The Dancer's Control of Movement in Zero Gravity:
A Scientific Investigation
Nick Davey & Imperial College Biodyamics Group with Kitsou Dubois and Arts Catalyst

The team has taken part in two European Space Agency parabolic flight campaigns in March 2002 and April 2003.

Report on March 2002 Campaign:

The team were able to perform equipment tests in preparation and while waiting for clearance to experiment in the next parabolic flight campaign.

Report on the ESA Campaign April 2003
(from the ESA web-site report):

"Probably the single most experienced parabolic flight test subject is dancer Kitsou Dubois, who has flown a dozen parabolic flights since 1990. She is a test subject for a team from Britain's Imperial College studying how humans voluntarily control their movement.

"They are studying how commands move from the motor cortex of the brain along the spinal cord to the muscles of the arm, how we instinctively perform arm movements without ever unbalancing ourselves, and how the strength and pattern of the brain's electrical commands may alter without gravity.

"The team do this by applying brief electromagnetic pulses to the brain and tracing (using electromyography or EMG) the resultant action potentials along the spine and trunk to muscles.

"The team use trained dancers as well as 'naïve' subjects because the former exhibit greater control over their trunks than ordinary people. The team's aim is to better understand how brain, limb and trunk interact, and so improve rehabilitation of individuals recovering from strokes or spinal injury.

"Test subjects have to have a magnetic stimulator held to their head along with multiple electrodes attached to them, but Kitsou had no complaints: "The experiment is very worthwhile, and microgravity is always enjoyable - a moment of pure movement."



Bob Schroter (left), Alexander Nowicky (behind Schroter), Kitsou Dubois (right, prone) on the flight