A Personal Journey into Math and Dance
When I started teaching through the arts, I wasn’t directed specifically towards mathematics. My initial task was to collaborate with teachers to see how my art form—dance—could support their curriculum. Most teachers immediately thought of using dance to dramatize literature, which, while valuable, didn’t resonate with me fully. I wanted to go deeper; I wanted to teach something, not just perform it. That’s when I discovered the unique synergy between mathematics and movement.
However, I remember feeling like I was on an island by myself. The internet, as we know it today, wasn’t around, and resources connecting dance to math were scarce. Especially since my education circled dance communities such as the National Ballet of Canada and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre which weren't often in the type of academic circles that were exploring dance and mathematics. But I could see the potential—mathematics lent itself so naturally to movement. It felt intuitive to teach math through physical expression, yet finding others who shared this vision was tough.
I felt alone in this pursuit until I stumbled upon Karl Schaffer’s TED Talk. It was a revelation! There were others like me, people talking about the power of math and dance. Slowly, Dance Equations was born. Though I took a break to raise my family and moved to Costa Rica, where there aren’t the same resources or grants for arts in schools, I found my way back during the pandemic. Online workshops became a new avenue for reaching out globally. I reached out to Karl and joined his DMAM (Dance Arts and Mathematics) group. This group meets once a month and even when we don't have a planned agenda we can easily explore a theme for the designated 1.5 hours. It is through this group that I finally learned about math dance and its historical heroes.
Today, I feel more connected than ever to a growing community of artists and mathematicians, each of us bringing unique perspectives—whether from the arts, mathematics, or both. At our last meeting, we explored Morris dancing, specifically the flat-sword style, and delved into its mathematical aspects. We came up with fascinating questions:
What types of symmetry (reflectional, rotational, translational) are present in the formations created by dancers during flat sword figures?
How can the formation of dancers with interconnected swords be represented as a graph, and can the lock patterns be described using Hamiltonian cycles?
How many distinct lock formations can be created with a set of dancers, and how does this relate to combinatorics and permutations?
How many times do the swords intersect during a dance sequence, and how can the number of intersections be optimized to maintain the integrity of the lock?
Can the final lock pattern of the swords be analyzed using knot theory? How complex is the lock based on knot classification?
What are the geometric properties (angles, distances, and polygons) formed by the swords during specific figures?
Even though interest in math dance has spanned many years, it remains an untapped resource in education. Surprisingly, this powerful and accessible tool isn’t more widely used, especially considering it requires minimal resources— often just space and movement. So, let’s explore some key figures who have pioneered this field and see how their contributions can be applied in the classroom to engage students in both movement and mathematics.
Top 30 Math and Dance Pioneers:
1. Alfréd Rényi (1921-1970)
A Hungarian mathematician, Alfréd Rényi made significant contributions to probability theory and graph theory. His work on Hamiltonian cycles has been influential in understanding the mathematical paths that can be applied to dance choreography, where dancers traverse all points without retracing steps.
Teacher Tip: Use a Hamiltonian path dance where students must visit each point (marked on the floor) exactly once, reinforcing problem-solving and logic skills (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.B.8).
2. Anne Green Gilbert (1948-)
A pioneer in integrating movement with education, Anne Green Gilbert has written extensively on using dance to teach academic subjects, particularly math. Her book Teaching the Three R's Through Movement Experiences emphasizes how movement can teach concepts like counting, patterns, and geometry to young children.
Teacher Tip: Have students perform physical ABAB or ABCABC patterns through clapping, stomping, or dance movements to reinforce understanding of basic patterns (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.C.5).
3. Barbara Helmrich
Helmrich is known for her research on kinesthetic learning and its effect on students' comprehension of mathematical concepts. She has explored how incorporating movement into math lessons can enhance students’ spatial reasoning and engagement, especially in elementary classrooms.
Teacher Tip: Introduce skip counting or multiplication by having students form groups and move together in multiples, reinforcing basic multiplication concepts (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.A.1).
