Dance Workshop #2

Dance Workshop Week #2 with Jacqui Dreessens

“Inclusive Dance Education”

Thursday 19^th July 2012

This week we began by looking at last week’s presentations. We looked at how well our group worked together, how well we communicated with each other and if we felt comfortable or not.

We discussed what we, as teachers, should do when a student ‘backs back’ or gets lost in the performance. We have to make sure that our students are ready to present.

In order to help our students be ready we need to set up questions all the time, for example:

- what are you doing here?

- what happens next?

- where are you going?

- how will you finish?

By asking these questions, we are encouraging movement language within our students. They need to be able to articulate how they move, in what way, at what speed, where and so on.

We need to make students realize that dance is for everyone and that it’s definitely not something people should be scared of. It is the teacher’s job to set up the class to make all students feel included and comfortable. Jacqui made everyone feel comfortable because our presentations were less formal – we were always dancing with other groups and never on our own which made the dance a lot less scary.

Whilst watching our performances we analysed what we did, how, where we went and how we finished.

Jacqui encouraged us to ask open-ended questions, these included: who, what, why, when and how. An example of such questions included:

- ‘what movements show that they’re fish?’

- ‘what levels are they moving through in the space?’

- ‘how do they move in the space?’

- ‘can you describe the different body movements used as they go through the space?’

- ‘what body parts are moving/dancing?’

We looked carefully to see the choreographic principals of energy, which are:

- Suspended

- Swinging

- Sustained

- Percussive

- Vibratory

- Collapsed

= SSSPVC

For the warm up of this week’s lesson, we got into single file and followed Jacqui around, then formed a circle. Jacqui explained that we were going to do a cannon. This involved Jacqui creating an action or movement and immediately after she’d done her action, the next person in the circle would do the action, and then the next and so on. The aim of cannon is to make the circle look like a Mexican wave. To add a challenge, Jacqui started a second movement going around the circle, so you had to watch out and pay attention!

The next thing Jacqui did was yell out “retrograde!” This meant we had to reverse the movement and take it back around the circle in the opposite direction.

We then got into groups and were told that in our group we were to have 1 head, 2 hands, 3 bottoms and 4 legs ONLY touching the ground. This activity was quite a challenge. We had to lift others up – some people even did handstands to be able to fit the requirements of the challenge!

Next we got into groups of 3 and did a cannon within the group. Then we did an activity called ‘ABC.’ This was where person A would do a movement, then person B would enter the space and mirror or mould that movement, then person C would extend that movement. Then you could continue the process and discover all sorts of different shapes/movements/actions on different levels and directions etc.

One thing we had to focus on whilst mirroring, moulding and extending was to make sure that when we entered or exited the space, our transition would also be done in dance/movement. Therefore, we were not simply walking to a group member, striking a pose and then walking off, we had to dance our way in and out as well to make everything flow and look better aesthetically.

After practicing in our groups, we were given a prop to use. The prop was a soft, colourful scarf. Within our small groups we experimented with the scarves whilst mirroring, moulding and extending. (MME)

We then performed a whole class MME using the scarves and making sure to enter and the exit the space using dance movement.

The scarves were a good prop to use because the chances of someone getting injured by a scarf was very low. They were soft and ideal for our workshop and a great safe choice to make.

After we’d created the group MME pose, some people weaved in and out, under and over the big group. Some people contoured the shape of the group with the scarves flowing, fluttering, swishing and flying through the air and around everyone in the shape.

The next activity required everyone to get with a partner. One partner put a blindfold on whilst the other partner guided the blindfolded around the space just with the touch of their hand. The Guider could take the blindfolded anywhere they liked, through different levels, at different times and speeds and different directions. The blindfolded had to trust their partner 100% and just let all control go.

Then everybody swapped and the Guider became the Blindfolded and vice versa.

The very last activity we did was spell our names out using the scarves.

Throughout the workshop, we were always exercising safe practices. The scarves, as mentioned before, were a great safe prop to use. When we were leading blindfolded people around, no-one was running or bashing into each other - which is something you would have to address in a primary classroom.

The main arts learning in this workshop included:

- cannon

- retrograde

- mirror, mould, extend

- entering and exiting the space/transitions

The blindfold activity would be a great activity to incorporate into the VELS domain of Interpersonal Development. From Level 2 onwards, students begin building social relationships and working in teams. This activity would definitely encourage students to trust and respect one another as well learning to work together as a team. At this Level, students are beginning to learn that they have to “behave appropriately in a range of social situations.” (VCAA, 2009) This activity would help students achieve this, because the temptation to make two blindfolded people crash into each other would probably be quite high in primary grades and therefore this could be a great way to learn that they have to “identify and accept that there are consequences for their actions.” (VCAA, 2009)

Personal Reflection

I really enjoyed this workshop. I especially liked how we got the chance to review our previous performance and analyse it whilst it was playing right in front of us. This is definitely a technique I will remember for my future teaching practice. I liked how we performed as a whole group to create the mirror, mould and extend shape. Everyone was included and made to feel comfortable and part of the dance.

References:

VCAA, 2009, Interpersonal Development Level 2 Standards, State Government of Victoria, retrieved 23 August 2012, <http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vels/interpersonal.html#>.