Think outside the old box: how a return to pedagogy can (still) support our creative and physical capacities

The body is already written, but our experience of discovering it not.    Why then, is our exploration and nurturing of our body's capacity through technique understood as a more creatively constraining, unconnected, and outdated vehicle, in comparison to those processes that we access when choreography is being made?

We've hashed out what doesn't work about pedagogy.  We've articulated how and why creative processes stimulate our development.

But....

It seems like the body has certain needs.  Functionally, I can't offer a sustained improvisation as a dancer if I haven't supported myself with some physical endurance training, as well as some training to support work of focus and presence.  I can't sustain any body anything if I neglect what it basically needs: strength, mobility, stimulation, sustenance.  There is no escaping the biology.  Right?

I was reading over my notes from a workshop I participated in as a dancer and this caught my eye:

"What [activities, tasks, approaches, or forms] could I go back and test?  [I could] work work at different levels or with different degrees of intensity, I could work specificity (stable increments), and then flow.  Work is not always a progression.  How do we change propositions to encourage integration of concepts, of work?"

      Aha!  The training that we do is about our learning.  And learning is about understanding something.  So the protocols for engaging with material in class should function as a means for us to understand our facility (our bodies, our creativity, and so on).  

      So, great if I go to pilates to work specifically the strength of my hamstrings, so that I don't over-recruit my quads.  But this is a moment specific task, that is, I need more hamstring strength at this moment, and hopefully I won't have to go to pilates forever to answer this need.  Because, pilates is a test.  It is a resource.  It is only one part of me developing.  And my developmental needs are in flux.  If I work on my hamstring strength, at one point, I won't need this specific work anymore, it will be time for me to integrate it into a larger flow of work, a complexity of work, that I am (hopefully) also engaging in.  

      Pedagogy doesn't need to be something that is fixed.  It can (must) fluctuate with our needs.  Biological, aesthetic, creative, or otherwise.  It can shift to support our curiosity.   (I know practitioners who have shifted their pedagogical approach; this is underway, though less acknowledged or visible).  At one point we need to make the conversation of what is possible in pedagogy louder than our complaints regarding it's limitations.  No?

This post was inspired by an article in Research in Dance Education:

"Interfering with the lived field of dancepedagogyfrom organizational and leadership studies perspectives–an explorative intervention with performing and teaching dance artists"

by Tone Pernille Østern & Eirik J. Irgens

Variations on a theme

I am thinking about binary opposition.  Loosely, the categorization of things into this, or that, distinguished in direct relationship to one another.

As my inquiry looks at different instructors' approaches to teaching contemporary dance, and that, I too, am searching to define my own distinct approach, I sometimes have the feeling that I am searching for a formula.  A formula for how to inspire, nurture, develop, engage and motivate the participant to realize their physical and creative potential.  I am approaching my inquiry with the assumption - a bit - that there is a better way to carry out this task of teaching.  My thinking in very binary in this respect.

In my notes from the 5pm MAPP November skype chat, I have written down the following:

"Place and Order:

- what do [specific placement and/or order of material, information] have to do with how we learn?
- what does learning look like without them?"

We discussed the idea of a 'web of ideas', of non-linearity, of research and reflections overlapping and being connected for diverse reasons, due to many variables.  The image is a strong one:  a web.  

What if I considered my approach to teaching as more of web and less as a formula?  Where themes dilated to the fore and then contracted or faded out.  If multiple layers existed at once, with different densities of importance depending on the present moment? 

Right now, both when I contemplate my teaching, as I plan my classes, and as I carry them out, I think about whether I should be planning, if there is a way that I can become a great practitioner of intuition, of responding 'to the moment' in class.  Is there a way to do this?  As I read over my data collected as part of my research inquiry, I look for an indication of such a practice in the work of teachers that I am observing.

How are these instructors making available 'the moment', remaining attuned to the present?  (Is this a useful value where dance instruction is concerned?)  Across my data there is, in each instance, some trait of how the room or class is set up.  This I believe links directly to a tone that sets both the student and teacher on a specific path of experience during class.  This makes me come back to the idea of a formula, which is, in some sense, at work here.  The consistent appearance of a certain set of rituals (loaded word, I know) at the outset really does have the potential to impact our journey through class.

