The amazing connection between dance and mathematics

Image source: tisch.nyu.edu

Mark Hochberg, a student of dance at NYU, has started a series of blogs on his favorite subject to help people develop an understanding and appreciation for this most dynamic of arts.

This blog looks at the fascinating bond between dance and mathematics, both fascinating subjects in their own right.

The issue with math is that as interesting as it can be, to fully appreciate it, most people need to view it from a different perspective. All the numbers can be daunting and often off-putting, and the serious applications of it, such as finance computations and chemical formulas, aren't helping unless a person is well-versed about these fields.

Image source: en.wikipedia.org

However, there have been other unconventional fields wherein math can be applied. Music and, in extension, dance are two of these fields that give mathematics a different color. Today, more and more people are finding interest in math because of dance, and scholars are looking at rhythm and beat to be the vehicles that usher in the marriage of both.

People may not know it, but all the toe-tapping and head-bobbing do something to their brains. In fact, many people subconsciously count musical measures while dancing. And when they finally become aware of the musical measures of the song and all the many variants of it, NYU student Mark Hochberg mentions that they become aware of how math figures into music and dance, opening an entirely different universe for them.