New beginnings...

It was wonderful to see our module three finalists from this term and last graduate on Monday, and to meet and connect in person with some of you!! Do share your photos from the day here!

Congratulations to all, and all the best with your next adventures...do keep in touch!

Some news to share with you, I have recently been appointed as the new Director of Programmes (Arts) for Dance and Professional Practice, so will be moving away from Programme Leading MAPP, though continuing to stay connected as I will oversee all of our dance and professional practice provision at undergraduate and post graduate level in this new role.

I am delighted to introduce our new Programme Leader for MAPP, Dr Robert Vesty to you, knowing the programme is in caring, and creative hands as we move into the new term.  You can get to know Rob a little through their blog here ahead of meeting in September.

https://robertvestymapp.blogspot.com/

We are also expanding our Programme Team and will enjoy the support and voices of practice from more supervisors from the Arts faculty. Mike Dines will continue to supervise and be joined by Angela Woodhouse and Yasmin Foster-Paul who along with Rob Vesty will make our programme team for 2023/24. Please do look them up and their area of work-practice-research, I hope you will agree, a really exciting team!

I will stay on to see some of you through your final module where possible. I will email all students I have been supervising, introduce you to your new supervisor as appropriate in the coming week. 

We welcome new students starting the MA the week of Sept 18th, and term starts for all on Sept 25th

Wishing you all wonderful summers now and all for a great term in September!!

MAPP Finalist Presentations May 10, 2023

You are all invited to attend the research presentations of this term's MAPP finalists.

These are held on zoom (usual link) 

The schedule is below.

MA Professional Practice Programmes

Finalist Presentations

 

Wednesday May 10th 2023

 

Via zoom 

(usual MAPP session link)

 

https://mdx-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/97372325589?pwd=WjY0cERGQS9jWVJ5QlVFZytBNkZoUT09

 

Meeting ID: 973 7232 5589

Passcode: 337759

 

 

 

Schedule: 

Times are all given in UK (BST) time. 

Each presenter has 30mins within which to share their presentation of their research inquiry process and learning and their professional artefact.

please arrive 10mins before the start time to settle in, students presenting should check they are able to share screen and sound as needed ahead of time.

 

11.30 Jacqui Ison-Parsell (MAPP Dance)

12.00 Maria Sofocleous (MAPP DTP)

12.30 Melody Edge (MAPP DTP)

13.00 Piedad Seiquer (MAPP DTP)

 

Short break 1330-1400

 

14.00 Amy Coughlan (MAPP DTP)

14.30 Nicola Fish (MAPP DTP)

15.00 Amanda De Souza (MAPP DTP)

 

 

1530-1630 Break and Assessors convene.

 

 

Viva (1-2-1 student and assessors only) 

1630 Jacqui

1645 Maria

1700 Melody

1715 Piedad

1730 Amy

1745 Nicola

1800 Amanda

Alumni Sharing

Our Alumni sharing this term will be recorded rather than in the live time-space of our usual Sunday session. 

I will upload to UniHub the recordings from MAPP Alumni, sharing generously their experiences of their time on the programme, developments in their professional practice through research and since. 

There will be no live session Sunday April 30th.

Our next time to gather online will be for the Module Three Presentations on May 10th. 

These will run on zoom (usual link) from 1130 (BST) to 1630 (BST)

I will post the schedule for this shortly. 

Module three students you are expected to attend for the whole time of the presentations, all students are warmly welcomed and encouraged to attend and support your peers.

Good luck now with the final preparations of your work for assessment. 

The deadline for all modules is Friday May 5th, 23.59 (BST) via Unihub Submissions Folder, Turnitin portal to upload your work as indicated by the Module code. 

Any problems, and as back-up, please email your work for assessment to your supervisor by the deadline also.

Sunday Open Discussion Group

 This Sunday April 23, we have out next discussion group for all students 1900 (BST)

The focus of the discussion is 'communicating ideas'

This is essentially what you are doing for your assessment in each module of the MA, and I would suggest what we are all doing through practice. 

