Visual artists aren't the only ones who use math, dancers do to! Well, I didn't really know this until I researched it more but we use it more than I thought. Most obviously, dancers use math to count beats and timing just like musicians do. We also use math in the form of physics when lifting and jumping, calculating and estimating mentally the space needed to ultimately make sure we land safely. Formations are super important in dance to make the peice aesthetically pleasing. Geometric patterns are used and movements and lines must be sort of calculated to determine the right angles at which to stand and move. I didn't think that all of that was very interesting or all that new so while researching more I found a particular type of dance called "Challenge Square Dancing". This was very new to me and I learned that challenge square dances learn and memorize 100 or more formations and steps referred to as "calls". In competitions or challenges, the is a person who is the "caller" and he or she calls formations and steps and the dancers respond by doing the movement. The requires thinking on the callers part because not all call mesh perfectly s o it is their job to think of how to move the people safely and smoothly. At North Central College in Naperville there is a class offered called the Mathematic of Square Dancing where challenge square dancing is taught. Most students are science, math, and computer majors and a math teacher said that this form of dance is " math in motion"much like "solving a Rubix Cube." Some traditionalist square dancers disagree with this new branch saying that it takes the sociability out and focusing more on choreography and puzzle solving.
Slightly unrelated but not really, I found a video in which girls use dance to demonstrate Ekadhikena Purvena, a principle of Vedic Math. Vedic Math is a method that is a simpler way of learning mathematics. Ekadhikena Purvena means "by one more than the previous one." I looked up this method and then this principle and found it very interesting. Ekadhikena Purvena is for numbers ending in 5 only. For example:
252 = (2*3) add 25 to end you get : 625
*Because 2 times 3 is 6 you put 25 on the end and get your answer.
*"Plus one" comes from the 2 (first number) plus 1 = 3 and you multiply the two together
However, if the number does not end with 5, the same principle applies if the last digit of the two numbers being multiplied adds up to 10. This is demonstrated in the video. For example:
37*33= (3*4) (7*3) = 12, 21 = 1221
*The first multiplication is found with +1 and the second is the two last numbers mulitplied together
Math is found in dance but in a very broad form. My research took me onto a slightly different path but the Bollywood dancers really helped me understand a particular principle of Vedic math. All artists use math, we just have to find out how! :)
Why do people hate math? I think that people hate math because it has such a structured formula to it. Everything is proven and everythnig works. THere are shortcuts and easier ways to do things but there really is no loop hole. Using me as an example, I know that there is a way to do everything and I become a little frustrated when I don't understand something whose instuctions are specifically mapped out. Math is easy but also very difficult at the same time; it is very easy to loose concentration and have no idea what you are doing.
Do you like or hate math? Why? I hate math. As I said above, it frustrates me because it is so structured and I cannot make sense of much of it. I have to workl very hard to understand and maintain a decent grade. I like to be very creative and I find math to be very lacking in opportunity to express creativity.
Do you think that Math is important for artsists? I think math is important for anyone no mattter what their profession. A musician has to use numbers to count bars and such in music. Dancers share the same requirement with the need to count the music they are moving to. Artists may need math to measure and calculate area and perimeter of paintings and sculptures. Thespians may need math when building a set or when staging a play. Truthfully, any profession is going to pay and consequently we will all need math to pay our bills.
How can math education be improved? I am never excited for math class but I think teachers who are actually excited about their class and their subject would hold my attention much better. This year I have found that Ms. J really loves math and her job and through her way of explaining things, I really understand Algebra 2 so far.
