Words Without Dance

Canada Day Celebrates Through Dance!

2009-06-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

Take advantage of some free family events this Canada Day! Many events have various free multicultural style dance performances throughout the day! Did I mention they're FREE?!

Coquitlam Celebrates Dance Day Check out Bhangra, African Fusion, First Nations, Korean, Shakti, Ballet, and Chinese dance styles.

Canada Day at Canada Place Let's Dance Canada! Featuring Arassay & Izaak from So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Vancouver Academy of Dance, BC Cultural Bhangra Academy

Canada Day on Robson Brazilian music and dance ensemble Ache Brasil

Canada Day on Granville Island Stilt dancers, multicultural dance performances

North Vancouver Canada Day Pro Arte Dancers, maypole dancing

Steveston Salmon Festival Thai Dance Company

Across the Floor: Turns and Jumps

2009-05-12T20:51:00.001-07:00

TURNS AND JUMPS (across the floor) by Deanna Marrello
INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED

Counts Body, Legs, Feet Arms
1 (facing front) Step side second
2-4 Pas de boure Prepare for turn (4th)
5-6 Chene turn Open, close to first
7-8 Step to parallel 4th Stay in first
1 & 2 Kick ball change Open to second, carry to 4th
3-4 Pirouette first
5-6 chasse “L” shape (opposition)
7-8 Step, grand jete Swing down, and back up (opposition)

Across the Floor Intermediate: Pique Turns

2009-05-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

Sequencing/ Transitions/ Locomotor by Deanna Marrello

PIQUE TURNS (across the floor, sequencing exercise)
INTERMEDIATE

Counts Body, Legs, Feet Arms
1 Step side second
2-4 Pas de bouree Prepare for turn (4th)
5-6 Pique turn Open, close
7-8 Pique turn Open, close

REPEAT UNTIL DANCERS ARE ALL THE WAY ACROSS FLOOR

Reverse

Evolution of Dance Video

2009-05-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

Who says you need to be a pro to entertain? Check this video out!

Perception Video

2009-05-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

This video demonstrates the limits of perception. An interesting video that can be used in any class:)

Across the Floor Turns

2009-05-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

Crossfloor Exercise: TURNS by Shannon Tirling!
Introduction to Chaine and Pique Turns

Commence: (Stage Left) Ballet first, arms in bras bas
Preparation: Rise to demi-pointe, arms to first 7-8

Counts Body, Legs, Feet Arms
1 Small step right with right foot staying on demi-pointe Arms in first
2 Step together with left ~ stay on demi-pointe
3 Small step right with right foot staying on demi-pointe
4 Step over with left (single chaine) OR ste together without a turn
5 Small step right with right foot staying on demi-pointe
6Coupe under right leg with left,
release right leg to degage
position with a straight leg off the floor de cote.
Left leg in plie Left arm opens to second (Arms now in third with right in front)
7 Pique to turned out retire without a turn
OR Pique turn to right with left leg in retire
Arms first
8Coupe under right leg with left,
release right leg to degage position with a
straight leg off the floor de cote. Left leg in plie Left arm opens to second
(Arms now in third with right in front)
1-8
Repeat
Repeat

Modern Jazz Choreography and Performance Evaluation

2009-05-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Rubric for Dance
Created by Kim Meredith

Student: _____________________

Modern Jazz Dance Choreography and Performance Evaluation

Participation in-class during the preparation process:
5 4 3 2 1
Enthusiastic Willing Unwilling

Commitment to the choreography process:
5 4 3 2 1
Active: offered ideas Willing to build on others’ ideas Passive/unwilling

Dance memory skills:
5 4 3 2 1
Complete Most steps remembered Few steps remembered

Performance dynamics (energy):
5 4 3 2 1
Effective Dynamics Appropriate dynamics Low energy

Performance style:
5 4 3 2 1
Outstanding/effective Some style shown Little attempt at style

Performance technique and rhythm:
5 4 3 2 1
All steps accurate Most steps accurate Few steps accurate

Stage presence:
5 4 3 2 1
Outstanding/confident Comfortable Did not perform

Reflection:
5 4 3 2 1
Complete and insightful Accurate Little reflection

Choreography: manipulation of time, space, and dynamics
5 4 3 2 1
Effective Meets all criteria Does not meet

Understanding of principles of choreography demonstrated
5 4 3 2 1
Complete and insightful Accurate Misunderstanding

Lesson: Intermediate Jazz Progressions

2009-05-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a great entry by Deanna Marrello on various jazz progressions that you can incorporate into an intermediate dance class. These can of course be adjusted to all levels. You can reconfigure this information into a table or other preferred format.

