by Nancy Martorelli | photos by Megan Hirsch and Cynthia Smalley

For our first and second grade students the concept of fractions is being introduced and/or reinforced in dance class. And they are having fun.

What might a dance class that integrates math look like?

As in most dance classes, students begin with a warm-up activity to stretch and strengthen their muscles and to pump up the blood. The warm-up to prepare students for the Circle Dance begins with a practice of movements in 8 beats, then beats of 4 + 4, 2 + 2 + 2 + 2, and finally 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1. Students discover that all of the above are equal to 8 (the math concept of equivalency). Next, students practice moving “across the floor” in counts of 8, 4, and 2. Anyone who has studied dance formally knows the value of the “across the floor” segment of the dance class, in which students learn to synchronize their movements with a partner, observe other students performing, and move up in their line and get ready for their turn.

The Circle Dance is introduced through a visual – a chart of a circle divided in halves and quarters. The circle is also marked with hours of the clock, so that the symbols for time – another math concept – can be related to the fractional pieces. Students perform the dance by visualizing a circle around themselves on the floor, then jumping “quarter turns,” “half turns,” and “whole turns” in beats of 4. The “whole turn” is the most challenging because one must jump in the air and make a complete turn. You should see them having fun trying to do that one!