Math Dance Project Reflection

I believe dancing is something we all are born to love, because dance is all about figuring out what we can do with our bodies, and expressing how we feel by moving. But once puberty hits, it seems people become uncomfortable with the idea of dancing, whether out of fear of judgement or because they feel awkward or silly. This is a shame, because dancing is so expressive, creative, and natural. If you didn’t judge yourself, there is no wrong way to dance.

I always have loved to dance. I also, of course, love math! So I was so excited by the opportunity to combine these two passions, though I wasn’t quite sure how they would connect. In my first quick google search, however, I discovered Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern’s TED talk, and immediately was on board with their ideas.

The first chapter of their book seemed like a great place to start with math and dance – shaking hands. Getting students, especially high schoolers, willing to participate when the word ‘dance’ is mentioned seems a bit daunting. But creating handshakes is a comfortable, low-risk of embarrassment way to start. The physicality of handshaking then lends itself nicely to a discussion of combinatorics, providing a memorable way to explore counting problems. I also enjoyed reading their other lesson plans, from clapping rhythms for LCM, to human tangrams for geometry.

After working on this project, I’ve looked over some of my favourite dance videos on youtube, and I am now more aware of the symmetry and geometrical patterns that are made. Choreographers are always looking for new combinations of movements and shapes to create, and I think that is fascinating to look at from a math perspective. I think dance is a great way to physically engage students and allows for their creativity to shine in math, which traditionally can be very “right or wrong.” I definitely want to incorporate movement into my class, and will continue looking for ways dance and math connect.