Math, Aerobics and Dance

Have you ever considered teaching math through dance? Since I discovered Malke's Math in Your Feet blog over a year ago I have thought of dance in a whole new light. Malke is a dance teacher turned math teacher. In her special classes students learn to think about math through dance in terms such as symmetry of movement, feet patterns, and degrees of rotation in turns.

I've always participated in dance classes and two years ago I taught aerobics. As part of my teaching I was responsible for choreographing routines. Here are some math skills I used in conjunction with aerobics and dance:

1. The music is comprised of patterns which repeat every eight beats. The eight beats repeat further for four measures at a time. Therefore, designing steps that repeat every eight steps and combinations of steps in groups of four works well with the music.

2. Some patterns begin and end with the same foot and some result in a switch of feet. Making a distinction between the two is important for designing routines on the fly and when there is time for choreography.

3. Moving while dancing to make patterns with the other girls is very mathematical. Two photos above the girls are in a V-position, later they danced in a circle.

4. Kicking leg height - Most girls in this picture are kicking to 90 degrees.

For a very different and creative way to teach mathematical vocabulary and concepts through dance be sure to visit Math in Your Feet.

This post is linked to:
Hip Homeschool Hop
Tried it Tuesday

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