4. Bartenieff, Irmgard (1900-1981)
A student of Rudolf Laban, Bartenieff expanded upon Laban’s ideas of movement and space. She co-created Bartenieff Fundamentals, which emphasizes how the body moves through space in relation to geometric forms, including three-dimensional shapes like the cube and octahedron.
Teacher Tip: Have students explore angles and directions by moving through geometric shapes like triangles or octagons marked on the floor (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.A.1).
5. Carlos Dyer
Carlos Dyer’s work focused on developing movement-based strategies to teach math to children, especially those with special needs. His approach combines rhythm, physical movement, and counting activities to make math more accessible.
Teacher Tip: Use body movements to demonstrate counting, sequencing, and patterns, helping students grasp the concept of numbers through physical activity (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.A.2).
6. Charles Moulton (1948-)
Choreographer Charles Moulton is known for his Ball Passing choreography, where dancers create rhythmic patterns that emphasize mathematical sequences. His work exemplifies how simple, repeated actions can create complex mathematical structures like symmetry and rhythmic counting.
Teacher Tip: Teach fractions by having students pass objects rhythmically in timed sequences, dividing the rhythm into equal parts (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.B.3).
7. Claudia Farnesi
Claudia Farnesi’s MS thesis explored how Labanotation—a system to record human movement—connects to Euclidean geometry and crystallographic groups. She applied group theory to social dance, studying how dance movements can represent mathematical symmetries.
Teacher Tip: Use group movements to represent symmetry and geometric transformations by having students mirror each other’s movements (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2).
8. Doris Humphrey (1895-1958)
A pioneer of modern dance, Doris Humphrey is known for her exploration of symmetry and asymmetry in dance composition. Her choreographic work often reflected an understanding of balance and structure, concepts rooted in geometry.
Teacher Tip: Have students alternate between symmetric and asymmetric movements to explore how balance and structure affect both math and art.(CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3).
9. Elaine Wyllie
Elaine Wyllie has focused on the relationship between music, rhythm, and math, showing how rhythmic patterns in music and dance can help students understand mathematical timing and fractions.
Teacher Tip: Use musical rhythms in dance to teach fractions. For example, have students perform dance sequences in 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4 time, linking the rhythmic patterns to fraction concepts (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NF.A.1).
10. Emily Wilson and Jordan Wolfson (Collaborators since 2018)
Choreographer Emily Wilson and mathematician Jordan Wolfson have explored the connections between dance and mathematical braids. By studying Shaker dances, they discovered that dancers’ movements formed braid-like patterns, linking choreography to braid theory.
Teacher Tip: Use simple braids in dance where students "weave" in and out of each other, helping them visualize how paths intersect and create patterns (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2).
11. Irmgard Bartenieff (1900-1981)
An influential movement analyst and dance theorist, Irmgard Bartenieff expanded on Laban's theories and contributed to understanding the geometric foundations of human movement. She emphasized the relationship between the human body and spatial configurations like the octahedron.
Teacher Tip: Explore geometric shapes by having students move through space in patterns resembling polygons like triangles or hexagons (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.B.3).
12. James Tanton (1966-)
James Tanton is a mathematician known for his Exploding Dots concept, which visually represents arithmetic and algebra. His work has been widely adapted into kinesthetic activities, where students can physically "explode" numbers, making abstract math more tangible.
Teacher Tip: Use "exploding dots" through physical actions where students act out the exploding process for base-ten understanding, ideal for early math learning (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.A.1).
13. Joan Acocella (1945-)
A renowned dance critic and historian, Joan Acocella has written extensively about the role of geometry and symmetry in choreography. Her analysis of classical and modern dance highlights how mathematical principles underlie dance formations and movements.
Teacher Tip: Have students create symmetric and asymmetric dance routines, analyzing how symmetry affects balance and composition (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3).
14. John Byl
John Byl has developed numerous movement-based games for teaching mathematics to young children. His work emphasizes kinesthetic learning, where children learn through physical activity that ties into mathematical concepts like number sense and spatial reasoning.
