FRACTALS: The Invisible World of Fractals Made Visible Through Theater and Dance

by Kimberley Cetron

Overview

Fractals are patterns, infinitely reiterating, self-similar in shape. Benoit Mandelbrot coined the term in the 1970s, but scientists and mathematicians had been exploring the concept for centuries. Mandelbrot developed a geometry to express things found in the natural rather than the man-made world - coastlines, galaxies, anatomy, clouds, trees, snowflakes, and the like. Fractals are intrinsic to Chaos Theory - the science of surprises, of the non-linear and unpredictable. They reveal the order governing the seemingly chaotic in our world. As we learn to recognize them, we gain insight into our world, our selves, one another.

 

Especially at this cultural moment, when the whole world has changed and we must re-imagine the ways in which we make art and the ways we educate, Fractals provides resources and approaches for collaborative art and for locating the intersection of arts and academics in ways that illuminate both.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781950495191
Publisher:	Lucid House Publishing LLC
Publication date:	05/03/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	315
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Kimberley Cetron began her career in professional theater as an actor, singer, dancer, and pianist. From there she expanded into producing, directing, music directing, costume design, choreography, and dramaturgy. She began her teaching career through music education, completing a Master's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and teaching multiple academic subjects at every level from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. During her doctoral work in education, an advisor asked why she had separated her performance and education experiences and urged her to combine them. Her dissertation research was a qualitative, longitudinal study of fostering cross-cultural communication using theater techniques. Her previous writing has included poetry, educational journals, book reviews, and playwriting. She has done staff development and curriculum writing for the Fairfax County Public Schools and taught undergraduate theater and graduate education at George Mason University. She lives in Virginia with her husband, Adam, and her son, Gabriel.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Introduction xv

Chapter 1: Origins 1

Chapter 2: Development 13

The Dancers 14

The Movement 21

The Actors 24

Chapter 3: The Text 27

Poetry 27

Prose 45

Performance Script (Annotated).\ 55

Chapter 4: Production 89

Chapter 5: Applications 93

Theater Dance and Dance Theater 93

Writing 127

Education 132

Acknowledgements 143

Resources 145

Notes 151

About the Author 163

Index 165

Editorial Reviews

" 'The invisible made visible.' This evocative phrase echoes throughout Fractals, whether describing the mathematical pattern on which the work is based, the process of creating a new kind of theater-dance piece, or the role of the arts in our world today. Cetron's book (and the collaboratively developed performance piece at the center of it) opens up a world of creative engagement with some of the deepest formal structures yet discovered by human minds. It guides us on a journey of discovery that is at once personal and broadly applicable to artists, educators, and students. Anyone seeking to understand the need for multidisciplinary training for dancers and actors (and writers and directors and choreographers) should take this book to heart." -Rick Davis, Dean, College of Visual and Performing Arts, George Mason University and Executive Director, Hylton Performing Arts Center

"Fractals is an eye-opening awakening to the patterns that surround us everywhere and a must read for artists and arts enthusiasts of any discipline seeking insight into the creative process." -Shu-Chen Cuff, Founder/Artistic Director, Gin Dance Company and Faculty Member at The Washington Ballet, Metropolitan School of the Arts, and BalletNova Center for Dance

"Kimberley Cetron's deep dive into the connective relationships between dramatic impulsive movement text and choreography is a gold mine. It offers endless possibilities for artistic educational conversation."-Tomé Cousin, Dancer, Choreographer, Director, and Associate Professor of Dance, Carnegie Mellon University

"The ideas, concepts, and principles explored in Fractals deliver fresh insight for practitioners of diverse forms of art. It offers truth in the matter - that education truly involves collaboration. Our histories lead us to new pathways and new ways of thinking: and within that, it is our nature to share and build new knowledge together."-Autumn Eckman, Dancer, Choreographer, and Assistant Professor of Dance, University of Arizona

"As a playwright, people often ask me what I do when I need inspiration. I tell them," 'I watch modern dance.' Now thanks to Dr. Kimberley Cetron's lucid and vibrant book Fractals I understand that dance helps me see and respond to the mathematical chaos and inherent order in the natural world. I now understand that I am responding to the geometric beauty and mystery of fractals. By introducing us to her illuminating work, methodology, and research in creating the celebrated theater-dance piece Fractals, Dr. Cetron introduces artists to a world of possibility and inspiration by helping us see what was visible already: that everything is unique, and yet part of a pattern. For artists looking to deepen their craft, expand their vision, and ground the thematic nature of their art the answer is simple: open your eyes and listen. Both an inspiring and practical read about putting theory into practice."-Karen Zacarías, Playwright, founder of Young Playwrights' Theater

"As a performer, director, and choreographer, I was intrigued by the ideas brought forth in Fractals. Any path to honest creation in the journey of actors who dance and dancers who act is worth the time spent reading and understanding the information presented. This book opened and expanded my mind, and that is what I believe will propel theatre forward." -Gregory Butler, Director, Choreographer, Writer, Actor, Singer, Dancer

From the Publisher