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An Evening of Math and Dance

Featuring Differential Cohomology; Dance of the Diagram

Guest Hosts Ira Flatow on 4/29 and Christine Jowers on 4/30

Followed by panel discussion with Jim Simons, Emily Coates, Dennis Sullivan, and Yamilée Toussaint Beach. Moderated by Heather Berlin.

April 29 & 30 2022 at 8pm

Doors open at 7:15pm

Gerald W Lynch Theater

524 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019

"It definitely exceeded my expectations. I couldn't move my eyes from [Barkin] for a minute…the emotion was just perfect."

"Such variety between the music and the dancing…interesting and stimulating."

Light the way to a greater understanding of the space and structure around us with the NYC premiere of An Evening of Math & Dance: Differential Cohomology; Dance of the Diagram.

Barkin/Selissen Project, a forward-thinking New York City-based contemporary dance company, in conjunction with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, presents two evenings (April 29 & 30th,) of unique mathematics-inspired contemporary dance, followed by a panel discussion featuring notable mathematicians and choreographers collaborating in and across fields. Moderated by Heather Berlin both nights, and with guest hosts Ira Flatow on Friday 4/29 and Christine Jowers on Saturday 4/30, this lively conversation includes panelists such as Jim Simons, Emily Coates, Dennis Sullivan, and Yamilée Toussaint Beach, as well as Barkin/Selissen Project Artistic Directors Aaron Selissen and Kyla Barkin.

Differential Cohomology; Dance of the Diagram brings math to life as dancers contract, expand and redraw concepts with their bodies and on the stage following algebraic principles. In manifesting mathematical theory in movement and form, dancers bring the subject to a new horizon, for the mathematically inclined and challenged alike.

Set to music from Sirius String Quartet, dancers for this performance include Kara Chan, Fumihiro Kikuchi, Sumire Ishige, Lindsay Harwell, Michael Bishop, Amanda Sommers, Mark Willis, Brianna Rivera, Kisara Nonaka, Ellie Swainhart, Molly Gray.

Differential Cohomology; Dance of the Diagram was originally commissioned for the opening of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics at Stony Brook University. Simons' research and published papers mark him as one of the primary names in the field of cohomology and his inspiration and support acted as the catalyst for the creation of this dance.

“Many in the audience…felt a connection to the performances even if unfamiliar with the theory of differential cohomology. Guests complimented the dancers' clarity of movement and depth of expression.” - Three Village Patch