Dancing with Math
I see mathematics not a static language of symbols, but a living rhythm. Like salsa dancing, it flows through structure and improvisation, discipline and joy, precision and play. My classroom is a dance floor where students learn not only to follow steps, but to feel the pulse of mathematical thinking and eventually move with their own style.
Being a math professor and a salsa dancer, I see deep parallels between the two. Salsa dancing teaches that connection comes before perfection, that trust and presence make collaboration possible. I carry that into my teaching: before diving into proofs or equations, I build community. I want students to feel that they belong in the rhythm of math and see how their ideas, identities, and ways of thinking add richness to the dance.
Just as no two dancers interpret a song the same way, no two students approach math the same way. My role is to help them find their flow and to guide them through form so they can improvise meaningfully. Mistakes are not failures; they’re invitations to rediscover balance and timing.
I cultivate a classroom rhythm through routine and responsiveness: warm-ups that set the tempo, collaborative exchanges that mirror call-and-response, and reflective pauses where we check our flow as a group. These moments keep the class alive, relational, and in tune.
Ultimately, my goal is for students to experience mathematics not as something outside of them, but as something that moves through them. To see themselves in the patterns, to recognize logic as beauty, and to feel, maybe for the first time, that math, like dance, can be joyful, human, and full of soul.