Sunday Skype discussions...

Some interesting thoughts and questions raised today during both Skype discussions.

The first Skype had a range of voices from across the modules and we talked about teaching and learning - traditions of hierarchy and moves into more transactional learning experiences. Motivating students to learn and take ownership of their learning became quite a key point for many and a challenge recognised in today's societies. The role of the researcher and the ethical implications of this within our professional practice/research. Adesola has posted a blog looking at Vulnerability, our vulnerability within our research.http://adesolamapp.blogspot.co.uk

We talked about value of prior learning and how to articulate this, transitioning from dancing to writing in order to find its expression for the AOLs.

A reminder here that the Dancing and Writing Professional Practice Summer Intensive we run annually is designed to look at just that; we move, we talk, we write, in order to explore our practice and engage in dialogue and written articulations of our embodied experiences. The summer intensive is open to booking now, reduced fee for MAPP students and very reasonably priced accommodation available on campus in London NW4.

Summer Intensive August 14th to 19th 2017

Booking link:
http://www.onlinestore.mdx.ac.uk/short-courses/school-of-media-and-performing-arts/degree-preparation-courses/dance-and-writing-professional-practice-summer-intensive

http://www.mdx.ac.uk/courses/cpd/dance-and-writing-professional-practice-summer-intensive/










What I noted from the first conversation was the need for Dialogue, considered and varying ways of Communication, understanding Expectations and a need to challenge some of our Assumptions.

Those from this conversation are going to blog their reflections and extend thinking on some of the themes raised, do visit and comment on each blogs...


http://raymond-chai.blogspot.co.uk
http://brandonleesears.blogspot.co.uk
https://dixieogivar.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/blog-post_17.html
http://chelleymapp.blogspot.co.uk
http://maitemappdtp.blogspot.co.uk
https://parimalamapp.blogspot.co.uk
http://jorootsmapp.blogspot.co.uk
http://barbarabesque.blogspot.co.uk/


The second Skype discussion today was focused around learning, self-learning, competing with yourself, with peers, the learning and progression that can be derived from this, where feedback lies, how feedback might feed-forward.  We talked about looking to areas outside of dance to better understand and talk about dance. What is 'just dance'?

Becky and Davis will blogs further their thoughts around these themes.

http://rebeccajones87.blogspot.co.uk
https://kensdancer.blogspot.co.uk




read, write, comment, talk...
we look forward to receiving your submissions of work now on May 12th.

All work should be submitted via UniHub
http://unihub.mdx.ac.uk

with a copy also emailed to Adesola and myself for back-up.

What's holding you?

Just a reminder at this point in the term particularly of recognising what's holding you in your learning...Whilst theories yore meeting and frameworks for structuring your thoughts into writing might be new, you, your practice, what you know are not.  Your embodied histories, your experiences are what shape you and also what hold and support you...not holding you still or fixed in any way, (think non-positivist) but offering you a layer of skin if you like that allows you to take on other layers, to grow, to shift, to change, to be vulnerable because you have a rich bodily knowledge of experience to draw on.

I've been reading (and largely disputing) theories of improvisation in dance being about 'newness' and finding new material. I believe nothing is entirely new, but met through different relationships. Your relationship with the MA may be allowing you to meet things you have not encountered in the same way before, to develop a new language (from that which you already know) in order to articulate your thoughts in a different way to a different audience perhaps, to reflect on how you respond in different situations (but you have encountered other situations before). Improvisation for me offers a way of revealing what the body already knows, in different relationships with its current environment. So the people, places, climate, culture may be new, and so the responses I find in my body are not ever the same, but allowing myself to enter into a relationship with my current environment, to be vulnerable within that, opens new possibilities for me to learn.

What does my body know? what experiences does it hold? how might these be revealed in different ways through encounters with shifting fluid environments around me?

What does the environment of the MA offer you in terms of new relationships to engage with, through the literature, discussions with each other, reading the blogs...what do they reveal of your knowing?  What's holding you?  What do you know in order to be able to not-know, to enjoy the vulnerability of unknowing?

Referring to Adesola's blog this week...trust yourselves, trust us and enter into discussions, relationships in order to reveal, to challenge, to grow.