Teaching Dance...

Just some thoughts to share with you (via CandoCo Dance Company) as you look at how you approach and develop your teaching practice...

TEAC    TeacHING DANCE: ALWAYS INCLUSIVE NO MATTER WHAT!

By Susanna, 26 February 2013

'One of the questions I have always had about teaching ‘inclusive’ dance is how different it is from just teaching dance. What I keep asking myself is: Have I ever met anyone who is exactly like me? Anyone with exactly the same big toe as mine? Or with the same nose?

The answer is NO and this is the starting point of my teaching no matter who the ‘students’ are.

I think that a traditional approach to dance has tricked us to believe that everyone must move in the same way and, if they do not, then the dance is read as unsuccessful. The illusion of perfection has confused us and forced us to fight against our own bodies – underlining what is not there rather than exploring what could be there.  In the last century, thanks to some brave artists, the dance world has opened up to a different approach to movement: enquiring bodies and minds have led many artists to look beyond old and – in my opinion – limiting traditions. Many what ‘ifs’ have been posed since the beginning of the 20th Century and many more what ‘ifs’ need to be asked to allow dance to be more accessible at a professional level.

What if we start considering that not ONE human being is the same as any other?  We are unique in the physical, mental, emotional puzzle that makes each of us one of the many creatures who inhabit planet earth. Not one vertebra is built as any other one.

Teaching inclusive/integrative dance is nothing more than acknowledging this fact. Diversity is the base of humanity, perfection does not exist and dance has the potential to celebrate the possibility of coexisting without merging. When I teach I hope to stimulate each individual’s curiosity for their own physicality: what is one’s relation to gravity, how joints fold and unfold, how we create flow in our own body and how we feel as part of a group.

In the Teaching Training Intensive organised by Candoco in November 2012 one of the things that seemed very important to share with the participants was that there is no formula that one should follow in order to then declare: I am teaching an integrated dance class. What is essential is the HOW not the WHAT. How language is used, how intention behind actions is communicated, how clarity and virtuosity can be embraced by everyone. We experienced that even ballet can be taught to anyone who is INTERESTED in finding personal solutions or so called adaptations. The secret ingredient of inclusive practice is an insatiable curiosity for movement. A valuable skill for anyone who is interested in dance is to have the capacity to try, fail, try again, succeed then try again: this is human and goes beyond abilities.

Curiosity first and then a good dose of open-mindedness.

Few days ago, during my lunch break I spent some time outside the studio with Vicky. We were talking about a task that she then taught in her class at Greenwich Dance Agency. It is the ‘this is enough’ game. It is done with a partner: one person lies down to receive touch, the other offers touch. The latter places a hand somewhere on the other person’s body and slowly applies an increasing amount of weight/pressure. The person receiving the touch can say at any point ‘this is enough’. It is a brilliant exercise that can break presumptions of what we think a person is able or willing to take at any point.  What can be visually perceived as a frail hand might take much more weight than one can imagine, a strong thigh may take much less than one would expect.

Each person’s potentials and limits in relation to their physicality are unknown to each other. We don’t know, so we need to ask, try, share, experience, be with, in order to find out. A first look might often create misconceived ideas about what is possible and what is not. And the beauty of dancing everyday is that each single day is different… a good lesson I am learning since I joined Candoco. Break preconceived ideas about oneself first and then open one’s mind towards others.

So the invitation when speaking about inclusive practice in dance is to have the curiosity to find out about the amazing potential of the human body and the infinite possibilities that dance can lead us towards.

So keep curious, keep trying, keep finding out, keep dancing!'

Susanna Recchia is a dancer with Candoco

I look forward to more on your blogs and linked-in this week, Module Ones, let's talk on your first AOL drafts this week..

Helen

Plans and Drafts...

The before bit.
Before you jump head first into your research (module twos) or the writing of Areas of Learning (module ones) take a look at what you're proposing to do.  Gain an understanding from your handbooks, conversations with your advisor, as to the context of what is expected of your actions in relation to the MAPP programme, and try out what's in your mind.  For module two, that does mean quite literally 'try it out'!  Create a pilot study of your planned research, an area of it.  A pilot study on a smaller scale than your intended research inquiry will allow you to navigate your way on a trial run, identify potential areas of concern, flag up some unexpected surprises which you won't have been able to see before putting thought into action.  Pilot Studies are a learning tool, a way of testing the water, but only if you then take the time to learn from (through reflection and further research) what they have shown.  To be particularly alert to, and this pertaining also to the linked-in discussions this week, is ethical considerations.  As some of you are working with young people, or intending to use young people within your research inquiry, you must consider the ethical implications of your proposed research on those involved.  Please do use the Ethics Form under your Module page on LibGuides, and of course ask your advisor if there is anything you are unclear about with regards to this.
Module One asks you to identify your possible Area of Learning titles and to draft your first one this week.  Begin to put in writing what that area or your learning is to you.  How do you define this area? How does it define you/your practice? What does it entail? Which hat(s) does it require you to wear? Who does it affect?  Drafts...Put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and begin to play with the words which may enable you to communicate to others an area of your learning.  Email your draft to your advisor, arrange a skype call, so that you can discuss this draft, we can offer feedback in order for you to re-draft, and in so doing broaden/deepen your thoughts and your demonstration of them in writing.

