Birth + Carnage is a dance work at the intersection of choreography and astrophysics. Born from the collaboration between choreographer Marla Phelan and astrophysicist Dr. Blakesley Burkhart, the piece draws from computational simulations of stellar birth as both visceral metaphor and choreographic framework.
In collaboration with director Tim Richardson, astrophysical data is rendered into large-scale digital projections—shifting visual fields that echo cycles of transformation. Dancers are immersed within these simulations, creating a feedback loop of allegory and sensation. The score by James Newberry deepens the emotional terrain through layered sonic landscapes.
Birth + Carnage explores how cosmic and human systems reflect one another—tracing a bridge between the vastness of the universe and the depths of human connection.
