Miss Next Century 2020 | Merritt Moore

Merritt Moore is an American ballerina and quantum physicist. Moore's love for math and dance started at a young age growing up in California. Moore dances professionally for ballet companies around the world and completed her PhD in Atomic and Laser Physics at Oxford in 2017 following her underaduate degree in physics at Harvard. In 2020, Moore began an innovative residency at Harvard's ArtLab exploring how AI can inspire human creativity through dance.

Moore was named Glamour's 'Top Ten College Women' in 2010. In 2017, Moore was a candidate on BBC Two's 'Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?'. In 2018, Moore started a unique Instagram profile and campaign called SASters Squad (Science-Art-Sisters Squad, @sasters_squad) to support and promote women pursuing both science and art. Moore was named one of Forbes 'Forbes 30 under 30' in 2020.

Merritt Moore was named Future-ish's 10th Miss Next Century in 2020.

Social Media

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>> Facebook
>> Instagram: @physicsonpointe | @sasters_squad
>> LinkedIn
>> Twitter: @physicsonpointe

Additional Reading

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• Butterfield, L. 2017. Women in science: A quantum ballerina dancing to the beat of her own drum. Oxford Science Blog.
• Campbell, C. S. 2018. PODCAST: Torn Between Two Passions? Choose Both. Forbes
• Knapton, S. 2017. Oxford physicist and professional ballerina battles to become astronaut in new BBC show. The Telegraph.
• Levine, A. 2018. Staying on Pointe: Physicist Twirls Her Way to Successful Ballet Career. APS News.
• Strul, J. 2010. Meet the Top 10 College Women of 2010: Amazing Women You Haven't Heard of…Yet! Glamour.
• Wikipedia

Miss Next Century 2019 | Alicia Gonzaléz Martínez

Alicia Gonzaléz Martínez is a Spanish neurologist, dancer (classical and flamenco), and performer. She received her medical degree from the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain and has held research and residency positions in the US and in Spain. Gonzaléz Martínez started dancing at age 3. In 2010, Gonzaléz Martínez and several friends started a performing group called Ojos Venecia. Gonzaléz Martínez sees many similarities in science and dancing, including creativity, resilience, ongoing training, the need for communication, and a long list of failures and successes.

Gonzaléz Martínez was named Future-ish's 9th Miss Next Century in 2019.

Additional Reading

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• Bergman, O. 2015. Alicia Gonzaléz Martínez–med student, scientist, dancer and performer. Crasina.se
• Galisteo, A. 2019. La médico ciudarrealeña Alicia González, premiada por la Academia Americana de Neurología.

Miss Next Century 2017 | Jasmmine Kaur Ramgotra

Miss Next Century 2017, Jasmmine Kaur Ramgotra.
Image credit: Avi Loud
Jasmmine Kaur Ramgotra is a Canadian dancer, choreographer, model and visual designer who is also known by the name JASE in her creative endeavors.

Ramgotra's work ranges from the exploration of her mixed race identity to addressing the challenges of diversity in the environmental movement, and the creative expression of complex environmental and social issues. Her goal as an artist is to create works that foster a new culture of inclusion, respect and innovation through cross-disciplinary partnerships: eliminating the abstraction that makes art inaccessible, and bringing the deeper meaning to the eyes and ears of her audience.

Inspiration for her work comes from her mixed-race experience, her research in the environmental field, and her strong desire to tell challenging truths about our culture. Ramgotra deeply values collaboration with other performers and artists in the area, and believes that making connections across disciplines will help bring art to the forefront of positive cultural change.

Ramgotra began her dance training with classical Indian styles such as Kathak and Bharatanatyam, and later explored Western dance traditions including jazz, modern, contemporary and ballet at the school of Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle for many years. Most recently, she has been studying and participating in more urban and street styles such as popping, vogue and house alongside local artists such as Angel Moonyeka and Amy O'Neal.

Jasmmine's unique movement style is a fusion of all the forms she has learned up until this point, and she embodies them beginning and ending with a respect for the culture and roots of each form - she believes strongly that we need to acknowledge the history of each dance style, and continue to learn the legacies we are embodying when we practice them.

Ramgotra will graduate with a double degree in Environmental Studies and Dance, and a minor in Environmental Science from the University of Washington in June of 2017. Afterwards, she is looking forward to embarking on new meaningful collaborations that bring social issues, activism, art, and education to the forefront of cultural expression.

Ramgotra was named Future-ish's seventh Miss Next Century in 2017.