It would be good to consider ahead of Sunday 

What are the ideas you are trying to communicate with the assignment you are working on right now?

Where are these ideas situated (theory / practice, society, cultural contexts)?

What are you methods of communication?

What does it feel like to share your thinking with others in this way?

Those of you in Module Three, this is a great opportunity to practice communicating the ideas of your research inquiry - in preparation for your presentation next month.

Please use the comments to share a snapshot of your thinking around this theme, what would you like to talk about on Sunday?

Module Three - Artefacts

Module Three students, I am battling a horrible chest infection and not up to talking very much at all. I am happy to talk individually with you about your artefact a little later on, and I have scheduled a session for us to meet one last time ahead of submission of work for this term to discuss the presentations also. This will be :

Tuesday April 18, 1900 (BST)

zoom link for the rest of the term

Join Zoom Meeting 

https://mdx-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/97372325589?pwd=WjY0cERGQS9jWVJ5QlVFZytBNkZoUT09

Meeting ID: 973 7232 5589

Passcode: 337759

I am uploading to unihub for you today some examples of past artefacts from this programme - not to suggest 'this is how they should look' at all, but to offer some examples where students have really considered effectively how the artefact communicates something of their research process and is relevant to the context of their practice - these are the two main intentions of the artefact. 

New Zoom Link

 Strangely our MAPP zoom link has expired

Please use this one for the remaining group zoom sessions this term

Join Zoom Meeting

https://mdx-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/97372325589?pwd=WjY0cERGQS9jWVJ5QlVFZytBNkZoUT09

Meeting ID: 973 7232 5589

Passcode: 337759

Module Two Student Consultation meeting

Students currently in Module Two this term, we would like a short meeting with you to inform you of the re-validation of the MA programmes in April, and what that will mean for you as you begin your final module of study in September. 

Can I propose we meet on 

Thursday March 30th, 1700 (BST) 

Please comment below to say if you are able to attend this meeting.

Module Three Session(s) this week

Aware that not all of you have been able to attend the Module Three sessions live this term, and mindful that this session is where we will discuss ideas for practice-based artefacts and talk about the relationships between the different modes of work you will submit for assessment in May, I wanted to offer this session repeated across two different time/dates this week. 

Tuesday March 28th, 1730-1830 (BST) slightly later than scheduled

Plus 

Friday March 31st, 10.30-11.30 (BST)

Please indicate in the comments below which session you plan to attend live.

Please note that times in the UK switched to British Summer Time at the weekend so we are now GMT +1hr

Academic Writing session

 A reminder that we have our re-scheduled Academic Writing session this week with Peter Thomas

Thursday March 9th, 0900-1000 (GMT)

The session is aimed as a refresher on academic writing skills, tips, approaches for reading and writing in academic study.

 

The session will be recorded 

Theories and Frameworks - Sunday Discussion group focus

 Tomorrow Sunday March 5, 1900 

we have our next Sunday Discussion Group of this term. 

The zoom room for this meeting (same link as all sessions) will be open for you to enter 20mins before the start time of the session, please do take this time to arrive, check your connection, connect with each other informally, get tea/coffee and generally settle into your space.

As noted on your schedules, the focus of the discussion is 'Theories and Frameworks' 

As always, with these Sunday sessions, this is a space for you to learn in dialogue with others, to share ideas, thinking, processing, without the need to have definitively formed answers. 

In preparation for this conversation, please do give some thought to how you are experiencing theories and frameworks in your practice and study at this moment. 

Some questions to guide your pre-session thinking:

What established frameworks in arts based research as you becoming aware of?

What frameworks are emerging through your practice?

What are some of the theories you are engaging with in developing deeper understanding of your practice through research?

How do theories and frameworks work in a transactional relationship of developing  knowledge?

Please do add further thoughts and questions for consideration in the comments below.

