Karina Fricker

Mr. Cottman
Biology
January 25, 2013
Purpose/Question: How does doing choreographed dances increase your memorization skills?
Have you ever wondered what triggers memorization in your brain? According to Grace
Fleming, memorization is a term for fixing information to your memory through sheer repetition
(Rote Learning). Regina Bailey states that inside your brain, the hippocampus is the piece in
which memory operates in the brains frontal lobe (Brain Memory). Dancing consistently can
help improve your memory. If one person does choreographed dances for six months, then they
will have an easier time memorizing things in a short amount of time.
Britannica reports that choreography comes from the Greek words for dance and
write (Choreography). The word choreography now means dance notation and is steps and
movements put into sequence to music (Britannica, Choreography). Studies show that repeating
things over and over can help you to remember things. Most importantly, all energy comes from
the sun. Dancers need plenty of energy to continue dancing for long periods of time. In the
process of photosynthesis, some organisms capture the energy from the sun and transform it into
energy. Oxygen is a product of photosynthesis, along with sugar, which are both needed and
used while dancing or doing any type of physical activity or exercise.
Activation energy is the amount of energy needed to start a reaction (Sibert, Activation
Energy). Dancers will need this to start dancing and to keep enough energy to continue.
Carbohydrates are a source of energy and are used as structural materials in organisms
(Carbohydrates). Bodies of dancers need carbohydrates to be ready to work their bodies and
minds to the fullest. Proteins are organic compounds composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen, and nitrogen. Proteins have many functions including structural, defensive, and catalytic
roles (Bailey, Protein Function). Cells are associated with this experiment because healthy bodies
are made up of many cells. The cell theory states that all living organisms are made of one or
more cells, cells are the basic units of structure and function, and that all cells come from only
pre-existing cells (Cell Theory).
To prove that dancing can increase memorization skills, two people would listen to the
same lecture and take notes. After, they would both be tested to see what they remembered.
Person A would then participate in a two hour dance class once a week and would be
memorizing dances to perform them. After six months of dance lessons, (four times a month),
the same two people would listen to a lecture and take notes, and would afterward be tested on
the information. Person B would be considered the control because it was not changed. The
results from the first and second tests would be compared, as well as the two peoples results
compared to each other on the second test. By doing this experiment, you would be able to tell if
dancing does increase memorization skills, or if it only does in some cases.
The ability to learn a dance routine quickly is necessary for dance auditions. Not many
people realize how much brain and memory ability is required for becoming a successful dancer
(Bedinghaus). Increasing your memorization skills starts with gradually learning new things and
testing yourself to remember. Driving yourself to try new things will keep you from forgetting
whatever it is that needs to be memorized. Memory helps make us who we are and plays a vital
role in every aspect of your daily life.-Kendra Cherry