Alignment/ Posture
INTERMEDIATE

Begin in parallel position (check alignment: shoulders, hips, knees, ankles stacked, and center engaged)

Bring right foot to coupe, and beat against leg 8 times
Lift to full passé, and beat against leg 8 times

Lower to coupe- 4 counts
Passse- 4 counts

Coupe- 2 ** arms in first throughout
Passe- 2

Coupe- 1
Passé-1
(x2)

From passé, pulse the leg higher (4 times), rise lower, and extend to the front, lower and close through tendue using the floor.
**arms to second, as leg extends front

Repeat on the left

Sequencing/ Transitions/ Locomotor
PIQUE TURNS (across the floor, sequencing exercise)
INTERMEDIATE
Counts
Body, Legs, Feet
Arms
1
Step side
second
2-4
Pas de bouree
Prepare for turn (4th)
5-6
Pique turn
Open, close
7-8
Pique turn
Open, close
REPEAT UNTIL DANCERS ARE ALL THE WAY ACROSS FLOOR
Reverse

TURNS AND JUMPS (across the floor)
INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED
Counts Body, Legs, Feet Arms
1 (facing front) Step side second
2-4 Pas de boure Prepare for turn (4th)
5-6 Chene turn Open, close to first
7-8 Step to parallel 4th Stay in first
1 & 2 Kick ball change Open to second, carry to 4th
3-4 Pirouette first
5-6 chasse “L” shape (opposition)
7-8 Step, grand jete Swing down, and back up (opposition)

Strength/ Flexibility
Partner stretch (hamstrings):
One partner lies on their back, with shoulders and hips aligned on the floor. The other partner stands above, straddling their partner’s body. The person on the floor hugs one knee into chest and extends the leg toward the ceiling. The person standing holds their partner’s leg and ensures that the knee is stretched, toe is pointed, and both hips remain on the floor. Partner holds this stretch at a place where the person feels slight tension. After about 20 seconds, the person on the floor resists against their partner for ten seconds, before they relax the muscle and allow the leg to be stretched further (closer to the floor). Repeat this three times, each time gradually stretching leg closer to the floor. Repeat on both sides, and switch partners.
Ø Using resistance in any position is a great way to increase flexibility.
Ø Partner stretching encourages listening skills (between partners) and trust among students in class

Gravity Pull:
Students find a ‘piece of wall’, and lie flat on their backs, bum against the wall, legs perpendicular. Using gravity, allow legs to drop open into a second position split against the wall. The teacher circulates around the classroom and very gently pushes both heels closer to the floor, increasing the split. Allow students to stay in this stretch for at least 2-3 minutes. In order to safely come out of this deep stretch, have students bring one leg in and roll over to one side on the floor. They should not ‘pop’ out of this position, or jump up into standing until the muscles relax and return to a comfortable place.

Abdominal/ Core Exercise
Students lie on their stomachs and lift upper body to hold onto ankles (rocking horse) HOLD THIS POSITION FOR 4 COUNTS IN MUSIC
Release grasp and quickly roll onto tailbone, creating a “V” shape with upper body and lower body (jack-knife position). HOLD FOR 4 COUNTS IN MUSIC
Continue exercise rolling from front to back in these positions, for as many repetitions as possible. I usually try about 8-10 with my students. This is a full core work-out!!

Turns
PIROUETTES (jazz)
BEGIN: Feet in parallel position, arms held at sides
BEGINNER (Intro to Pirouttes)

Counts Body, Legs, Feet Arms
1-2 Passe First
3-4 Return to parallel Lower
5-6 Repeat passe First
7-8 Lower Hold in first
1-2 Tendue side (parallel) Extend to jazz second
3-4 Preparation in 4th parallel Jazz 4th (“L” shape)
5-6 Passe First
7-8 Lower Lower

BEGINNER 2 (Intro to Pirouttes )
Repeat above exercise, coming to rise on each passé

INTERMEDIATE (single turn)
Repeat above exercise, completing a single pirouette on the final passé (in the second count of 8)

ADVANCED (double turn)
Repeat above exercise, completing a double pirouette on the final passé (in the second count of 8)

Beginner: Running Drill to Improve Dynamics

2009-05-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a beginner level running drill to improve dynamics by Sonya O'Neill!

Beginner: running drill to improve dynamics

Preparation: students organized in 2 – 6 lines prepared to run across the floor. The goal is to keep the students moving so the more groups you can fit safely in your space, the better.

1st Cross: students run across the floor in a straight line as fast as they can, followed by the next group as soon as the previous group reaches the opposite side. If there is not very much waiting time, they can remain on that side and then begin to run back as soon as the last group has crossed.

2nd Cross: the next time they run all the way across the floor as fast as they can, change direction and run back to the middle, then change direction and run all the way off in the direction they first started. This time, the proceeding group will begin to run as soon as the preceding group first reaches the opposite side. This means that both groups will approach each other in the middle from opposite directions and will then accompany each other to the opposite side. This challenges the students to improve their spatial awareness of each other and to change direction efficiently…the second group, as they don’t have to change direction on the first cross, will be faster and will help push and lead the first group as they finish.

Tips:
this kind of exertion usually helps the students to “throw” themselves more effectively into following exercises and to use more dynamic energy in doing so. They usually become less self-conscious and cross the “sweat” threshold if they haven’t already done so
students must already be warmed up
barefoot is safest for grip and to prevent slipping
teachers can count groups in or, to encourage teamwork and rhythm, students can be responsible for counts once they are capable of doing so. However, the main goal is for them to push themselves as hard as possible, so do not let this be sacrificed
once students become used to the exercise, you can make it more challenging by adding jumps, turns, and/or a pushup to the middle

Jazz Progressions by Lyndsay!

2009-05-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Here's another list of jazz progressions by Lyndsay Hotell that you can incorporate into your everyday lesson plan!

