Barkin/Selissen Project Presents An Evening of Math and Dance in April

Kyla Barkin and Aaron Selissen's New York City-based contemporary dance company, Barkin/Selissen Project, commemorate their thirteenth anniversary with a special celebratory presentation of An Evening of Math and Dance at 8:00pm on April 29 and April 30 at The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College. Tickets start at $28 and are available now at http://www.barkinselissenproject.org/math-and-dance-4-2022

This production will feature the long-awaited NYC premiere of one of the company's signature pieces, Differential Cohomology: Dance of the Diagram featuring specially-commissioned pre-recorded music from Sirius String Quartet. Participating dancers for this performance include Kara Chan (Dance Magazine "25 to Watch" in 2020), Fumihiro Kikuchi, Sumire Ishige, Lindsay Harwell, Michael Bishop, Amanda Sommers, Molly Gray, Julia Discenza, Brianna Rivera, Kisara Nonaka, Mark Willis and Ellie Swainhart.

An Evening of Math and Dance, made possible by a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, will include the NYC premiere of Dance of the Diagram, followed by an open panel discussion featuring important figures from the worlds of both math and dance, including Barkin, Selissen, and their original patron for this work, the celebrated mathematician and philanthropist James Simons. 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. The conversation will be moderated by cognitive neuroscientist and television personality (Startalk All-Star with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Science Goes to the Movies, Superhuman Showdown) Heather Berlin. On the Friday 4/29 show, Berlin will be joined by special guest, Ira Flatow, the host and producer of Public Radio International's popular show Science Friday. This post-show discussion will include a deeper dive into the mechanics of both motion and mathematics and a behind-the-scenes look at the creative and analytical intersections that illuminated a pathway to this groundbreaking work.

For more information about Barkin/Selissen Project, complete dancer and speaker bios and headshots, to speak about James Simons' relationship with the arts and discuss in greater detail how this unlikely collective of creative minds have built an innovative expression of mathematical science through kinetic art, please contact John Seroff at John@Greenhousepublicity.com