A Bumpy Road...

Sadly I didn't get to attend the Dance UK conference 'Beyond the Body' today, but have been left with thought provoking words as I catch up on the day's discussions via Twitter this evening.  If any of you did attend, please do feed in more thoughts...

'Long term talent development needs a bumpy road so the learner learns to think autonomously & can face challenges' (Dance UK, Beyond the Body)

Timely as I had just been speaking with an ex-student about her journey since graduating from the BA Dance Performance programme last year, and re-assuring her just that, that pathways with unexpected twists and turns, challenges and struggle are all very much a part of dancing, living, learning and being.  

It is the challenges, I believe which build us, our ability to be flexible, responsive, open in our learning and our teaching, which allow us to grow in confidence and the independence needed to survive to an extent?

I wonder how many bumps in the road there have been on your journeys as learners, movers, teachers. Remember through your AOLs in Module One to explore these bumps in your writing. They represent the process, the journey to your AOL title and are so valuable to you understanding how you know what you know now.  

Those on Module Two, maybe your blogs this week could reflect some of the bumps in the road to planning your research. I'm interested to hear what the twists and turns have been for you in defining your research area and situating yourself philosophically within this, what bumps have thrown you in a different direction?

So Module Three's...what are the bumps you are adding through your research projects for others learning journeys to follow? How might you be encouraging their autonomous learning, by challenging their boundaries, perceptions, expectations of dance?

Do feed in your thoughts...

A body of knowledge...

Something to share with you all this week, a new site launched today which documents the specific teaching methods of Robert Cohan.

Cohan was responsible for bringing contemporary/American Modern dance from his training/work with Martha Graham in the US to the UK.  Anne Donnelly (Director of Programmes in Dance at Middlesex) and Prof. Chris Bannerman (Professor in Dance and Director of the Research Centre for Dance at Middlesex (both former dancers with Cohan) have engaged in this research project specifically looking at and capturing Cohan's teaching methods.

Take a look...http://www.rescen.net/rctp/index.html#.UnlqcY7H021