Reflection on Dancing Euclidean Proofs

 

  Source: https://www.mathsisfun.com/sets/functions-common.html

I am fond of learning through engaging and experimental activities. This video and article encourage me to incorporate more these embodied activities in my future math classrooms. Before watching this video and reading the article, I never thought about dance in learning math. While reading the article, “there are several dance companies who have used Euclid’s Elements as inspiration for abstract modern dance choreography.” (page 239), made me look for other videos that are showing math through dance on the internet ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U26jnb3kd_Y). 

 

I also learnt about the importance of collaboration and inclusiveness in learning, exploring, and teaching things. It suggests that working in a group can help to explore things and sometimes can come up with really great ideas. Also, it explains that embodied activities in the classrooms will help visual students effectively. I never thought about using dance or these experimental activities into math classroom for explaining things to visual learners. I am always thinking about showing those visual learners the videos that only provide information about the concept.

 

As I love dancing, the quote, “The involvement of our whole bodies offer a stronger experiential component and demand different capabilities from the imagination of the dancer-mathematician”, reminds me that as a member of a Gidha team (Punjabi folk dance) in India while I was doing undergraduate there. I remember my instructor told me that to entertain or engage all the audience, your whole body should be fully involved, including your eyes. He said to me that along with your dance using hands and legs, your movement of facial features would explain the message behind the dance.