The Mathematics of Ballet

Ballet and math relate to each other? What? How? Ballet has everything to do with math.

The first major link from ballet to math is how closely the two relate to music. You can dance ballet without music but is is not as compelling or interesting to watch. Music and dance are so closely intertwined that it makes the common person become submerged in the beauty of the dancing. Dancers have the learned ability to be able to recognize certain time signatures such as a 3/4 or a 4/4. These time signatures divide notes into a measure to speed up or slow down to conform to the needed style of music. A 3/4 is a waltz, while a 4/4 is more syncopated.

(This is an example of a waltz aka a 3/4)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZD_ZzubDxs&p=9BD25B464C57269D&playnext=1&index=16

The second link from ballet to math is the positions of the body. For almost as long as ballet has been around there have been the 8 distinct positions of the body. In the ballet studio there are numbered walls and corners. The hips face these numbered walls or corners depending on what the teacher asks for. These are the 8 positions:

Croise Devant = Crossed in Front

A La Quatrieme Devant = The 4th Position Front

Efface (Devant) = Shaded (in front)

A La Seconde = To the 2nd Position

Croise Derriere = Crossed in Back

Ecarte = Spread or Separated

Epaule = Over the Shoulder

A La Quatrieme Derriere = The 4th Position Back

The third link from ballet to math is turning. A dancer will execute many turns in their lifetime as a performer. Turning is vital for any ballet variation or corps choreography. This website makes wonderful references to the mathematics of turning in ballet.http://discovermagazine.com/2008/the-body/11-the-physicist-who-figured-out-ballet. This video shows what turning in ballet looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m_b9DNqrYs

This class is..

I love this class because it is very beneficial to help me learn math in a less intimidating environment. Ms. J is a wonderful teacher because she uses repetition often and that is good for me to learn the work better. She describes things in a way that makes it really easy to understand. In all, I love this class and I think that anyone struggling in math should take this course because it would help them exponentially.

what it takes

It takes a lot of focus and drive to stay at Booker T. Washington. My school is very different from most schools. My school embraces every aspect of every art. You have to have a very special mindset to stay at this school. You have to thrive in your art and succeed in your academics. Art and academics go together hand in hand. From a certain point of view, you can use your art to succeed in academics or vice versa. If you stay on top of your grades, it is very easy to continue on in your craft.

I have plenty of goals to achieve this year. I would like to accomplish many things in my dancing career, my academic career, my friendships, and with my family. With dancing, I aspire to become a better dancer, I would like to be accepted into many summer workshops and I would like to recieve scholarships. I would like to become a better student at school. I would like to build new, and stronger friendships. I wish to be closer with my family.