Literature Review D

Teaching Dance in The 21^st Century

http://www.futureacademy.org.uk/files/menu_items/other/ejsbs99.pdf

(Soot, Viskus, 2014, Accessed 7/4/16)

This article gives an overview of current trends and findings in developments of dance pedagogy. It presents theories and methods that have evolved during the 21^st century including holistic, somatic and reflective approaches to teaching. I feel this article is relevant to my inquiry as it focusses on aspects ideal for the development of artistry in performance. The following quote encompasses the need for this approach, ‘Teachers need these understandings in addition to dance content including dance techniques, choreographic principles and processes, somatic practices, dance history, cultures and philosophy.’ (Gilbert 2005). I selected various theories from the following as I feel I can consider these approaches when devising my artistic curriculum.

The Holistic Teacher

The article discusses the term ‘Holistic’ meaning teaching the student as a whole, taking into account the views and personality of each individual learner. This will be informed by the student’s intellectual, physical, social and creative experience and responses to stimulus, all of which are connected. ‘The holistic dance teacher’ explores learning theories that connect the learner with the outside world through dance. By encompassing personal qualities and individual life experiences it is possible to bring together a unique development of expression.

Practitioner theories suggest that the teacher should consider the concept of the ‘multiple self’ incorporating instinctive, personal and environmental influences and address each of these within their training. It is therefore necessary to go beyond the generic teaching method of instructing students to imitate example and go far more in depth than simply training technique. Holistic teaching is defined in the following quote, ‘It is a conscious activity of compiling the learner’s world view… Uniting personal identity with teaching, the mind with the body, the curriculum to the community, to address the human as a whole.’ (p2).

Self-regulation and Reflection

‘Concentration, focus, self-discipline, working hard to achieve a goal, being your own teacher, being fully alive and present, problem solving, making connections, seeing relationships, collaboration are more important than any dance content we teach’ (Stinson 2003, p3).

In the 20^th century, teaching dance consisted primarily of training the body, however contemporary methods now encourage the progression of acknowledging dancers as individuals. Reflection encourages students to recognise their experiences and build awareness of their own learning process. This theory points out that students must be their own teacher and play an active role in their own learning to identify the connection between method and results. This theory proposes the idea that the student is responsible for their own progress, however the teacher must provide the tools for creating their own learning environment by combining discovery, exploration and reflective learning. This method is essential to motivate student’s self-awareness and encourage the ability to critique and correct themselves.

‘It is essential to take people’s characteristics and the development process of their whole personalities into account.’ (p2)

The Somatic in Dance

Somatic practice is the body’s internal physical perception. This approach in a dance context encourages the student to gain a greater awareness of their own body. This entails working from the inside and sensitively listening to the body’s feelings, intentions and movements, it explores the cognitive aspect of physical movement. It is an intuitive and creative approach to learning and nurtures the student’s imagination allowing them to find their artistic individuality. It is a method that is also commonly used in psychotherapy, spiritual practice, Pilates and Laban Movement Technique. Through internal perception it is possible to some extent to prevent injury.

‘As dance is definitely a physical and aesthetic discipline, the role of the teacher in the somatic teacher in the somatic approach in dance could be seen as to encourage learners to originate from their bodies and its personal characteristics’ (Soot, Viskus, 2014)

The Relation of Dance Pedagogy to the Art

The role of the dance teacher is a combination both artist and educator, many dancers study teaching as part of full time professional training, this is described as interdisciplinary education. Experienced dancers should not undertake teaching without prior pedagogical experience and therefore need to transform their existing knowledge to meet the demands of the role. The risk being that they could potentially cause psychological and physical damage to the student in the pursuit of artistic and technical excellence.