Examples of Ramgotra's creative works can be found below.

"Night Shade," collaboration created in November 2016:


"The Disposable Life", performed at the University of Washington Dance Majors Concert in March of 2016:




Excerpts from "In the White Frame" from June 2016:



Additional Reading:

• Chang, S. H. 2016. In the White Frame: an interview with mixed-race dancers Angel Langley & Jasmmine Ramgotra. Miltiracial Asian Families.

Miss Next Century 2015 | Kara Wilke

Kara Wilke (left) with her sisters Caitlyn and Bryn (more about her sisters below). Image credit: Christy Tyler Photography.

Kara Wilke is an American mechanical engineer, former championship level Irish Dancer, and certified Irish Dance Instructor (T.C.R.G.) through the An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG). Some might say she lives in two “worlds” – one that involves metal properties, mechanics, and lots of math – and another that involves rhinestones, curly wigs, fancy dresses, and crazy fast feet!

Wilke received her BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2009, graduating with cum laude honors. Throughout her college career, she was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society, Senior Design Project Leader, and has since acquired her Engineer in Training (E.I.T.) license and Six Sigma Green Belt Certification. Her work with designs, testing, systems, processes, manufacturing plants, and customers have allowed for packaging improvement and innovations in the field to take place leading to new designs and several million dollars of savings.

Kara Wilke, 2007
Wilke started Irish Dance at the age of 11 and continued to dance throughout college, advancing to the Open Championship level in competition. She has competed and placed at the national level, and at 17 began to assist in classes to help the younger dancers. After retiring from competition, she pursued her dream of becoming a Certified Irish Dance Teacher, TCRG (Teagascóir Choimisiúin le Rinci Gaelacha), all the while working as a Project Design Engineer.

Wilke with one of her dancers,
Caroline, at 2014 regionals.

Wilke is an instructor at the Mayer School of Irish Dance and has been the the leader of the Mayer Performance Team for the past three years. The performance team gives the dancers opportunities to perform on television, in parades, as well as in nursing homes around St. Patrick’s Day (those are her favorite!). Her passion and talent has helped others hone their skills, and brought several dancers to compete at Regional, National, and World competitions all over the United States, Ireland, England, Scotland, and Canada. The ability to take her knowledge as an Engineer and also her talent as an Irish Dance instructor by crossing over the learning potential in both fields, has led Kara to become innovative at work and a great motivator with both coworkers and dancers.

Wilke and her Mother at 2009 Nationals

Throughout all of these accomplishments, there’s one thing that has kept her sane and striving for more – Kara’s family. Her parents and four siblings have provided support and guidance throughout her life, and continue to do so, due to the fact that they are all in the STEM fields as well (3 with their Bachelors in Computer Science, 2 with their Masters, one with her PhD, and a partridge in a pear tree). Her mother, as one of the first females to graduate from her school with Bachelors in Computer Science, and along with her sisters – Caitlyn with her PhD in Pharmacoeconomics and Bryn with her Masters in Chemistry – especially provide inspiration and motivation to push for bigger and better.

Wilke was named as our fifth Miss Next Century in 2015.

SeanChron | Das Triadische Ballett

A new friend of mine recently introduced me to Das Triadische Ballet (The Triadic Ballet) by Oskar Schlemmer and I feel compelled to share it far and wide because it is one of the most creative things I have come across in a long time. What blows my mind is that it was originally imagined in 1912 but it still seems way ahead of its time even today. The image above and video below are of a 1970 performance of the ballet.



Conceptualized in 1912, the ballet had a partial debut in 1916 and then a full debut in 1922, both in Stuttgart. Music was by Paul Hindemith and the original dancers were Albert Burger und Elsa Hötzel. The opus became one of the key showpieces and ambassador of the Bauhaus movement in the 1920s and beyond. The piece explores figure and space in a sort of choreographed geometry and consists of a male dancer and two female dancers in twelve dances that take place in three rooms that represent different moods.

in three room dance, dance form and dance gesture. Three dancers (one dancer and two dancers) dance twelve dances in a total of eighteen costumes.

Several original costumes from the ballet along with other Schlemmer works are kept at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. Aa major exhibition of Schlemmer's works will be part of Visionen Einen Neuen Velt (Visions of a New World) November 21, 2014 - June 6, 2015 at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart.

Images below are from the 1989 performance of Das Triadische Ballett by the Theater Instituut Nederland in Amsterdam, short video here.

