Mark Baldwin, artistic director of the Ballet Rambert, tells Jeremy Campbell how physics is the inspiration of his latest work.

I must admit some scepticism before I visited Rambert at its studios in Chiswick to see rehearsals of its latest production which is a representation of physics theories in dance. The idea devised by artistic director Mark Baldwin sounded ambitious at least.

Also in the programme are Momenta, by Rambert dancer and choreographer Mikaela Polley, and restagings of Judgement of Paris and Dark Elogies, both by the late Anthony Tudor.

The latter was created in 1937, and described by Marie Rambert as "the greatest tragic ballet of the English repertoire".

Rambert prides itself on its history as the country's oldest ballet company, which was created to perform traditional ballet in 1927, and subsequently devoted to contemporary dance, and which also has the best archive of choreography in the land, enabling it to revive old shows to be shown alongside modern creations. While sometimes in the past Rambert has been criticised for lacking dynamism or becoming staid, most periods of its history are notable for its success in driving the British dance movement.

It is well supported by the Arts Council, and deeply appreciative of this, but is also currently enduring residency in an old and decrepit building, a far cry from the quality of most of its output.

On the day of my visit, violent thunderstorms reveal the worst of what staff have to put up with leaky roofs and walls, the risk of the archive being subsumed, and weak floors, meaning they cannot put much weight in certain areas of the offices or rehearsal rooms. Really not much fun when you are trying to get a major new tour on the road, and when everything is done in house. Everything, that is, including a new fundraising drive to finance a move to a plush new residence on the South Bank. It is currently a car park, but with the support of the Mayor of London and others, Rambert is hoping to add a state-of-the-art dance facility to central London's otherwise complete arts offering. It is hard to argue that this is not worthwhile.

Rambert has produced a long list of talented dancers and choreographers, and while British dance companies and talent come and go, there has been one constant over the years.

Mark Baldwin is the latest, and possibly most laid back of the artistic directors, and he has just spent a year going to physics lessons. I couldn't help but laugh a little. He does not look the type. But he speaks so eloquently on the subject, that even I am drawn to a basic understanding of the principles behind Constant Speed.

It was commissioned by the Institute of Physics, and is supposed to represent such complex theories as Brownian Motion on stage. For the uninitiated (or those who forgot their O-level or GCSE physics, like me) Brownian Motion is the way in which particles react with each other in space and time. It is a random movement of things bouncing into and off each other.

Baldwin explains: "Brown noticed that if you see a grain of pollen on water, it can't keep still, it skids around, as if it's being pushed around by unseen forces. Because molecules are moving all the time, there are smaller particles pushing it around. And that action is called Brownian Motion."

His explanation then takes on a wonderful new dimension: "The equivalent of that is that if you try to run across Leicester Square, you can't run in a straight line, because there are all those people, so you duck and dive and weave. But if you kept the ducking, diving and weaving, and took all the people away, that is also called Brownian Motion."

Suddenly everything becomes clear. But it is not until rehearsal that I am finally convinced that this all has artistic merit. But, in my opinion, it does.

Baldwin has a warmer sense of humour and he is also keen to embrace audiences, not confuse them. The scenes I see in rehearsals reflect this.

The dancers are as amused as I am at the wonderfully haphazard moves they make across the space. They run on, bounce off each other, and run off.

They interact with other individuals or groups, flipping and swaying, in a madcap adventure of 19 talented dancers given freedom and fun by their artistic director. It is promising stuff, but hilarious and ridiculous all the same.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and look forward to the whole show, which will be punctuated with very colourful costumes to represent the particles as seen by physicists.

In context, next to much darker, more mysterious and, dare I say, serious work, it could prove quite an evening of entertainment, for established dance fans and those new to the art. Newcomers are encouraged, of course.

The idea behind the commission is education, to show the relationship between art, specifically dance, and science. It is an ambitious project, which incorporates workshops, one of which will happen at the Wycombe Swan on October 1. Anyone with any level of dance experience can join the workshop to learn more about dance, and physics. It is a rare opportunity to rub shoulders with people from one of the treasures of the British arts community.

Rambert Dance Company is coming to Wycombe Swan on September 28 to October 1. Tickets: 01494 512000