Students must enrol for each term of study

 An urgent reminder - you must enrol for each term of study in order to be eligible for assessment at the end of the module and to generate the correct fees invoices etc.. 

If you have not done so this term PLEASE ENROL NOW!!

Module two - you are enrolling for DAN4630

Module three - you are enrolling for DAN4760

Any problems, please do let me know!!

Sunday Open Discussion Group

Our first Sunday discussion group of this term offered space for conversation around the concepts of Knowledge, Learning and Information. Observations were shared from those that were a part of the discussion, and a feeling of the concept of Change emerged.

We talked about transformation; of information into embodied knowledge, about 'technique', or 'Technique', what this is, or what is can be (mis)understood to be, about fear, language, assumptions, expectations, integrity as part of our learning, and of knowledge as something in-process, always growing, keeping, broadening and through it allowing ourselves to be open to the possibility of change. 

Sharing with you an excerpt from my own work, commenting of the concept of change in relation to relationships between somatic practice and improvised performance...

'Change illuminates the in-between-ness as a mobile place of form and fluidity through critical enquiry. For Irmgard Bartenieff, change is pivotal to working with Fundamentals and key to unlocking the full potential of the integrated body. ‘Change is fundamental. The essence of movement is change. As we move, we are constantly changing’ (Hackney, 2002: 12). The need to respond to change, feels strikingly present in our current global climate, as does a sense of community. Being responsive to the continual ebb and flow of our environments encourages one to remain present in movement that is meaningful through shared experiences with others. Bartenieff herself speaks of movement as a fluid phenomenon, likened to the ebb and flow of water. Change in the context of this research has emerged which is not simply an action or effect that is temporal but an event which is transactional and has the potential to be transformational through multiple encounters. Change is revealed in a becoming aware of, and allowing space for multiple possibilities through improvisation. The new methods developed through exploration of somatic practices actively embrace the phenomenon of change. The concept of hovering (discussed in chapter III) places the body, bodies, and environment in a state of flow where change is invited. When the body is experienced as becoming of, and as its environment, it is within a process of change. Theorizing my approach to somatic practice and improvisation through this thematic concept (re)opens form and offers further consideration of the language of practice'. 

Kindred, H. 2021, PhD thesis, dancing the in-between-ness: (re)articulating Bartenieff Fundamentals through improvised dance performance-making, pg.120)

Do share your thoughts, comments, readings around anything that emerged for you from this discussion group

Re-scheduled Academic Writing Session

  

The session on Academic Writing for this term has been re-scheduled to 

Thursday March 9, 0900 (UK)

The slides and a recording from last term's session are still available on Unihub in the meantime, and you can always book your own tutorials with the Academic Writing team and/or attend their drop -in sessions at any time!

A note for Module Two students

 From Astrid's Ethics session

Thanks for the amazing discussions and pertinent points raised in our lecture. 

Please do not panic about having everything ready for next week. 

We will look through the MORE form and what documents need to be supplied with it. We do not complete it next week – unless you wish to start already. 

At the moment, start jotting down ideas for your research project and think what general line you might wish to take. Think about which form of data collection is the best way to answer your research question. If you want to interview, then you can start to outline questions. 

 

As said, the submission is not set in stone. We know research changes and that as you continue exploring thoughts the topic and some questions will evolve. The MORE form is for us to see which direction you go and what you intend to do with your participants. 

Please have a conversation with your supervisor about your ideas. 

Knowledge, Learning, Information

This week we have our first Sunday Discussion Group of the term

Sunday Feb 19, 1900 (GMT)

We will keep the theme for this discussion as Knowledge, Learning and Information and consider the relationships between them for us now. Coming back to the same theme for discussion fosters a deeper connection, new connections, a shifting perspective perhaps... 

Some questions to start your thinking ahead of Sunday's discussion:

Where are you now in your MA journey? 

How do these words resonate with your experiences? 

