COLLOQUIUM
                    Jointly Sponsored by the 
                Physics and Astronomy Department 
                    and the Theatre Department

                      Tuesday, April 10, 2001
               MSU Auditorium in the Arena Theatre
                             4:00 pm
                    (Refreshments at 3:45pm)


                      THE PHYSICS OF DANCE

              by Kenneth Laws, Dickinson University

Dance appeals to us for many reasons--imagery, musicality, graceful beauty
of the human body, or athleticism.  For some, an additional source of
enjoyment is understanding how dancers create their movements within the
constraints of nature as expressed in the principles of physics.  In this
presentation a dancer will demonstrate some movements that can be analyzed
using physics, and illustrate some illusions in which physical laws appear
to be violated.  How can a dancer leap into the air and then start
turning?  How does a toppling person regain balance if the only source of
force is at the pivot?  Doors between science and art will be opened.