Academic alchemy as kangaroo thesis turns into hip-hop dance video

“It’s like winning Eurovision.’’ How an academic transformed his doctoral thesis on kangaroos into an award-winning hip-hop video praised for its “joyful madness”.

A doctoral thesis on kangaroos has been condensed into an award-winning hip-hop video based on Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

ANU graduate Weliton Menario Costa has won the 2024 global Dance Your PhD contest, after wowing judges with his quirky entry Kangaroo Time (Club Edit).

Dr Costa – an ecologist who doubles as a singer-songwriter under the name WELI – recruited dancer and drag queen friends to perform an unchoreographed mash of ballet, ballroom, hip-hop and Brazilian funk dance moves, mimicking kangaroos.

“It’s like winning Eurovision,’’ Dr Costa quipped about his win.

“One of the main messages I wanted to convey … is that differences lead to diversity.’’

The four-minute YouTube video condenses his 61,000-word thesis on the individual behaviour and group dynamics of eastern grey kangaroos, based on three years of field study at Wilsons Promontory National Park.

He found kangaroos each have a different personality and congregate in like-minded groups, and group social effects have a stronger influence on kangaroos’ behaviour than individual personalities.

“Each kangaroo has a unique personality, resulting in individual behavioural differences,’’ he says.

“Personalities manifest early in life – siblings tend to have similar personalities and so do mothers and their offspring.

“Despite (this), kangaroos adjust their behaviour when in groups, prioritising conformity.”

The Dance Your PhD contest, with a $2750 prize, is sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and its publication Science, which praised the video’s “joyful madness’’.

“There was a sense of surprise and delight in it,’’ judge Alexa Meade told the august journal.