Ocean in Motion: A Collaborative Performance
About this Event
A Collaborative Performance by Boston Dance Theater and Musicians from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
Presented as part of the 2026 WHOI Science Stroll, Ocean in Motion brings together contemporary dance, live chamber music, scientific storytelling, and structured improvisation in a celebration of the beauty, movement, and complexity of the ocean.
At the beginning, Boston Dance Theater will present a free work-in-progress excerpt from Microplastics, the company’s newest environmentally focused creation. Conceptualized by Boston Dance Theater Founder and Co-Artistic Director Jessie Jeanne Stinnett, the work was developed in collaboration with WHOI ocean physicist Larry J. Pratt and the artists of Boston Dance Theater.
Microplastics traces the life cycle of plastic—from carbon compressed deep beneath the Earth to its eventual fragmentation into microplastics that accumulate throughout the world’s oceans. Through expansive physicality and immersive choreography, the work embodies both the immense timescales of Earth’s geological processes and the constant movement of ocean currents.
The program will also feature a musical performance by WHOI scientist-musicians. Inspired by swirling eddies, ocean currents, and waves, the musicians will explore how fluid dynamics can be interpreted through music. This interdisciplinary collaboration was conceived by WHOI postdoc researcher Yanxu Chen, who will perform "Flowing Water" (Liú Shuǐ) on the guqin, a nearly 3,000-year-old Chinese zither. Flowing Water is among the recordings included on NASA's Voyager Golden Record, launched into interstellar space aboard the Voyager spacecraft. Chen will also perform a sea shanty specially arranged for the guqin, bringing together maritime tradition and one of the world's oldest musical instruments.
Whether you are passionate about science, the arts, or simply curious about the ocean, Ocean in Motion invites you to experience an inspiring program in which research and creativity move together.
Date: Saturday, August 8, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM–1:00 PM
Performance length: Approximately 1.5 hours
Location:
Woods Hole Community Hall
68 Water Street
Woods Hole, MA 02543
Admission is free, but registration is required because seating is limited.
Acknowledgments
Ocean in Motion is presented as part of the 2026 WHOI Science Stroll. This project is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency dedicated to supporting the arts, humanities, and sciences in communities across Massachusetts.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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