I am just back from 2 weeks in the south of France teaching basic anatomy to future dance teachers.
It's a group of women ranging from 15 to 35 years old. Most of them choose to come to this 2 weeks intensive program. They get to refine and discover a variety of topics from ballet to music and anatomy.
Because the majority of them is here willingly and because a few of them are either the same age or older than me, it is easy to quickly become friendly. They are good students and we spend a lot of time together during two weeks. We joke a lot and because they feel comfortable, they tease me or laugh at me which, of course, I don't mind. I think that it's healthy to be able to laugh at yourself. The only thing is, that at the end of the two weeks, I will decide whether or not they pass on to the next level. I have an authority over them.
The question then is, how do you find the right balance between a good authority (laugh with my students, comfortable working atmosphere) and a bad authority (no control over the group or a dictatorial control)?
During these last two weeks everything went very well but for the first time I started questioning the meaning of the authority (power) I had over these women. I was joking with all of them but then had to make sure they worked enough to get their diploma.
How do you tell someone with whom you've been having a good time, that they didn't get their diploma and that they need to come back next year?
I had teachers, in the past, who would always keep a very strong dividing wall between themselves and us. We would never have laughed at one of them. I don't want to be like that, because when I was a student I kind of forgot that my teachers had lives outside the dance studio. This dividing wall, they used, made us forget that they were human beings.
I just hope that the students understand that a comfortable working atmosphere (where you can laugh at me) doesn't mean we're friends. I won't give any of them their diploma because we're friendly with one an other. That's why they need to know we're not friends.
The idea of authority and power reminds me that as teachers we have responsibilities.
Thursday 29 July 2010
Thursday 17 June 2010
Improvisation
After reading a post on this very good blog http://studio180dance.com/blog/ I got inspired to write about improvising.
Improvising is a very important thing to teach and a very hard one too. It's one of those things that you have to enjoy doing yourself before you can share it. You also have to be ready, as a teacher, to try and fail a few times before getting it right.
It is important for three main reasons:
-Because it is the best creative tool and it is the best way to create new material. When you find yourself doing the same choreographies year after year maybe it is time to improvise.
-Because it is accessible to everyone.
-Because it can be used for a wide variety of things.
First timers are usually the hardest ones to teach as there is so much for them to discover. You have to convince and reassure them as they will feel very vulnerable. There are two very important rules in improvising:
-no self censoring
-no judging (yourself or others)
Setting an improvisation task requires to have an aim. Concentrating on this aim you can then create any tasks. The most simple one being something like:
lets cross the room (giving a beginning and an end) but we have to stay on the floor (imagine the ceiling is 30cm high).
The aim here is to discover levels (the level of the ceiling can change as we cross the room). We can do the same thing with quality of movement or rhythm, etc.
The aim can be as simple as wanting people to dance. The great thing about improvising is that anyone (I really mean anyone) can do it, if they're willing to. You just have to find ways to make people move.
You can react to something (picture, theme, poem, colour, etc)
You can tell a story
You can place body parts in the space
The possibilities are endless. The only thing you require is an open mind and a bit of imagination.
Every time I lead a creative class with first timers I improvise with them. It helps them feel less self conscious . It is often very rewarding to see people discover how much they like it.
For pros, I concentrate more on how to challenge them. They are used to improvising and they need new tasks and ideas to explore. Most of the time the aims are the same only the process of discovery changes.
As a professional dancer myself, I have rarely worked with a choreographer that hasn't created through improvising. Most choreographers use improvising as a creative tool.
Some will teach you a phrase or combination and then ask you to personalise it. The exploration the dancer goes through, to change the phrase, is an improvisation.
Some will set a task with which you can play.
Some will film you improvising on music and then pick up the movements from the video.
Improvisation is a subject that could be discussed forever. So many books have been written by so many experts. It is worth having a look at them if you're a novice. I would love to chat and exchange ideas on improvisation (tasks, games, etc) so feel free to comment.
Improvising is a very important thing to teach and a very hard one too. It's one of those things that you have to enjoy doing yourself before you can share it. You also have to be ready, as a teacher, to try and fail a few times before getting it right.
