Week 1: Two Cultures

Hello, my name is Angela Soderquist and I am a fourth year Sociology major at UCLA. Studying social interactions between individuals and groups also interests me in what neurological factors exist in those interactions, and maybe even cause some as well. I have also been dancing since a very young age and have had to learn about the body and its relation to movement in dance. Proper placement of the body is essential in ballet, and this required me to learn about the different muscles and bones and how I should be aligning them correctly.

 (correct body alignment for improved balance)                      

                                                                     http://www.danceadvantage.net/better-balance/

The two cultures of dance and anatomy came together for me because I needed to make sure I knew proper placement to prevent as many injuries as possible. This creates a new niche of education in dance, “the clashing point of two subjects, two disciplines, two cultures – of two galaxies, as far as that goes – ought to produce creative chances,” creating a third culture of science, merging science education and dance (C.P. Snow 17). 

(X-Ray of foot En Pointe) 

                                                                   http://www.pointeshoefitting.co.uk/styled-3/page4.html

 A science education is not typically taught in ballet companies, therefore “the enduring gap between humanities and sciences…clearly shows that the bridges being constructed are still very fragile,” making the connection between the two cultures a little shaky (Vesna 122).  Another example of two cultures is in social media, in college a lot of people meet online either through online classes, job websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. This is bridging the gap of creating relationships face to face, using technology to create connection and networks instead. 

 (meeting on social media) 

                                              http://justasmalltowngirl.us/how-is-social-media-changing-the-way-you-create-relationships/

Perhaps it is becoming inconvenient for people to meet in person, possibly takes too much time out of an already busy day, in this case “reaching limits in science or any other discipline for that matter really means being on the threshold of the inevitable something else,” a new culture is being created to help progress where in a busy society people just do not have the time to spend going out and creating relationships, this is even happening in the dating world (Vesna 123).   Reading these articles put the idea of the third culture into perspective. I have always wondered why certain areas of discipline were black and white when I wanted to see how they connected. There are connections in science and art; others just have to be open to bridging the gap and making those connections.

Citations: 

Justasmalltowngirl. Meeting on Social Media. Digital image. Just A Small Town Girl. 16 Dec. 2010.                  Web. 1 Apr. 2016. <http://justasmalltowngirl.us/how-is-social-media-changing-the-way-                      you-create-relationships/>.

Nichelle. Allignment. Digital image. Dance Advantage. 19 Jan. 2011. Web. 1 Apr. 2016.

<http://www.danceadvantage.net/better-balance/>.

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web.

X-Ray. Digital image. Are You Ready For Pointe Shoes? Web. 1 Apr. 2016.

<http://www.pointeshoefitting.co.uk/styled-3/page4.html>.