Just as choreography is far more than assembling steps, scholarly research is far more than collecting and assembling data. Like dance making, research is a purposeful, creative, interpretive, and intuitive process that is often circuitous and improvisational. The quintessential element of both choreography and research is discovery - we enter without knowing, in order to discover what we need to know to lead us to what there is to know. The skills that we know so well as choreographers are also the skills that we use as researchers'
Hanstein, P. ‘Balancing the Systematic and the Serendipitous' (1999, p.23)This week I have given a lot of thought into the most prevalent questions I want to ask in relation to my practice, and dance in education in general. The more time I gave to the task the more sources I read which were directly relevant to my work. I see the inquiry as a brilliant opportunity to answer a question that will help me progress as a professional, and this in turn has enabled me to give thought to where I want my career to progress too!
I found Penelope Hanstein's collation between choreography and research very helpful in understanding what we mean by research. Eraut describes knowledge as clusters of meaning, under the subtitles of 'procedural', 'propositional', 'practical', 'tacit' and 'know-how'. While choreographing I use tacit knowledge and know how to perform the steps, but I always draw inspiration from watching others dance / other choreographies as well as responding to the group I will be teaching to and their capabilities. Through this process I engage propositional, practical and procedural knowledge.
Prospective areas fro further inquiry:
One question I would like to explore came from this blog post by Paula and the resulting discussion I had with Lynn Terry.
http://paulanottingham.blogspot.ae/2015/10/bbc-article-on-eroding-memory-yes-i.html?showComment=1444550772656#c4789231190377953247
The article proving eroding memory as a result on our dependence on technology made me think of a few further questions.
Is our reliance on technology in schools an argument for / against arts in education?
Does dance training have an effect on memory in children?
What is the main reason parents of my students see dance as beneficial?
Have parents given thought to 'digital amnesia' and the relationship their child has with technology?
Have experienced dance practitioners / teachers seen a difference in attention span in children since the technological revolution we have experienced in schools?
Does a knowledge of performing arts / acting have a positive effect on teaching if studied during (academic) teacher training?
What are your views on these areas? Have you heard of any research that is related to any of the questions? Perhaps you have discussed some of the areas with other arts professionals? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks Catherine - this and you blog about the Neuroaesthetics and Dance shows a great drive to develop a greater understanding of your practice. You are interested in the discipline of dance but also how it 'operates' how it affects others either in a learning situation or as a way to enhance the way that we see and understand the world. There is a lot here - perhaps too much - and some of these questions will be difficult to find definitive answers to. It is difficult to 'prove' things in the short time we have together - and 'discovery' might be a better way to think about the process - your questions do have this and show the depth of feeling you have for the discovery process. I think it might be helpful to gather some of your own definitions of dance at this point - art form? discipline? embodied act? then return to an area that you wish to work with during your inquiry. Are you asking if about how society has changed and how the teaching of dance needs to respond to that? Have you seen any literature that might inform that?
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