It is important for three main reasons:
-Because it is the best creative tool and it is the best way to create new material. When you find yourself doing the same choreographies year after year maybe it is time to improvise.
-Because it is accessible to everyone.
-Because it can be used for a wide variety of things.
First timers are usually the hardest ones to teach as there is so much for them to discover. You have to convince and reassure them as they will feel very vulnerable. There are two very important rules in improvising:
-no self censoring
-no judging (yourself or others)
Setting an improvisation task requires to have an aim. Concentrating on this aim you can then create any tasks. The most simple one being something like:
lets cross the room (giving a beginning and an end) but we have to stay on the floor (imagine the ceiling is 30cm high).
The aim here is to discover levels (the level of the ceiling can change as we cross the room). We can do the same thing with quality of movement or rhythm, etc.
The aim can be as simple as wanting people to dance. The great thing about improvising is that anyone (I really mean anyone) can do it, if they're willing to. You just have to find ways to make people move.
You can react to something (picture, theme, poem, colour, etc)
You can tell a story
You can place body parts in the space
The possibilities are endless. The only thing you require is an open mind and a bit of imagination.
Every time I lead a creative class with first timers I improvise with them. It helps them feel less self conscious . It is often very rewarding to see people discover how much they like it.
For pros, I concentrate more on how to challenge them. They are used to improvising and they need new tasks and ideas to explore. Most of the time the aims are the same only the process of discovery changes.
As a professional dancer myself, I have rarely worked with a choreographer that hasn't created through improvising. Most choreographers use improvising as a creative tool.
Some will teach you a phrase or combination and then ask you to personalise it. The exploration the dancer goes through, to change the phrase, is an improvisation.
Some will set a task with which you can play.
Some will film you improvising on music and then pick up the movements from the video.
Improvisation is a subject that could be discussed forever. So many books have been written by so many experts. It is worth having a look at them if you're a novice. I would love to chat and exchange ideas on improvisation (tasks, games, etc) so feel free to comment.
Tuesday 1 June 2010
Teaching Teenagers
I have had the great pleasure to teach many teenagers and it is by far one of the most challenging things I have done. The challenge lays in many aspects.
The rare times I haven't enjoyed teaching teenagers was when they were forced to come to a dance workshop. I would arrive in a school and have to lead a creative workshop and find out that most of the students didn't know I was coming or had no wish to discover something new. At first I spent the whole workshop trying to get them to do something the way I had planned it but it never really worked. I would often end up with my voice and my energy gone and with a very poor result. I decided to change drastically what I was doing.
The most difficult thing is the beginning. Trying to have them face the same direction and then learn even a small exercise doesn't work. It is far more efficient to have them follow your lead and copy you as best they can. I include all the things I want them to do (weight transfer, pliés, using the breath, etc) but without really mentioning it. I never use any technical terms such as pliés, demi-pointes, etc.
The warm up is now very quick and energetic. A bit like dance on the verge of becoming fitness. I found as well that it is best not to bring attention to a single one of them to soon. So I avoid the "Let's watch Jessy cause she is doing it very well!" sort of thing (under 12 love doing that).
Once they are warm I usually start a creative task but I talk about it in very specific terms. The word "improvisation" doesn't really work. They find it very scary so I replace it by "Moving around" which may seems a bit degrading but it doesn't last long because once they get comfortable with the task I quickly tell them that what they are doing is improvising.
Obviously this is for teenage first timers. I am describing a one off workshop situation, not a group taught on a regular basis. Although I think quite a lot of things can be applied to both.
One of the major things with teens, whether new to dance or not, is the relationship that they have with their bodies, particularly girls. Their bodies are changing fast and they're not comfortable with all these new features. (hair, breasts, spots, etc) So I try not to give creative tasks that use the body as an instrument (measuring space with your limbs, folding unfolding your body into the space, writing your name, etc) but tasks that bring their attention to the outside world (reacting to a colour or picture, copying someone, expressing a feeling, etc).
