Many of you know that Wesleyan was the lead commissioner of Liz Lerman’s Ferocious Beauty: Genome, her groundbreaking work about the repercussions of genetic research. But I’m not sure how many of you know that one of Liz’s Wesleyan collaborators, Professor of Biology Michael Weir, wrote to her after the world premiere with an idea:
“Imagine a biology or genetics course that begins and ends with students experiencing [the Ferocious Beauty: Genome] piece, and imagine during the semester, when issues like Mendel or gene regulation or bioethics are covered, related parts of the piece were shown to the class. I am imagining that this experience would cause many students to build a new kind of framework in their minds causing them to be more inquisitive and thoughtful about the biology and its significance. They would make associations with the choreography and dance, and I wonder whether their thinking would be qualitatively richer?”
Five years later, with the support of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Wesleyan and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange developed Science Choreography – a website that’s a digital textbook with a plethora of tools for teachers who are teaching genetics, evolution and other related issues. The site will be officially launched at a celebratory reception this Thursday, April 21 at 5pm at Beckham Hall on the Wesleyan campus, to which the public is invited. Liz Lerman and scientists who work in Wesleyan’s Hughes Program in the Life Sciences will discuss their findings about using choreography in the classroom and its effects.
We do hope you will join us.
Thursday, April 21, 5pm-6:30pm
Fayerweather Beckham Hall
Wesleyan University
Free admission; please RSVP to Maureen Snow, msnow@wesleyan.edu
Pamela Tatge
Director, Center for the Arts