Dance Meets Physics: Exploring Motion Through Ballroom

How can ballroom dancing help us better understand physics?

On 11 August 2026, 15 students discovered the answer at ‘Dance Meets Physics: Exploring Motion Through Ballroom’, a DIVE Residential College (RC) faculty-led workshop facilitated by Dr Xue Hansong (SMT), together with ballroom dancers Daniel and Deborah.

Through a blend of discussion and hands-on dance activities, participants explored connections between physics and ballroom dancing, drawing on familiar concepts such as Newton’s Laws of Motion. Students learned basic ballroom dance techniques, including the box step and turning box, while experiencing concepts such as action and reaction, motion, and momentum through movement.

By bringing together science and the arts, the workshop encouraged students to imagine new ways of learning and venture beyond conventional classroom settings. The session also fostered confidence and curiosity, encouraging participants to embrace unfamiliar challenges and discover new ways of understanding the world around them.