being in a process

The Sunday discussion yesterday, focussed on refection and learning processes, but also on making connections, between modules and between learning and our practice.

When looking back at the three modules, as this course draws to an end for me,  I start to feel, like the lines between the modules start to blur and I can see the in between bits clearer and realise, that my learning happened just as much during the modules as in those spaces between. The gaps are no longer gaps, but become meaningful connections.

I feel that a big part of my learning emerged from an unexpected source of learning: I have learned just as much through the actual experience of being in a learning or research process, as through all of the information, literature and data I collected and was engaged with. Being in a "research mode" made me more attentive and open, to everything around me. 

Bolton (2014) states, Questions determine  directions,  and  what  might  be  discovered,  rather  than  destinations. The image that comes to my mind is the difference between adults and children in going some where. Adults most of the times want to get from A to B as fast as they can, the path is not important, it is just something they have to do, in order to get where they want to go. What I love about children is, that they are much more connected to the path, they look around, there is a sense of wonder, they take time to notice things. I feel the engagement with this course has allowed me to reconnect with that sense of wonder a bit.

And I am very curious of how this will all keep on developing. And I am curious to hear, how all you are doing with the last bit of this semester?

single stories

I was going to blog about last Sundays discussion on theory and frameworks. I was going to write about how theory can allow us to question frame works, how to explore them, how we can look at our practice or frame work through all the different lenses of theory. But I have attended a symposium about fields of knowledge in dance today, which shifted my question from how to use theory to question our frame works, to WHY it is so important to question or even just being aware of the constructs that frameworks are, in the first place.

While the symposium was quite interesting, what struck me at the end of the day was, how often we function and act within a collectively created and upheld framework, or single narrative. While the topic of the symposium was fields of knowledge in dance, what every one was talking about and referring to as dance, was always western contemporary dance. Without specifying it (not even in the program description), some how every one "knew" that when talking about dance, people meant western contemporary dance. This made me wonder how often we just collectively assume things, or see them through one kind of lenses, without realizing, that we are looking through lenses at all and we somehow become blind to all that is excluded from that frame work. Like today: there was no reference or mentioning of fields of knowledge in other dance forms, from other cultural back grounds etc. I mean its ok to focus on one specific form of dance, but it amazed me that most of us didnt think about it as being about one very specific field of dance, but about dance.

Watching the video Adesola posted "in my language" and reflecting on todays experience at the symposium, really makes me think how important it is to question frame works, or even just being aware that we are constantly moving within frame works, and by "following the rules" of the frame work, the frame work is upheld. How enriching it can be, or how differently you can see things if you encounter them with a more open mind. Even if at the and of a process of questioning a frame work, you end up being happy with that frame work, I think to critically think about what we consider "normal" or "obvious" is so important.

This made me also think of a video Helen has posted some time ago, about the danger of a single story:
http://helenkindred.blogspot.com/2018/03/multiple-narratives-multiple.html

exploring the in-betweens

We had a really interesting Skype discussion, with so many great topics and ideas to explore and reflect upon further!

Lately I feel I stumble very often across the topic of connections/connectivism/connecting....
So that was also what intrigued me the most today: the topic of connections and connecting, within the learning process; exploring the space in-between. Or using Helens Analogy of the rocks in the ocean: taking the focus to the connections between the rocks, how do the connect, underneath the ocean, how do they relate to each other, what do I learn from the process of becoming aware of the connections. I feel that it is in that space, in-between the rocks, where a big part of the learning process happens (apart from discovering new rocks, of course), where we weave our knowledge together in a way maybe...?

In this course I feel a lot of the learning for me happened, through the process of connecting theory and practice. Weaving bits together. I struggled a lot with that in the beginning (still now sometimes ;-). But found, there is this huge richness of things to discover, once you allow yourself to search for connections and look in between. But also in my teaching practice or movement research, I find myself more and more drawn to the in-betweens. I teach ballet and contemporary, and what I find really exciting is, what happens between the "positions", the organisation of dynamics, rather than the shaping of a form, but also in improv, the little moments that connect one movement to the next. The space in-between where anything can happen, where you allow yourself not to know.