Teacher Tip: Teach number operations using games that involve moving in patterns based on multiples of numbers, such as hopscotch for skip counting (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.A.1).
15. John Conway (1937-2020)
John Conway was a British mathematician known for his work on symmetry and geometry, most famously in his Game of Life. His work on tilings and symmetries has been applied in dance to create structured movements that reflect mathematical concepts.
Teacher Tip: Choreograph dance routines based on symmetry and tilings, where students use their bodies to reflect geometric patterns (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3).
16. Joseph Thie (1940s-)
Introduction: Joseph Thie is known for his early work on integrating movement-based learning in mathematics education, especially with younger children. He developed kinesthetic activities to help students understand fundamental math concepts through rhythm and dance, emphasizing how physical activity supports cognitive learning.
Teacher Tip: Use movement activities like hopscotch or rhythmic clapping to introduce addition and subtraction, where each movement corresponds to a math operation (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.OA.A.2).
17. Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern (Active since the 1980s)
Co-founders of Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern Dance Ensemble, Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern are key figures in integrating math with dance. Their performances and workshops explore mathematical concepts such as symmetry, geometry, and patterns through dance. Their 2006 book Math Dance serves as a guide for educators.
Teacher Tip: Use symmetry in dance as a way to teach students about geometric reflection and rotation. Ask students to create a dance where their movements mirror one another across an axis (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3).
18. Mary Konrad (1970s-Present)
Mary Konrad's work centers on using dance to build spatial awareness in children. She focuses on how movement can help students visualize shapes, patterns, and mathematical relationships, making abstract concepts more concrete.
Teacher Tip: Explore the area and perimeter by marking out shapes on the floor and having students step out of the boundaries, helping them understand these geometric properties through movement (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.D.8).
19. Noel Kriftcher
Introduction: Noel Kriftcher’s research in early childhood education explores how creative movement can be used to teach mathematical concepts like shapes, fractions, and spatial relationships. His work emphasizes the benefits of active learning and kinesthetic engagement.
Teacher Tip: Teach fractions by having students create "whole" dances, then divide those sequences into halves or quarters, showing how the parts relate to the whole (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NF.A.1).
20. Pavel Tchelitchew (1898-1957)
A Russian artist known for his avant-garde stage designs, Pavel Tchelitchew explored the use of vectors in his art and choreography. He designed dance movements that followed the principles of vector fields, where each dancer's movement was calculated based on direction and magnitude.
Teacher Tip: Teach vectors by having students move in straight lines or curves that represent vector paths, exploring both direction and magnitude (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSN.VM.B.4).
21. Rosemary Brandt
A student of Rudolf Laban, Rosemary Brandt’s research focuses on movement notation and the mathematical concepts behind group movement. She explored how choreographed group formations can demonstrate geometric transformations like rotations and reflections.
Teacher Tip: Use group choreography to illustrate geometric transformations by having students rotate their positions around a center point, exploring rotational symmetry (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.3).
22. Rudolf Laban (1879-1958)
A major figure in modern dance theory, Rudolf Laban created Labanotation, a system for recording human movement that connects to mathematical ideas like symmetry, rotation, and geometric shapes. His influence extended into education, where movement analysis was used to teach spatial relationships and geometry.
Teacher Tip: Introduce Labanotation in class by having students use their bodies to trace geometric shapes on the ground, helping them visualize and experience geometric principles (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.B.3).
23. Sally Fitt (1932-)
A dance educator and kinesiologist, Sally Fitt has conducted extensive research on the biomechanics of dance, focusing on how physical forces, such as vectors, affect movement. Her work bridges the gap between science and dance, using mathematical and physical principles to enhance movement efficiency.
Teacher Tip: Have students experiment with angles and forces by changing the direction and intensity of their movements, helping them understand vectors and forces in dance (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSN.VM.A.1).
24. Stephen Marini (1940s-)
A scholar of American religious history, Stephen Marini explored the mathematical aspects of Shape Note Singing, a musical form that involves geometric patterns. He examined how the repetitive structure of shape note music can be related to mathematical concepts like symmetry and patterns in movement.
