An interview with Merritt Moore | Why Dance Matters

Why Dance Matters often meets people whose interest in dance sits alongside expertise in a completely different field. Merritt Moore’s talents seem especially unlikely: she’s a Harvard-trained physicist who dances with robots. She is also a professional ballerina, performing at the highest level (most recently with Boston Ballet). Can the rigours of the ballet studio meet the intellectual challenges of the lab? During lockdown, Merritt began exploring the world of dancing with robots, and they now perform together across the world. And Merritt also dreams of being the first ballerina in space.

Merritt Moore graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors in physics from Harvard and with a PhD in atomic and laser physics from Oxford. She also pursues a professional ballet career, with the Zurich Ballet, English National Ballet and Norwegian National Ballet, and most recently Boston Ballet. An Adjunct Professor at NYU Abu Dhabi teaching Creative Robotics, she also appeared on the BBC series Astronauts: Do you have what it takes? During the pandemic, she programmed and danced with robots and has been invited to perform at Boston Ballet, Forbes Women’s Summit, Harvard AI Opening and more.

Merritt’s website: http://merrittmoore.com/

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