Alignment/Posture

Floor warm-up with posture and alignment

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, hands placed gently on the knees, pulling the spine up nice and tall, shoulders back and down and closing the eyes. Take a deep breath in and while exhaling curling the back towards the wall behind, letting the head and shoulders relax, stay for an inhale and while exhaling leaning the body forward over the feet, letting the head and shoulders relax. Stay here while taking a deep breath in, while exhaling, elongate the spine to a sitting position one vertebrae at a time, with the head and shoulders to be the last parts that elongate. Bring body back to the beginning position. (Spine tall, shoulders back and down) Begin consecutive repetitions with a deep breath. Repeat as desired (at least 4 repetitions)

Plie’s

*Perform exercise in first, second, third, fourth and fifth positions
* Use a dance bar or equivalent when introducing this exercise

Start in a standing position with toes turned out and heels touching. Standing with spine tall, shoulders pulled back and down, engage abdominal muscles. Bend the knees and lower body towards the floor, keeping knees inline with toes. Do not allow the body to lean forward. Be sure to keep the spine elongated, abdominals engaged and buttocks tucked under the pelvis. Squeeze though the heels as you push back up to a standing position. Do not lock the knees at the top, keep them slightly bent.

At least 4 repetitions should be done in all positions.
· Bend for two counts, straighten for two counts (Suggested timing)

Transitions (sequencing movements)

Variations on across the floor exercises

1. Sashay, pas de bourree, pirouette (on both left and right side)
* Both directions across the floor – repeat as many times as desired

2. Shenay turn, pique turn, axel jump (on both left and right side)
* Both directions across the floor – repeat as many times as desired

*To make this more difficult, combine both exercises into one

Strength/Flexibility

Flexibility:

A. Practice the splits (center, left leg, right leg)
a. Do not push legs further than they will go without pain

B. Sitting on the floor, extend legs out in opposite directions. Bring pelvis as far forward as it is comfortable. Keeping spine elongated, hinge at the waist and lower chest to the floor. Aim chin towards the floor. Keep feet turned up towards the ceiling. Hold this position for sixty seconds. Inch pelvis forward and repeat.

C.
1. From a kneeling position, lift right leg forward and straighten it. Slide the heel of the right leg forward as far as comfortable. Lean body over right leg and place hands on the floor to help stabilize body. Hold the stretch for 60 seconds.
2. Bring the foot of the front leg to the floor, keeping knee bent and hands on the floor. Place the toes of the back leg on the floor and slide leg into a straight position. Elongate leg as far as it remains comfortable. Hold position for 60 seconds.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the opposite legs.
4. Repeat entire stretch, aim to push legs a little farther each time
5. Now repeat step 1, attempting to keep both legs straight as the pelvis is lowered to the floor. Only lower pelvis as far as it is comfortable. Be very careful not to push the body further than it is able to go, this may result in injury to the groin area.

Strength:

Plank exercise:

1. Bring body to kneeling position.
2. Bend arms at elbows at 90 degrees and place on the floor in front of knees, as if to do a push up with the elbows.
3. Place legs, one foot at a time behind body in a push up position.
4. Engage abdominals and keep body completely straight – like a plank. Do not drop neck or lift pelvis. Body must be a straight line. Hold position for 60 seconds (or as long as desired).
5. Repeat exercise and increase the time held.

Toe raises:

1. Place feet should width apart.
2. Keep heels firmly on the ground and raise up toes. (Take two counts to raise)
3. Keep upper body relaxed, yet maintain balance, posture and alignment.
4. Lower toes (two counts)
5. Repeat as desired (At least 10 repetitions)

Heal raises:

1. Place feet shoulder width apart.
2. Keep goes firmly on the ground and raise heels slowly up off the floor. (Take two counts)
3. Keep upper body relaxed, yet maintain balance, posture and alignment.
4. Hold position for two counts (Up 1, 2, hold 3, 4, down 5, 6)
5. Lower heels (two counts)
6. Repeat as desired (At least 10 repetitions)

Turns

Shenay turns:

1. Begin facing forward with right leg extended forward, toes pointed. Arms in an “L” position with the left arm directly out to the side and right arm forward above the right leg.2. Be sure to keep proper posture and alignment.
3. Step out on the ball of the right foot, turning body to the right, bring the left foot in to meet the right foot and brining the left arm in to meet the right arm. Turn on the balls of feet.
3. Complete turn facing the same direction as started and in starting position.
4. Repeat across the floor.
5. Repeat on opposite side, with the left leg.

Pirouette turns: Pirouettes in a box (quarter turn each turn)

A)

1. Stand with right leg extended toward the back, foot pointed. Arms in an “L” shape with the left arm directly out to the side and the right arm forward (opposite arm to leg)
2. Bend both legs, weight centered, lower pelvis.
3. Use the floor to push off of. Rise up onto the ball of the left foot, bringing the back foot up to the front leg. Bring the left arm to mirror the right arm (first position), and make a quarter turn to the right.
4. Lower feet to the floor
5. Repeat to face the back, other side and back to the front.
6. Repeat to turn the other direction.
7. Repeat exercise as desired
B)

1. Repeat steps 1-4 making a half turn (two turns, one to face back, on to face front)
2. Repeat turning in both directions.