Teacher Tip: Introduce the concept of symmetry by using simple dance steps that follow the rhythmic patterns of shape note music, emphasizing the balance and structure of movements (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.G.A.3).
25. Tetyana Berezovski and Diana Cheng (Active since 2000s)
These two educators have researched how figure skating patterns can be analyzed using geometry and algebra. They focus on how the movement of skaters creates shapes, angles, and patterns that can be applied to the teaching of mathematics in classrooms.
Teacher Tip: Have students trace paths on the floor similar to the ones figure skaters make on ice, helping them understand how geometric shapes and angles are formed through movement (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2).
26. Valerie Preston-Dunlop (1934-)
A key student of Rudolf Laban, Valerie Preston-Dunlop expanded on his work by integrating geometry into her analysis of movement. She explored how dance can demonstrate mathematical transformations like reflections, translations, and rotations.
Teacher Tip: Teach geometric transformations by having students move in patterns that reflect symmetry and rotations, such as mirroring each other’s steps or rotating around a central point (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.3).
27. William Forsythe (1949-)
A contemporary choreographer, William Forsythe is known for incorporating recursive patterns and fractals into his choreographic works. His pieces often explore mathematical structures such as geometric lines and arcs, pushing the boundaries of what dance can express.
Teacher Tip: Introduce fractals in dance by having students repeat a simple movement, expanding and complicating it each time to create larger structures, showing recursive patterns in action (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.F.B.4).
28. William Thurston (1946-2012)
A celebrated mathematician, William Thurston was known for his revolutionary work in three-dimensional geometry and topology. Though primarily a mathematician, his ideas on exploring abstract spaces through physical movement have influenced choreographers who work with geometric transformations.
Teacher Tip: Have students imagine and "live in" abstract spaces by choreographing dance routines that explore 3D transformations, such as rotating and translating their movements through space (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2).
29. Wolfson and Wilson (Collaborators since 2018)
Introduction: Mathematician Jordan Wolfson and choreographer Emily Wilson have explored how mathematical braids and structures appear in Shaker dances. They focus on how movements can create braided paths and intertwining patterns that can be analyzed through braid theory.
Teacher Tip: Have students choreograph a braid dance where their paths intertwine, then use those paths to illustrate the concept of braids in math (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2).
30. Dance Equations (Miranda Abbott, active since 2003)
Dance Equations developed a system that connects math to dance for students and comprehensive guides and workshops for teachers. Miranda's (founder) focus is using movement to teach concepts like place value, number sense, numeric patterning, symmetry, geometry, ratios, functions, frequency, and circular velocity. By engaging students through physical expression, Dance Equations brings math to life and delivers readied lesson plans, videos, and other instructional resources to school teachers.
Teacher Tip: Use body movements to represent digits in a number, having students shift positions to demonstrate how place value changes the value of digits in a multi-digit number. Dance Equations calls this method of body calculations Dancing Digits. (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.B.2).
As we’ve seen, the intersection of math and dance is not only rich with history but also filled with untapped potential in today’s classrooms. From pioneers like Rudolf Laban and William Forsythe to contemporary educators like Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern, the blending of these disciplines opens a world where abstract concepts become physical, visible, and deeply engaging. Dance, as a form of expression, breaks the confines of traditional teaching methods, offering students a way to experience mathematics in a personal, memorable way.
Yet, despite its immense educational value, math-dance integration remains underutilized.
As educators and innovators, we have the opportunity to shift this narrative, making math more accessible, exciting, and inclusive by embracing movement. Whether you’re exploring symmetry through choreography, using geometric transformations in group formations, or diving into braid theory through dance sequences, the possibilities are limitless. Let’s take these inspirations from history, and from the creative minds of the present, and make movement-based math a cornerstone of how we teach—and how students learn. The floor is wide open, so let's dance through numbers and unlock the power of math through movement.
If you'd like to learn more about Dancing Digits try a virtual workshop.
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