|
 Figure
It Out
By
Debbie Werbrouck
Teach
your students to analyze and question and they’ll end up as
thinking dancers
There’s a
saying among dog trainers: You can teach a dog to do anything—
you just have to be smarter than the dog. I’m not equating
teaching dance to training dogs, but the saying brings up some
good questions about educational goals and methods.
As
educators, we’re not only providing our students with
knowledge, we’re also teaching them how to learn and how to
use that knowledge. Teaching students to think on their feet,
so to speak, not only helps them in dance but carries over
into other areas of life as well.
Certainly
repetition and drills will produce an end result, but is it
the one we want? How do we produce technically trained,
thinking dancers who not only have the ability to perform
choreography but can also “figure it out?”
College
freshmen whose primary dance experience is performing
sometimes are uncomfortable working through other levels and
types of experiences. Patricia Cohen, adjunct faculty in the
Dance Education Program at
New York
University’s Steinhardt School of Education, begins her course
with questions that make students start the thinking process.
Questions like “Why do you dance?” “What is your instrument?”
and “What are you trying to tell your audience?” make dancers
dig a little deeper.
Of course,
students like to stay in their comfort zone and deal with the
familiar, but educators know that struggling through new
situations is a good exercise. It usually uncovers clearer
thinking and a better understanding of the problem or concept
as well as allowing creativity to flow.
Tom
Ralabate, associate professor at the University at
Buffalo,
believes that educators can help students with a carefully
designed syllabus and a creative approach to problem solving.
His articles in the August, October, and November 2006 issues
of Goldrush magazine provide information that can guide
educators in their endeavors. To develop the thinking dancer,
he designed clinics that focus on turns, leaps, jazz walks,
adage, and so on. On the clinic day he does a short warm-up
and then gets right to the task and topic so that there is no
loss of focus. The elements of the clinic are discussed and
students then apply the theory. Ralabate says, “In a turn
clinic, students will learn about the line of gravity in doing
turns. They will apply the theory and practical exercises to
their own dance identity first by doing and second by
reflecting on it through a short written assessment.” The
students also share and discuss ideas in small groups and as a
whole.
Evaluating
both live and recorded choreography with the instructor as a
guide is another method many educators use to grow dancers.
Comparing the elements of various works broadens both the mind
and the eye. Comparing and contrasting several genres of
dance, as well as movements done in various styles, can
inspire creativity.
Another aid
to learning is the experience of teaching others. Accomplished
educators look back on their own growth and, in addition to
their education, can attribute a portion of their proficiency
to learning through teaching. How many times have we heard
teachers say that they have learned as much from their
students as their students have learned from them? This can
also be a tool for student education.
Mature
students can be paired to work with each other, taking turns
“teaching” a movement or combination or offering
recommendations on how to have a student improve the
performance of the movement or combination. Of course, care
should be taken not to let the exercise become a list of
critical comments. Suggesting that the student “teacher” is a
director or artist and that the student “demonstrator” is the
subject or medium that will demonstrate the “teacher’s” level
of expertise usually takes the exercise out of the personal or
critical realms.
This
exercise can also be applied to younger students. Asking
students to fix a movement or pose that has deliberately been
demonstrated incorrectly develops their awareness of the
p roblems
and encourages them to avoid those mistakes. This exercise can
also be a good indication of which students have a strong
understanding of the concepts and which ones need additional
support.
Providing
dancers with the opportunity to create their own work and
teach it to others is an enlightening activity that all
sectors seem to use. Julie Bodle, the assistant director and a
30-year veteran teacher at my studio, Debbie Werbrouck’s
School of Dance in Osceola, IN, gave all 60 of the dancers in
the school’s student performance group a summer assignment to
create a one-minute piece. After having their music choices
approved, the dancers had total control of the number of
performers, the costume design concept, and the choreography.
The results surprised everyone. The teachers were amazed at
the creativity and quality of many of the works, and the
dancers gained a newfound respect for the effort that goes
into creating choreography and the patience required to work
with others.
Cathie
Kasch, who teaches at girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga,
TN, says that working with guest artists helps her students
find the motivation needed for their own choreography.
Different choreographic styles give students the exposure they
need in order to expand their movement vocabulary; plus, it
sparks new ideas. Having creative responsibilities and
deadlines also teaches students what it takes to produce a
work.
How about
teaching younger students? What can be done to help them
“figure it out”? By including creativity and imagination in
early-childhood curriculums and continuing to incorporate them
into classes as the children progress, educators help students
develop a better feeling and understanding for the movements
they are given or that they create on their own. A philosophy
and set of goals for dance education in early childhood, which
can serve as guides for educators, is available from the UNITY
website,
www.unitydance.org.
Students
develop problem-solving skills when they are presented with a
challenge, even something as simple as “How can you get from
your place to center stage by moving from a high level to a
low level, or from low to high?” Or “Describe how this
movement (or music) makes you feel.” Answering the questions
verbally requires the students to assess the task or problem
and analyze their options rather than simply reacting
physically.
Although
students must learn the basic movements and vocabulary of a
dance form, they should learn more than rote steps. Even at a
beginning level, elements of history and musicality can foster
the understanding that dance has many layers. For example,
talking about how ballet began as the dance of royalty and
then “announcing” each prince and princess as they make an
entrance into a grand ball encourages the students to use
their imaginations. They gain a love of dance because it makes
them feel special—and the exercise provides the bonus of
producing elegant “ballet walks.”
The old
“call and answer” in tap can be implemented in classes
starting in early childhood, with clapping or the use of
rhythm sticks. This helps students learn with two senses,
visual and auditory. As they progress they can create rhythms
with which to lead the class, again encouraging personal
development.
Who are
your dancers and what is the end goal for them? Will they
dance in professional companies or Broadway shows or on cruise
ships? Will they be choreographers or educators? Are they
recreational dancers who enjoy the physical fun and mental
stimulation of dance class? How can you address each student’s
learning style and provide skills that are applicable in
different situations? By looking at the desired end result,
educators can design syllabuses and techniques that build
thinking dancers.
LEARNING
GAMES
Exercises
and games can provide tools for development while keeping the
crucial element of fun. These examples provide a starting
point from which teachers can create their own variations.
Though appropriate for young dancers, they shouldn’t be
restricted to them. These activities can break tension,
stimulate creativity, and remind dancers of any age that
enjoyment is a big part of the dance experience.
•
Students select a movement or short combination from a hat or
create their own to combine with those of other students. They
then learn to work cooperatively to produce a finished dance.
•
Students are paired together to produce first a mirror image
of their partner’s movement and then the opposing movement:
slow/fast, high/low, port de bras/leg movements.
•
Students play an “add-on” game in which each contributes a
movement to a series. In turn, the dancers must perform all
the movements contributed thus far, then add on their own.
•
Students are given one combination to be interpreted in
various ways that are dictated by assigned music, the
depiction of a celebrity personality, or other constraints.
•
Students are asked to reverse or invert the components of a
combination or do it in a different direction. movements.
•
Students play an “add-on” game in which each contributes a
movement to a series. In turn, the dancers must perform all
the movements contributed thus far, then add on their own.
•
Students are given one combination to be interpreted in
various ways that are dictated by assigned music, the
depiction of a celebrity personality, or other constraints.
•
Students are asked to reverse or invert the components of a
combination or do it in a different direction.
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