C)

1. Repeat steps 1-4 making a full turn.
2. Repeat turning in both directions.

Jumps

Grand Jete

1. A sashay may be used to prepare for the jete.
2. Push off the floor with the left foot and extend the right leg straight out in front of the body and the left leg directly behind the body. The legs should be as close to the splits in the air.
3. Point toes hard.
4. Left arm should be straight out in front at shoulder height and right arm out to the side (“L” Position)
5. Repeat using the right leg forward.

*This can be done as an across the floor exercise combined with a preparation step.

Jazz Progressions by Kathleen!

2009-05-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a detailed "map"of progressions that could be used in a jazz or modern unit by Kathleen Gilbert

ALIGNMENT * Balance, Posture, Breath

arm strength/position for port de bras
a) place your fists side-by-side, grasping a thera-band
b) stretch arms straight in front of you with shoulders pressed down
c) maintaining arm/shoulders, pull fists as far apart as possible (they’ll probably only go ~ 2”)
d) maintaining thera-band pull, rotate fists/arms to the proper arm curve
e) release thera-band but maintain arm position

RHYTHM * Musicality, Dynamics
· clap and count rhythms as a class
o numbers (ex. 1 2 3&4)
o ta-tee tee (ex. tah-tah-tee tee-tah)
o quick-slow (ex. slow-slow-quick-quick-slow)

EVEN Rhythm patterns
Half note 1 3 5 7 (half time)
Quarter note 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Eighth note 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 & 7 & 8 & (double time)
Twelfth notes 1 & a 2 & a 3 & a 4 & a 5 & a 6 & a 7 & a 8 & a (triplet)
Sixteenths 1&&a2&&a3&&a4&&a5&&a6&&a7&&a8&&a (quadruplets)

Syncopated Rhythm Patterns (quarter & eighth)
Combinations 1&2 3&4 5&6 7&8
1 2 3 4 5&6 7&8
1&2 3 4 5&6 7 8
1 2&3 4 5&6 7 8&
1&2 3 (4) 5&6 7 (8)

Build a movement pattern to a 4 or 8 count rhythm
· as a class
· individually
o pass the rhythm along the line/circle
o connect the student choreo phrases together

Cannon (as a class)
· even note rhythm ~ single count each
· even note rhythm ~ 2 counts each
· even note rhythm ~ 4 counts each
o 4 counts each…overlapping cannon (dancers start 1,3,5,7, but each dance 4 counts)

SEQUENCING * Transitions, Travelling
Chasse/Gallup
- one foot stays in front the whole time
- switching feet (there is NOT a jump to switch feet)
- add opposition arms in an L

Pas de Bouree
- 3 steps (behind-side-centre)
- add arms in opposition
- speed up the tempo so there is spring to change feet
- turn every 4th pas de bouree under
- 2 straight, 2 turning
- Turn every pas de bouree

STRENGTH & FLEXIBILITY

TURNS
Pirouette (en d’hors)
PARALLEL
- prep 2nd, 4th rear, pull to balance in parallel passé position
- prep 2nd, 4th rear, passe with half turn outside
- prep 2nd, 4th rear, full turn
TURNED OUT
- same sequence…especially holding passé in a balance to ensure hip alignment
FROM 3rd/5th
- prep 2nd, 5th, passé hold
- prep 2nd, 5th, pirouette in passe

Coupe Turns (from 3rd/5th)
- plié/releve on LF – one RF coupe, 1 outside pirouette (X4)

OR - plié, releve on LF – RF to coupe X4
- plié, releve on LF with full turn outside RF in coupe X4

Chase Coupe (travelling)
Level 1 - plié/chase RF to RS (to parallel 2nd), disassemble onto LF with RF in coupe
- travel this all the way across the floor
Level 2 – with the same chase-coupe feet, do 3 facing front & turn the 4th one outside (R shoulder goes back)
Level 3 – alternate 1 front, 1 turn
Level 4 – turn all 4
Level 5 – add arms (same arm as coupe leg) open 1st to 2nd on the chase, circle up to 5th on the jump

JUMPS
Spotting – (with jumps)
- feet parallel 1st throughout
4 jumps = ¼ turn, ¼ turn, ¼ turn, ½ turn
Repeat 4 times to making 16 jumps and 5 complete turns

LEVELS

Jumping Exercise by Shannon!

2009-05-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a level 2 exercise, although could be used for advanced and beginner dancers too by Shannon Tirling! It's a saute (jumping) exercise. The counts are broken up with body/legs/feet, and arms.

Centre Practice: JUMPS
Sautes in First and Second with Demi Plie and Rise

Commence: Feet in ballet first en face, Arms in bras bas
Preparation: Arms breath 5-6, back to bras bas 7-8

Counts /Body, Legs, Feet/ Arms
1 Demi plie Remain in bras bas throughout
2 Stretch
3 Rise
4 Lower
5-8 Repeat
1 Plie
2 Rise
3-4, 5-6, 7-8 Repeat 3 times
1 Plie
2-8, 1-5 Twelve sautés in first (one count each)
6-7 Saute to ballet second
8 Stretch
1 Plie
2-8, 1-6 Thirteen sautés in second
7-8 Saute to first (remain in indulged plie)
1-2 Stretch Arms from bras bas to first
3-4 Rise Arms from first to fifth
5-8 Lower to ballet first Arms through second to finish in bras bas

Modern Jazz Positions and Steps by Sonya!

