An audience in Saint John is about to get a new perspective on science through the use of dance.

The Motus O Dance Theatre will perform a show entitled “Perspectives” at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John on Oct. 14.

In it, a 15-minute piece called “IMTA” will educate the audience about a sustainable aquaculture practice a UNB Saint John professor is helping to develop, which is called Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA).

Dr. Thierry Chopin, a professor of marine biology at UNB Saint John, is good friends with co-artistic directors Cynthia Croker, James Croker, and Jack Langenhuizen.  Chopin said that the idea for a dance piece on aquaculture came up when they were talking one night.

“They were looking for topics because ‘Perspectives’ is mostly about issues the world is facing that they wanted to portray through dance,” he said.

“I told them I had a topic for them – it’s how we will secure our food in the future. As human population increases, more efficient food production systems will have to be developed.  One of the solutions is aquaculture.”

Ecosystem responsible aquaculture

The “IMTA” piece will feature six dancers: two as mussels, two as seaweed, and two as salmon.  Chopin explained that they will dance separately at the beginning and then come together by the end of the piece, creating a synergistic crescendo.

IMTA strives to create an ecosystem approach to aquaculture, which promotes environmental sustainability, economic stability and societal acceptability, Chopin said.

“By having all of these species together, you are able to recapture nutrients,” he explained.  “These can be reused by seaweed and invertebrates, which need them to grow,” he explained.  “So, what was waste becomes a source of nutrients and energy for the mussels and seaweed.  The overall thing is to rebalance the system by having all of these complementary species cultivated together.”

Chopin said that audience members will be surprised to see how these marine creatures are portrayed.

“The people who have seen the piece comment that it’s amazing because it’s not easy as a dance troupe to try to mimic seaweeds, mussels, and salmon,” he said.

“But, with a very creative choreography and surprising costumes and décor, it’s a beautiful and moving piece with a message.”

Translating science into new media for different audiences

Chopin, also scientific director of the Canadian Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Network (CIMTAN), added that it’s important for scientists to think outside of the box in order to reach a broader audience about scientific issues.

“For me, the process of helping in the creation of this dance piece was very interesting.  As a scientist, I know how to reach the scientific community with papers, but if you want your science to be relevant to and understood by society, you need to find appropriate media to reach out to other audiences,” he said.

“Complicated and specialized scientific publications will not do the trick.  We have  to find other ways, such as magazine articles, TV documentaries, and dance performances.  If you can associate with talented artists, not afraid of taking risks, seeing them transforming a relatively complex scientific concept into art is absolutely breathtaking and highly satisfying.”

Chopin encourages everyone to come out and see this unique performance of science meeting dance.

“The other pieces of ‘Perspectives’ constitute other vignettes addressing other world issues.  It’s beautiful, interesting, and makes you think,” he said.  “At the end of the performance, you cannot be left unmoved.  A total experience at the theatre and a food for thought bag to take home!”

Contributed by Alanah Duffy and Heather Campbell, UNB Communications & Marketing.