I have participated in a course on fascia (connecting tissue) not so long ago and wanted to share an image from that course with you. This image for me illustrates the strength, but at the same time also the fragility of connections. It brings attention to the point that everything is basically made up of connections, not only are our neurones connected and wired together in our brain, but the whole of our body is connected through connective tissue. And through our actions, but also reflections we make connections with our environment.

I am curious to hear what your thoughts are on that topic and what role connections, or the process of connecting have played in your learning processes, your practice or the ones of your students!

fostering trust

I really liked the TEDx talk Helen posted today about creative thinking. What made me think was, the moment Dr. Corazza talked about how the situation or environment we're in can influence our thinking out of the box. He talked about the fear of punishment (i.e.for answering in the "wrong" way), being one reason, that could hold us back.

Fear seems to be quite a big inhibitor, for thinking, but also dancing/moving outside of the box. My daughter took up gymnastics recently, she absolutely loves it. But she is hypersensitive and transitions and entering a new situation is always an immense challenge for her. When we arrive at the gymnastics studio, her whole body would always tense up and she would cry for the first five minutes. You can literally observe, how fear freezes her body.
This is the fear of a six year old. But I think we all have our fears, that can inhibit us to think, or voice our thoughts outside the box, or to dance outside the box, or our comfort zone. Maybe less obvious, than in the example above, (but that can some times make it even more challenging to address, or even be aware of the fear).
"What will the others think of me?", "Is that the correct answer?", "I must look so silly doing that step", "I have the feeling my students can't connect at all, to what I'm saying" etc.

This leads me to think, what an important part trust plays in any kind of learning and what a great responsibility we have as teachers to facilitate an environment in our class and practice, where students can learn to trust themselves, but also others: make mistakes without being laughed at, or told off by peers and teachers, where asking questions is ok, where the practice is driven more by curiosity and research, rather than attaining one ideal or finding the correct answer.

Trust allows you freedom, to go further in your thinking and dancing. So how can we foster an atmosphere in teaching/learning situations that allows trust and the best possible growth of our students, but also us as teachers?

Curious to hear your thoughts and experiences around that topic!

frameworks

It was great discussion this morning, we have talked about how we define framework and how frameworks are related to theories, how does theory affect frameworks and how does a framework influence the perception or emergence of theory.

The discussion, as well as carrying out the interviews for my Inquiry made me consider the role of frameworks in teaching dance (or any educational setting).

All around the world you can take ballet or contemporary or any other dance class. But will the ballet class be the same in China as it will be in Australia or Switzerland? Or even in the same country, some times even in the same school there will be completely different approaches to the same dance technique/style. What other factors besides sharing the same terminology for certain steps influence our frame, of how we see and experience for example ballet? Of how we teach it and how we learn (about) it? How do cultural, gender, political, personal life experiences and aesthetical factors influence our frame of what ballet is and on how we share it?

In an interview with a student last week I realised, that while during feedback sessions with students I often discuss physical, emotional and even every day aspects of their learning journey and training, I have never consciously thought about talking or asking them about their framework, on what ballet or what dance is for them. But the interview made me consider, what an important role frameworks actually play in a dancers training, as it will strongly depend on your framework what you will  take or learn from the class. What things you will "hear".

I am really interested to look further into that topic, as it seems fascinating to me and opens so many new questions.