2009-05-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here's another template by Sonya O'Neill.

Modern Jazz Positions and Steps
Evaluation

Name: ____________________

2 = demonstrated accurately
1 = inconsistent or partially demonstrated
0 = not attempted or not demonstrated

Position or Step
Mark
Comment
Positions 1 - 6

Plié

Relevé

Tendu

Battement

Rondes de jambe

Stretch

Turn

Jazz lunge

Comments:

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Attitude Evalution for Salsa

2009-05-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

Rating Scale for Attitude as Performer and Participant: Salsa Unit by Sonia O'Neill

Name: ____________________

1. Arrives on time:
5 4 3 2 1
always usually rarely

2. Wears dance strip:
5 4 3 2 1
always usually rarely

3. Participates in dance space set-up:
5 4 3 2 1
always usually rarely

4. Is responsible for absences and missed work:
5 4 3 2 1
always/not applicable usually rarely

5. Willingly engages in all activities:
5 4 3 2 1
enthusiastic—may lead willing—reliably follows lead reluctant

6. Shows energy and effort in executing tasks and assignments:
5 4 3 2 1
works hard completes requirements needs supervision

7. Perseveres and concentrates:
5 4 3 2 1
self-motivated needs some encouragement easily discouraged

8. Commits to improving; seeks and accepts feedback:
5 4 3 2 1
self-evaluates, sets goals self-evaluates, sets goals if prompted little sense of direction/personal standards

9. Supports other dancers with encouragement and positive feedback:
5 4 3 2 1
sensitive, supportive accepting unaware, uninterested

Salsa Concepts and Steps: Self-Evaluation

2009-05-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a Salsa Self-Evaluation template by Sonya O'Neill. I have condensed the information to save space, but you can alter it to your specifications.

Salsa Concepts and Steps
Self-Evaluation

Name: ____________________

2 = demonstrated accurately
1 = inconsistent or partially demonstrated
0 = not attempted or not demonstrated

Concept or Step
leader
follower
total

Position: open

Position: closed

Connection: compression

Connection: leverage

Basic

Angled basic

Underarm turn

Shine/chase

New Yorker

Cross body lead

Side to side/cumbia

Forearm spin

Cuddle/sweetheart

Minidip

Waistwrap

Other:

Other:

Other:

Comments:

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Salsa Concepts and Steps: Teacher Evaluation

2009-05-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a teacher evaluation template for salsa by Sonya O'Neill, but it can be used for other types of dance as well. I condensed the template to save space, but it can be altered to your specifications.

Salsa Concepts and Steps
Teacher Evaluation

Name: ____________________

2 = demonstrated accurately
1 = inconsistent or partially demonstrated
0 = not attempted or not demonstrated

Concept or Step
leader
follower
total

Position: open

Position: closed

Connection: compression

Connection: leverage

Basic

Angled basic

Underarm turn

Chene/chase

New Yorker

Cross body lead

Side to side/cumbia

Forearm spin

Cuddle/sweetheart

Minidip

Waistwrap

Other:

Other:

Other:

Comments:

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Salsa Routine Assignment

2009-05-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Salsa Routine Assignment by Sonia O'Neill

transform a dance sequence
create and demonstrate a dance sequence in a chosen genre or style and for a given purpose
demonstrate dance movements in the appropriate style for the chosen genre or choreography

In groups of four, manipulate Salsa steps and sequences in order to create a performance piece to share with the class. This performance piece may be included in a larger piece to be performed in public.

1 minute minimum
includes open and closed positions
includes all the steps we have learned
each step may be repeated a maximum of 2 times before changing to a different step (however, once you have changed, you may go back and repeat the old step)
a clear beginning
a clear ending

partners may switch
up to 15 seconds may be a “non-Salsa” intro
up to 15 seconds may be “un-partnered”

Roles:
All students are responsible for creating the body of the choreography.
Dance 11 and 12 students are responsible for developing the introduction and conclusion and making the final decisions on these parts.
Dance 11 and 12 students will show leadership in encouraging others to participate in the creative process and in providing positive feedback to all members of their group.

Beginner: Travel Step with Pirouette Turn

2009-05-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a beginner + lesson on a simple travel step with pirouette turn sequence by Sonya O'Neill!

Preparation: positioned ready to step forward on right foot on 1 count; arms wide and parallel to floor to support upper body and balance; focus forward in direction of travel

Count 1: step forward on right foot; maintain arm position

Count 2: step forward on diagonal to left with left foot; maintain arm position

Count 3 and: step forward with right foot and begin preparation for pirouette by
bending both legs slightly, weight mostly on right foot with balance supported by left
bringing left arm forward in a curve in front of diaphragm to create a semicircle

Count 4: turn on the spot to the left by simultaneously
bringing left foot pointed to knee so that from the front the leg appears to be next to and in line with right leg; hold this position until the next count
straightening right leg and rising on the ball of right foot
bringing right arm in a curve in front of diaphragm to complete circle in front of body
continuing to maintain focus in the forward direction by keeping eyes and head looking forward for long as possible and then quickly turning head in a complete circle to regain focus forward

