like those."

  5. frank ly

    @Everybody (so far)

    Personally, I prefer a well written report with good diagrams, but, but ....

    If you reject and belittle this, then you reject a novel form of communication and expression. The history of communication/computing technology is a history of experimentation by people who decided not to do things in the standard way. You should admire their experimentation and imagination and consider that this is probably why they are PhD candidates, whereas most of you (as well as me) are not.

    1. David Karla

      Re: @Everybody (so far)

      agreed ... I think the point is that they've done the science side more than adequately ... props to them for having fun with it, and showing that this can have a light side.

  6. NB
    Pint

    Oh look

    Apparently all the sour pus wankers who like to piss on everyone's fucking parade are out in force today. Why don't you miserable cunts lighten up and live a little?

    Just a suggestion.

    Pint glass because apparently a lot of commentards need to chill the fuck out.

    1. Magister

      Re: Oh look

      @NB

      Someone get out of bed the wrong side this morning?

  7. mhenriday
    Happy

    I enjoyed this much more

    than I had anticipated doing. Kudos to the reserchers, dancers, jugglers, et al !...

    Henri

  8. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Happy

    True my first thought was

    "Are you f***ing kidding me"

    But I now accept this is an exciting opportunity to make complex science more accessible to the layman*

    I feel so much more human after a coffee.

    *Said with a completely straight face.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can I now look forward

    to any number of dance companies publishing scientific papers, in an attempt to communicate their artistic vision to the scientific community? :-)

  10. disgruntled yank

    Dammit

    Why couldn't they have started this earlier in Jules Feiffer's career? Think of all the discoveries his willowy babe could have danced to.

  11. bonkers

    Frank Zappa

    The late great Frank Zappa has first dibs on this concept. It was he who remarked

    "talking about music is like dancing about architecture"

    I can't help thinking there is a trace of this resignation creeping into the mindset of these physicists and technologists, forever being asked to explain their work but without confusing the lay audience with concepts they don't understand already. Has anyone seen the recent Horizon series? - might as well be a radio show for all the benefit they get from the moving wallpaper. Why not explain it using the full bandwidth, sure everyone will miss most of it, but it gives a real feeling for the subject. How about getting musicians to play, and physicists to describe, using whatever they usually use.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    1 video response to "Boffins explain research with interpretive dance"...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyZQPjUT5B4

    1. Mike VandeVelde
      Alert

      hah never seen that before

      500 Internal Server Error

      Sorry, something went wrong.

      A team of highly trained monkeys has been dispatched to deal with this situation.

      If you see them, show them this information:

      J7hHB-byybsXtyljedqC4GDx8l3X.....

      http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/20-awesome-404-error-pages

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: hah never seen that before

        search for: Bubble-sort with Hungarian ("Csángó") folk dance

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Where there's science, there's Brass.

    Can't fault the choice of Brass Band music. Appropriate for every occasion.

  14. Mike Flex

    Sort Algorithm dancing

    If you want some dancing that actually does communicate some technical content try these illustrations of sorting algorithms.

  15. George Nacht

    Well, I would likely pay a good money

    to see Large Hardon Collider explained in interpretative dance...

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