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Dave Bacon is a theoretical ski bum who is also a pseudo 
From a New York Times article describing the Nature Theater of Oklahoma's production of "No Dice:"
"Poetics," for example, was choreographed using dice. Each face on the die represented one of six possible gestures, and each appendage -- two arms, two legs and the head -- got its own roll of the dice. Dice determined where the actors stand and for how long. There are four actors in "Poetics," but, alas, no such thing as a four-sided die. So, to determine who did what, the directors used a dreidel.No such thing as a four sided dice? Obviously no one among the choreographers has played Dungeons & Dragons:
Humanities & Social Science
Comments
I am disgusted and appalled at this lack of dice knowledge.
Posted by: Xanthir, FCD | January 3, 2008 6:56 PM
Indeed, this is deeply disturbing! Then again, back in the days of oldfashioned pen & paper cons, I remember a friend of mine asking for "six-sided dice" in a mom-and-pop store around the corner, and total incomprehension ensued---until one of us slightly rephrased the question.
(Just got here after reading the article "Blog life: The Quantum Pontiff" on physicsworld.com, http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/indepth/32282 , and wouldn't you know! The first posting I come across is about D&D ...)
^_^J.
Posted by: gyokusai | January 3, 2008 9:44 PM
I happen to be a collector of odd dice (as I think I mentioned in the lengthy probability debate). The strangest are two perfectly round dice that always show a number exactly face up (there's a ball bearing rolling around inside and indentations into which it falls, thus forcing a particular number face up). I also have an interested pair of Kama Sutra dice, all the usual D&D dice, and plan to someday purchase a set of weather dice: http://www.dicecollector.com/THE_DICE_THEME_WEATHER.html. I've also seen a huge (and unwieldy) 100-sided die once.
Posted by: Ian Durham | January 7, 2008 10:15 AM
Oh, I forgot to mention I also happen to own an old copy of the logic game Wff 'n' Proof whose game pieces are dice covered in logic symbols. (see http://wffnproof.com/)
Posted by: Ian Durham | January 7, 2008 10:19 AM
Really, though, a dreidl is most likely far better at achieving a random result than using a tetrahedral die - and you don't have to worry about the dreaded "caltrop effect" with a dreidl!
Posted by: M | January 7, 2008 3:02 PM
I guess the later point would be even more important for dancers :)
Posted by: Dave Bacon | January 7, 2008 3:04 PM