This post was originally published in Huffington Post.
After dance and science, we turn to the soul-feeding realm of jazz. This article will introduce a jazz-scientist, and explore parallels and commonalities between the creative worlds of jazz and science, in the context of creativity and innovation.
Portrait of a Jazz-Scientist
Rob Schneiderman came to mathematics from jazz. It was not a straight line. He spent his teens playing jazz, then moved to New York to become a professional jazz musician. In his leisure time, Rob and his friends liked to get together to discuss (what else?) Einstein, physics, and the meaning of the universe. Which took him to learning calculus on his own (literally buying books on the streets), so he could expand his understanding. From learning jazz, he understood that mastering a skill necessitates hard work and continuous practice. He applied the same zeal towards mathematics.
He belatedly enrolled in college, and continued on to earn a PhD in mathematics from UC Berkeley. Now a professor at Lehman College, Rob finds mathematics as addictive as playing jazz, and gracefully juggles the two at the professional level. He sees the disciplines as very complementary. Rob often starts his day playing the piano before doing research in mathematics, or starts with mathematics and goes to the piano to refresh his mind.
I asked Rob how playing the piano helped his research in mathematics. As a professional musician he has learned to find that zone of deep concentration and (ultimately) release. Playing the piano helps him tap into this subconscious mental state, where new ideas and associations can freely arise in his mind, enabling him to make connections he would not have thought of using logic. (Einstein was also known to play the violin when he got stuck on a problem).
The Jazz Combo and Collaborative Innovation
Interesting parallels can be drawn between small group jazz performances and the creative process in science and technology. Like jazz musicians, well-integrated research teams follow a fluid and collaborative discovery process. Rob’s experience in jazz and mathematics is a good illustration. He notes that he and his mathematician collaborators also exchange ideas in real time, and spontaneously alternate between lead and accompaniment roles. ”Like in jazz, we are guided by a thematic problem, develop material statement by statement, explore tangential ideas, and readily adapt to mistakes and unexpected results”.
Small jazz groups epitomize the concept of flexible leadership. In the jazz combo, the same leader doesn’t lead at all times. Different players can become the focus at different times. Rob’s collaborator and Grammy award winner trumpeter Brian Lynch remarks: “Being a great leader is knowing when to give up the reins to others, to let the music reach its full potential”. Miles Davis exemplified this principle. He was so confident in his abilities; he could make room for star players to shine. “The line between the leader and accompaniment becomes fluid and takes the form of a dialogue”, notes Brian. It is a model of give and take, one player may start a melody, but needs to be able to surrender it, and see it modified by others. “Trust is an important factor”, adds Brian. Under those conditions the result can be bigger than the sum of its parts. Strong leaders coming together and making room for each other to shine. There magic happens.
Effective listening is another key tenet of the jazz combo. “Jazz players learn to combine and rapidly switch between different modalities of perception, such as global listening (to the group), and local listening (to a particular player in time)”, notes Brian. This multi-modal listening ability enables them to create new sounds and magical combinations, symbiotically marrying their creative spark with those of others, while preserving the harmony of the whole.
“Inclusion is another important factor”, adds theoretical physicist and saxophonist Stephon Alexander. “Jazz is an inclusive tradition”, he stresses. “In jazz, everybody is allowed to get on stage and play. If you are good, you get called back”. He remarks that inclusion is vital to creativity; one needs to feel welcome to contribute creatively to a team.
Valuable skills for leaders and innovators in all fields. In today’s interconnected, increasingly complex, and rapidly changing world, the flexible, creative, empathetic, and inclusive skills of jazz musicians seem widely relevant.
Special thanks to saxophonist and jazz educator Andrew Speight.
Photo Credits www.eriktomasson.com
Article was originally published in Huffington Post.
Let’s first establish that dance and science are not so alien disciplines as one may think. As a ballerina and scientist, I’ve experienced many commonalities. Dr. Root-Bernstein (who co-authored this article) also gathered a wealth of data on the topic.