 ‘As artists it is important to understand the content, process and methodology of creating, performing and responding to dance as an art form. As educators, they have to understand the content, process and methodology of developing and delivering curricula, syllabi, and assessments’. (Bonbright, 1999, p5)

Media and technology in dance education

Advances in media and technology have enabled dance to reach a wider audience. Through social media platforms such as Face Book, Linked In and Instagram, teachers can join dance communities and network with likeminded professionals (much like the BA PP course!). When taught to manage these correctly and efficiently, these sources can enhance learning outside of dance class. Students are now able to develop their skills and career prospects by having an online presence. Popular culture can inspire both teachers and students by providing ideas for choreography, teaching methods and stimuli for creative artistry. This provides awareness of current trends in dance, ‘But the availability of dance through media can improve the teaching of dance as well as bring excitement to the classroom where the learners are already acquainted with technology. Dance in the media could serve dance education as a conduit or connection between the known, popular culture.’ (p5)

Conclusion

This article has allowed me to acknowledge the advancements in today’s components of dance education. I feel that these approaches are essential in the development of artistry and it shows just how much more information is readily available to access. This article highlights the advancements in the approach to teaching and I plan to make use of these ideas within my structured programme for developing artistry.

Having commenced my professional dance training over 18 years ago I have since seen many changes in the approach to teaching. There is a noticeable difference in the way that I was trained as a student to the ways I was trained to teach. I was informed that we were to be a ‘new breed’ of teachers as a new curriculum and programme had been formulated in 2006 to train ISTD teachers. This article led me to consider the ways I could potentially incorporate some these ideas within my class in order to enhance student’s artistry.

In my previous blog, ‘Dance Artists Who Have Informed Performance’ I identified attributes that made these individuals exceptional and outstanding performers. They achieved this status by bringing their own personality and life experience to their work, they took the initiative to develop their technical training further by committing themselves as a whole. I feel that this encompasses the holistic approach as described within the literature and I feel that is it necessary for teachers to encourage individual input in order to produce outstanding and unique performers.

Litertaure Review C

Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance

(Eric Franklin)

Eric Franklin worked for many years as a professional choreographer and performer. He is the founder of the Institute for Movement Imagery Education, Lucerne and professor of postgraduate studies at the Institute for Psychomotor Therapy in Zurich, Switzerland. This book explores the value of imagery to the dancer’s training, an essential learning tool for establishing a greater understanding of alignment, artistic presentation, technique and awareness of dynamics and qualities of movement. There are three sections of the book; Imagery in Improvisation Exercises, Imagery for Dance Technique and Imagery in Choreography and Performance. I feel this literature is of great relevance to my inquiry as it examines the ways we can develop artistry through use of imagery in class and performance.

Imagery brings a sense of fun and creativity to class and students find this inspirational, not only does it broaden their awareness of what is being asked but it also aids memory. It is a tool that is commonly used throughout a dancer’s training, from preschool class up right up to professional level. Through my own practice as a teacher I am aware that it is necessary to cater for a variety for learning styles. When I first began teaching I would think of my own examples or use those I found useful as a student, however through experience I often encourage my students to come up with their own ideas. Images mean different things to each individual and Franklin illustrates that the images you create yourself have the most powerful effect. An image gives meaning to what we cannot create in words.

So how does it work? Franklin’s theory claims that an image is a partial representation of a greater reality. Imagery is not just for the aesthetic of a movement it is also used to understand how it should feel. ‘A symbol expresses something non-rational and indescribable in ordinary speech and language, since ordinary speech and language can deal adequately only with three dimensional realities. The symbol is a form of psychic energy with specific qualities.’ (Eugene Pascal, p200)

How can I use this concept within my classes to enhance artistic quality? The author recommends ideas for the preparation of performance that can be utilised in class. Focus and concentration are essential in developing visualisation skills and with practice the dancer can apply these strategies effectively. Franklin suggests examples that encourage depiction of character or ways to simply express openly through choreography. To acknowledge and convey a love of dance and practice expressing this in rehearsal can provide motivation to build on artistic skills in performance.

Envisioning certain clothes or costumes can encourage the dancer to feel a certain character, enabling them to stand taller and command more of a presence. Create a setting by imagining a scene, the performer can then convince the audience by bringing it to life through the performance. As described in the book, a method commonly used by performers is to visualise their surroundings, this might include even a fourth wall in place of the audience, this contributes to allowing the dancer to step into a certain role or scenario.

Considering my own experience when I dance, I imagine I am looking out across the sea and into the horizon, this enables me to project my eye line up and out. The image of the sea also instils a sense of calm within me which prevents me from feeling self-conscious. The following quote illustrates this idea, ‘By supplying missing realities we can re-create physical and psychological sensations at will. When this technique is successful, our actions become more sharply defined, and we bring about a heightened reality, a distillation of the truth.’ (Respect for Acting, Una Hagen p215)

The author describes the importance of achieving states of relaxation and deeper awareness, to be in control of one’s own movement, regulate breathing and practice of constructive rest. Relaxation for greater awareness can allow you to achieve more when your nerves are calm and fresh. ‘Taking time at the beginning of class to move beyond the pragmatic self and its immediate environment opens channels for new information and accomplishment.’(pviii)

Conclusion

Throughout my teaching career I have learned the value of using imagery in class and found it a highly successful strategy for teaching dance. This book has enabled me to understand this concept in greater depth. As a teacher of the ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing) my training included the use of imagery predominantly for achieving correct technique, however from reading this book I appreciate that imagery can be used in all aspects of training. I think as we focus so much on the physicality’s of dance we can forget the psychological impact on what we do. This book has enabled me to appreciate the power of imagination and its effect on the body. I therefore plan to include some of Franklins ideas within my artefact, which will be a lesson plan devised to focus on artistic development.

Franklin, E.N. (1996) Dance imagery for technique and performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers.

Literature Review B

Dance Psychology for Artistic and Performance Excellence

(Jim Taylor and Elena Estanol)

This is a self-help book for dance students of all levels promoting self-confidence and a positive attitude to achieve artistic development. The collaborative authors are both sport psychologists who work with dancers to increase motivation and cope with the intense pressure of performance and competition. This book discusses key theories for achieving greater artistry particularly when under pressure. It has broadened my perspective of the psychological aspects regarding student’s confidence and their ability to progress and perform artistically. I felt this was an insightful piece of literature providing an important view point on one of my inquiry questions, can artistry be taught or is it something that is developed?

This book presents the theory that artistry can be taught within the dance class and its progress is underpinned by the mental attitude of the student. From a psychological point of view, developing artistically is a continual process that must be practised, with equal measure to technique. Through learning cognitive techniques to build trust in ability it is therefore possible to perform with sincere expression and confidence in the face of adversity. This process entails practising self-belief, developing confidence and the acknowledgement of successes, no matter how small. ‘With the confidence you have in yourself as a dancer comes positive, motivated, intensely focussed and emotional control for performing under pressure in exams, competitions and performances.’(p34)

Many dancers will come out of a class, exam or competition and automatically recall all the negative aspects that occurred. Negativity is common among dancers as many experience perfectionism and have unrealistic expectations, such issues can impact both physically and cognitively. Feeling anxious or overly nervous when performing in exams and competitions can cause stiff muscles, shallow breathing and loss of coordination. This reaction will certainly affect the level of artistry and can be very frustrating for the dancer so desperately wanting to perform at their best. This emotional pressure can be either self-inflicted or derive from other influences such as parents or peers.

So what can we as teachers do to address the psychological aspects of dance training? The authors claim there are various methods dance educators can implement in class to encourage a greater sense of artistry. They state it is necessary to create a positive environment allowing students to gain confidence steadily and progressively. It is beneficial for classmates to provide a support network for one another, to give and receive positive encouragement builds confidence and reduces stress. By practising breathing and relaxation techniques students can focus on themselves and their performance more intently.

Through experience and maturity students learn to deal with external and internal challenges through building resilience and emotional control. This is necessary when regularly performing under pressure. The authors recommend that students replace negative thoughts with positive ones, practice self-talk to increase motivation and share fears and coping strategies with class mates. Overcoming negative habits that have become ingrained is a continual process, a useful method being to write them down and replace with positive ones. These need to be positive but realistic and requires ongoing commitment, it’s important to always have an answer to challenge the negative.

The following quote from the book outlines the importance of disallowing self-doubt and negativity to dominate when rehearsing and performing; ‘I’ve learned that you cannot let fear overtake you. Yes, you have to be sensible, but if you let fear cripple you, then you just move correctly and you don’t dance anymore. Dancing is a combination of control and abandon, and you have to have that abandon to feel like you’re dancing.’ (Pat Catterson, choreographer and dancer, p119)

Conclusion

This book has provided me with an insight into the mental challenges dancers regularly face, and feel this resonates with my personal experiences of performing under pressure. I have discovered how psychology influences individual achievement and impacts on one’s ability to perform successfully and artistically. I have learned how negativity manifests itself, affecting the body and mind.

I plan to experiment with strategies recommended in this book, I will record evidence and evaluate these in my reflective journal with a view to including some in my artefact. I will therefore include the following within my lessons:

·         Class discussions on dealing with pressure

·         Practising mindfulness to retain composure in performance

·         Goal setting and reflection of achievements

·         Breathing and relaxation exercises.

This book has informed potential interview questions for teachers and performers, I would be interested to discover how they overcome certain challenges and what they do to stay in control of their performance.

Taylor, J., Estanol, E. and IVONNE, P. (2015) Dance psychology for artistic and performance excellence with web resource. United States: Human Kinetics.

Varying Approaches to Musical Interpretation

Choreographer’s ‘Dinner Party’

I have chosen to assess practitioner theories of choreographers to identify their differing influence, background and selective methods of creativity. I will provide a brief introduction and in turn discuss opposing views from these individuals and ideas behind their artistic presentation of dance. I propose to establish what they wish their audience to experience and how their dancers convey this. I plan to compare, contrast and evaluate their varying theories regarding music interpretation. I am interested to determine their reasoning for particular music choices and how it is used to achieve a specific objective.

Mark Morris

An unconventional choreographer heavily influenced by his eclectic musical taste, Morris’ repertoire includes the use of baroque, choral, jazz and Americana. In rehearsal he is meticulous with timing and the specific way he urges his dancers to reflect the music. He insists on rehearsing with live musicians to achieve an impeccably pure harmony of dance and music. Sets and costumes are simplistic with use of coloured lighting, he uses signature shifting circular patterns representing relationships and a sense of community. Drawing inspiration from paintings, architecture, sculpture and poetry, he wishes his audience to experience a sense of awe and wonder, engaging them by emanating the highs and lows of life, creating beauty even within the ‘lows’. The following clip is an excerpt from ‘L’Allegro’, a piece created from the influence of poetry and Baroque music.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27y4sKj02Ok (Accessed 4/4/16)

Matthew Bourne

The director and choreographer of company New Adventures, famous for modernising classical works whilst retaining their original musical score. His most famous production, Swan Lake was transformed and updated to appeal to a wider audience. By casting male dancers as the swans he was able to successfully reflect the dramatic nature of the music, enabling the portrayal of their aggressive yet graceful characteristics. In the following interview Mr Bourne discusses his creative process behind the production, he creates lifelike characters that the modern audience can relate to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rja3uZy1tUk (Accessed 1/04/16)

He is able to find new character within the traditional music to create a new vision from Tchaikovsky’s music score. A light hearted example of this is the Gobstoppers from ‘Nutcracker’, set to the Russian Trepak. The dancers are dressed like colourful punk rockers, they are cheeky, mischievous and slapstick, they reflect the manic, upbeat, playful nature of the music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jJeRSfahBE (Accessed 31/03/2016)

Bourne’s dramatic and shocking adaptation of Dorian Gray brought the Oscar Wilde novel into the 21^st century. Its minimal, percussive accompaniment creates a stark and chilling atmosphere, I feel that the relentless beats, like a ticking time bomb symbolises Dorian’s descent to self-destruction. Again many critics slated this choice of music, however it was necessary for achieving the dark nature of the story.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwXa8B-DwQk (Accessed 4/4/16)

George Balanchine

Ballet master, choreographer, pianist and founder of the New York City Ballet, Balanchine possessed musical knowledge that far exceeded his contemporaries. His choreographic style is described ‘Neo Classical’, a modernised take on traditional classical ballet methods. His technique encompassed unconventional, abstract lines requiring athleticism, speed and musicality. His objective was to cover more space in less time, he developed his own method of training to meet the physically demanding nature of his choreography. ‘Rubies’, from the ballet, ‘Jewels’ demonstrates the physical demand for extreme strength and flexibility of Balanchine’s work. The following piece does not tell a story, the dancers therefore are purely interpreting the music and demonstrating the translation of music into dance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjJ49B3z6Fs (Accessed 30/3/16)

Akram Khan

Performer, company director and choreographer initially trained in Indian Kathak and later on in contemporary dance, which he studied professionally. Mr Khan draws inspiration from a broad variety of influences particularly poetry, historical events, other cultures and musical styles. He feels that it is essential for dancers to study music and percussion to communicate effectively through dance. His collaborations with other artists, including singers, dancers, choreographers, dance companies, actors, writers and composers have enabled him to push boundaries and create original concepts. His company mission is to, ‘Take risks, think big and daring, explore the unfamiliar, avoid compromise and tell stories through dance that are compelling and relevant with artistic integrity.’ (Akram Khan Company, About Us http://www.akramkhancompany.net/about-us/ Accessed 4/4/16)

Richard Alston

Alston is a trained classical pianist and expertly musical choreographer who trained in contemporary dance under Martha Graham and later on with Merce Cunningham. In contrast to Cunningham’s methods he wanted music to inspire his intricate choreography. His guiding influence for choreography is architecture, sculpture, use of space but mainly music and rhythmic patterns. He takes inspiration from his company dancers when creating choreography having selecting them on their elegance and expert level of musicality.

‘I take risks, I am always trying to do something new for me. There’s a whole catalogue of music that I would like to apply to what I know about dance, to Chopin, to Ravel, to Bach. So what I try to do is not what I’ve done before. When I’m in the studio I think, I can’t give the same steps to these people.’ (Interview with Richard Alston, http://www.thealstonstudio.com/sites/alston/files/2004%20Richard%20Alston%20Interview.pdf Accessed 28/3/16)

Twyla Tharp

Choreographed for many major ballet companies, Broadway musicals as well as television and film. Her diverse style extensively used varying genres including classical and pop music, sometimes simply a ticking metronome or even silence. Her contemporary style incorporates classical ballet with natural everyday travelling movements such as walking and running. She expanded the boundaries of modern dance and created humorous and edgy choreography through the method of improvisation. ‘Always the choreography was dynamic, unpredictable and underpinned by an unusually thorough musical intelligence.’ (Academy of Achievement, http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tha0bio-1 Accessed 4/4/16)

Martha Graham

The ‘Mother of Modern Dance’ created a new style and repertoire of movement representing the struggles of human life experience. Each movement in the Graham technique has meaning behind it that is clear to both the dancer and the audience. The music is minimal as the nature of her work is so powerful, I feel it creates an atmosphere and undertone for the emotional content.

Rather than using existing music for her work she commissioned composer Louis Horst by providing him with a brief of mood and particular timing. Graham felt that the music should be secondary to the dance, however she would wait until the music was composed to complete the choreography. ‘The function of the music was to support the mood and emotional content of the piece not to be its guiding stimulus for its creation.’(Beginning Modern Dance, Giguere, M http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/martha-graham-ndash-the-graham-technique Accessed 4/4/16)

Merce Cunningham

Initially a leading member of the Marta Graham Dance Company, he branched out to develop his own unique process of choreography. He worked in partnership with composer John Cage, his unconventional method entailed adding music after the choreography. He continually searched for new ways to be innovative and used dice to determine the actions of the dancer. The clip below from ‘The Legacy Tour’, shows the dancers performing the steps independently from the music, they are not in time with one another, creating an unintentional ‘canon’ effect. It does however look effective and aesthetically pleasing from an audience point of view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHeoYdDMbLI (Accessed 4/4/16)

Conclusion

I have discovered that there are many ways in which one can artistically work with and be influenced by music. Commonly, music is the starting point that inspires the movement, I have found that most choreographers collaborate with the music, serving as more than just a form of accompaniment. However, the more avant-garde artists choose to diverge from the music in a quest to conflict traditional methods. Many of these artists opposed their initial training in dance, Alston deviated from Cunningham’s disassociation with music and Cunningham diverged from Graham’s work alongside it.

Alston and Balanchine are both technically trained musicians and are therefore able to demonstrate this through use of intricate rhythms and patterns of choreography. Choreographers such as Bourne, Morris and Khan all have passion for music which is apparent in their work. Bourne didn’t take dance class until he was 22, he performed for a short time and became more of a visionary, storyteller and facilitator to the artistic process. A common denominator among these artists is their objective to find new ways of working incorporating their own personalities, life experiences, preferences and vision. They wanted to challenge what had come before and create something new. I feel these varying approaches to choreography and musical interpretation have informed possible ways I can develop artistry within my own work.