MoveSpeakSpin is a thirty-five year old contemporary dance company that performs internationally and produces philosophical, theatrical, humorous, and highly physical dance work which often addresses social issues. Choreographers and co-artistic directors Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern regularly employ spoken text integrated with movement, and are adept at using props within choreography. They often include as part of their choreographic “palette” mathematical metaphors and content. The work involves collaboration with the dancers and draws from a wide range of dance forms from tap to modern to world folk and music forms. Co-Directors Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern are on the Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education Teaching Artist roster, and frequently give workshops on integrating math and dance in the classroom, studio, and stage internationally and around the country at major arts venues. We have performed over 800 outreach performances linking dance and math in entertaining and surprising ways.

MoveSpeakSpin is based in Schaffer’s home area of Santa Cruz. Schaffer directs a Bay Area ensemble with a varied repertory that includes four recent concerts: Nevertheless She Persisted, about women mathematicians throughout history; Mosaic on middle eastern culture and conflict; Pitter Pattern on mathematical patterns and play; and Choreocopia, a festival of food, music and dance. These concerts are designed and performed for adult as well as school age audiences. New work, Storm, deals with environmental degradation.