Part 4a - Developing my Professional Inquiry
I wish to broaden my knowledge with my inquiry. I have a deep interest in two broad subjects ;
The Origins of Dance OR Dance is a Therapy.
The Origins of Dance
- Have we lost our focus on what original/historical/cultural dance has given us
- Why is fusion used so much today
- Is fusion dance steering us away from original/historical/Cultural Dance
- Does the fusion of multiple dance have a negative effect on the conservation of the origins of dance
- Are we losing the ability to convey the history we make today history in dance for future generations
- How do we convey in dance, today’s culture: world wide web, 3D, 3G, Space travel, our ever changing, expanding Universe
Dance is a Therapy - The Body
I have found data on Dance as a Therapy that is well documented on the values of Dance as a Therapy. Primarily this subject is based on the body.
- What are the dance therapy values professional dancers experience whilst performing to an audience
- What type of dance therapy does the audience experience whilst watching professional performers
- What type of dance therapy do non professional dancers experience whilst dancing or making movement to music
- To what extent can dance be misinterpreted as a therapy
- What are the dance styles that are considered not a therapy
I have started asking questions on FB to get my SIG going
If you think you may have a connection/link or share an interest in the above subjects it would be great to connect as a SIG. Please also blog any of your comments, suggestion or ideas to help.
Dear Corinda, I do like both subjects and do think that both are very exciting to do research about. I attended a irish-folk-dance lesson in Irland and enjoyed it a lot. I loved dance ever since I can remember and at the age of 17 I danced 3 times a week. With this I could forget everything and felt happy. So, that would be a connection to the next subject that you have in mind "Dance is a Therapy". I think that the moves and the rhythm of music are changing something in our body. Maybe this is also interesting: What happens in our body/brain when we are dancing? Why has dancing positive effects to us? Katharina
ReplyDeleteHello Katharina. thank you for your comment. It is going to be difficult to filter the questions down to just one!! I remember researching the Indigenous Aborigines and learning about the meaning of their dance. There was so much history within the dance.. The same with Indian and Middle Eastern Dance. So you can imagine dances from other cultures and their history's in other parts of the world as China and Africa, it's endless.. I believe there is a very deep connection psychologically. Dance transforms into secular, holistic, rituals, theatrical etc..
ReplyDeleteDear Corinda,
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea about the origins of dance, and the fusion of classic and historical styles. I feel that classical ballet is being 'commercialised' in order to attract wider audiences. I think that this is due to the pressure put on companies to sell tickets, and generate more interest in classical ballet. Of course there are positive and negative effects of this; the arts become accessible to all, but at what cost- will the origins and identity of ballet eventually be 'fused' out. I also noticed (and wrote in my blog) about the effect of TV shows such as 'Strictly Come Dancing.' While the nation are enjoying the light entertainment of these shows, they are experiencing a 'diluted' version of dance techniques which vocational students take years to perfect. Are these shows a fair interpretation of our art form?
Hello Alicia, I support what you are saying about ballet and it being 'commercialized' and fused with other dance styles. It is losing it's identity and value as a cultural, historical, and classical art form. I think show such as 'Strictly come dancing' are just showing how people can become proficient at the dance moves but by no means are they dance artists in that they have studied ballet or other dance styles for years. The general public want a quick fix and they want it now, they don't seem to want to have time to understand the choreographic value, meaning and reasoning or to include the musical score or composer. I think it is up to the artist now to educate those that don't understand what culture is. To answer your last question, the dances on Strictly come dancing' are not an art form, it's social dancing so therefore not a fair interpretation or our art.
ReplyDeleteI think we should re group and fight with other artist to keep the original, historical and cultural art forms protected. Unfortunately event organizers are forced to make a quick buck and try to get away with what they can by 'diluting' and this jeopardizes our art culture. Alas, I have to confess that I have been swayed to this way of thinking in the past but intend to address this issue. I think we have to start with the change ourselves, which seems impossible as we have to make money to live. So how do we start to make the change? Can we, on a parallel, inform and educate people/children as we teach them or perform to them?
Corinda - a really good place to be in the inquiry process. As discussions with yourself and others have brought out for me, these inquiries contain both philosophy and practical aspects - they are that fusion which is professional practice. There is plenty of time to focus these inquiry questions before the plan - so developing your thinking strategy as you progress with the Module within the bounds that you have introduced as your professional interests make a lot of sense. I mentioned over the phone that you are introducing issues that are challenging to your practice, and as such require practitioner research. As a consultant, I expect people rely on your expertise in dance to develop whatever it is they have come to you for... as many businesses are in transition now, there may be both a personal and external factors that drive how you develop your plan. Next... professional ethics - interesting with the topics you are looking at and your varied business practice.
ReplyDeleteCorinda,
ReplyDeleteI think that look at dance therapy for non professionals will be a good one for you as a teacher. I have learnt over the years that teaching professional acting students and teaching at GCSE level drama can be two very different things. I wonder if it would be the same for dance therapy...
Ahmet
Hi Corinda,
ReplyDeleteIt was so nice working with you today at the campus session.
I've just looked through you're questions and you really have some interesting topics.
I'm working at a well known dance studio and I see from first hand the diverse styles of dance and how they are being fused together. Personally I think its a positive thing. We have been flooded with hip-hop and commercial dance and now contemporary, jazz and ballet are being fused together and creating a need for more. Even in the same style of dance are the different styles. We have so many Jazz classes which are so different from one to the next. Contemporary now has so many styles which depends how the choreographer or teacher interprets the music or what they want to convey.
I think it's important to be positive that other styles of dance are now been given the same opportunity as main stream commercial dance. Strictly come dancing is only one show. There are so many others, So you think you can dance, got to dance. Both show dance in all areas to the public.
This now gives other styles of dance a platform and I think in the end people will go back to it's origins and appreciate the history. I do understand that it's important to keep the origins of dance but if we look at music for instance it is always is evolving and then goes it can go back to the original sound and then back again.
When Ballet first started it was not what we see now at the royal Opera house with classical ballet today. The technique has changed. Ballet has grown over the years and what we see now is not what it was when it first started.
If you just look in to the technique of ballet there are so many forms of technique RAD,ISTD, Cecchetti, Balanchine and many more but they still lead to Classical ballet.
Has dance always been evolving?
Does dance reflect the culture we live in?
Charlotte - these are thoughtful questions and ones that as a 'trained' artist, similar questions came up in the fine art training that I had at Virginia Commonwealth University. If the word 'arts' was substituted for 'dance' the response to both questions would be yes. While everyday I am introduced to more concepts about 'dance' in this course, I would begin my thinking here with a 'yes' and then explore how and why... I have been talking to a couple folks about the idea of 'avante garde' mainly because that was how some of these ideas were presented to me and I have been having discussions about this with a first year visual arts student at Goldsmiths. What I was taught was that some art forms go fast (media) and some slow (crafts such as changes in pottery). Dance attributes with this - fast or slow?
ReplyDelete