Food for thought

Yesterday I joined exceptionally both discussions, to get a chance to meet every body, as I am taking on the role of student rep for this semester. I want to start this blog, with just briefly saying, that if you have any feed back, thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or other things on your mind, concerning this course and any other university related proceedings, feel free to contact me at any time, I am very happy to represent your ideas and thoughts at the university board of studies meeting. Looking forward to this term with you! My e-mail is krabumbel(at)yahoo.de, we can also talk via Skype or WhatsApp (you can send me an e-mail with your phone nr. if you want and I will get in touch with you then) and I am also on Facebook (so (too??) many ways to communicate ;-)!!)

I felt that both discussions yesterday were very thought triggering and many really interesting topics were touched.

The evening discussion made me think how knowledge is in a constant flux, it is always changing and evolving.

For example the discussion we had about what "academic" writing is, made me realise how much my conception of what academic writing means to me has changed over the course of this program. It has evolved from seeing it as something stiff and formal with strict rules to follow and only one correct way to do it, to perceiving it more of a process of finding my own voice within an academic context, connecting my practice to the theories and to the huge body of knowledge, that is out there, allows me to situate myself, becoming more aware of where I am, of my learning process and choosing more consciously where I want to go from here and all the other questions, that you can explore ;-). And even though citations are a time consuming and sometimes frustrating process, I feel it allows me to acknowledge the work of others and I started to become more aware of and question where information comes from, also in other contexts.

This brings me to the other really interesting topic we talked about in the morning: communication.
We had a really good discussion and Adesola asked in the end, what made it a good discussion. Among other things we talked about that moments of silence are ok, it allows you to think before answering, acknowledging that we are all involved in the same process no matter which module and that every input is valued, were other aspects we talked about.

While I entered the discussions with asking how to communicate specific ideas clearly, I left it thinking about another aspect of communication, that I haven't given much consideration before, that maybe communication is not only about getting a specific meaning across, but also (or maybe fore most) about inspiring a reflective process. Rather than getting a straight answer, getting food for thought. Seeing through some one else eyes and relating it back to your own view. Its about growth. So that would be another aspect, that I would add as to what makes a good discussion: a discussion that inspires a reflective process during the discussion itself, but also as an afterthought.

So, this has been really long, I will stop here ;-) and look forward to many more inspiring discussions with you all and reading your blogs about yesterdays discussions!

beginnings

Welcome back to every body and welcome to all the new MAPPers! It was great reading Adesolas post about beginnings and every bodies responses.

It made me realise, how talking about beginnings can bring people together. We all have experienced a variety of beginnings in our lives, so it is an experience every body can relate to. I like beginnings. I like when a new semester starts, as a teacher welcoming new students, that are anxious to get going, starting to discover them as dancers and people, but also as a student, being curious and excited myself.

Reflecting on the beginning of a performance I saw not so long ago, (as I commented on Adesolas blog), where the dancers started by coming in one by one and either sitting or standing at the front of the stage and just looking at the public. It made me realise, how great it can be to take time, when you begin something new. Just to connect with the work ahead and the people involved.
When I start an education school project, I usually feel a little bit nervous, there is so much information, that needs to be given and explained to the kids and you want to get up and start moving. But I feel I have to remind myself, that its good to take time, to just connect to the kids, allowing them also time to connect to the new situation, before rushing into the beginning of the project.

I am curious to know: what are your rituals when starting a new year/term/project? How do you connect with your students or your work? How do you feel about taking time?

communication of ideas

Todays evening Skype discussion was really interesting, with the focus on communicating ideas.

We have been talking about the process of finding your own voice, either your academic voice or as a teacher.

During the conversation I noticed, that to me there are three aspects that can be considered in communicating ideas: the idea itself, the "audience"or who we are communicating to, and then the "I", who is communicating. All three are embedded in a context. This can be an academic, or any other context.

Another topic has been the question of the "I" in the research process. That is also a question I have been thinking about a lot in relation to the analysis of data. How much of our selves do we put into the research or in an academic essay. As this course is based on learning from experience, I think the "I" is a big part of the research. That is where our embodied knowledge comes from, our source in a way. I think we can not take our selves out of the process, or look at something or analyse something from a completely neutral point of view, but I feel its maybe through becoming aware and being more conscious of your own frame, during the process of analysis, that allows us to listen to and discover and explore other perspectives emerging from the data. So maybe its not so much about being neutral, but about the awareness that there are many ways to look at something.

But all of this is still theory right now in Module Two and I am very curious to see how it will all translate into actually carrying out the research process in Module three. For this reason it was really great to listen to all the people from Module three talking about their inquiry process.

embodied research

Todays evening Skype session was very interesting to me, I feel like it helped me put more clarity into my thoughts and the things I was mulling over in my head lately, in relation with my inquiry.

What struck me, was the connection or parallels between non-positivist research and an embodied approach to learning in a dance class.

While in a positivist based inquiry, the goal is usually to find "the" answer or one truth, in a non-positivist inquiry, it is the process itself where the learning happens, it allows more insight into a theme, opens up another point of view and hopefully leads to more questions, rather than a defined answer (thats how I feel about it at least).
I have never thought about it, but I can see similarities in the approach one takes in a dance class: you can either focus on working toward one ideal, which implies the notion of wrong and right, being "correct", having a very specific (mostly) aesthetic (physical) goal to work towards.
Or you can look at a class, in a non positivist way, as a way of "embodied research", where you learn by trying out and exploring different approaches how to connect to your body, giving you more options, to express yourself as a dancer/artist, process based. As, I think it was Jane and Adesola who gave that input: providing more than one way to look at something and therefore giving you options, allowing choices.

So rather than working towards an "ideal" body or way of dancing, that then can be presented.
It could be about developing tools and ways to communicate with your body as an embodied being/dancer. Communicating with the audience, or fellow dancers, rather than "presenting" yourself...?

The Skype discussion also made me reflect, on how through engagement with the learning material and environment of this course, I can draw more and more connections between theory and practice. I start to grasp or experience, how theory can become embodied, as embodied knowledge and how I can link my practice to theory. So the two things are no longer separate, they become more like different ways of meaning making, or as written above different approaches or ways to look at something, or approach something.

Looking forward to reading all of your blog posts about todays Skype session!

rewriting experience

Thoughts around todays am Skype discussion, have accompanied me through out the day.

We have talked about knowledge being something ongoing and fluid, not something static. We have also talked about revisiting situations with a new perspective, or as Mella put it rewriting experience. Which I found also very interesting during the process of writing my AOLs, depending on where I would put my focus, the "story" of my learning would be written differently. And Adesola said, she was interested in the "in-between bits". All of this has once again (it seems to happen quite often while engaging with this MA ;-), added another layer on my perception of what knowledge is to me.

What struck me most is, how MANY things knowledge can be and how many individual ways of constructing ones knowledge, there are. It seems to me like each person is weaving together his or her own fabric of knowledge, through out their lives. Each string connected and interweaved with another. Influenced by how we see the world, what our goals are, what society wants us to see or seek, what experiences we have had on our own learning journey and how we have dealt with it on an emotional, cognitive or physical level and the list could go on and on. But also the timing of when we are exposed to a certain experience or learning material can make a huge difference, of what we can "take" from it and some experiences don't make sense until much later, when they can be linked to something else, or when we are "ready" to take them in.

Thinking about what knowledge is, makes me feel at awe, its absolutely fascinating, but also overwhelming and intimidating at times. I also feel my whole concept of how I perceive, what teaching means, is shifting and transforming influenced by my perception of what knowledge is.
The student teacher relationship becomes much more intertwined. As two learning processes, that of teacher and student are happening and inspiring each other at the same time.

too many roads to take...

It was great in todays welcome Skype, to get a "walk" through myUnihub and all the important links, I feel like things are much clearer now on the organisational side. Especially the suggestion to add the "Follow by E-mail" gadget to peoples blogs and also the blogadresses being on the myUnihub web site now, looks like it will make blogging much easier. I also appreciated Adesola reminding us, that blogging is about having a conversation, not about presentation. I often found myself overthinking my comments and some times ended up not commenting at all, as it took me too long, to figure out what to write. Will try to work on that ;-).

Its good to be back after the break and dive into Module 2. Thoughts about the M2 inquiry have accompanied me all summer. I feel that there are research questions jumping out at me on every corner, after inspiring conversations, interesting reads or during class. While when starting Module 1 I was overwhelmed by all the information, I  now feel kind of overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Possibilities to choose an inquiry question from. Some times I feel like standing at a cross roads; there are so many paths I want to explore, each one more intriguing and interesting than the other and I just can't choose which one to take.

I find it quite a challenge to narrow down my questions and am very interested to hear about other peoples experience with the process of finding their inquiry question.

Looking forward to reading your blogs and comments!

the place of not knowing

Even though there were only 4 of us, in this mornings Skype session,  I feel, it was a very thought triggering discussion and it has opened up a thousand new questions to explore and think about.

We have talked about Inclusivity, the artefact and about the relationship between theory and practice. We have also talked about the process of learning, and how the way we position and situate our selves in this process, our active involvement in it and our perception of it, can influence and shape our learning. Considering "the self" in the process.

We have also talked about "not Knowing". Allowing ourselves not to know. I have never thought about it consciously before, but our relationship to not knowing can also play an important role in our learning. How comfortable do I feel not knowing the answer straight away? How comfortable do I feel, when there is no clearly defined answer or no answer at all, only more questions? How long can I stay in this state of suspense, in this place of not knowing. Helen referred to it as the suspense of reference point. I am coming to think, that not knowing, is not such a bad place after all, as it holds so many possibilities. Which we might not even be aware of, if we rush through and try to fill the void, as fast as we can.

I feel it is similar to the moments of silence in a conversation. How comfortable do I feel with a moment of silence in a conversation. Do I allow myself to appreciate those moments, as I feel this are often the moments, that allow for something new to grow and develop, to digest, what was said.

It made me want to explore that place of not knowing a little further, have a wander around next time, before rushing to the next answer.

I am interested to read your thoughts on not knowing. What not knowing means to you? How it relates to your learning.

perception

In the Skype call on Sunday morning we have discussed finding freedom within the structure of a dance technique class and how it is linked to the way we perceive our body.

How do I perceive my body in a ballet class. How in a release based class? Limon, Jazz, Hip Hop? How do stereotypes of those different techniques influence the way I perceive my body?
What is "a ballet body" for me? What is it for my students? And how does they way my students experience their own body influence their approach to taking ballet class? What impact does it have on the amount of freedom they will allow themselves to explore in class? And on how they approach learning?

But I feel not only the perception of ones body has an influence on how much freedom we can find within a structure, but also the way we perceive the structure itself.
Do I see a structure (this can be any technique class or research) as a rigid, set form, where I have to try to squeeze or mould myself into, a structure where the notion of being right vs. wrong, of looking for the correct answer predominates. Or do I perceive the structure as a tool, that allows me to explore and listen to my body through and within that certain frame. Just as one way, among many others of looking at things, not "THE" way.

Lots and lots of questions ;-).... I feel my thoughts are still "under construction".

Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts.

translating

In today Skype session, we talked about our Review of Prior Learning. When Adesola explained that a big part of Module One and the Review of Prior Learning is about translating our Practice or our Experience into academic language, it made me reflect on the role that the act of translating plays in learning, but also in our every day teaching practice.

Translation is not only a one to one conversion of something to another form or language, according to Temple and Young (Temple and Young 2014) with each act of translation there is inevitably also an act of interpretation. (So the translator is an active part of the process of translating.)

Working on the AOLs and trying to translate some of my learning from experience into words, I realise how many interpretational possibilities there are and how they shift, with each new piece of information. Reading, talking or listening to some body, or watching some body dance, all opens a new way of looking at things, a new frame of reference, which will then influence upon the translation. So the act of translating itself can be a useful tool to stimulate learning.

I often feel, when I have attended a great workshop or lecture, or have been part of an inspiring discussion, that I learn something from that experience, but then when I have to "translate" it into practice, implementing it in class, making it accessible to my students, there is actually even more learning happening, or more depth added to my learning experience and understanding, through going through the process of translating it. Especially, when you want to share it with different groups of people (adult learners vs. children or professionals).

Starting this MAPPjourney, I was struggling with the relationship between theory and practice, in my mind they were two separate things, todays Skype Session made me realise, that through the process of translation I can weave them together, making them feed into each other. It offers you the possibility to learn by translating your practice into academic language, but also by translating academic knowledge back into your practice.

dialogue

It was nice to meet the new "Mappers" and hear back from others that continue their MAPP journey, in todays Skype session. We have talked about how exciting and overwhelming it can be, to embark on a new journey or any new endeavour.
I appreciate these Skype sessions a lot (even though during the actual Skype Conversation I often feel quite insecure and awkward and have the feeling, that I cannot articulate myself clearly). It createss a space for dialogue and is a great way to connect to fellow Mappers. It opens your mind to new ways of looking at things and is always a source of new questions to explore.
This makes me think about dialogue and what a wonderful tool dialogue can be within the field of learning and teaching.

The ancient definition of dialogue is (dia logos) "flow of meaning". And David Bohm said about Dialogue that it brings people together to learn about individual perceptions and their sources. It expands understanding by being given the opportunity to see through the lens of other peoples opinions. In this process, our relationship with others are explored, allowing us to delve more deeply into our own nature.

So there is no right or wrong in dialogue. For me dialogue is about searching and exploring together and feeding off of each other, without having to embrace somebody else view completely or forcing your own opinion or worldview on others.

As a teacher, I'm also more and more interested to look into ways, how I can encourage dialogue in class. I feel it gives me insight on where my students are in their learning journey and the possibility to look for constructive ways to accompany them in their learning process. And also to encourage ways to enter in Dialogue with your own body. By not only "telling" your body what to do, but also taking the time to listen.

I feel there is so much more to explore about Dialogue in its relationship to learning and teaching. And I'm looking forward to "dialoguing" with all of you some more in the months to come!

open mind

The Skype discussion this afternoon touched many interesting topics, (there was problem with my Skype, so I was only able to listen).

We've talked about sharing and exchanging information, and how sometimes other practitioners are reluctant to share their experience and information or answer questions regarding their practice and become defensive. And what reasons keep them, from opening up and participating in an exchange.

In one of the dance studios I teach, we are all encouraged to watch each others classes. This is something I really like, as I feel as a teacher you can very easily get lost in your little bubble and it is also always very interesting to see your students in another class setting. 
But it still makes me feel nervous some times, when somebody actually comes to watch my class and after the Skype discussion today I tried to think about why exactly that is. 

As dancers and dance students we are used to people watching us and are usually open and happy to receive feed back, as we know that constructive feed back will help us grow.
Why is this situation then so different being a teacher? Why do I feel more insecure about being judged as a teacher, than as a dancer? Is it because in a traditional class setting the teacher is supposed to have all the answers (and therefore cant't be "wrong") and the student is the one expected to do all the learning and evolving. 
But the teacher is (hopefully!) also constantly growing, searching and therefore in a life long learning process.
Is it the mind set then, that is different and makes us perceive feed back differently as a student or as a teacher (feeling judged vs. expecting to receive feed back)? How can we change that mind set? As a teacher I find, that trust is very important, in order to create an environment where learning can take place, the students have to feel, that they are allowed to make mistakes and take risks, without being judged. Maybe we as teachers should also try to work on that trust in our teacher community.