I haven't had the chance yet to follow the same group for a long time. I have only done it twice, teaching in a dance school for future pros. The thing that I particularly enjoyed was their speed at learning everything. I was able to witness their progress during six months. Of course they were taught all day, everyday, so it is normal to progress fast. But it is something I started noticing in one off workshops as well. The notion (weigh, quality, rhythm, etc) I concentrated on during the workshop felt learnt, more so than with younger groups.
I find that when a teenager is willing to learn, he or she can do it faster than others. The younger ones are not ready yet. I really like Jean Piaget's stages (see Wikipedia) :
-Preoperational stage: from ages 2 to 7 Acquisition of motor skills. Children cannot conserve or use logical thinking.
-Concrete operational stage: from ages 7 to 12 children begin to think logically but are very concrete in their thinking. Children can now conceive and think logically but only with practical aids.
-Formal operational stage: from 12 onwards. Development of abstract reasoning. Children develop abstract thoughts and can easily conceive and think logically in their mind.
To finish I will just say that every time I look into studies about teenagers I find out more. It is a fascinating subject. I am not a specialist on the subject. Please leave some comments and share your experiences on teaching.
The rare times I haven't enjoyed teaching teenagers was when they were forced to come to a dance workshop. I would arrive in a school and have to lead a creative workshop and find out that most of the students didn't know I was coming or had no wish to discover something new. At first I spent the whole workshop trying to get them to do something the way I had planned it but it never really worked. I would often end up with my voice and my energy gone and with a very poor result. I decided to change drastically what I was doing.
The most difficult thing is the beginning. Trying to have them face the same direction and then learn even a small exercise doesn't work. It is far more efficient to have them follow your lead and copy you as best they can. I include all the things I want them to do (weight transfer, pliés, using the breath, etc) but without really mentioning it. I never use any technical terms such as pliés, demi-pointes, etc.
The warm up is now very quick and energetic. A bit like dance on the verge of becoming fitness. I found as well that it is best not to bring attention to a single one of them to soon. So I avoid the "Let's watch Jessy cause she is doing it very well!" sort of thing (under 12 love doing that).
Once they are warm I usually start a creative task but I talk about it in very specific terms. The word "improvisation" doesn't really work. They find it very scary so I replace it by "Moving around" which may seems a bit degrading but it doesn't last long because once they get comfortable with the task I quickly tell them that what they are doing is improvising.
Obviously this is for teenage first timers. I am describing a one off workshop situation, not a group taught on a regular basis. Although I think quite a lot of things can be applied to both.
One of the major things with teens, whether new to dance or not, is the relationship that they have with their bodies, particularly girls. Their bodies are changing fast and they're not comfortable with all these new features. (hair, breasts, spots, etc) So I try not to give creative tasks that use the body as an instrument (measuring space with your limbs, folding unfolding your body into the space, writing your name, etc) but tasks that bring their attention to the outside world (reacting to a colour or picture, copying someone, expressing a feeling, etc).
I haven't had the chance yet to follow the same group for a long time. I have only done it twice, teaching in a dance school for future pros. The thing that I particularly enjoyed was their speed at learning everything. I was able to witness their progress during six months. Of course they were taught all day, everyday, so it is normal to progress fast. But it is something I started noticing in one off workshops as well. The notion (weigh, quality, rhythm, etc) I concentrated on during the workshop felt learnt, more so than with younger groups.
I find that when a teenager is willing to learn, he or she can do it faster than others. The younger ones are not ready yet. I really like Jean Piaget's stages (see Wikipedia) :
-Preoperational stage: from ages 2 to 7 Acquisition of motor skills. Children cannot conserve or use logical thinking.
-Concrete operational stage: from ages 7 to 12 children begin to think logically but are very concrete in their thinking. Children can now conceive and think logically but only with practical aids.
-Formal operational stage: from 12 onwards. Development of abstract reasoning. Children develop abstract thoughts and can easily conceive and think logically in their mind.
To finish I will just say that every time I look into studies about teenagers I find out more. It is a fascinating subject. I am not a specialist on the subject. Please leave some comments and share your experiences on teaching.
Friday 28 May 2010
Reassessment
Reassessing, although very hard, is fundamental.
