{"id":429,"date":"2018-09-17T08:22:36","date_gmt":"2018-09-17T08:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/2018\/09\/17\/math-in-motion\/"},"modified":"2018-09-17T08:22:36","modified_gmt":"2018-09-17T08:22:36","slug":"math-in-motion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/2018\/09\/17\/math-in-motion\/","title":{"rendered":"Math in Motion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a quick experiment \u2014 get a group of people together and ask them to list things they aren\u2019t very good at. It\u2019s likely that math and dancing will end up somewhere on those lists.<\/p>\n

Tye Lidman and Michelle Pearson are looking to change that. Lidman is an assistant professor of mathematics at NC State. He studies topology, or the structure of shape \u2014 specifically knots. Pearson is the director of Black Box Dance Theatre<\/a>, a modern dance troupe that specializes in nonfiction dance and education. Together they\u2019ve created a modern dance performance that explores complicated mathematical concepts \u2014 with NC State students and local community members taking part.<\/p>\n

Podcast: Lidman and Pearson describe their collaboration<\/h3>\nhttps:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Math-in-Motion-Podcast-FINAL.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Transcript<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTopology is a tool for studying something\u2019s core structure,\u201d Lidman said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good tool for data analysis. For example, topology shows us how large chunks of data may be clustered so that researchers can find important patterns within the data. Or it\u2019s good for studying things like the shape of DNA and how changing that structure might change its function.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Black
Black Box Dance Theatre dancers rehearse for their Applied Dance + Inspired Mathematics performance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But even though topology is useful, it can be hard to explain. Lidman\u2019s latest research is funded by the National Science Foundation, which encourages scientists to think about fresh ways to communicate what they do to the general public.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually minored in dance in college, and while I was there I saw a program called Dance Your Ph.D., in which scientists would compete by creating dances to illustrate their work,\u201d he said. \u201cTopology is a very visual field, so I thought dance would be a good medium for explaining it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to conveying complicated topics through dance, Pearson and Black Box are seasoned veterans. The troupe is part of the North Carolina Arts Council Cartwheels Program, and has done programs for K-12 schools in topics ranging from astronomy to the Underground Railroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Tye approached me with the idea, he explained his work as being about the ways that shapes move in space, and I thought, \u2018Well, I\u2019m a shape,\u2019 so it was really a natural fit,\u201d Pearson said. \u201cDance is about making a human connection to a topic \u2014 in this case you\u2019re using human bodies and the ways they create shapes to talk about the mathematical aspects of topology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lidman and Pearson embarked on a two-year collaboration, trying to figure out the best way to engage audiences both inside and outside the university with topology. The result is a performance entitled Applied Dance + Inspired Math.<\/p>\n

One of the most unique aspects of the dance is its participatory nature. The performers aren\u2019t just from Black Box \u2014 they include NC State students and dancers, community members ranging in age from 12 to 64, high school students and Lidman himself.<\/p>\n

After the performance, Pearson and Lidman hope to take portions of the larger work on the road \u2014 doing workshops and math\/dance labs in schools around North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea here is to bring people in who may be interested in dance or math \u2014 or neither one,\u201d Pearson said. \u201cThis is an opportunity for someone who may think, \u2018Oh, I can\u2019t do math or dance.\u2019 Both of our areas attract this sentiment, and we want to address that. You can do these things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMath isn\u2019t just about memorizing formulas and being bored,\u201d Lidman added. \u201cThe math people learn at an early age doesn\u2019t give you a picture of all the aspects of math. Maybe you\u2019re not great with formulas, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t do math. Topology is about visualization and creativity, and we want to give people the opportunity to experience that themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

This post was originally published<\/a> in NC State News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"Here\u2019s a quick experiment \u2014 get a group of people together and ask them to list things they aren\u2019t very good at. It\u2019s likely that math and dancing will end up somewhere on those lists.\r\n\r\nTye Lidman and Michelle Pearson are looking to change that. Lidman is an assistant professor of mathematics at NC State. He studies topology, or the structure of shape \u2014 specifically knots. Pearson is the director of Black Box Dance Theatre<\/a>, a modern dance troupe that specializes in nonfiction dance and education. Together they\u2019ve created a modern dance performance that explores complicated mathematical concepts \u2014 with NC State students and local community members taking part.\r\n

Podcast: Lidman and Pearson describe their collaboration<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Math-in-Motion-Podcast-FINAL.mp3\r\n\r\nTranscript<\/a>\r\n\r\n\u201cTopology is a tool for studying something\u2019s core structure,\u201d Lidman said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good tool for data analysis. For example, topology shows us how large chunks of data may be clustered so that researchers can find important patterns within the data. Or it\u2019s good for studying things like the shape of DNA and how changing that structure might change its function.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_478139\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]\"Black Black Box Dance Theatre dancers rehearse for their Applied Dance + Inspired Mathematics performance[\/caption]\r\n\r\nBut even though topology is useful, it can be hard to explain. Lidman\u2019s latest research is funded by the National Science Foundation, which encourages scientists to think about fresh ways to communicate what they do to the general public.\r\n\r\n\u201cI actually minored in dance in college, and while I was there I saw a program called Dance Your Ph.D., in which scientists would compete by creating dances to illustrate their work,\u201d he said. \u201cTopology is a very visual field, so I thought dance would be a good medium for explaining it.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to conveying complicated topics through dance, Pearson and Black Box are seasoned veterans. The troupe is part of the North Carolina Arts Council Cartwheels Program, and has done programs for K-12 schools in topics ranging from astronomy to the Underground Railroad.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen Tye approached me with the idea, he explained his work as being about the ways that shapes move in space, and I thought, \u2018Well, I\u2019m a shape,\u2019 so it was really a natural fit,\u201d Pearson said. \u201cDance is about making a human connection to a topic \u2014 in this case you\u2019re using human bodies and the ways they create shapes to talk about the mathematical aspects of topology.\u201d\r\n\r\nLidman and Pearson embarked on a two-year collaboration, trying to figure out the best way to engage audiences both inside and outside the university with topology. The result is a performance entitled Applied Dance + Inspired Math.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nOne of the most unique aspects of the dance is its participatory nature. The performers aren\u2019t just from Black Box \u2014 they include NC State students and dancers, community members ranging in age from 12 to 64, high school students and Lidman himself.\r\n\r\nAfter the performance, Pearson and Lidman hope to take portions of the larger work on the road \u2014 doing workshops and math\/dance labs in schools around North Carolina.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe idea here is to bring people in who may be interested in dance or math \u2014 or neither one,\u201d Pearson said. \u201cThis is an opportunity for someone who may think, \u2018Oh, I can\u2019t do math or dance.\u2019 Both of our areas attract this sentiment, and we want to address that. You can do these things.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cMath isn\u2019t just about memorizing formulas and being bored,\u201d Lidman added. \u201cThe math people learn at an early age doesn\u2019t give you a picture of all the aspects of math. Maybe you\u2019re not great with formulas, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t do math. Topology is about visualization and creativity, and we want to give people the opportunity to experience that themselves.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An NC State mathematician and a dancer have worked together to create a unique modern dance performance that brings math concepts to life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-6"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.ucomm.ncsu.edu\/web-platform-free-tier\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}