Nevertheless She Persisted: the Daughters of Hypatia, a Mathematical Herstory

Nevertheless She Persisted: The Daughters of Hypatia, a Mathematical Herstory

Friday, April 21, 7:30pm; Saturday, April 22, 7:30pm;
Student matinees, Friday, April 21 9:30am and 11am

Part of National Dance Week, a dance concert celebrating important women mathematicians throughout the ages, and their struggles to create groundbreaking mathematics.

Dedicated to the foremothers of mathematics as well as to their leading contemporaries, this exciting six-woman dance concert celebrates great mathematical women throughout the ages, telling their stories with playful dances, dynamic storytelling, colorful projections, surprising audience interactions, and more. The dancers recount intriguing stories from the women’s lives and perform dynamic dances inspired by their mathematical work. A new dance work, “KiloGirl,” uses ordinary sheets of paper as a prop as it salutes the thousands of unheralded women who worked with pencil and paper to break codes in World War II, supported the space program with important mathematical calculations, and helped found the computer industry.

The historical sections of the show are drawn together by dances exploring circular motifs, suggesting the circles of collegiality and connection that have supported women in this field. Often self-taught, women have made marvelous mathematical discoveries, despite being denied access to the field and having their accomplishments downplayed.

The earliest known female mathematician was Hypatia, a leading intellectual in ancient Alexandria who was murdered by a mob. Later mathematicians disguised their identities: Émilie du Châtelet dressed as a man to attend lectures, Sophie Germain published under a male pseudonym, and Emmy Noether gave lectures under the name of a male colleague. Their stories are sobering, yet inspiring.

The varied repertory makes use of live projection of video mosaics of dancers, feature tessellation designs by Marjorie Rice, include guest choreography by sarah-marie belcastro (lower case), a skit by Sue Geller, and use musical compositions by Zambra, Vi Hart, and Victor Spiegel. Also in the concert are a surprising trio for six hands and “Tottle Bop,” a rhythm dance using plastic water bottles. Featured mathematicians include Hypatia, Maria Agnesi, Émilie du Châtelet, Sophie Germain, Sonya Kovaleskya, Mary Somerville, Marjorie Rice, Emmy Noether, Vivienne Malone-Mayes, and sarah-marie belcastro.

Admission: $20 general, $16 students and seniors, tickets at https://tinyurl.com/Hypatia2023.
Student matinees: contact us for reservation and ticket information.
More information and background: https://tinyurl.com/2023HypatiaInfo.
Contact: 831-480-5114 or DanceAndMath@gmail.com.

Text and choreography by Karl Schaffer, guest choreography and performance by sarah-marie belcastro, choreographic and text contributions by the dancers. Additional text adapted from script by Sue Geller. Music by Zambra, Vi Hart, Victor Spiegel. Tessellation designs by Marjorie Rice. Video mosaic software by Kevin Lee. Photos by Steve DiBartolomeo.

Move Speak Spin  http://www.mathdance.org/

Supported by funding from the Arts Council Santa Cruz County and the California Arts Council.  Brochure: https://go.evvnt.com/1641737-2?pid=10427

General Admission: $20.00