Academic turns PhD about kangaroo socialisation into a music video

February 28, 2024 6:17 PM

ANU academic and songwriter wins global Dance Your PhD competition for kangaroo socialisation music video. Australian National University academic Weliton Menário Costa's elaborately choreographed video Kangaroo Time (Club Edit) explaining his study of social behaviour in kangaroos wins the worldwide Dance Your PhD competition.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (17 comments total)

Thanks for sharing this, very entertaining!
posted by rpfields at 6:28 PM on February 28 [1 favorite]

This is a contest I forget about but love to see the results every single year. This one is one of my favorites, I absolutely love the diversity and the message.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:52 PM on February 28 [2 favorites]

Absolutely best of the web! I think my favorite part of the music video is when he adjusts his dancing style for each subgroup he stands near. It’s really clear yet approachably choreographed in a way that communicates the findings and is really fun to watch.
posted by Mizu at 8:06 PM on February 28 [3 favorites]

This is beautiful! I love the human /kangaroo baby and mom, and the confidently curious /wary drag queens.
posted by Zumbador at 8:32 PM on February 28 [3 favorites]

Wasn't there a Monty Python sketch like this back in the '70's?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 8:57 PM on February 28

I'm endlessly fascinated by the social interactions of my small colony of feral cats, and my observations definitely parallel those in the music video. They all have very distinct personalities, they have their own little subgroups, they each react very distinctively when startled or threatened. It's a real honor and an education to be able to get to know wild animals deeply, and there are times I feel like making music about it too.

Great project. Thanks for posting.
posted by MrVisible at 9:08 PM on February 28 [2 favorites]

seems like a big jump in production value from previous years
posted by daisystomper at 9:17 PM on February 28 [2 favorites]

So charming. I loved it! Thank you for sharing. I love it when people can explain their research in an accessible way, and this video does exactly that.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:23 PM on February 28 [1 favorite]

Oh my god I’m googling all the previous years how did I never hear of this before? Amazing! What a glorious Metafilter post.
posted by corb at 11:12 PM on February 28 [2 favorites]

"Winning this contest is the equivalent of winning Eurovision for me," Dr Costa said.

Well, yeah, Dr Costa. You brought Eurovision to the Dance Your PhD contest.
posted by Xiphias Gladius at 5:48 AM on February 29 [4 favorites]

This is great! I'm just glad I didn't have I didn't have to write a song then choreograph and film a dance video "in partial fulfillment" of my PhD requirements. Having been through the process, I can just see a PhD committee saying, "Great defense! Now, about that dance video?"
posted by mollweide at 6:32 AM on February 29 [3 favorites]

That was absolutely wonderful and magnificent. And I learned something about kangaroo behavior!

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this, chariot pulled by cassowaries!
posted by kristi at 8:52 AM on February 29

With my luck, any attempt to dance my PhD will only generate the response that I'm taking the easy way out....
posted by infini at 8:53 AM on February 29 [2 favorites]

I keep wondering if there's an equivalent to this in the performing arts. Like, an PhD in fine arts explaining to a bunch of scientists how exactly their dance piece works and what's so awesome about it.
posted by MrVisible at 9:02 AM on February 29 [2 favorites]

Aw, I loved the video but then I read the whole article and now I'm crying: "'Kangaroo Time is my Australia time, it's the time I came out and lived as a gay man in the workplace for the first time in my life'. . . . WELI said his decision to apply for a PhD studying socialisation in mammals came from his upbringing in a conservative space as a queer man and noticing the differences in his behaviour while with others as opposed to alone. 'I think it's extremely important that we celebrate diversity and creating a video explaining kangaroo personality was an excellent medium for me to do this.'"
posted by helpthebear at 1:46 PM on March 1 [4 favorites]

Brian May earned his Ph.D. one year before the contest began.

Imagine what might have been...
posted by cheshyre at 6:58 PM on March 1 [2 favorites]

This is great. The music is an absolute banger.
posted by Chrysopoeia at 7:10 PM on March 1