Over the past week I have gained some clarity on how I can relate the research I have conducted back to my work, and how I can use this inquiry to best inform my practice. I am still very interested in the cognitive workings while we dance and what happens with memory. Of course I am interested in how this can relate to children learning dance as I am a dance teacher. Furthermore, I want to know more about the research that has been carried out in what happens neurologically when professional or novice dancers are involved in creating a dance piece as I have spoken about in my literary reviews. However, dance science is a huge subject and I feel that I can only begin to scratch the surface of understanding so far. It will be an area of interest for as long as I work in this industry, and probably forever!
Through various conversations I have developed an idea of the inquiry that will really help me understand the processes I am absorbed in at present. At the studios I work for we are at present developing a showcase. I have a mixed group of novice and professional dancers and I am choreographing a contemporary dance piece. I have choreographed previously but this is only the second time I have had a mixed group. Over the past couple of weeks I have discussed with the owners of the studio I work at a few questions I wanted their opinions on. Firstly, why we run the courses? What was their approach choreographing a mixed group? What is their creative process?
What I found interesting was that from experience my colleague said that we run the courses at 8 weeks because he has found that beginners can show a notable improvement and learn sequences by memory. I found this interesting as it relates back to the Calvo-Marino experiment that proves non-dancers can begin to process watching and learning dance in the same way an expert dancer would after 6 weeks of rehearsals. It is exciting when you can see the correlation between science and practice!
With my colleagues and also Paula, I discussed the creative process of choreography and dance as an art form. With my beginner dancers I started rehearsal by teaching steps. Very soon after I had began one of the dancers asked me "what is your idea behind this piece? what do you imagine?". It struck me that I had began with the basics of teaching dance, but actually the reason that these beginners are involved in creating piece and especially in contemporary is because they crave the art form. I felt almost ignorant to have started like that with them and not from a discussion on the creativity behind it. We had an interesting discussion on how I saw the piece and the characters we would portray and they had a lot of ideas that then changed my 'vision' of the choreography.
What I think would really help me to develop as a choreographer and teacher would be to look at other choreographers artistic processes.... what inspires them? How do they begin to teach choreography? Have they ever worked with a mixed or youth group before? Would their process change depending on the dancers?
The performance courses and choreographic projects are ongoing into next year so I would love to conduct some interviews and research of choreographers throughout history and see how this knowledge could improve how I work with my groups.
Through various conversations I have developed an idea of the inquiry that will really help me understand the processes I am absorbed in at present. At the studios I work for we are at present developing a showcase. I have a mixed group of novice and professional dancers and I am choreographing a contemporary dance piece. I have choreographed previously but this is only the second time I have had a mixed group. Over the past couple of weeks I have discussed with the owners of the studio I work at a few questions I wanted their opinions on. Firstly, why we run the courses? What was their approach choreographing a mixed group? What is their creative process?
What I found interesting was that from experience my colleague said that we run the courses at 8 weeks because he has found that beginners can show a notable improvement and learn sequences by memory. I found this interesting as it relates back to the Calvo-Marino experiment that proves non-dancers can begin to process watching and learning dance in the same way an expert dancer would after 6 weeks of rehearsals. It is exciting when you can see the correlation between science and practice!
With my colleagues and also Paula, I discussed the creative process of choreography and dance as an art form. With my beginner dancers I started rehearsal by teaching steps. Very soon after I had began one of the dancers asked me "what is your idea behind this piece? what do you imagine?". It struck me that I had began with the basics of teaching dance, but actually the reason that these beginners are involved in creating piece and especially in contemporary is because they crave the art form. I felt almost ignorant to have started like that with them and not from a discussion on the creativity behind it. We had an interesting discussion on how I saw the piece and the characters we would portray and they had a lot of ideas that then changed my 'vision' of the choreography.
What I think would really help me to develop as a choreographer and teacher would be to look at other choreographers artistic processes.... what inspires them? How do they begin to teach choreography? Have they ever worked with a mixed or youth group before? Would their process change depending on the dancers?
The performance courses and choreographic projects are ongoing into next year so I would love to conduct some interviews and research of choreographers throughout history and see how this knowledge could improve how I work with my groups.
Hi Catherine, I love the scientific approach that you have taken in your inquiry and I have to admit that I am intrigued to see what research has already been done on the neurological effects that dancing has on the brain. I have an image of a topographic image of a dancers brain alight with activity.
ReplyDeleteI choreograph a great deal in schools using Stomp style body percussion as a technique. This has proven to be a very effective tool in engaging students who might not ordinarily enjoy dance and as a choreographic tool allows them to create interesting and varied routines. There is a video on my blog.
I would like to ask you how important you think it is to include dance in the education of children? And what benefits you think that it might have?