EDINBURGH YOUNGSTERS DANCE TO THE BEAT OF DNA COMPOSER FOR CANCER RESEARCH UK
A group of talented young ballet dancers is set to take to the stage for a performance to a score by a composer who is renowned for his DNA music.
The children, who are aged from seven upwards, will be dancing to a science inspired composition by Edinburgh-based classical composer Stuart Mitchell. Stuart is renowned for his score based on German composer Ludwig van Beethoven’s DNA – genetic hereditary code which was sourced from the great musician’s hair clippings.
In a celebration of music and science, the children from Edinburgh’s 21st Century Dance Academy will dance to another work by Stuart called the Transit of Venus.
The performance space has been generously donated by the eminent Royal Society of Edinburgh and the show will raise money for leading charity Cancer Research UK.
Choreographer and dance teacher Lisa Robertson said: “Every one of us has been touched by cancer in some way, including many of the children who come to the Dance Academy, and that’s why we were inspired to raise money to forward the work of Cancer Research UK scientists.
“It also made perfect sense to choreograph a dance to one of Stuart’s wonderful and beautiful works which are so inspired by scientific discovery.”
The children will dance to a composition called the Transit of Venus which was commissioned to celebrate a rare celestial event that occurs only once every 180 years. Lisa’s beautiful choreography expresses the celestial alignments of the Sun, Venus and Earth.
Much of Stuart’s musical compositions involve a technique called Cymatics, which focuses on the shapes that musical frequencies make when passed through either water or a layer of sand. Stuart pinpointed the 22 unique amino acids in Beethoven’s DNA and assigned to each one a note on a musical stave directly related to the amino acids’ resonant frequency. By translating these frequencies into musical notation, he composed a piece of music for piano and viola called Immortal Beloved.
Stuart said: “It’s fantastic to be involved in a project that will ultimately help people and we hope that lots of music and dance lovers will buy tickets for this very special performance of the Transit of Venus for Cancer Research UK.”
Cancer Research UK area volunteer manager for Edinburgh, Linda Hamilton, added: “We are immensely grateful to everyone involved in what will be a fantastic evening of music and dance. Cancer Research UK relies completely on the generosity of the public to fund our life saving work and so the staging of this very special dance production means a lot to us.”
To buy a ticket for the performance, which is on the 25th May, call the 21st Century Dance Academy on 0131 556 6253.
For further information about Cancer Research UK’s work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 020 3469 6699 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org
