Using Knowledge of the Body to Teach More Efficiently

            "Repetition is the mother of perfection.”

                                                                             ― Ryan Straten

            In my last post, Learning and Remembering Combinations, I wrote about how the body processes new sensory information and commits it to memory.  This information is both important and extremely useful to dance educators.  By understanding how students learn motor patterns and commit them to memory, dance educators can adapt their teaching methods to create more effective classes.

            When taught, a new exercise is first committed to short-term memory.  After several repetitions the neural pathway (the route the brain uses to communicate with the body) that is formed when a new exercise is learned becomes a well-travelled route, and this exercise is sent to the long-term memory.  Once it is stored in long-term memory the exercise can be accessed quickly and repeated on demand.

            This knowledge can be useful when planning classes.  Since exercises can easily be accessed once they are learned, it makes sense to work backwards when planning classes and teaching new choreography.  If an educator choreographs the combinations that will be taught in class first, then he or she can work backwards and break the combinations into individual segments or exercises.  These exercises can then be introduced to the students during warm-up, in simpler form, or in smaller pieces when travelling across the floor.  A particular arm pattern that will be used in the final combination may be incorporated into a plié or tendu exercise, while a particular step like a spiral fall to the floor can be taught as a transitional piece of a developpé exercise. 

            Additionally, a step that may be done in a circular pattern in the final combination can be taught simply moving forward as a transitional phrase.  Once the motor pathway is established, it will be easier to manipulate it spatially, adding direction or using it to create new pathways.

           

This same principle can be applied when teaching choreography.  Rather than starting at the beginning of a dance, it can be useful to choreograph the piece first and then break it down into sections.  It will be easier if everyone first learns unison sections, then different groups learn their particular sections, and then the different parts can be woven together to create the final dance.  Once the phrases are learned, they can be manipulated to face different directions, can be slowed down or sped up, can be used in cannons, or can be layered on top of each other.

By working in this manner, dance educators can use information about how the body operates to make class time and rehearsal hours more productive and teach in a way that enables dancers to learn more quickly and experience less frustration when learning new steps and/or choreography.

Oh no! My Child Wants To Major In Dance!!

            “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ― Confucius

         As high school juniors begin to explore higher education choices, it is no secret that many parents hold their breath and hope their children will not choose to major in the arts.  Dance, music, art and theater are wonderful, but are they fields you can make a living in?  If someone majors in dance and it doesn’t work out, what will he or she have to fall back on?  Is going to college for something as “frivolous” as dance a waste of money?

            People tend to believe that majoring in dance simply means taking a myriad of technique classes for four years only to graduate and begin auditioning for a performing opportunity that may never come to fruition.

            The good news for college students who are passionate about dance, their parents, and everyone whose life has been touched by dance, is that this assumption could not be farther from the truth.

           

            As dance has grown and continues to grow, so has the number of possible dance careers.  Dancers will always have the option to audition for professional and regional companies, but there are also a multitude of other possible career paths available in the field of dance.

            Choreography:  College students who major in choreography spend time learning about dance composition.  They learn how to manipulate movement phrases in various ways, and they learn about different styles of dance, different choreographers, and gain a historical perspective on dance.  These students can go on to become company choreographers, free-lance choreographers, or musical theater choreographers and are also able to teach dance composition courses.

            Dance Education:  Students who major in this area will be required to take classes in educational philosophy and practice as well as dance courses.  Their courses may include dance history, music for dancers, anatomy for dancers, class and lesson planning, foundations of elementary education, foundations of secondary education and foundations of special education.  Many colleges also offer the option of state teacher certification to enable the graduate to teach in public schools.  These graduates can teach in private studios, private schools, or public schools.  A terminal degree such as an MFA would enable the dancer to teach at the college level as well.

            Dance Therapy:  Dance therapy combines the study of dance with psychology.  In order to be a practicing dance therapist, using dance as a form of psychotherapy, a graduate degree is necessary.  Dance therapists work in private practices, hospitals, schools and prisons.

            Dance Scholars:  Dance scholars study dance technique, dance history, and dance notation and can get jobs with dance companies, in the television or film industries, or in libraries and museums.  Their job is to preserve dance for future generations through research, writing, and recording dance.

            Dance Journalist:  A dance journalist combines dance studies with English classes.  Journalists get jobs writing about dance, editing books on dance, or as dance critics for magazines, newspapers and online publications.

            Dance Science:  Dance Science is a relatively new field of study.  It combines dance with the study of anatomy and kinesiology.  Dance scientists work with dancers to educate them about their bodies and healthy, efficient ways of dancing.  Those studying dance science often choose to pursue graduate courses in exercise science or physical therapy.  They may work with dance schools or companies, designing strength training programs, or in injury rehabilitation programs that work with dancers.

            Arts Management:  These students combine their love of dance with the study of business.  These majors graduate and become company managers, booking agents, grant writers, arts advocates, and community outreach activists.

               The career opportunities for dancers are numerous and all have one common denominator:  they require a love of dance.  A parent whose child decides to major in dance need not panic because dancers are not just performers anymore.  They are the people that keep the art form alive, and by doing so, they preserve a very important part of our culture.

                                   

So You Don't Think You Can Dance? I Beg to Differ

“Anybody can and should dance….It’s good for the body and the spirit.”

 – Isadora Duncan

        

            It is impossible for dance educators to imagine a life devoid of dance.  Our group is passionate about what we teach and we have to be.  Funding is scarce, and we are still working hard to convince the general population of the value and power of dance.  The easy part of our job is to teach the students who register for dance classes and are there because they want to learn about the art form.  Our challenge, as dance educators, lies in reaching those who do not really have a desire to dance but are placed in situations that require they learn about it.

        Each year, students involved in school musicals audition for and win roles in productions.  Most have been exposed to acting and singing, but only a select few have studied dance.  Many directors cast these dancers in the roles that require movement and allow the others to simply act and sing.  However, some directors believe that everyone should dance a little and require every cast member to spend some time with the choreographer.  It is in these situations that I have been challenged, that I have learned and grown, and that I have been given the opportunity to make a difference.

Photo by Nick Bencivengo

            At the first rehearsal I am often met with wide-eyed stares and exclamations of, “Umm, just warning you that I can’t dance.”  My response, honed by time and hard-earned experience, is now, ”You can absolutely dance.  You just don’t know it yet.” 

            It is the choreographer’s job to create dances that look good to the paying audience while making certain that ALL of the cast members feel comfortable on the stage.  Rehearsals become tedious at times, and more often than not, choreography needs to be re-worked because what I envisioned cannot be accomplished. 

            Some shows are more successful choreographically than others, but as a dance educator, I have been given a gift.  I have been allowed to share my love of dance with people who would never have entered a dance studio.  I have had the opportunity to help them feel a bit more comfortable with their bodies.  I have had the chance to help them see that we can accomplish new things that we often think are impossible, and in doing so I have, hopefully, helped raise self-confidence and self-esteem levels.  These cast members may be a bit more comfortable during the next audition, or they may choose to never dance again.  Yet, the next time they see someone dance, they will have a better understanding of and appreciation for the process it took to produce the final project. 

Photo by Nick Bencivengo

            My greatest hope is that the next time they are faced with a new challenge they think they cannot conquer, that they will remember the time they thought they couldn’t dance.  Touching everyone with dance in healthy ways is the reason I chose to be a dance educator.  Kudos to the directors and others in the world that allow us, and sometimes even force us to do it.