Module Two: Research focus

Last night we had a skype discussion with a module two focus.
We unpacked 'a research inquiry', looking at terminology around research, qualitative research, methodology, literature review, research methods, data, analysis and ethics. We stripped back and talked about our research questions in order to really discuss relevance in the other terms and stages of the research. Rhoda flagged up the need to take into account the scope and range of the inquiry and to be realistic in what we might achieve within a 12 week time frame. We're not going to save the world but contribute to it through this research. 

Catherine, Fiona, Rhoda and Tanith will blog about the areas they found most useful from the discussion...

Theories and Frameworks in practice...

For me a framework of my practice is Bartenieff Fundamentals (a movement system developed by dancer, choreographer, physical therapist, Irmgard Bartenieff, somewhat a bodily focused extension of her tutor Rudolf Laban's work through Laban Movement Analysis).  Bartenieff Fundamentals offers me a way of structuring and a language through which to articulate my moving body through specific patterns (Bartenieff sees the body as connected through core-distal, head-tail, body-half and cross-lateral patterns in order to achieve total integration). The theories I am interested in are in relationship with this framework, theories of the body in movement. These theories look at space-time and our relationship to, with, in, as it. I am also interested in theories of improvisation developed by other practitioners, and what frameworks are used to speak of the moving body through these. Theories and frameworks can offer us ways through which to deepen our understanding of things. They can frame perspectives and allow us to question and challenge our own practice. I do not have to find theories that match my framework, I am more interested in learning more about my body as I read, and experience in practice, and see the theories as ways of opening new doors to more questions for me.


An image I like to think about learning and knowledge is from the kids movie Monsters Inc. where the opening of a door into an unknown place is like the opening of a book, the taking of a new class, the conversation with another practitioner , it can open the way to more doors, more questions, to alternative perspectives and deeper understanding. Bartenieff's work sees value in the opening of space in the body as opening greater possibilities for moving efficiently through the space of our environments. I use the imagery of tiny doors at the joints of the body with the idea that we try to open the doors to allow the breath to travel and flow freely through the whole connected body...

Theories and Frameworks Sunday Discussion group...

At this Sunday disucssion group we took the themes of Theories and Frameworks as a starting point for discussions. The conversations involved those from all three MAPP modules and moved between looking for relationships between theory and practice, how we begin to relate theories we are reading with the day to day of our professional practice, how we engage with theory through critical reflection, and what kinds of theoretical approaches to research people had found and are using. 

We then stripped back to really look at what the term Theory and the term Framework mean to us and how they might be seen in relation to one another. Nighat spoke about theories being thoughts and ideas that scaffold to form a framework and how frameworks are needed in research to bring theories into a structure to offer context. Stella has blogged about already, and spoke about the notion of 'fitting in' to frameworks, and more interestingly noticing what falls outside of the framework. Agata spoke of seeing theory as a lens to help you see your own framework, or using theory to help you to define your own framework. 

We spoke about 'things' always needing to be questioned in order to be developed and how this questioning, unpacked, scratching away the surface happens in different ways through all the modules. 

Those in this discussion please do add your blog post here in the comments so that we can engage further with the thoughts you gathered from the discussion and now share through your blogs...

Queering the Somatic: Interrupting the Narrative Symposium

We are excited to let you all know that BOOKING is NOW OPEN for our next somatic-inquiring symposium!!

Queering the Somatic: Interrupting the Narrative Symposium
Nov 1st - 2nd 2019 (Friday 1st, 1-5pm, Sat 2nd, 10am-6pm)
at Middlesex University London

We really would love as many of you as possible to join us for this and we have FREE places for Mdx students to attend.

Please comment if you intend to join us!

We are excited to have a key note presentation from Dr Thomas F. DeFrantz, Duke University and a number of International and UK-based artists and scholars ...we will post the full schedule soon.

Module Three focus on Research terms...

Last nght we had a discussion with a Module Three focus. 

We talked about the different approaches to, and stages of the research inquiry process and the need for being in the process of the research in order to be able to listen to it...not rush through to find answers or results.

We covered Qualitative Research approaches, agreeing that everyone in this discussion was using this approach to their inquiry and unpacking why, what it offers the research knowledge. We talked about data, data collection, and organisation, sharing systems of coding, colour-coding to help track and organise the information gathered.We spent some time unpacking analysis and tri-angulation in the process of discussing wht we do with the data. 

Those in this call, Agata, Tara, Katya, Nella, Nighat, do comment here with your blog post focusing on this discussion...