Count 5: step forward on right foot; arms comfortable at side

Count 6: step forward on left foot; arms comfortable at side

Count 7: step forward on right foot; arms comfortable at side

Count 8: step forward on left foot; arms wide to prepare for repeating exercise

Tips:
this exercise can be repeated on the left side by reversing the positioning
student must already be comfortable with pirouette turns without travelling
keeping arms in a circular shape in front of the body and not letting them collapse inwards or downwards is critical for beginners and helps with balance and momentum
holding the foot next to the knee for a whole count can be challenging if balance is not maintained
spotting is essential in order to prevent dizziness and maintain directional focus
adjusting music speed can help make the exercise easier or more difficult as fast music needs to be kept up with, but slow music requires better balance and control

Beginner: Flexibility and Alignment

2009-05-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Another lesson on beginner seated side stretches for flexibility and alignment by Sonia O'Neill!

Preparation 1: seated on the floor with legs crossed comfortably; hands resting on knees; spine straight with head and chin aligned; focus forward

Preparation 2: 4 Counts 8 or more: focus on aligned spine, relaxed shoulders, legs and hip flexors, breathing deeply and regularly
* students may use small cushion or folded garment under their butt or knees in order to support alignment and comfort

1st Count 8: lift right arm over head, reaching fingers to sky; rest left hand, palm up, on left thigh close to knee

2nd Count 8: torso bends up and over to left side; right hand reaches diagonally to the left; left hand supports upper body weight

3rd Count 8: torso returns to original position

4th Count 8: arms return to original position

5th to 8th Counts 8: repeat on other side

Repeat 1st and 2nd Counts 8 again. Then continue with:

3rd Count 8: from side stretch gently curve upper torso forward until it hangs in a curve; both arms gently come forward to rest on the floor

4th Count 8: roll body up to sitting position, starting with the base of spine and finishing with the head; rest hands once more on knees

Tips:
shoulders remain down, keeping distance between them and head at all times
spine (including head and neck) maintains straight line, then gentle curve sideways and in the second exercise curves gently forward
sitbones are rooted to the floor, especially during side stretch and forward stretch
it may be helpful for students to imagine their spine is spiraling slightly to the ceiling in the side stretch
students may need to be reminded to breathe regularly and to relax shoulders and legs
students may also need to be reminded not to push themselves too hard as this is an alignment and flexibility exercise that will then support further development in other exercises
this exercise may be adjusted for each stretch to last longer…up to ten breaths
this exercise can be made more challenging by:
straightening the legs and opening them as wide as comfortably possible
stretching sideways until reaching the foot with raised arm
using opposite arm to support from the floor (not the thigh)

Beginner: Travelling Prances and Turning Jumps

2009-05-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

Another dance exercise entry on travelling and turning jumps by Sonya O'Neill!

Preparation: standing position with spine straight and neck and head aligned; left foot extended off the floor, toes pointing (and almost touching or just touching floor) so that from the front the leg and foot appear to be next to and in line with right leg; right leg slightly bent forward; hands placed on hips; focus forward in direction of travel

Count 1: gently push up through a rise on the right leg and drop onto the left raised leg; as you shift weight, extend right foot so that it peels off the floor and bring it forward in order to “travel”; right foot is now extended off floor with toes pointed down and in line with left leg

Counts 2, 3, 4: repeat alternating steps

Count 5: this time as you transfer weight use the bent leg to propel your body up; as you jump rotate your legs outwards in the hip socket, bring both legs together, straightening and pointing toes as you do so; land starting with your toes and moving through your feet and bending your legs until both your legs create an open diamond and your feet are turned outward in a V on the floor; this step does not “travel” very much

Counts 6, 7, 8: repeat the jump turning 1 quarter turn to the right each time

Count 9: start exercise over by simultaneously turning 1 quarter turn to the right and transferring weight to right foot while prancing with the left; the turns will be to the left this time

Tips:
keep the hips still and level on horizontal line at all times
in the jumps make sure that outer rotation is within comfort range and that leg is rotated from the hip joint, feet are in line with leg
in the jumps the feet should peel off the floor and back onto the floor completely each time
bent legs are critical in order to provide energy at the beginning of jump and to protect legs from injury when landing
students may need to be reminded to exercise control in making their quarter turns exact
hands on hips can remind students to maintain good upper body control and abdominal strength
to make this exercise easier, eliminate the turn during the jumps
to make this exercise more challenging change the arm positions to a circle in front during prances and reaching the arms up over the head during jumps, increase the jump

Dance Exercises by Cristie!

2009-05-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

One of the mandates of this blog is to have the opportunity to collaborate with other dance teachers all over the world. It is the hope of this dance collective that more dance teachers will join us in contributing their knowledge with us.

Here's a great example of the type of information you can contribute to this blog. Thanks Cristie for a great entry!

Cristie Berry
Collaboration Field Study dance exercises
April 22, 2009

1. Posture and Alignment
**“check you chin”—make a fist, turn it upside-down and fit it in between your china and sternum—there should be no space upper or lower IF your posture is in line

2. Rhythm & Musicality & Dynamics
**cardio stepping—“single, single, double”—this is a warm up activity where the foot work is side stepping right one step, left one step, right TWO steps-then reverse it. The students need to count with the music and keep the beat. You can then add arms to get them multi-tasking to build co-ordination.
**Dynamics or energy in face----have students dance their combo or small set of counts mouthing in their face the vowels in the alphabet..have students watch each other to pick the best facial expressions that go with the mood of the piece.