What theories have you engaged with around any of these words, how are they discussed in other (beyond dance/arts) contexts?

How do you see your Practice / your Self in relationship with these constructs?

What examples can you draw on from your practice to illustrate these experiences?

Please blog your own also...

Key words:

Epistemology

Ontology

Transaction

Transmission

Process

Experiential

Please add to this list on your blog...

Remember that these discussion groups are for you to take part in learning through conversation, debate and exchange of ideas and experiences. 

There is no 'answer' to find, no 'correct definition' to come up with, but a facilitated time-space to learn from others perspectives. 

Looking forward to what may emerge in dialogue together...

Storytelling

I'm interested in Storytelling as a way of sharing lived experiences, I've been talking with some of you about this... 

This short TED talk by Multi-Media Artist and TED Fellow Zahra Al-Mahdi offers some critical thinking around how we gather and re-tell the stories of others around us. 

Particularly relevant for those in Module Three as you conduct your interviews and consider the experience of this act of sharing and your ethical responsibilities in it.  

Please share your thoughts ...

Recordings of Zoom Sessions

Apologies for the delay, there were some technical hitches getting material uploaded, I am in the process of uploading recordings of all sessions so far this term today. 

Please do access anything you missed, but more importantly do spend time going through the Module Handbook and Reading List materials at the start of any term.

If you have any issues accessing library resources, journals etc please do email Jo Wilson, J.R.Wilson@mdx.ac.uk 

Sharing Resources

A great first week back of re-connecting, sharing ideas and highlighting areas for research..well done everyone!

Please see below the citation for the book I referred to in last week's Module Two session, some of you expressed interest in:

Silva, J. C. D. (2017). Reflections on improvisation, choreography and risk-taking in advanced capitalism.

It is available PDF from University of the Arts, Helsinki (via Google Scholar)

Also mentioned were the recordings from the most recent IADMS (International Association of Dance Medicine and Science) event at Middlesex University in January. These include a Key Note presentation from Choreographer Russell Maliphant, presentations and workshops from practitioner-researchers in the field of dance, movement, training, and health. Please email me if you would like access to these recording, time-limited and not publicly available, hence cannot post here.

I had some issues uploading recordings from our Module Three and Two Intro sessions last week, I am trying to get these up on unihub for those that missed the sessions.

ZOOM LINK FOR THIS TERM

 https://mdx-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/95766843456?pwd=STlJNFMxUVpaTFAzZDVsWlRKWk4vZz09

MEETING ID

957 6684 3456

PASSCODE

753460

Workshop opportunity with British dance artist Rosemary Lee

 For anyone able to get to London this Friday!!

This Friday 27^th Jan 2.30 – 4.30 

Grove Dance Theatre, Middlesex University London

We are very privileged to welcome guest dance artist Rosemary Lee 

This event is FREE to all Mdx students - simply email Angela Woodhouse 

to attend a.woodhouse@mdx.ac.uk

Rosemary is a choreographer, director and performer, and a key figure in UK dance culture. Last year she was awarded an OBE for here services to dance.  Over the past thirty years she has created works ranging from live performances that are often site-specific and involve a cross-section of the community (both professional and non-professional dancers) to dance films and installations. She has been commissioned by many key organisations including Dance Umbrella, Derry City of Culture, and Milton Keynes International Festival. Rosemary also guest teaches and lectures internationally.  Recipient of both a Bonnie Bird Choreography Award and a Jerwood Choreographic Research Project Award in 2013, she is currently an Artsadmin artist, an Associate Professor at C-DaRE Coventry University, a Work Place affiliate artist, holds an honorary doctorate from Roehampton University and is an honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban. 

In this workshop Rosemary will share her work and offer practical devices in dance making.  This is a great opportunity to work with one of our leading professionals in dance.

Calling Tree 2014-2020

Passage for Par  2018-ongoing

 

Please let Angela Woodhouse (A.Woodhouse@mdx.ac.uk)  know if you would like to attend.