We are currently booking workshops, performances, and residencies for 2009-2010. Please contact us at the email addresses for Karl Schaffer or Erik Stern at the bottom of this page, or at (831) 335-1861 (Karl) or (801) 626-6615 (Erik).

Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern are also part of the Touring Artists Roster of the  Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Center's Partners in the Arts Program, which brings artists to major arts centers to do arts education workshops for educators. We often do workshops around the country on integrating math and dance in the classroom through this program.

Recent (2008/2009) workshops have been given in New York, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Utah, California, Puerto Rico. Email us for more information (email list at bottom of this page).

For information on the Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern Dance Ensemble, and other performances by Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern, see Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern home page.



Photo by Steve Savage
 MATH DANCE
WITH DR. SCHAFFER AND MR. STERN

132 page book now available - see below

Classroom activities for teaching
mathematics and performing arts
through whole-body movement

For grades 4-12

 

Karl Schaffer Dancing with Boxes

Photo by Steve DeBartolomeo
www.westsidestudioimages.com

Imaginary Numbers

Choreography by Karl Schaffer

with guest appearances by Keith Devlin and Zambra, and guest choreography by Deana Ross

Please visit the Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern Dance Ensemble Home Page for more details

 


 A C T I V I T I E S

Clap Your Name. Patterns are everywhere, even in our names. Working in groups of two or three, convert the vowels and consonants in your names into clapping patterns, then turn them into movements.

Counting Handshakes. Combinations are the basis of many types of mathematics and dance. Working in groups of two or three, find how many ways there are to shake hands, then learn to perform them in sequence.

Rotational Symmetry. Seeing symmetry is one thing, but doing it with your whole body is a whole new challenge. This elegant introduction to rotational symmetry is good for beginners. Work in groups of three to form symmetrical shapes.

The Four Basic Symmetries. The best way to learn about and remember the four basic symmetries is to do them. Here's how. A great follow-up to the previous "Rotational Symmetry" exercise.

String Polyhedra. The best way to study three-dimensional objects is to make them. These straightforward exercises which use loops of string foster cooperation, dexterity and an understanding of polyhedra.

Assessment. Guidelines for grading mathematics and dance activities. (To be added to this site, now available in the book, see below.)

Bibliography. Articles about combining mathematics and dance in education. Mathematics and Dance Bibliography


A B O U T   O U R   W O R K

Math Dance with Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern, published in October, 2001, was written by Karl Schaffer, Erik Stern, and Scott Kim, of the The Dr. Schaffer & Mr. Stern Dance Ensemble.

Several sections from the book will be made available here. They are protected by copyright and may not be distributed, altered, copied or used for commercial purposes:
Front Cover
Dedication
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Mathematics and Dance Bibliography
About the Authors
Back Cover intro by David Masunaga

Math Dance with Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern, 132 pages, coil-bound, is currently available only from us for $20, please add $3 shipping/handling, for total of $23 if ordered through the mail. Note that this recent price increase (as of Jan. 2009) is due to an equal increase by our "print-on-demand" publisher, Lulu.com. Please make checks or money orders out to MoveSpeakSpin, our non-profit fiscal receiver, and mail to:
Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern Dance Ensemble
P.O. Box 8055
Santa Cruz, CA 95061

Karl Schaffer teaches mathematics at DeAnza College in Cupertino, California. Erik Stern teaches dance at Weber State University in Ogden Utah. Scott Kim designs educational games from his home in El Granada, California.

Our math dance work grew from two seeds. As choreographers, much of our work springs from play with ideas from the world of mathematics. As teachers, we have found that mathematical ideas become more exciting, tangible and memorable when you act them out with your whole body. So for the past fourteen years we have developed a series of performances and workshops on math dance, which we have given hundreds of times in schools and conferences.

This site presents some of our favorite math dance activities for you to use in your classroom, in a form suitable for the web. (The book expands greatly on the activities.) The activities are intended for both mathematics teachers and movement teachers. You will find that these activities treat math and dance as a single creative activity, not as two separate disciplines.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. We are especially interested in hearing about how you have used these activities in your classroom, and what we can do to make them more useful to you. You can email your comments to us at the addresses below.

If you are interested in inviting us to perform at a theater, event or conference, or to present a workshop or talk, please email us, visit our dance company site at http://www.schafferstern.org, or else write us at

     Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern Dance Ensemble
     P.O. Box 8055
     Santa Cruz, CA 95061

See http://www.schafferstern.org also for more information on our performances.

Our email addresses:

This site was last updated April 10, 2009