Universcience, an organisation that works to make science accessible to all, invites visitors to hit the dance floor in its new featured touring exhibit Danser (Dance in English).
Created as a collaboration between Universcience and the Centre national de la danse, the Dance exhibit takes visitors into the world of dance to explore the natural human compulsion to move through joyful, feel-good activities that visitors of all ages will enjoy.
Dancing is a natural occurrence, often a spontaneous reaction to hearing music, and this bright, family-friendly exhibition sheds light on an integral aspect of the human experience.
Interactive activities take the lead
Interactivity is the key component to this first-of-its-kind exhibit. Upon entering the exhibit, guests will see children and families hopping, twirling, and moving around as they flit from one activity to another.
Even the design of the exhibit resembles a dance. There is no set path, but elements are arranged such that visitors continuously twist and turn as they move from one activity to another. Through interactive activities, visitors are immersed in different styles of dance from around the world. They are encouraged to physically participate in activities that demonstrate key concepts and try out different movements for themselves.
The exhibition is organised around three actions: Turn, Jump, and Come Together. These verbs are the building blocks of dance as we know it today. In each section, there are different activities that visitors can participate in, ranging from dance circles to leaping games and audiovisual stimulation. These activities facilitate expressions of creativity and joy from all visitors.
The Science of Dance
Dance introduces visitors to some of the mechanics of dancing with engaging activities that perfectly blend education with entertainment. In the ‘Jump’ section, for example, visitors can observe their jumps in slow motion to understand what makes a leap happen—from propulsion to suspension to landing.
They also discover how jumping in rhythm may seem simple, but it’s a complex cerebral exercise. It requires the brain to associate an action—the jump—with a perception—the pulse of the music. Dancing in rhythm with others is even more demanding, as it involves perfect synchronisation.
Visitors can try out these and discover other examples, including the ‘heel click’ jump, where a dancer must shift their centre of gravity to make their heels touch mid-air—a dynamic challenge of coordination and control.
Put on your dancing shoes
One highlight of the exhibition is ‘the Ball’, in the ‘Come Together’ section, which invites visitors to put on their dancing shoes to learn three traditional group dances from different periods—the Branle, the waltz, and the disco—alongside fellow visitors.
In this circular space, visitors face one another as they follow a guide on a large screen—everyone, from experienced ballerinas to first-time dancers, can follow along and join the dance. Through this activity, visitors can better understand the powerful way in which dance brings people together and how it has evolved.
So far, there have been over 175,000 visitors to the Dance exhibition at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie. It continues to be one of the Cité’s highest-rated exhibits, lauded for its interactivity and scenography. In 2024, Dance was one of two Universcience exhibits to be named a part of the Paris 2024 Olympiade Culturelle, along with Body and Sports.
Dance is on display at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris until 28 June 2026.
Universcience also recently announced the upcoming international tour of its acclaimed exhibition Cats & Dogs, which will be open for bookings starting autumn 2026.
