Communicating with SIG's

Unfortunately we are all experiencing the loss of the BAPP Facebook page. Thanks to Rosemary’s post, we all now know Facebook have removed the Reviews and Discussion tabs temporarily.

So in high insight, we all have the discussions saved to refer to later, but if you’re like me I have to confess to not doing this. Although the topics we began to delve into have been removed , the one notable downside to web 2 technology, engaging with our wider professional community to take them further is still very positive. Hopefully, further discussion with colleagues, classmates and friends inside the profession community and workplace will keep sculpting my question.  It’s time to encourage even more discussion through perhaps face to face discussion, email, or even starting a new facebook group.  In terms of showing engagement with the previous discussions that have now been deleted,  rather than trying to recollect every single thing that what was spoken about,  but instead drawing upon new knowledge learnt from bits of the discussions that have clearly focussed my learning on new ideas have challenged my way of thinking/doing/behaving in practise.

Initially I began a discussion on a topic that was ‘hot’ with many others on this programme; the general feeling was that Dance definitely does have a role in Education. Discussions explored what the role is, how it differs in the differing levels of education, even how it varies country to country.  Many highlighted evidence focusing on how to show that Dance is a beneficial activity and should be part of a child’s education, but was came to light was how much society’s opinions differ on the importance of it to be included, if at all.

In terms of where I am in my practise, and looking where I want to take my career in terms of how I can help myself to develop as a teacher who is passionate about promoting dance in all communities and generally making dance available and accessible to all, relating opinions on a youtube clip suggested by a fellow BAPP collegue has pointed out where a niche in this market may potentially lie. Being keen to promote ‘taster dance sessions’, because one cannot involve themselves if they are un a wear where this Dance Activity takes place, so a logical idea suggested in my workplace was to promote and offer workshops at various local schools over a school lunch time. Participants get involved with the free class, and hopefully spark some future engagement with Dance. Approaching the schools themselves however has been a delicate issue. It seems some take the view that society seems to have created a ‘structure’ of intelligence’, one that has core subjects such as Math and Languages at the top, and practical subjects such as Dance and Photography at the bottom. This underlying hierarchy in the educational system has meant that Dance is less valued , stigmatized as less important. This particular YouTube clip brought about the concept of Creativity itself, in that it is ‘the process of having original ideas that have value’- views on the SIG have confirmed my predictions that Dance, or expressive physical movement can be a perfect way to provide a means of facilitating for the creativity to develop.  Having the knowledge that what were previously just assumptions are shared with other in the professional community is encouraging and aid maintaining objectivity when undergoing any enquiries or projects. 

Undergoing my regular teaching practise encouraged me to initiate discussion via the SIG’s  on dance teachers accumulate skills in practise that cross many educational subject boundaries.  Solid technique and all round dance ability seem obvious, but the application of drawing upon ‘Maths’ to calculate our finances, interpreting ideas on ‘Business’ is considered in successful marketing and promoting of the school as a financial business and ‘Biology’ knowledge is required in terms of applying how the human body works, and how to advise students on injury prevention and cure. Relating specifically to the community based dance work I have got involved with at Ludus, regularly drawing upon my experience of the most morally and ethically sensitive ways of approaching different culture and religions, and how dance is considered to the individual has been key to developing into a professional.

Here is a link should anyone else think they might find it inspirational:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Homing in on my question further, how the role of dance had changed in society had changed from the past to the present has given exposure to colleagues opinion of whether engagement in dance in today’s society is specific. Although not directly focussing on how the concept of dance differs in varying countries, contribution to the discussion from others had provided me with a new ideas and thoughts to appreciating that everyone’s view on the sociological role of engagement with some form of dance differs.  The skilled professional can then apply this appreciation to create and develop successful practise.

Mina added a thought provoking diagram regarding attitudes to how the role of dance may have changed over the years (shown below). Again, in terms of relating these ideas to my personal work situation, we already share appreciation for the primary purpose of dance is its fun factor. Pleasure it can make one experience, despite the culture, religion, environment or age of the dancer is an opinion collaboratively shared, again giving focus as to how to improve my practise. Whatever factors make up the dance participant, it seems everyone in their own way thrives off the sense of ownership that dance and dance making provides. Dance provides a means of self expression and therefore self – control of one’s body, understanding this and then being able to portray this idea provides many ways in which my professional practise can diversify. Communicating a two sided shared idea that through learning dance, on the one hand we learn to take control of how our body moves, and in effect metaphorically feeling like we are taking control of our lives. On the other hand however, dance can provide an expressive vehicle for ‘letting go’ and experiencing intensive emotive feeling for the duration of that class. Highlighting Dance in terms of escapism is something I had not previously considered before sharing thoughts via an SIG on a community based project I worked on with ‘troubled youths’.

Hope this has helped to jog memeories a little!