So then, what about the web?  Is it more embodied over time?  Over a series of classes (as an example)?  

......

Lineages: everyone I interview has a story to tell about who's work informs their class

I am deep into data collection for Module Three.  My notebooks are getting full, and my pen in hand struggles to keep up with the steady flow of information that (almost) surrounds me!  (Okay okay, enough with the lyric emphasis in the writing....)

For my inquiry I set out to study five different practitioners, for the purpose of accessing how they are considering student motivation to learn through their class form and content.  I strategized for each: to participate in one class, to observe one class, and to conduct a person to person interview of about an hour.

Of the practitioners I've connected with thus far, here are some book and people references that have arisen:

Anatomy Trains by Thomas Myers
This practitioner is using anatomy as a point of departure for teaching movement.

Sensitive Chaos by Theodor Schwenk
This practitioner is using water, and the idea that our bodies are comprised of water, and that 'we are' movement (as opposed to 'we do' movement)

Romance of the three kingdoms attributed to Luo Guanzhong
History, legend and mythology merge to tell the story of the emergence of the three states which replaced the Han dynasty.  One of the characters, Guan Yu (Kwan Kung), was a general who played a key role is the dynasty's collapse.  His figure and painted portrait sit on the alter in the studio where this practice takes place.

Another interesting tidbit that arose from this interview, which was with a Tai Chi instructor, was that there is a name for the 'teacher of one's teacher', which is: Sifu Kung.  Naming, or finding language to describe (in this instance one's relationship to someone), I believe is a gesture which points to something [we] value.  So here, I understand, in the Tai Chi tradition, we value lineage.

Goal orientation theory, practitioners, and my current pedagogical approach

As a dance teacher, I teach pre and professional dancers. This being the case, most of the students I work with have a foundation of training that includes knowledge of ballet forms, coordination, musicality, etc. With class, as a teacher I aim to answer the following (perceived) dancer needs:

• Technique maintenance
• deepen, expand, develop technique
• heighten awareness of capacity (what is strong vs. areas which need more attention)
• A workout
• A preparation for rehearsal, or movement work that follows later in the day

So, this is pretty straight-forward. What complicates (I think) my approach is that not all dancers are going to dance class to get this work done these days. With so much science, so much cross-disciplinary dialogue, there are many ways a dancer can answer the above needs without stepping into a class.

So then my question as a teacher shifted to: what is motivating dancers to go to dance class?

With this in mind when I began my inquiry, I uncovered an academic theory of motivation and learning: Goal orientation theory defines two common orientations in learning settings: mastery, to gain skills and understanding to achieve a task; and performance, to demonstrate and maintain competence in relationship to others (Schunk et al. 2014 p.187)

I decided that if I was going to make headway as a teacher, I might consider a more mastery type approach to teaching, as it seems to have the greatest to potential to cultivate long term relationships and learning with pre and professional dancers.

Mastery is learning motivated by the goal to achieve a task. It is intrinsic, self- referenced, and effort is given value in relation to achievement. Outcomes and attributions include adaptive behavior, accepting challenges, and longevity of interest in learning. (Schunk et al. 2014 p.187)

And this is important to me. I am not so interested in being a teacher who teaches what is popular. This, I know, I cannot sustain. I want to learn and know and work with people over time.

Practically, I am attempting to engage students in long term learning by:

• Making myself and the material accessible regularly; I offer a weekly class, initiated and organized by me.

• Comprising my class of material that allows for much expression and exploration of the participant’s ability, and individual style or approach, and creativity. In this way I hope that the material is relevant to the participant, because it can be so personal. The personal connection increases potential for meaningfulness of the content, and motivation to keep investing in class participation. Keep them coming back to class! There returning participation makes possible the long-term commitment that is expressed in goal orientation theory as mastery: ongoing learning not linked to any particular outcome.

• Offering content that is also meaningful to me: acknowledging my own experience (in dance) and interests through my pedagogy is something I aim to do.

Susan W. Stinson (2010) expresses the importance of teaching ‘beyond the body’: the role of teachers in dance extends beyond offering steps to be reproduced. Teachers must invest in teaching transferable skills centered on the individual. Concentration, focus, self-discipline, effort, autonomy, presence, problem-solving, making connections, collaboration, are all expressed as being important parts of dance pedagogy. (Stinson 2010 p.142)


What does my current class look like?