So, I'll leave you to plan, to discuss...to draft, to discuss... to continue with your journeys for the week...

Helen

Time...

From blogs and emails with you this week, I am pleased to see I am not alone in having had a rather busy (with the word busy seeming a complete understatement!) week.  But I am pleased to see that the busy has been coupled with reflection on your journeys also.  

I am quite pre-occupied with notions of time, how we manage it on a day to day basis, what it is philosophically, scientifically, in reality, if it is actually anything more than an opportunity for things to happen?  If the latter is the case, I wonder how some periods of time (days, weeks..) seem to offer no opportunities for anything to happen as so much is happening, or is it just that we find ourselves with little time to absorb and reflect on what has happened as we are so busy making things happen?

WE are responsible, I believe, for shaping what we do, the opportunities we allow to arise, those we take and develop, those we choose not to follow.  WE have the ability to affect the world around us and to shape it by our actions, not knowing precisely what effect our actions will have in the future as we can never be in tomorrow today, but having ownership over our actions in the present.  Actively interacting with each day, with the opportunities that time affords, with the people we share that time with I believe is vital in continuing to grow and to learn.  Being open to what each day may bring, to what the class we're with offer in/of themselves, learning from what they are offering how we may best respond in guiding, challenging and supporting them in their learning, and in turn what this time has offered us in terms of opportunities (in reflection) is a key tool to learning and understanding learning and knowledge.

Notions of who we are (module one) and how we interact with the world around us (module two) resulting in what affect our actions/interactions may have on others (module three) is in essence what the MAPP programme is interested in.  Whilst our point of reference is dance, and specifically the teaching of/pedagogical practice of dance, we are only really able to identify and attribute value to impact/interaction/affects by understanding our place within them.

Where do YOU stand within all of this?  Have you been shaped/shaped yourself and your practice through training and experiencing dance as dance alone or through your experiences of you in a far broader picture?

Helen

Questions...

Hoping that you've all had good and productive weeks, and schedules that have allowed for some time to think, reflect and assimilate learning also...

Those on Module One - thanks for sharing initial thoughts this week on beginning your MAPP journeys, hopefully you've had a look through your CV and current Job Description this week, please send drafts of these to your advisor via email so that we can feed into your reflections on yourself via your practice past and present and discuss areas that have been significant in your coming to this point in your career.  Please don't forget to attribute value to unpaid as well as paid roles, to experiential as well as accredited learning routes, to question what experiences have shaped and influenced your journeys, to question how you have learnt what you now consider you know, and question what you know you do not know.  To begin to reflect on your learning through different roles, different phases in your career.   Question, how did you get here, and where is here?

Modules Two and Three, it has been great to read and join your discussions on Linked-in this week, keep unpicking the notions of positivist and non-positivist approaches understanding them as they stand in themselves as well as in application to research in dance.  Question where you sit within these proposed systems...Why?

A question raised recently by the Higher Education Academy is that over the use of touch in dance teaching and learning.  I have been approached this week by a student questioning the use of touch within a dance class, describing an incident in which she felt uncomfortable with a teacher using a hands-on approach in giving a correction.  She asked me whether teachers should ask a students permission before making physical contact with them in class.

Quite a difficult issue, whilst physical contact is widely considered part of everyday practice in the field of dance, training, choreography, performance..it is still an issue with carries ethical considerations and needs responses.

I came across a report, written by Fiona Bannon, commissioned by the Higher Education Academy, entitled Relational Ethics, Dance, Touch and Learning, thought I would share it with you and be interested to hear your views on the subject too.

https://drive.google.com/?tab=jo&authuser=0#my-drive

Helen

Reading..(w)Riting...Reflecting..

Nice to catch in on some of your blogs this week and read about the thoughts arising from your initial reading of the module handbooks and from your research specific literature (Module Twos and Threes).  Questions concerning time, process, documentation, sharing of practice, intentions of imagery in teaching all out there..do take a look and respond to each others blogs when you can.  Some great opening discussions around Professionalism on the Linked-in group discussions also this week, take a look and feed in your thoughts if you haven't already, this is going to be a great place for sharing ideas, research, posing questions, maybe finding answers, maybe posing some more questions!    Start to share your experiences of the suggested tasks in your handbook this week also if you haven't and if you can, start forming your opinions based on knowledge, related to philosophy within a particular field of practice.  How do you interpret an historical account, how do you interpret what you see in a body of work?