3. Transition/Sequencing Movement
**

4. Flexibility and Strengthening
**Static Positions**
a. straddle sit—sit in V with back straight, arms parallel to legs
i. Intermediate level—put elbows on the ground in “tv sit” while keeping chin up and back straight
ii. Advanced---stomach flat on the ground—legs in straddle splits
**Stride Support---walking step with both feet facing same direction, put hands by foot. Try to kiss knee for i. Intermediate level
iii. Advanced level—raise front toe and reach further out in front of foot.

5. Turns
**Chenne turn exercise----spot and step in demi-plie al a second to the right, half turn through first —repeat demi second with the left foot facing back wall. Repeat second demi back toward starting position stepping with right foot to half turn then left. Repeat starting Left.
Dance talk---second first (half turn) second, first & back to centre
i. Intermediate—add full chenne turn
ii. Advanced----add doubles, triples OR—start the combo working through beginner-through to Advanced
***Pirouette Exercise---this exercise will slow the single turn down so that the dancer gains more control over a clean single pirouette.
-Starting with right or left—have dancer ball change into passé (NO RELEVE) and hold to the front
-Next ball change with a Passé Releve—hold
-ball change passé releve with quarter turn—hold
-ball change passé releve with half turn (facing back wall)
-ball change passé releve ¾ turn—hold
-Ball change---SINGLE PIOURETTE
Repeat LEFT!

6. Jumps
** simple jete (stride)----killer across the floor exercise!
Have dancers jump from each foot in extended jete as if they are leaping over logs. There is NO chasse in between jumps. This is a great exercise that then makes chasse jete seem a lot easier!

7. Levels
*** levels of focus for the head—these levels can have the head turned in each direction—it doesn’t have to be straight ahead!
a. Floor—eyes and head looking down at dancer’s floor space
b. Feet—eyes and focus on the first row of audience member’s “feet”
c. Horizon---looking straight
d. Heavens—looking up
e. Outer Space----looking through roof

TOP 5 Favourite Warm-up songs

-Back Street Boys---“I want it that way”
-Kylie Minogue—“Na Na Na”
-Justin Timberlake “Love Stoned”
-Madonna –any song from her Immaculate Collection—these songs are great for jazz skills
-Madonna “Four Minutes”

Great Lyrical Songs---“Hard to Breathe” Ne-Yo
---“How Do I Breathe” Mario Barrett
---“Bleeding Love” Leona Lewis
---“Hands” Jewel
---“Collide” Howie Day

Teenagers are Amazing

2009-05-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is why we teach...

Teenagers Are Amazing

Teenagers are amazing
I wish the world would see,
just how beautiful we are,
how compassionate we can be.

I wish they could take back,
All the cynical things they've said,
and see how much we shine
be positive instead.

Remark on our radiant smiles,
and the differences we make,
all of the people our lives touch,
all of the chances that we take.

Notice how we change,
each and every day,
wanting to leave childhood
yet desperately wanting to stay.

I wish they could remember,
how tough our likes can be
the promises’ that are broken,
the violence that we see.

Research Articles for Teachers

2009-05-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some links to dance articles that may be of interest to you.

Examining the technique class: re-examining feedback
Sherrie Barr a
a Dance Program in Department of Theatre, Michigan State University, Michigan, USA
Online Publication Date: 01 March 2009
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14647890802697189

'It's work, work, work, work': young people's experiences of effort and
engagement in dance
Karen E. Bond a; Susan W. Stinson b
a Temple University, Philadelphia, USA b University of North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Online Publication Date: 01 December 2007
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14647890701706115

Collaborative learning in the dance technique class
Tanja Råman a
a Cardiff School of Sport, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, UK
Online Publication Date: 01 March 2009
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14647890802697247

The search for centre
April Nunes
Online Publication Date: 01 April 2006
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14617890600610745

Complexity, Teacher Education and the Restless Jury: Pedagogical Moments of Performance

2009-05-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Complexity, Teacher Education
and the Restless Jury:
Pedagogical Moments of Performance
LYNN FELS
University of British Columbia

This article explores the generative relationship between complexity, performance,
and teacher education. In a moment of crisis, a drama educator comes to recognize
the potential of role drama as a teaching strategy to introduce student teachers to
the complexity of teaching and learning with students. With the assistance of cantankerous
judge and a restless jury, the author illustrates how exploratory spaces
of performance bring participants to the “edge of chaos” where new learning and
insights emerge. The use of role drama as a strategy in teacher education creates
valuable learning opportunities for student teachers that encourage mindful awareness
and reflective practices.

