Week#5

Having a deep passion for hip-hop dance since I was 5 it has been quite a significant part of my life. From the moment I first witnessed the mesmerizing and rhythmic movements of hip-hop dancers, I was hooked, there's an undeniable sense of joy and fulfillment that comes with every beat of the music.

While hip-hop and science may initially appear unrelated, they do share a common ground in terms of creativity, education, and social impact. Let’s have a look……

CHEMISTRY: Even though Hip hop and chemistry may not seem like an obvious pairing, but there are ways in which these seemingly disparate fields. In a humorous way electrons could engage in a rap battle to determine their seating arrangement in an atom. "Yo, I'm in the 1s, 2s, and 2p, bring your A-game if you wanna take my seat! 

 As chemistry deals with the behavior of atoms and molecules, including their motion and interactions. In a similar way, hip-hop dances involve intricate movements of the human body, creating patterns and rhythms. Both involve a sense of rhythm and timing to achieve the desired outcome. Chemistry experiments often require precise timing and coordination, just like a well-choreographed hip hop dance routine. In today's interdisciplinary world, there is growing interest in combining various fields of study. For example, there have been science-themed dance performances that incorporate scientific concepts, including chemistry, into the choreography.

PHYSICS: Dancers must maintain balance and control as they execute complex moves. This relates to the concept of the center of mass in physics i.e., understanding how to shift their center of mass is crucial for dancers to remain stable while performing. It helps in understanding the sound waves and how music is produced. Dancers rely on rhythm and beat to synchronize their movements with the music. In hip-hop physics, dance duets involve "quantum entanglement." When one dancer moves, the other responds instantaneously, no matter how far apart they are on the stage.

BIOLOGY: Hip hop dancers as tiny cellular organelles, each with their own dance moves. The nucleus might be the DJ, controlling the cell's "rhythmic" activities.

Dancers often have a deep understanding of their bodies. They are keenly aware of muscle groups, flexibility, and endurance, which relates to the study of anatomy and physiology in biology. They pay close attention to their diets to maintain their energy levels and physical health. Dancers are even prone to injuries. Thus, having knowledge of biology, particularly the study of the musculoskeletal system and the body's healing mechanisms, can help dancers understand and recover from injuries. There are several connections when you consider the physiological, biomechanical, and cultural aspects of dance.

MATHS: Last but the least, hip-hop dances and mathematics may appear to be distinct disciplines. Choreographers often use geometric shapes and spatial arrangements to create visually appealing routines. Concepts such as symmetry, angles, and patterns play a role in the design and execution of dance moves. Precision timing is quite essential, especially in group routines where multiple dancers must move in perfect synchronization. This requires a solid understanding of counting, fractions, and timing intervals. They might explore mathematical themes, like fractals or the Fibonacci sequence, to create unique and thought-provoking dance performances. It’d be quite fascinating if dancers could perform a routine where they mimic the digits of pi (3.141592...) through their moves. It's a never-ending dance that goes on and on without repeating.

These intersections illustrate how seemingly unrelated fields can inspire and inform each other in unexpected ways. Hope you liked it :)

Bharatanatyam is a dance of Tamil Nadu in southern India. It traces its origins back to the Natyashastra, an ancient treatise on theatre written by the mythic priest Bharata. Originally a temple dance for women, bharatanatyam often is used to express Hindu religious stories and devotions.

Bharatanatyam includes many components like the feet movement, hand gestures, facial expressions, and also the adavus. The concept of facial expressions is extremely important as it gives more elegance and beauty to the dance form.

RELATION WITH BIOLOGY : This dance consist of three types Nritta Nritya and Natya

In Nritta we have to bend for continuous hours in murumandi and Aramandi increases concentration of lactic acid and stiffness the muscles a strong and experienced bharatnatyam dancers can sit for long hours in Aramandi this shows there physical strength. Let me take you to the definition of by bharata who created bharatnatyam he says it is very simply the harmonious, physical movement of major and minor limbs conducted in a graceful manner creating patterns in space keeping rhythm with time.

The vibrations generated by nrtta lead to correction of any energy imbalance in the body by acting upon the nervous flexes or chakras - a result of biochemical changes. The changes take place in the body because of the changes around and those in the mind are as stated in the Patanjala Yoga Darshan (jatyantaraparinamah prakrityapurat, Kaivalya pada .