I begin with a fixed form or exercise. This is something that can recur from week to week. It is either what I refer to as a ‘still practice’, or is a modified excerpt of a Tai Chi warm up. It lasts about a half an hour. I choose these to help centre the individual. It is not a meditation, but rather a moment of micro work, awareness, and observation. A collection of quiet data that will inform what comes next.

For the next hour or so we work in partners. I facilitate task-initiated games. The games are centered on coordination, intensity of physical and mental engagement. The participant has the ability to make choices (intuitive, deliberate) in the game.

Tasks have focuses: working the eyes, the hands, the real weight of the body, etc. (Elements I have identified as being integral to coordination).

The spirit of the work is to encounter one’s capacity, while simultaneously supporting a similar encounter for one’s partner. It is about discovery, and creating potential to learn. It is not about achievement of a set goal. The idea is reinforced that there is always more to learn, to listen to, and to work, no matter what one’s capacity is.

We end with a casual discussion. Here we share out experience, ask questions. We create an opportunity to name our experience, and reinforce our learning so that we can bring it forward to whatever we do next.
That’s it!

If I am teaching at an institution, I do the above, and offer a contemporary technique inspired phrase pre-discussion. The phrase work, with it’s more recognizable forms, still has at it’s core an emphasis of coordination, and listening (awareness).


Through my MAPP inquiry I am looking to other teachers and practitioners, some of whom I have studied with and some I have not, to inspire and inform an expansion and refinement of my current pedagogical approach. I hope to conduct my research, consider the values of these practitioners, how they motivate learning, and then find my own way to manifest what I find interesting and effective in their approaches. (Maybe I am looking at combining a bunch of elements from different techniques / approaches, into my own. I think my encounters will also encourage me to reflect on my own approach. I think a more visible image of my own approach may emerge in this process of studying practitioners, considering goal orientation theory, and learning motivations.)

Simply: Drawing on the knowledge and experience of other practitioners. Creating a scenario where I can learn about them, and from them. And then, through my self-organized class platform, explore ways to integrate the compelling ideas that I learned in the course of the inquiry, and to continue to clarify what it is that I offer as a dance teacher.

As I begin Module Three

Below are my responses to feedback from Module Two.  I thought answering them directly in the form of a blog would help me generate answers.  Here, I am attempting to make more clear the what / how / why / etc. of my teaching.  Please feel free to comment and / or ask questions!

....

It is not as clear how the inquiry links to your current professional practice. You do not mention 

how:
I teach mostly by making connections with dance organizations and institutions (professional, pre-professional) in Montreal where I live, as well as in Canada.  Teaching contracts acquired from these connections last one to four weeks, and are not automatically renewed the following year.  Generally speaking, the market is competitive for longer duration and renewable teaching contracts.  

or what: 
These days I am very focused on building participant awareness and ability using principles of sustainable movement in my classes.  I believe the principles of sustainable movement are: coordination, power, mobility, adaptability, listening, collaboration, and intelligence.  This belief is informed by the training that I have done with Peter Boneham (Canada), and Linda Kapetanea and Jozef Frucek (Greece / Slovakia).  My assumption as a teacher is that this principle-focused class work can be applied to any movement arena, whether aesthetic, performance, or competitive.  In my contemporary technique class individuals learn about and integrate principles simultaneously, while learning about themselves (how they work, strengths, weaknesses, etc.)  The fact that the learning I facilitate has many applications answers my question of what is relevant and pertinent content for a contemporary dance or movement class for professionals and pre-professionals.

or where: 
At professional drop-in classes organized by a host organization, at pre-professional institutions, or independently organized drop-in style classes organized by me.

or why you teach: 
Why certain approaches to dance and movement resonate more or less for participants is something I find fascinating.  I have a big curiosity for why individuals find one form of training more relevant than the other, more pertinent than the other.  

There is little explanation for how all the movement practices you are going to look at fit into your own teaching practice. 
This I cannot entirely answer at this time.  Some of the practices I am studying via my MAPP inquiry I personally have experience with, as a teacher and as a participant.  Some of the movement practices I have no experience with.  At the core of it all is my curiosity for how and what other teachers are teaching in contemporary dance.  The possibilities really are so varied.  I hope to use the inquiry to broaden my knowledge of approaches, to deepen those that I know, and to examine and refine my own approach to teaching in doing so.

