quantum choreographies
Role: Director, Producer
QwC video
Work in progress excerpt created for Quantum World Congress - September 2025
Quantum Choreographies features Carl A. Miller, a National Institute of Standards and Technology mathematician and the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science co-director, and dancers from the University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS). The performance explores how dance and the human body can serve as a visual metaphor to communicate the mathematical principles as well as the awe-inspiring phenomenon that makes quantum computing such an exciting frontier of science.
The University of Maryland recently launched the Maryland Institute for Quantum Applications, part of a larger statewide initiative to raise $1 billion in investment in the technology. While quantum computing is starting to become a more familiar term in popular discourse, the technology is generally poorly understood and the cutting edge research being conducted at the university, even less so. Quantum Choreographies seeks to translate the science behind quantum computing through dance.
Fundraiser PHOTO/VIDEO
Work in progress excerpt created for "Fearlessly Forward" fundraiser for Univ. of Maryland - October 2025
The project uses the human body as a metaphorical representation of the fundamental building blocks of digital computation, first bits and then quantum bits or "qubits." In parallel we are developing a design language integrating pre-recorded video content and animation to extend the metaphor of dancer as qubit. The integration of digital media allows us to extend the metaphor in ways that capture the strange quantum behavior of entanglement and superposition by twinning the dancers and Dr. Miller himself on screen and onstage simultaneously.
Fundraiser PHOTO/VIDEO
PROCESS
Quantum Choreographies began as an exploration of quantum computing research through dance. The multi-disciplinary creative team spent several months learning the fundamentals of quantum physics and quantum computing. Dr. Miller, as the subject matter expert, discussed various areas of research he has conducted, with each one striving to translate complicated mathematics into visuals and processes that could be understood and utilized by the artists and designers.
Generation of the movement - clock and cardinal directions
Filming?
ADDITIONAL LINKS
PRODUCTION HISTORY
-
CREDITS
Director: Jonathan David Martin
Choreographer: Adriane Fang
Text and Performance: Carl Miller
Composer and Sound Designer: Samuel Crawford
Media Designer: Tim Kelly
Cinematographer and Editor: Mark Sherwood
Creative Collaborator: Bill Kules
Dancers:
Created through the generous support of an Arts for All Arts AMP Collaborative Faculty Grant, National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science,UMD Immersive Media Design program, UMD School of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, UMD Department of Art, and UMD School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences.