talking about dance

Being part of the Skype discussion this morning was very interesting on many levels. It was my first Skype discussion and what got me thinking this morning, but also getting started with the AOL and Portfolio work, was how challenging I find it at times, to communicate my thoughts clearly and put them into words, especially in an academic setting and why exactly that is (besides the fact that English is not my first language). 

And also how, while it is challenging, the fact that you have to put your thoughts into words, can already alter them and trigger a thinking process that transforms your initial thoughts and ideas and lead them in a new direction.

We spend so much time in dance "translating", or learning to translate ideas, stories or concepts into movement. But usually spend very little time, to learn how to translate movement back into words. Or how to talk about dance. Also a big part of the learning in dance usually happens on a visual level (when the teacher demonstrates for example). 

We had a dance teacher, who used to make us explain verbally, what we were doing with our bodies, while doing a certain step or exercise. Back then, we used to hate those moments (as usually we would just stutter around and feel really awkward about it).
Now, as a teacher I find myself asking my students to do the same thing. I feel that when you can explain something to some one else, it deepens your own understanding of it (or if you can't explain it, it might put a light on the missing bits of information). 

I never gave it much thought, while being a dancer, but when I started teaching and working on dance education projects and choreographing, I realised how important it is to be able to communicate your ideas clearly to others.

Just the other day I was in a meeting with the arts council of my home town and a woman from the council said, how often dance projects (in comparison to music, theatre or visual arts) get rejected or don't receive funding, simply because the application is so poorly written.

It also made me think, how in todays society in general anything having to do with your body, tends to have a lower status in most peoples eyes. (This is reflected also for example in salaries, where physical work is usually paid less, than intellectual work). And if this might have anything to do, that we have been very influenced in the past years, by the cartesian world view, dividing body and mind, and putting the mind over the body ("I reflect, therefore I am").

So, all of the above made me reflect on the subject of talking about dance also in a broader context. Somebody in the discussion this morning brought up, how they felt that the field of studying dance had a low status in some peoples eyes, compared to other areas of study. Which made me wonder if there was a connection between the way dance professionals  seem to struggle to talk and communicate about their art form and the way it is seen by the general public. I know many dancers and  dance colleagues, that feel intimidated or uneasy in situations, where they have to talk in public about their practice (me included). 

And I wonder if we would put a bigger focus in dance education, on also learning how to communicate verbally about dance and movement, it would influence the way the field of dance study and dance in general is perceived.

Curious to hear your thoughts about it.