Assumptions: thoughts from the October 2nd skype chat

Glad to have - after a year - finally participated in an afternoon skype session.  I had previously been on lunch hour sessions, which, for me in Eastern Canada, meant attempting coherent conversation contributions at 6am.
...

Reflecting on the topics that emerged during the discussion, in particular with respect to our assumptions and the impact that they have on our research (and perhaps, our perspective in general), I am reminded of the importance of allowing for things to not go as planned.  If research, and this learning we undertake through the process of MAPP, is really that, it seems pertinent to take note (for myself) that research isn't a series of selections to arrive at a desired result, but a series of (un)educated guesses that really bring us to the next question.  Thinking back to Kolb's learning theory (1974),  the 'test' phase includes a margin for error, and for results we don't anticipate.  It becomes a great platform for re-approaching, beginning again with a refined or new question, to continue our cycle of learning.  Nothing detrimental: just more bridges for more learning.

For my inquiry I am looking at how instructors are dealing with motivating learning: how, to what ends, etc.  As n inquiry, it edges on supposing that 'a way' of teaching (expressing, connecting, sharing) has an impact on how content is received, and is therefore something of value, worth considering.

Today I spoke with a subject who has agreed to participate in my research and she mentioned her excitement at the thought of my thesis: she expressed giving value to the importance of how information gets transmitted by an instructor.  This is great, there is, however, a part of me that is equally curious about how an instructor, with far less attention to transmission, delivers a class.  How does it work?  (How instructors teach is just one part of it..... as Sam K. mentioned, students bring whole histories with them into the studio that are impacting possible connections with class content.)

At the heart of my inquiry: how do I teach?  How do I work?  So, even though I have directed this question outward by means of my inquiry, I believe, in the end, the question is really for myself.  I wonder if, as I pursue my inquiry, if more of myself will be revealed, as I will approach and clarify my own answers to these questions, as they pertain to me and my teaching.

These days I am fascinated by presenting learning situations for participants where:

• I optimize my observation time of participant work and engagement with material
• Participants capitalize on what they already know, and are able to integrate this into our practice together
• Participants flex their intelligence, and creativity
• I flex my intuition, and remain open to taking us in a variety of directions, depending on what we are presented with 'in the moment'
• No matter what the outcome, we value our experience and learning together
• The skills we access in class are transferable, as our work is varied (many of us in the dance milieu wear many hats)

So, for now, I've let go of having a perfect set of parameters, questions, and participants / subjects for my inquiry.  Maybe my research will be unsuccessful or inconclusive.  But even that seems like good learning, as it has the potential to point me in a direction for where to go next.  And that seems very appealing to me as a result.

A few thoughts at (quite literally) the end of module two

I enjoyed reading Helen's post from the last skype meeting of the term.  The idea of being suspended in the unknown as we are learning resonated for me.  

Here is a little excerpt from my reflective essay describing my a bit my experience in module two, specifically, how I strategized to deal the the 'suspension'.  Also, a picture of a 'mind map' that has been occupying some space on a wall in my apartment for some time now.  (Another very helpful tool throughout this process.  All you need is a little painter's tape and paper to make it happen!)

The experience of undertaking module two was one of density.  Whereas in module one I felt as though my work was to resource information from within and put it in tangible form through writing, module two was comprised of the work of externally sourcing information, engaging in tasks to integrate and understand information, and finally organizing it through a written project plan. 

As a process, it involved the simultaneous accumulation, organization, and integration of information.  This was challenging, particularly as much of the knowledge I was encountering was new to me.  My initial strategy was to retain as much knowledge as possible, coupled with a self-imposed expectation of having to immediately understand it.  This was unsustainable, and my research process felt stagnant as a result. 

To set my research in motion, I created a giant (giant!) mind map on one of the walls in my apartment.  What was functional about my mind map approach was that it allowed me write down topics and then add to them, (as opposed to remembering / retaining them and adding to them, all within the space of my mind).  I had created, literally, a picture: something I could see, reflect on, and add to at any time.  It is true that what I learn will resonate at different times in my process, and the mind map supported that reality.  The other task I undertook to keep my learning moving was to start to write.  To write, and write, and write.  Slowly through my writing I was able to make groups of themes that resonated with me.  I then created separate documents for the themes, eventually joining them in one big document, which became my first draft.  These were invaluable tools for my process of learning and integrating the many topics covered in the module. 