Nritya :Nrtya

The other aspect of classical dance is nrtya - that relates to sentiments (rasa) and psychological state (bhava).

rasabhavavyanjakadiyutam nrtyamitiryate (SHLOKA FRM SANSKRIT)Through nrtya, pent up emotions, dormant fears and anxiety are released. Thus this interpretative aspect acts as a means of experiencing joy and mode of catharsis leading to internal healing.

The physical (nrtta) and the emotional activity (nrtya) in dance result in several changes at the internal psychological and biological level.

Natya :the internal psychological and biological level a whole lot of changes take place like the production of a group of mood elevating bio-chemicals (neurotransmitter ) as the dancer is acting the whole play

Overall bharatnatyam promotes physical fitness, mental wellness .

There is one shlok which briefly explains bharatnatyam (movement of the body parts in accordance with tala and laya. Nrtta in Sangitaratnakara is

gatraviksepamatram tu sarvabhinayavarjitam.

angikoktaprakarena nrttam nrttavido viduhu.)

RELATION WITH MATHEMATICS:

the steps in Bharatanatyam are permutations and combinations of rhythmic sets of 3 to 9 beats. For a song based on 7 beats, the dance may be choreographed by combining rhythmic sets of 3 and 4 beats. Alternately, a dancer could choreograph for a song verse with 5 sets of 7 beats (35 beats) with 5 sets of 3 and 4 beats (5(3+4)), or 2 sets of 6 and 8 beats with one set of 7 beats (2(6+8)+7). While the audience sees an artistic performance, these calculations become instinctive to the dancer during choreography and performance also the various geometrical shapes that are formed with the first line comprising "Tha Dhi Thakadi Thajum " indicates triangle right angle, line segment, diagonal, half circle obtuse and acute angles similar and many other figures emerges as dance progresses .

RELATION WITH PHYSICS The most basic Bharatanatyam posture that many Indian Classical dancers dread is the Araimandi (half-squat). To form the Araimandi, a dancer must align their arms, knees, torso, and feet to create a series of triangles in space that ensures the dancer dances with the right posture (Anatomy of the Araimandi — Hektoen International, 2022). As painful as it is to squat with knees to the side, the Araimandi helps improve a dancer’s stability while dancing. This can be explained by understanding the Centre of Mass (COM) of objects.

Torque in the Bhramari Bheda (Turns)

Like Pirouettes in Ballet, it is noticeable that many dance forms include variations of leg extensions when the dancer makes impressive spins and turns. As an initial force is applied and the dancer stretches their leg out perpendicular to their body, a moment of force, also known as torque, is produced.

When a dancer softly breaks contact with the floor, projecting their body toward the sky, that mid-air moment, even if only a few milliseconds long, will surely keep the audience at the edge of their seats.

To add dimension to the performance, Bharatanatyam dancers perform jumps and leaps when sufficient force produced by their muscles lifts them from the floor. Newton’s laws of motion are essential to understanding and explaining the forces involved.

RELATION WITH CHEMISTRY

Bharatnatyam is a classical Indian dance form that has deep roots in the culture of South India. On the surface, it may seem unrelated to chemistry, but upon closer examination, we can draw a connection.

Chemistry is the study of matter, its properties, and how it interacts and transforms. In a similar way, Bharatnatyam is the study of the human body, its movements, expressions, and how it portrays emotions and narratives through dance.

Just as chemistry explores the different elements and compounds that make up our world, Bharatnatyam explores various movements, gestures, and expressions to communicate different emotions and themes. Just as chemistry experiments combine different substances to create new compounds and reactions, Bharatnatyam choreography combines various dance steps and sequences to create a captivating performance.

Furthermore, both chemistry and Bharatnatyam require discipline, precision, and attention to detail. In chemistry, a slight miscalculation or oversight can have significant consequences, just as in Bharatnatyam, a dancer must pay attention to every small movement and expression to convey the intended message.

In summary, although they may seem unrelated at first, both Bharatnatyam and chemistry involve the study of different elements, combinations, and precise movements to create something meaningful and captivating.

I guess Bharatnatyam with combination of Physics Chemistry Biology and Mathematics is incomplete the amalgam makes this dance sustain its beauty