Images below are from the 2014 performance of Das Triadische Ballett in Munich by the Bayerisches Staatsballett.

Culture Icon | Misty Copeland

In the summer of 2007, American ballet dancer Misty Copeland became the first African American female soloist at the American Ballet Theatre in two decades. Copeland had her first ballet lesson at the San Pedro Boys & Girls Club at 13, won first place in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards at 15, and joined ABT at 19...all while maintaining a 3.8 GPA through her junior year of high school. Since that time Copeland has performed in dozens of ballets as well as many other dance and artistic projects. She inspires many young ballerinas but is a role model particularly to African-American and other minority girls who face challenges in reaching their dreams. Copeland will be inducted into the Boys & Girls Club of America Alumni Hall of Fame in 2012.

McGill Students, Faculty, Staff Strike a Pose for Cancer Research

Students, faculty, and staff recently busted some moves to Taio Cruz's Dynamite to raise money and awareness for the Goodman Cancer Research Centre. The YouTube video below not only showcases the amazing research at McGill, it shows that even long-tenured faculty can learn new tricks...and new dance moves.

Found Materials, Fantastic Art: Nick Cave's Soundsuits at Seattle Art Museum

This week is your last chance to the Nick Cave exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum (ends June 5th). His soundsuits are wearable art pieces that are colorful and composed in large part of reclaimed and found materials. The bottom part of the soundsuit on the far right is a collection of crocheted pot holders stitched together and the top is made of tops.

The soundsuits were conceived by Nick Cave as a way to insulate one's self from prejudice while distinguishing one's self from the culture that sustains that prejudice. His meticulous arrangement of familiar elements into something fantastical is fascinating to see and the use of reclaimed materials is a central part of his ethos as an artist. 

Reusing cast-aside materials, Nick Cave's art combines them in ways that make us realize the volume and variety of those materials.  BP

Sceleb and Culture Icon - Phillip Chbeeb

Not only can Phillip Chbeeb pop some moves on You Think You Can Dance he can calculate integrals too. That's right, Chbeeb may be one of season 5's top dancers, but he's also an engineering physics major at Loyala University. Chbeeb may just bring a whole new meaning to the field of 'spintronics'.

Woman of Two Worlds, Maria Tallchief

Originally posted on The Smart Set...Maria Tallchief is known around the world as the first Prima Ballerina in America. Born on the Osage Indian Reservation in Oklahoma in 1925, Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief, was the daughter of an Osage Father, Alexander Joseph Tall Chief, and Scottish/Irish Mother, Ruth Mary Porter Tall Chief. Tallchief was the Grandaughter of Eliza Big Heart. In 1953, Tallchief was given the name of Wa-Xthe-Thomba, meaning "Woman of Two Worlds." She was married to choreographer George Balanchine from 1946 to 1952 and later married Chicago Developer Henry Paschen in 1956. She started piano and ballet at age three and by age 12 she was studying ballet under the great Madame Nijinska. Tallchief performed with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo From 1942 to 1947 and the New York City Ballet from 1947 to 1965. Tallchief's 1949 performance of Balanchine's "The Firebird" in 1949 made her world famous and she was the first Sugarplum Fairy in Balanchine's Nutcracker. Tallchief retired in 1965 and started the Chicago City Ballet in 1981 with her sister Marjorie, also an acclaimed ballerina. At present Tallchief is artistic adviser to the Chicago Festival Ballet. Among many other awards and honors, Tallchief received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996.

SeanChron - Impromptu Hula

I recently returned from my third annual visit to Maui. I try to learn more about Hawaiian culture and sustainability efforts with every visit and this last visit was one of my best ever, both for me personally and in finding a lot of sustainability efforts underway. You can read up on my latest visit on my Haberdash for Humanity blog.

One of the things that I've observed several times since I've been back home in Seattle is impromptu Hula...Hula dancers that just show up in parks, in lobbies, etc. to share their beautiful Hula dances and spread some Aloha. Today I just happened to do a search on YouTube for a video of Keali'i Reichel and his dancers performing "Maunaleo" that I saw on the Hawaiian Airlines flight back home and came across this video, 'Melissa dances to Maunaleo', that is a great example of 'impromptu hula'. I must admit, the song itself - which was a gift to his Mother and honors the mountain that looks over Wailuku on Maui - makes me tear up a bit every time I hear it but the Hula makes me smile. Call it whatever you like...impromptu Hula, gorilla Hula, pop up Hula, etc. it's just a great gift if you're lucky enough to come across one of these surprise performances.