MIRO DANCE THEATRE presents The Science of Spooky Action
special guest physicist to discuss the science behind Miro’s new work
Philadelphia’s Miro Dance Theatre continues to delve into the science behind the company’s latest work in progress, Spooky Action – an exploration into the theory of quantum entanglement and the invisible connection between objects. At the company’s last Open Studio of 2008, Miro invites audience members
to discover the intricate science behind Spooky Action and participate in a discussion with a special
guest physicist (TBA), offering audiences a greater understanding of the physics and science
influencing the production.
In their research for Spooky Action, Miro co-Artistic Director’s Tobin Rothlein and Amanda Miller
received a crash course in physics when they visited Chicago’s Fermilab, where the company explored
the underlying principles of quantum physics, guided by the lab’s leading scientists and physicists.
In physics, subatomic particles can simultaneously spin clockwise and counterclockwise, but it is only
when the particle is observed by the human eye does it pick a direction and maintain it. When one particle
joins another, the particles spin and swivel in opposite directions, becoming fatefully entwined. Albert
Einstein referred to this odd yet somehow romantic phenomenon of physics as “spooky action at a
distance.” In this development phase, Miro is looking to science, researching and exploring the various
ways to represent this scientific interaction through movement, sound, and video.
“The science behind Spooky Action sounds complicated, and of course it is, but it also ignites the
imagination,” said Miro video and visual artist Tobin Rothlein. “Now our audience will have a chance to
really delve into what’s behind our ideas so that we can talk about the work and where it is heading and
people can really get that extra layer of understanding.”
Commissioned by Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s (IUP) Lively Arts Program and funded in part by
PennPAT’s New Directions Grant, Spooky Action is slated to premiere at IUP in April 2009.
Throughout the year, the free monthly Open Studio Series, which launched in December 2006, has
provided audiences with open access to the creative process and a chance to see and respond to new
dance works in progress, as well as previous pieces from the Miro repertoire. All series events are held at
Miro’s Girard College studio where the company also serves as artists-in-residence and continues to
oversee an outreach program with the school’s students. Open Studio Series performances are free and
open to the public.
“The Open Studio Series has been a great success for Miro,” says Amanda Miller. “The program has
allowed a powerful forum for discussion, insight into the process of the company, and a more intimate
relationship between our audience and the material. Miro Dance Theatre is dedicated to continuing this
series in the coming years.”
Miro Dance Theatre and the Open Studio Series are supported by the William Penn Foundation,
Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Independence Foundation, Advanta Foundation, Stockton Rush Bartol
Foundation, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Girard College, and individual donors.
About Miro Dance Theatre
Miro Dance Theatre (“Miro”) creates and performs original work that explores the collaborative
intersections of dance, video, and visual art. Miro uses classical technique as a departure point from
which to explore new and challenging dance vocabularies, ideologies, performance disciplines, and the
way media co-exist within the performance space. The company was founded in 2004 by dancer and
choreographer Amanda Miller and video and visual artist Tobin Rothlein, following five years as Co-
Artistic directors of Phrenic New Ballet. Miller, with ten years experience as a dancer with the
Pennsylvania Ballet and choreographic studies in Europe under Siobhan Davies, is at the helm of Miro’s
choreographic exploration. Rothlein, whose work as video artist and visual designer for Rennie Harris
Puremovement and others has garnered national and international accolades, oversees the company’s
work in combining dance, multi-media and visual arts.
About Girard College
Girard College is a private boarding school for academically capable students, grades 1 through 12, from
families with limited financial resources, each headed by a single parent or guardian. All Girard students
receive full scholarships to take part in the school’s strong academic program and to live safely on its
enclosed 43-acre campus in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. Girard is accredited by the Middle
States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It holds membership in the National Association
of Independent Schools, The Association of Boarding Schools, the Coalition for Residential Education,
and the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools. For information, visit
www.girardcollege.com.
WHEN: Thursday, December 18th, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Miro Studio at Girard College
2101 South College Ave. (at Girard Ave. & Corinthian Ave.)
Accessible by #15 & #33 buses; free and secure parking.
ADMISSION: FREE; light refreshments will be served.
For more information, visit www.mirodancetheatre.org or call (215) 962-4773.