I sometimes find myself wanting to apologise or explain things that didn't go as well, as I wanted them to, in class, when somebody is watching. A couple of weeks ago I watched Liz Lermans lecture on youtube and she said something very interesting, that resonated strongly with me, about turning your apologies into questions. Instead of apologising for things that are not perfect or up to where you would like them to be, for example teaching in a community dance project, instead of saying: "sorry the class was really loud and I can't keep them focussed", you can turn that apology into a question: "how could I try to keep the class more focussed?". This way we allow ourselves also as teachers to ask questions, exchange ideas and enter in dialogue with each other. And can give ourselves space to grow and learn. 

The other topic, that was raised today, was about how to narrow down questions and how to find, what is relevant and essential, without getting lost in a sea of information. It made me think of a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, that I really like:

"Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away"

moving

This past week has felt like quite a journey, I feel like every day I wake up with certain ideas and thoughts and when I go to bed they have transformed and taken new unexpected turns. This is quite unsettling and overwhelming at times. There is so much movement, so much to take in, digest and make sense of, that right now my brain feels like when you are moving: there are old things to get rid of, things that appear you didn't even know were there and how they got there in the first place, other old things, that you know are not useful anymore, but you just can't seem to let go of them and then there are all the NEW things, which are great and inspiring, but they are still standing around in the middle of your living room, and you have no idea, where to put them yet, even though you spend the whole day moving and shifting them around....

Just now I have come across a citation in the "reflective Practice book", that gave me a new perspective and approach, to look at that process, that seems to unsettle my mind at the moment: "Reflective practice helps us to meet this in the spirit of discovery rather than defensively" (Schön 1987). 

And some of those "new things" are really inspiring already and I would like to take the time to explore them further in my practice in the next couple of weeks. Especially one paragraph of the "reflective Practitioner" resonates quite strongly with me:

"We learn by doing, through the very struggle to make our own judgements, not by being told where, when and how to turn, who to trust, and what is the correct path. The  reflective  educative  process  is  one  of  each  individual  constantly  asking why of everything.."

I was reflecting on my own practice, asking myself if I give my students the freedom and the space for this kind of learning? And in which moments of my own learning journey was I allowed to learn in this way? What is needed to create and support a learning environment, an atmosphere where you allow learning to happen? How can you accompany your students, so they can feel empowered and trust in their own learning experience? This are just some questions Im writing down, there is so much more to explore.

My aim in the next couple of weeks is, to be more aware and question and look at my current teaching practice from this perspective, and observe which moments in class allow for this process to happen and feed this kind of learning and why (or why not!) (and actually also at home with my kids) and search how I can find ways to encourage such learning. 

Very curious to hear your thoughts and experiences!

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.

white space

Sitting in front of my (still) empty screen, wondering where and how to start my first blog, makes me think of a concept, that is used in architecture or drawing, called “white space”. Its the space inbetween or the empty space.

While I often use this concept in class, when working on “port de bras” and arm movements, trying to direct the focus of the students away from the shape they are making with their arms to the space that it creates around them, embarking on the MAPP journey the "white space" for me also stands for new beginnings, or the state of mind, that new beginnings tend to put you in: where on one hand you are anxious, slightly uncomfortable and nervous about what lies ahead, but on the other hand you feel excited, curious and full of questions.

There is a certain freedom, vulnerability and openness, to those moments just before embarking onto something new, that I love.. 

Its like an empty sheet of paper that lies in front of you... its full of possibilities. Once you put down that first line or decide which way you are headed, your focus tends to shift to that line and away from the space around it. 

While of course focusing and engaging with something specific is important and necessary for any learning and growing to happen, I hope, that further down this MAPP journey (when I'm lost in details of word counts and essay writing) I will be able to take a step back from time to time and shift my focus again away from the details, to the space around them and to that open state of mind, you are in when you start something new. 

As I said Im very curious and excited, where this will take me to and what I will discover on the way!