Maths in Dance - In Conclusion

So, that was a great experience. 

I was a bit disappointed that I only got 7 dancers or choreographers to participate

BUT

the quality of the responses was extraordinary.

Here are a few things that really stood out for me:

• the dancers who responded were so enthusiastic in their support of the project and gave very generously of their time to write their answers, which they had obviously given considerable thought. I was totally overwhelmed by their openness and honesty. 

• so many of the dancers had really positive experiences of maths at school - and many of them had pursued maths to a very high level. This is not what I had anticipated. Perhaps that was my preconceived ideas about dancers in general. Thank you for changing my opinion on this one.

• the dancers demonstrated deep vision and awareness of ideas that I had never considered. Elena Grinenko's explanation of fractions in the rhythm of different dance styles was a revelation to me. 

• the awareness of space and position was something that I had anticipated would be critical in dance. I even learnt a new word - proprioception - that was used by several of the dancers to describe this awareness of body position and movement. 

• many of the dancers, especially Michael Apuzzo and Linda Gamblin, described the specific and directed use of maths and physics in their training and preparation for performance, in choreography and in the performance itself. 

So once again, a huge thank you to the participating dancers who were part of the "Maths in Dance" project - I am forever in your debt.

Let me finish with a few quotes that have stuck in my mind, thoughts that I hope will resonate with you as well:

Understanding one's own body mathematically is imperative for a heightened sense of spacial awareness and proprioception.

- Linda Gamblin

Math seemed both academic and artistic to me even at a young age.

- Michael Apuzzo

As dancers we are also very aware of the space around us and the shapes and dimensions we form and create within the space.

- Corey Herbert

"It's not how much you practice, it's how smart you practice" plays a huge roll in your improvements. I can put 10 000 hours into practising something wrong then it will be impossible to fix it.

- Elena Grinenko

It is impossible to get away from math in everything that we do. It is like the inevitability of karma....it is involved in all of our thinking and doing, and the way we behave.

- Alonzo King

So that wraps up the "Maths in Dance" project.

Future plans include a "Maths in Science" project for October and the big one I am really excited about - "Maths in Music" coming this way in January!

So, does anyone have Elton's e-mail address?