ONES AND ZEROS, APPLES AND POISONS,
QUEENS AND WITCHES,
FORMULAE AND FAIRY TALES
A new dance work by Invertigo Dance Theatre is making its world premiere at The Broad Stages in Santa Monica next weekend on Friday and Saturday, September 13 & 14, at 7:30. Formulae and Fairy Tales is based on the life and work of Alan Turing, and his connection to Snow White. Turing was a mathematical genius and World War II code-breaker who is considered the father of artificial intelligence and the computer.
Turing’s work in British intelligence is credited with helping to end WWII. He was criminally prosecuted for being gay and underwent chemical castration in lieu of going to prison. In 1954, he committed suicide by eating an apple laced with cyanide, an act eerily foreshadowed by his favorite film, Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
In Formulae & Fairy Tales, Invertigo’s unique movement-based storytelling explores the multi-dimensional story of how Turing changed the world and the connections between mathematics, fairy tales and love.
The show will incorporate themes of mathematical formalism, LGBTQ issues, and fairy tale fantasies.
The production places the cold, high-stakes world of mathematics, artificial intelligence, and cryptography alongside a vivid, twisted fairy tale palette of romanticized beauty; blending historical events, sexuality, gender identity, and our essential humanity. The choreography plays on binary vs. nuance, mathematical precision vs. sensual expression. Theatricality, interactive video projections, and original music shape the performance into a landscape.
The Work Features:
Sensuality ~ Cryptography ~ Codes ~
Meaning That is Hidden & Revealed ~
Love That is Hidden & Revealed ~
The Apple as Forbidden Knowledge & Forbidden Love
Invertigo Dance Theatre was founded in 2007 by Artistic Director Laura Karlin. Pioneering the dance theatre presence in Los Angeles, Laura harnesses the expressive nature of movement’s ability to tell stories. The company has grown steadily since its founding, as new audiences discover Invertigo’s fresh, vibrant, and sometimes provocative works. This growth was acknowledged when Dance Spirit Magazine named Invertigo one of the “top six trend-setting companies to watch in LA.”
photos by George Simian and Joe Lambie
Formulae and Fairy Tales
Invertigo Dance Theatre
The Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica
Fri & Sat, September 13 & 14, at 7:30
for tickets, call 310.434.3200 or visit The Broad
