At Nerdist, we adore a good combination of nerdy endeavors. So, when we heard about the new NYC dance work, Birth + Carnage, which fuses choreography, astrophysics, and video installation, it sounded like the perfect adventure. After all, the beauty of space is one of our favorite things, and we can see how the literal study of the universe could move a beautiful work of human art. A collaboration between choreographer Marla Phelan and astrophysicist Dr. Blakesley Burkhart, the piece is “inspired by the astrophysical phenomenon of stellar birth as both visceral metaphor and choreographic framework.” We guarantee it’ll move you to tears and let you meditate on your place in the cosmos.
Phelan tells us of Birth + Carnage, “The work is inspired by Star Formation, or Galactic Birth, as both a visceral metaphor and a choreographic framework.” And adds, “Birth + Carnage completely dissolves the line between observer and experience. This isn’t a show you simply watch—it’s a multisensory collision of dance, video, and music that sync together like a living organism. Expect a pulsating, immersive world that pulls you in, shakes you awake, and refuses to let go.” There’s nothing we love more than an immersive experience, and this one sounds intense and novel in the best way. We can already feel ourselves becoming part of the greater cosmos.
But what can you expect from Birth + Carnage, literally? Well, an ensemble of dancers will perform against the backdrop of a monolithic digital installation, creating a feedback loop of allegory and sensation. The performance will echo the cycles of creation in space. Birth + Carnage’s official description shares that it invites viewers into a “theatrical abyss where cosmic and human systems mirror one another—bridging the vastness of the universe and the depths of human connection.”
But it’s truly what you can expect spiritually that touches us the most. Phelan reveals, “I hope Birth + Carnage speaks directly to people’s subconscious. I want audiences to walk away with a renewed sense that everything—absolutely everything—is a miracle, and that creation in any form requires immense energy and perseverance. We’re inviting people to sit inside a kind of galactic abyss, a space where they can contemplate how the systems of the cosmos might mirror the systems of Earth. Maybe you’ll look up into the sky and remember that stars have always been the way we orient ourselves in the universe, and in some small way, this piece might help you reorient, too.”
And we could all use a little reorientation, to be sure.
Birth + Carnage will have performances from December 19-21, 2025. It will perform at the Ellen Stewart Theatre’s La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in NYC. Tickets are available now.