You’ve probably heard the old joke about the student who decides that instead of handing in a traditional written thesis, she will express her research in an interpretive dance. The joke is usually leveled at humanities departments and their alleged fuzzy thinking and lack of rigor. Well, some scientists have taken the idea seriously. For the past several years, Gonzo Labs has held an annual “Dance Your PhD” contest for scientists around the world. You can read about the contest and view past entries and winners here.
Last month Gonzo Scientist John Bohannon took things a step further. He offered a modest proposal at TedX Brussels that we replace PowerPoint presentations with interpretive dance. His talk is both funny and thoughtful—as well as entertaining. Arguing that “bad PowerPoint presentations are a serious threat to the global economy” he suggests that “we should use dance to explain all of our complex problems.” It’s worth watching.
Whether budget-conscious university administrators will crunch the numbers and decide to fund dance troupes instead of tech support staff remains to be seen.