Module Ones I hope you have had a chance to wade through (without feeling too swamped) your introduction and task handbooks this week, it would be great if you could share your thoughts on what you've read, on embarking on the MA, raise any questions through your blogs this week.  I wonder if any events in your own teaching practice have struck you this week, what have you experienced, what have you thought about it?  Do start keeping your personal Reflective Journals to document all of this as you go through the whole programme, those on Module Two remember to keep these journals going also, but try to share your thoughts on the tasks in the handbooks as you complete them too; whilst they are not for formal assessment, it would be interesting for you (and us) to share your experiences.  What have you learned from theory about reflection, and what are you thinking about how this theory might relate to your own teaching practice?  What questions arise for you?  What is affirmed?  Try to blog on this, this week as it will also help you in preparation for looking at your CV and current Job Description next.

Have a good week, look forward to hearing about some of it!

Helen

New Beginnings

So, we're all getting ready to start term on Monday...A big Welcome to those joining the MAPP journey this term and a warm welcome back to those of you returning this term to embark on the next stage of your journey through the MAPP DTP.

As we're all thinking about new starts and preparation for new experiences and learning I thought I would make a list, as I find lists help me to at least identify things that are happening in my life.  Whether I work through the things on that list methodically or end up adding more to it, as one item, sparks an idea that generates three more, that's another matter!  But here we go..

A weekend 'to do' list:

1.  Make sure you can access all the materials relevant to your module on the libguides page

http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/mappDTP

2. Have a read through your Module Handbook.
For those about to start Module One make sure you read through the Introduction to Module One Handbook FIRST, and for all, note down any thoughts or questions you may have as you go.

3.  For those on Module One, have a go at getting your blogs set up, we recommend using the e-blogger site for this, guidance on 'how to' is in your Introduction to Module One Handbook, or feel free to skype with your advisor for help.  Once set up, why not post your first blog and share your thoughts on starting the programme with the rest of the MAPP community here.
For those on Module Two and Three, get yourselves linked-in on Linked-in!
linkedin.com
and join the discussions, check in with each other there with your thoughts on planning or starting your research for your next modules.

4.  Go through your diaries and make a note to check in with each others and our blogs at some point each week if you can.  Do this at a time that works for you, when you have some time, and don't worry if you have a hectic week and don't manage to blog religiously on the day you'd intended!  I tend to blog on Fridays, Adesola on a Thursday or Friday.  Blog when you want to, when you have something to share, and do leave comments to other blogs that you read also, lots of fruitful discussions about dance, art, teaching, MAPP modules and life in general can grow that way...

5.  Go out for a walk, bake a cake, run yourself a hot bath...have some time to do whatever it is you like to do to relax, rest mind, body and spirit and look forward to the journey that lies ahead...

Helen

New Year...New Info

Hello, welcome (almost) back!

As it's feeling rather a long time since I blogged last on here and just to begin to get your minds and bodies back into gear a little before we re-start MAPPing on Feb 1, I thought I would post this...

Firstly a very Happy New Year to you all, I hope you have all managed to enjoy something of a break and some peaceful time with family and friends and I hope January has begun well for you.

Adesola and I have been reviewing course materials for the MAPP DTP and have had a bit of a re-jig of your LibGuides page too, hopefully making it a little clearer and easier for you to navigate and able to accommodate our growing community with some new folks starting their MAPP journeys with us in Feb.

http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/mappDTP

If you have a chance to take a look and want to get your heads around your next module, you can find your Module Handbooks under module specific pages, (Module One, Module Two, Module Three) under the Modules & Materials tab.  Please refer to these handbooks now, not older versions you may have viewed on LibGuides before the Christmas.  As you begin to plan your research (Module twos) or implement your research plan (Module threes) there are a number of consent forms you will need to complete in order to safe guard your practice and those your research may impact on.  These are all listed under your module pages for you to download.  For Module Two and Module Three we also want to encourage the development of special interest groups (related to your individual areas of research) through Linked-in discussion forums.  If you're not familiar with Linked-in, maybe take a look at it now.

http://www.linkedin.com/

When we meet on Feb 1, I will have hard copies of your handbooks to give to you, if you are unable to make it to the campus coffee afternoon on the 1st, do let me know and we can arrange a time to make our own coffee and enjoy them over a Skype call!  If you would like me to post you a copy of your next handbook, not a problem just let me know.

So...on with the marking here : ) and looking forward to seeing some of you, and talking with others on Feb 1.  Let's meet in the Grove Atrium (Costa) at 4pm?


Helen