FRACTALS BY KIMBERLEY CETRON
FRACTALS
The Invisible World of Fractals Made Visible Through Theater and Dance by Performing Artist, Writer, and Educator. . .
Fractals are patterns, infinitely reiterating, self-similar in shape. Benoit Mandelbrot coined the term in the 1970s, but scientists and mathematicians had been exploring the concept for centuries. Mandelbrot developed a geometry to express things found in the natural rather than the man-made world – coastlines, galaxies, anatomy, clouds, trees, snowflakes, and the like. Fractals are intrinsic to Chaos Theory – the science of surprises, of the non-linear and unpredictable. They reveal the order governing the seemingly chaotic in our world. As we learn to recognize them, we gain insight into our world, ourselves, and one another.
Especially at this cultural moment, when the whole world has changed and we must re-imagine the ways in which we make art and the ways we educate, Fractals provides resources and approaches for collaborative art and for locating the intersection of arts and academics in ways that illuminate both.
Praise for Fractals: The Invisible World of Fractals Made Visible Through Theater and Dance
“Fractals is an eye-opening awakening to the patterns that surround us everywhere and a must read for artists and arts enthusiasts of any discipline seeking insight into the creative process.” —Shu-Chen Cuff, Founder/Artistic Director, Gin Dance Company and Faculty Member at The Washington Ballet, Metropolitan School of the Arts, and BalletNova Center for Dance
“Kimberley Cetron’s deep dive into the connective relationships between dramatic impulsive movement text and choreography is a gold mine. It offers endless possibilities for artistic educational conversation.”—Tomé Cousin, Dancer, Choreographer, Director, and Associate Professor of Dance, Carnegie Mellon University
“The ideas, concepts, and principles explored in Fractals deliver fresh insight for practitioners of diverse forms of art. It offers truth in the matter – that education truly involves collaboration. Our histories lead us to new pathways and new ways of thinking: and within that, it is our nature to share and build new knowledge together.”—Autumn Eckman, Dancer, Choreographer, and Assistant Professor of Dance, University of Arizona
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kimberley Cetron began her career in professional theater as an actor, singer, dancer, and pianist. From there she expanded into producing, directing, music directing, costume design, choreography, and dramaturgy. She began her teaching career through music education, completing a Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and teaching multiple academic subjects at every level from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. During her doctoral work in education, an advisor asked why she had separated her performance and education experiences and urged her to combine them. Her dissertation research was a qualitative, longitudinal study of fostering cross-cultural communication using theater techniques. Her previous writing has included poetry, educational journals, book reviews, and playwriting. She has done staff development and curriculum writing for the Fairfax County Public Schools and taught undergraduate theater and graduate education at George Mason University. She lives in Virginia with her husband, Adam, and her son, Gabriel.
