Web Page: maidadance.com/works/data-to-dance-dance-of-the-auroras/

(2009) Data to Dance: (Film) Dance of the Auroras – Fire in the Sky (28:30)
A magical documentary film eloquently reveals the relationship of science and the wonder of Earth’s Auroras  through the arts of dance and music.   Data to Dance traces aspects of the research, study, and development of the project through interviews with scientists, discoveries on site to witness auroras, conduct rehearsals, and performances in Russia, Norway, Alaska, and Washington, DC.   This story is told through dance, music, science, and theory by Maida Withers, Producer, Writer, Director, and Narrator with Nikodimos Fikru, Editor.

Movies and images of the Sun and the Earth’s auroras were gathered from around the world from individuals and institutions, some from images from orbiting spacecraft and special ground-based cameras generously shared by the US Government. Astonishing large-scale projected cyber worlds created by innovative processes by Tania Fraga, Brazil, are projected on stage for various sections of Dance of the Auroras. The combination of art and science is an astonishing spectacular display of beauty, and power of the human/dancer engaged with the amazing cyber images coupled with the shocking history and wonder and science of the auroras.

Descriptions by NASA’s Nicola Fox breach any divide between art and science, Applied Physics Laboratory, John’s Hopkins University . Delicate, astonishing original music was performed live for Dance of the Auroras stage work by the incredible Global House Band, Norway. Dancers from Russia, Poland, USA, using the wireless mouse (new technology at the time), on stage during live performance,  altered and manipulate auroral images projected on the stage backdrop, in real time.

Data to Dance was conceived by Maida Withers, commissioned by Research Channel, Seattle, Washington and, finally,  premiered/broadcast on Research Channel, Seattle, Washington, DC, January 30, 2009.  Research Channel was carried on channel 9400 of the Dish Network as well as cable television channels in select American markets. It also aired over-the-air on several terrestrial television stations: KAMU-TV (College Station, Texas), KWSU-TV (Pullman, Washington), KYES-TV (Anchorage, Alaska), KUJH-LP (Lawrence, Kansas), and WPSU-TV (State College, Pennsylvania).
Joseph Mills; SUN, Tania Fraga

Film selected for showing:  (Click on film at beginning of this web page)
Research Channel, Seattle, Washington
III São Carlos Video Dance Festival, São Paulo, Brazil
Shown in the lobby during each Dance of the Auroras live performances, national and international.
Others

Earth’s Magnetosphere Series, Tania Fraga
Manipulated by a dancer using the wireless mouse performing on stage
(wireless mouse was new at that time, 2009)

Support in research:
American – Scandinavian Foundation
The George Washington University
University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska
University of Tromso, Tromso, Norway
NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA / Johnson Space Center

Documentary Footage – Public Performance:
Nordly’s Festivalen – Tromso, Norway, January 2001
Lisner Auditorium – Washington, DC, USA, February 2001
Dukabristov Theatre – St. Petersburg & Arkhangelsk, Russia, May 2000
Dance Place – Washington, DC, USA, September 2000 TBD
On Location in Finland, Norway, Russia, and Alaska, USA 2000 TBD

Dance of the Auroras – Fire in the Sky, live performance, toured to Arkhangelsk and St. Petersburg, Russia in 2003.   Original stage production, Dance of Auroras, was Produced by Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company

Joseph Mills, Dance; Tania Fraga Cyber Art, The Sun

The list of credits for Data to Dance, is extensive and comprehensive. Please view the listing at the end of the film, Data to Dance. We extend our heartful thanks and deep gratitude to the many people and institutions that made Data to Dance possible including:

Science specialists generously assisting with information for Dance of Auroras Stage Production: Paal Brekke, Tom Moore, Nicola Fox, David Palmer (NASA); Dirk Lummerzheim, University of Alaska; Vladmir Bulatov and Holger Grahnn, computer scientists, and others.

Film funded by research Channel, The George Washington University, Facilities of Academic Technologies Department, Maida Withers Dance Construction Company, diverse companies and individuals.

Film Showing:
Research Channel, Seattle, Washington
III São Carlos Video Dance Festival, São Carlos, Brazil
Also shown in the lobby during each performance
Other.

Copyright 2009, Maida Withers
All rights reserved

Web Page: maidadance.com/works/data-to-dance-dance-of-the-auroras/
Joseph Mills, Dance;  Tania Fraga, Cyber Art – the SUN

Joseph Mills, Dance;  Tania Fraga, Cyber Art – Aurora

Joseph Mills, Dance;  Cyber Art, the Sun, Tania Fraga, Cyber Art

..Recorded Sound and Music (See film credits):
Ikon Ghost, Guy Yarden; Minne, Sanna Kurki-Sonio, Northern Nights, NorthSide Records. Auroral Audio: NASA, Donald Gurnett, University of Iowa, and Stephen McGreevy.  Animation, Photographs and Images: (See film credits)
NASA/Goddard Space flight Center, Scientific Visualization Studio, Images Courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center: ESA, LMSAL, ISAS, and NOAA, Jan Curtis, Dick Hutchinson, Scott Anderson, Esa Turinen, Sodankyla Observatory, Trond Trondson, University of Calgary, Canada – Portable Auroral Imager, Poul Jensen and Dirk Lummerzheim, University of Alaska, R.H. Eather, others.