I find reassessment a brilliant challenge. Every time I question something about my class I start thinking about answers and solutions. Even if I don't reach a conclusion I always feel stronger and more prepared afterwards. It triggers new ideas that I want to try out. It keeps me on my toes. I can not find any good reason why not questioning the way you do things. Obviously, like anything, it is important to do it moderately.
The danger lays in what you do after questioning your class. I noticed that small changes are often the best way to go. It allows you to back track and take an other route if necessary. Sometimes not changing anything is the best option, you only need to try again and observe more. Some students need to hear things more than once, others simply need time.
It is also important to wonder if you have asked yourself the right question.
A student once shared with me the fact that she finds some of my exercises completely useless. If I had been inexperienced I would have simply stop doing these exercises or I would have tried to change them. That's why I think the question has to be carefully asked.
Where does the problem come from? The exercise itself or the fact that I haven't explained why we are doing it? If I have explained why we are doing it, then why did one of my student not get it?
It would be too simple to blame it on youth (she was a teenager), or lack of enthusiasm. It is important that all students understand the information.
In this case asking the right question is very important. You might find that the student wasn't paying attention or that your explanations weren't clear. It's necessary to check all options, always asking:
Could it come from me?
Some of the most interesting moments to question are the successful ones.
Why did it work?
Because once you know why something works then you can push it further and play with it. It is always a shame to find a class that works and keep teaching it the same way for the rest of your career. The students change enormously from one class to the next (age, level, abilities) so we can't teach them all the same way.
To conclude I would say that it is important not to take reassessment as a criticism but as a constructive challenge. At first I thought it was important to always have an answer but I now find that it is better to look for an answer by experimenting with new things. There is no rush to find a solution to a problem. The most important thing is to keep trying to find the solution.
I find reassessment a brilliant challenge. Every time I question something about my class I start thinking about answers and solutions. Even if I don't reach a conclusion I always feel stronger and more prepared afterwards. It triggers new ideas that I want to try out. It keeps me on my toes. I can not find any good reason why not questioning the way you do things. Obviously, like anything, it is important to do it moderately.
The danger lays in what you do after questioning your class. I noticed that small changes are often the best way to go. It allows you to back track and take an other route if necessary. Sometimes not changing anything is the best option, you only need to try again and observe more. Some students need to hear things more than once, others simply need time.
It is also important to wonder if you have asked yourself the right question.
A student once shared with me the fact that she finds some of my exercises completely useless. If I had been inexperienced I would have simply stop doing these exercises or I would have tried to change them. That's why I think the question has to be carefully asked.
Where does the problem come from? The exercise itself or the fact that I haven't explained why we are doing it? If I have explained why we are doing it, then why did one of my student not get it?
It would be too simple to blame it on youth (she was a teenager), or lack of enthusiasm. It is important that all students understand the information.
In this case asking the right question is very important. You might find that the student wasn't paying attention or that your explanations weren't clear. It's necessary to check all options, always asking:
Could it come from me?
Some of the most interesting moments to question are the successful ones.
Why did it work?
Because once you know why something works then you can push it further and play with it. It is always a shame to find a class that works and keep teaching it the same way for the rest of your career. The students change enormously from one class to the next (age, level, abilities) so we can't teach them all the same way.
To conclude I would say that it is important not to take reassessment as a criticism but as a constructive challenge. At first I thought it was important to always have an answer but I now find that it is better to look for an answer by experimenting with new things. There is no rush to find a solution to a problem. The most important thing is to keep trying to find the solution.
New blog about dance teaching
After a thorough research on the web trying to find a blog about dance teaching I decided to start my own. I am intending to use it as a place to share my thoughts and experiences on teaching contemporary dance. I am a freelance dancer living in London and I teach on a regular basis in between my dancing contracts. I can not pretend to be an expert in pedagogy but it is a subject that fascinates me. I will try to tell you about my mistakes and successes. I mainly teach technical classes but also creative workshops and every summer I train future teachers in basic anatomy. Please feel free to comment or argue against anything you read. Debating is one of my favourite hobby. Questioning and reassessing are two very important things in order to be a good teacher. And this will be the subject of my first post.
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