Of Gravity and Light
a contemporary ballet and orchestral concert work
by composer Beau Kenyon and produced by Ballet Des Moines
Composition & Concept | Beau Kenyon
Choreography | Tom Mattingly Media Projection | Yu-Wen Wu
Conductor | Tim McMillin Dramaturgy | Ilya Vidrin
Costume Design | Sarah Dornink Light Design | Catherine Girardi
The 50-minute staged work interprets the science of the solar system, translating astrophysical concepts into musical structures and choreographed movement. Scientific concepts, like cyclical patterns of the Sun-Earth-Moon System, are interpreted into an interdisciplinary staged work of live music for choir and mixed ensemble, contemporary ballet, and large-scale projection. The work is set in 2 parts for contemporary dance, large scale projection, choir and nine musicians (soprano voice, alto voice, baritone voice, clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello, piano).
7th Grade Science Curriculum
Of Gravity and Light: Teaching the Science of Our Solar System With Creativity and Curiosity is a modular science curriculum that meets Next Generation Science Standards. Learning materials serve as a companion to Beau Kenyon’s new ballet Of Gravity and Light, which draws from the science of our solar system as source material for his new work. Music, dance, and media arts are integrated with hands-on activities and multimedia resources developed by NASA, GBH, and Iowa PBS. Students explore the science of our solar system through creativity and artwork while using these same tools to demonstrate understanding of a scientific concept. All four learning modules draw examples from Of Gravity and Light as examples of how professional artists interpret science through their respective disciplines while prompting learners to use the creative arts to demonstrate understanding of scientific concepts.
The curriculum is free for all, published through Iowa State University, and distributed by 4-H Youth Development, Iowa PBS/PBS Learning Media, and Ballet Des Moines. A detail below lists all partners engaged to create Of Gravity and Light and the companion curriculum.
Beau Kenyon developed this companion science curriculum in collaboration with Dr. Sara Nelson (Iowa State University and the NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium), Dr. Shawn Stevens (GBH Education), and Tiffany Morgan and Cody Smith (Iowa PBS). Additional advisors include Dr. Ilya Vidrin (Northeastern University), Dr. Mariel Pettee (UC Berkeley) and Dr. Merritt Moore. The modular science curriculum uses excerpts from Of Gravity and Light to teach the science of the solar system to 7th grade students.