Scientists attending a dance performance will undoubtedly relate to the physicality and geometry of dance. The movement through time, the geometry of interactions, the symmetry of the lines, the balance of the bodies. All these have parallels in the physical interactions that occur in every science, from astronomy and physics, to chemistry and biology.
As professionals, dancers and scientists also exhibit many common qualities. Both share a desire for challenges, an ethic of hard work, a drive to transcend limits, and the perseverance to see projects through despite setbacks – and sometimes literally pain. Both put in the ten thousand hours required to master their skills, and make progress through perspiration and iterations; rewarded by occasional bursts of inspiration. Dancers practice the same steps over and over; the same way passionate scientists relentlessly repeat and tweak experiments until they yield the results they thrive to achieve.
1. Learning From Other Disciplines
Everyone who studied the creative process across disciplines agrees that it is virtually identical, despite real
Many breakthrough discoveries also resulted from scientists seeing links between their profession and other fields. Leonardo da Vinci and other Renaissance polymaths are prime illustrations. C. H. Waddington, a celebrated embryologist, was a dancer. He linked his work to the unfolding of a set of dance instructions, causing him to rethink embryology as a process rather than a mechanism, and resulting in a novel approach.
2. Learning Empathy
Empathy is a key skill for innovators. Scientists need to empathize with their materials, and immerse themselves into the problems they seek to illuminate. Einstein visualized travelling astride a speeding light beam, and pondered what the world would look like if he traveled at the velocity of light. Nobel Laureate Barbara McClintock imagined being the genes of the corn plants she studied, even claiming to become their “friend”.
Dancers are masters of empathy. Ever since antiquity dancers have been great translators and purveyors of emotions and meaning. They inhabit music, characters, objects, and give life to them in front of our mesmerized eyes. We can learn from them. MacArthur Fellow John Cairns generated valuable insights about bacterial processes by dancing his experiments.
3. Learning Teamwork
Dancing is inherently collaborative. As children we learn to dance with others. We practice exercises in teams and in rhythm. Some of us get the pleasure to participate in performances and/or learn to dance pas de deux. Through these experiences, we assimilate the importance of being attuned to others, and surrendering to the harmony of the whole.
Scientists also advance their research through collaborations. Jim Watson and Francis Crick worked together to discover the DNA double helix. The resulting human genome project mobilized hundreds of people working in concert to crack the nature of human genes.
Learning teamwork in dance can help us work more effectively with others.
4. Learning to Transcend Limits
Dancers have a special attitude towards success. If you ask the world’s best dancers if they are as good as they could be, they will undoubtedly say no.
As a young girl, my dance teacher used to say that every day we go to class to do better than yesterday – no matter our level (or how bad we feel that day). If we don’t progress, we regress. We learn that our foremost competitor is ourselves. It is not good enough to be better than others. Peter Sims, best-selling author of “Little Bets”, calls it healthy perfectionism, a key ingredient for successful innovators.
Steve Jobs once said: “Most entrepreneurs get the product 90% right and feel satisfied. Great entrepreneurs, like great artists, push for the final 10% that makes all the difference.” Every scientist would agree.
Conclusion
There’s much more that dance and science share, and we plan to explore the topic in greater depth, but for the moment we just want to conclude by suggesting that next time a dancer meets a scientist or a scientist watches a dancer, instead of focusing on the differences, search for similarities (or better learn to dance). Dancers and scientists do share a common creative process, the mastery of complex skills, a drive to transcend limits, and a desire to excel. We can learn from each other!
This article is a collaboration with Dr. Robert Root-Bernstein, Professor of Physiology at Michigan State University.
Related Articles
- Huffington Post: What Scientists Can Learn from Ballet
- Stanford Humanities: What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Literature and the Arts
- CAST Blog: Art Meets Science: Join CAST!
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What Can Scientists Learn From Ballet?