Response to Sam Kettle's April 16 post

Sam,

Great post.  What are some of your specific assumptions that you have uncovered as you develop your research plan?

As someone who is pedagogically informed by my previous and current training experiences, I know I carry huge assumptions regarding the importance of autonomy.  Knowing one's body, having a point of view about how to work it, the freedom offered in a class / training to exercise one's intelligence and curiosities.... given my experience, these all seem paramount to cultivating artistry and technical proficiency.

In terms of musicality, I always felt that a great ballet dancer should be like a jazz musician: understand the rules and variables, and then stretch them as far as they can without the 'song' becoming something unrecognizable.  To be musical to me means to be exercising some point of view with respect to the music, (dancing on the beat being an example of this).  And you don't need music to be in the same space as you're performing for there to be a possibility of musicality.  There is a documentary named "Beware of Mr. Baker" about drummer Ginger Baker.  In an interview, Eric Clapton describes Baker's music as being "melodic".  How can drums carry a melody?  Great question.  I think anything is possible if the point of view of the artist is clear, and, certainly in the case with Baker, their artistry and technical proficiency makes possible the manifestation of it.
This brings me back to intention, which we have been exchanging about.  Intention is functional (I think) when it activates something.  If focusing on it contributes to an imbalance in work (ex. too cerebral) then it's not useful.  Often I answer this question of intention by asking myself, what am I working on?  In a class, it could be that I am, following the example you gave, working on 'pulling up'.  I am working on an image, on manifesting an image.  I have the intention of physically manifesting an image through a specificity of work in my body.

In your comment on my blog you mention the work of Erik Franklin, who uses images a lot in his approach to understanding and training the body.  These are great tools, but at one point, (again), I assume that a surplus of images will create an imbalance in my workload and stagnate my movement potential.  Just like how I believe (my assumption) that it is unrealistic to track anatomically what is happening when I move after I reach a certain speed (or perhaps at any speed.  I also carry the assumption that my body is smarter than I am able to know, and can therefore 'do' things without me having to impose my will).

I have been studying with a man who is informed by Taoism.  In a recent e-mail exchange he said to me "when is being mindful useful, and when is it harmful?"  Mindful here is referring to the work of the mind on the body, influencing the body.  And I think "harmful" is describing an imbalance of mind work.  Too much of the mind imposing is not leaving enough room for the body to do what it knows and needs to do.  I am deducing from your blog post that there was an imbalance of the image of 'pull-up' being offered in your previous training, and not enough practical strategies to access it physically (as you identified later accessing verticality through using the floor, and spirals).  Interesting stuff.
 
For my research I am looking heavily at using a Theory or Metaphor Model to approach my area of inquiry.  I like the idea very much of comparing and contrasting values and approaches across disciplines (see above, "a great ballet dancer should be like a jazz musician"), and also feel that a theory model would account for my assumptions, my subjective point of view, and support my development of a model to analyse my qualitative data.

I am quite interested in skills-based and understanding-focused learning, as opposed to performance-based learning (learning that is focused on the ability to demonstrate skills.  I feel in art history this would be best represented by that work which is memorized, important dates and artists and so on).  In psychology, as it relates to education, these are types of learning in goal theory, one is "mastery-oriented," the other, "performance-oriented".  I am looking at the skill and understanding focused, or mastery-oriented method of Tai Chi, and am wanting to cross-analyse it with existing or emerging contemporary dance practices.  What do these approaches have in common?  What are the differences?  What are their perceptions of the body, mind?  How do the values manifest in the practice?  And so on.

Language for sure seems important.  I think the more we recognize and name what is important or meaningful to us as we work, the better the chance the language has of supporting what we do.  And I think (as I am learning about Taoism) this might not necessarily mean finding too specific a language, but rather the language that offers the greatest potential for the participant (dancer) to relate to their body / mind / themselves given the context of the work and training.

Whew!  Epic post.  Thanks for reading.
~alanna