Book
Physics and Dance
Emily Coates, associate professor of theater studies and of directing, and Sarah Demers, the Horace D. Taft Associate Professor of Physics
(Yale University Press)
From stepping out of our beds each morning to admiring the stars at night, we live in a world of motion, energy, space, and time. How do we understand the phenomena that shape our experience? How do we make sense of our physical realities? Two guides — a former member of New York City Ballet, Emily Coates, and a CERN particle physicist, Sarah Demers — show how their respective disciplines can help us to understand both the quotidian and the deepest questions about the universe.
Requiring no previous knowledge of dance or physics, this introduction covers the fundamentals while revealing how a dialogue between art and science can enrich our appreciation of both. Readers will learn about Newtonian to quantum mechanics and classical to contemporary dance. The book includes problem sets and choreographic exercises to solidify understanding about physics and dance.