A Conversation about Artistry, Creativity and Tech Innovation
Date: Friday December 2, 2011, 4:30-5:30 pm
Host: Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts (SiCa)
We are pleased to announce our upcoming seminar at Stanford, under SiCa quarterly presentation series. This marks our first public debut, and we cordially invite you to join us.
The seminar will feature a live debate, starring distinguished artists, scientists and entrepreneurs, who will engage in a collaborative exploration about creativity and innovation. We are thrilled to have a principal dancer from San Francisco Ballet (Sofiane Sylve pictured) with us for this panel.
STARRING
Moderator ……………………………………… Sylvie Leotin
Ballerina ……………………………………….. Sofiane Sylve
Artist-surgeon…………………………………. Kay B. Young
Musician-scientist ………………………………… Ge Wang
Robotics-scientist …………………………. Aaron Edsinger
Tech entrepreneur ……………………… Duncan Davidson
THE NARRATIVE
The cast, comprised of accomplished representatives from art, science and business, will discuss various aspects of creativity and innovation, in search for a common understanding.
Is creativity the realm of artists? What is creativity? • Do artists and technologists follow a similar creative process? • Does being an artist, or having an art education, give scientists an edge? • What are the similarities between how the three disciplines innovate? • What are opportunities for cross-enrichment between artists, scientists and entrepreneurs?
These questions are ripe for debate and illumination. Our distinguished cast of left and right brainers will help inform our discussion. We look forward to your participation.
CAST BIOS
- Sylvie Leotin: host & producer, ex-ballerina, computer scientist, entrepreneur.
- Duncan Davidson: serial entrepreneur, business strategist, venture capitalist.
- Aaron Edsinger: robotics scientist, visual performance artist, entrepreneur.
- Sofiane Sylve: principal dancer San Francisco Ballet.
- Kay B. Young: visual artist, plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
- Ge Wang: Stanford music professor, composer, computer scientist.
REGISTRATION
- This event is free with RSVP (required). Non-Stanford affiliates may attend as guests.
- Location: Wallenberg Hall Learning Theater, Building 160, Stanford University.
- Due to popularity we regret that this event is now full. You may join our guest list to be invited to future events.
NEWS ARTICLES
- What Scientists Can Learn from Ballet | Huffington Post
- What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Literature and the Arts | Stanford Humanities
Special thanks to Stanford SiCa for their support and sponsorship for this event.
We are pleased to invite you to CAST Dinner Soiree Premiere, hosted by Silicon Valley Innovation Institute (SVII).
CAST stands for Connecting Art, Science, and Technology. CAST Labs’ mission is to stimulate cross-pollination between artists, scientists and entrepreneurs, and to spark creativity and innovation. CAST parties combine lively entertainment with stimulating debates, resulting in a festive evening of cheer, mingling and enriching conversations.
CAST Dinner Soiree: Left + Right Brainers
December 7, 2011 from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM in Palo Alto.
For your entertainment, the program will feature live jazz, opera arias, a tango dance performance, and a dinner-debate. The theme of the evening is: art, creativity and innovation, a collaborative exploration. A multitalented cast of accomplished left and right brainers will help guide our conversation. Panelists and performers include:
- Sylvie Leotin – CAST Labs founder and moderator, ballerina, computer scientist, blogger and entrepreneur.
- Michael Killen - Artist, filmmaker, serial entrepreneur; driving awareness and change for sustainability through art and TV programs.
- Howard Lieberman - SVII founder, DARPA senior science & technology advisor, serial entrepreneur, composer and jazz musician.
- Indre Viskontas - Singer and neuroscientist, specializing in contemporary opera and the intersection between memory and creativity.
Registration
- Registration is now closed for this event.
- Join our guest list to be invited to future events.
News Coverage
- Art and Science: CAST Labs Launches with Soiree | Mendelspod.com
This event is a collaboration between CAST Labs and SVII. Illustration by @RueMic.
