SciDance Archive

Sea Turtle Conservation Dance

This video features a piece choreographed by Dr. Jenkins for the 2008 AAAS Science Dance Competition in which it won runner-up in the postdoctoral category. Using mostly scientists with little or no dance training, this piece depicts Dr. Jenkins’ dissertation entitled “The invention and adoption of conservation technology to successfully reduce the bycatch of protected marine species.” The dance focuses on one of Dr. Jenkins’ research case studies: the use of turtle excluder devices to protect sea turtles and the people who came together to invent them.

Can’t Give Up Now

Dr. Jenkins choreographed this dance as a farewell performance for the Dance Arts Studio, where she taught dance throughout graduate school. The dance depicts the struggles of pursuing a Ph.D., the final push to finish her thesis, and the sustaining grace of God that carried her through it all.