A Ballet About Dark Energy? A Vogue Battle About Biosensors? These "Dance Your Ph.D." Videos Will Blow Your Mind

Science is fascinating. But trying to understand extremely detailed scientific research can be…less than fascinating.

Unless there’s a dance about it.

For the past 10 years, Science magazine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have hosted the Dance Your Ph.D. contest, an annual event that challenges Ph.D. candidates in 12 scientific categories to create interpretive dances about their research. It is exactly as weird, and exactly as amazing, as it sounds. Previous winners have included a tap/salsa/circus medley about heart valve bioengineering and a romantic dance epic about titanium alloys for hip replacements.

This year’s finalists have just been announced, and they are an especially fabulous bunch, with dancers hailing from as far afield as Brazil, France, Russia, and India. (No fewer than three of the 12 videos incorporate classical Indian dance—how cool is that?) Check out a couple of our favorites below, and then head to the official voting page before November 1 to pick your winner.