“… the prodigal son returns and his father announces an evening of festivities.
The elder son, furious, slouches off to the distant fields to nurse his
jealousy … how could his father so quickly forgive his younger brother?”
The speaker’s voice lowers as she captures the tension of the moment.
Twenty-four student teachers and I lie prone on the floor, sprawled in various
forms of relaxation; limbs askew, eyes firmly closed; our assigned task
is to visualize the unfolding story.
– from a role drama created by student teachers, Summer 20031

Visualizations, such as the one above that begins the telling of the role drama
woven through this text, invite participants to engage with what is not yet
known. We close our eyes, we are encouraged to imagine a scene, an action,
a relationship that unfolds in its telling. Visualizations have a multiplicity
of learning outcomes, not always those that the teller anticipates. As I lay
listening, curious about the role drama that we would together create and
play within an imaginary world brought forth by our actions in role, I reflect
on my own role as a teacher educator.

Inevitably, the impossible question arises:
How might I, as a teacher educator, share with student teachers, the complexities
and complicities inherent within classroom teaching?
How do I navigate and negotiate the presumptions, assumptions, expectations,
illusions, disillusions, and lived experiences of the student teachers
now sprawled on the classroom floor. Like philosopher David Applebaum’s
blind man who stumbles to a halt against an unknown obstacle,2 I am
stopped in my progress. I discover that I am no longer able to travel the
illusionary route that we, with good intention, call teacher education. This
stop, poised as I am between despair and hope, is simultaneously a moment
of risk, and a moment of opportunity.

An unexpected cacophony—a bellowing cow in concert with the plaintive
bleats of a sheep (the oral enthusiasms of two students standing outside an
open window of our ground-level classroom)—abruptly recaptures my attention.
What has happened? The father murdered? Who is guilty?

The Dilemma
… forget your perfect offering
there is a crack in everything
that’s how the light gets in.
– Leonard Cohen3

As educators, we acknowledge the impossibility of achieving perfection in
our teaching endeavors, and yet, always, we seek the impossible. “If only,”
the neophyte teacher muses, “I could learn to raise my eyebrow just so, and
maintain such a compelling presence, that the minions would fall into perfect
rows of acquiescence, after which would follow the most stimulating of
dialogues which in turn would render students (and my principal) in awe
of the profundity of my brilliant lesson plan.” Such ambition resists a simple
telling: learning is a complex slippery endeavor that confounds those who
seek to “pin the butterfly” to a specific location.

Our desire for meaningful engagement is embodied in the educational authority4
of our presence in the classroom that, we hope, inspires, facilitates,
and activates learning. Too often, however, beginning educators assume that
educational authority lies in a teacher’s ability to achieve the perfect lesson
plan, the perfect classroom management technique, the perfect lecture.
This quest for perfection evolves from the implicit (and oft times explicit)
suggestion inevitably interwoven in teacher education programs that the
teacher is ultimately responsible for the success or failings of the pedagogical
experiences that arise in the classroom. Although his or her endeavors
may be derailed by an unruly student, an ill-planned lesson, or a failure to
engage students in meaningful work, ultimately, responsibility for success,
so the myth dictates, falls on the slim shoulders of the alas, imperfect, teacher.
We scramble to our feet, dazed, blinking in the bright light, and discover
ourselves in a courtroom. Black robes with brilliant mantels of scarlet adorn
the desks of the defense and Crown lawyers. Who will step forward to wear
these roles? An assortment of clothing and props are offered. Slowly, by
choice, we inhabit the roles of the younger son, the elder brother now on
trial for murder, the lawyers, the grieving widow, friends, neighbours and
relatives, and members of the jury. I have a moment of disquiet.
Leonard Cohen, through his song Anthem, admonishes us to release the desire
for perfection; and to welcome instead the cracks that are in themselves
generative emergent action/sites of learning, illumination, recognition. The
challenge for educators is to learn to embrace teaching as pedagogical action
that permits cracks to appear in order for learning to happen. As educators,
particularly those whose work is riddled with cracks, we might look to complexity
as a possible theoretical underpinning for teacher education.

Complexity Theory: Releasing the Butterfly

I am troubled. I have forgotten to tell this class to avoid role dramas about
weddings or courtrooms. Especially courtrooms. Juries get restless: not
enough action, endless testimonies, uncomfortable chairs. Too late now, I
consol myself as I locate my chair in the jury section; perhaps, this group
has anticipated the need to keep the jury actively engaged.
Complexity theory may be introduced by a story of a scientist engaged in
designing an accurate weather forecasting computer program.5 One day,
while running a complex series of calculations on his computer, he tweaked
his numbers to the nearest decimal point several spaces past zero. And then
he ducked out for lunch. On his return, as the results scrolled across the
screen, he was alarmed to see a wild divergence from the numerical forecast
he had anticipated. This divergence was caused by what he had considered
a minute interruption in the detailed accuracy of his numbers.
Perhaps the classic analogy of the butterfly’s wing will serve to illustrate.6
A butterfly migrates to Mexico. A single flap of a butterfly’s wing causes a
minute disturbance that in turn causes increasingly magnified disruptions
of air currents until a typhoon emerges in Japan. Complexity theory proposes
that any minute change in any dynamic system has a generative impact
on a multiplicity of inter-related locations and relationships. Who would
have anticipated that a typhoon would have been the result of a butterfly’s
presence in a distant land? This explains why forecasting the weather remains
a knuckle-biting act of science.

Complexity theorist, M. Mitchell Waldrop (1992) in his treatise on complexity
theory writes to the multiplicity of interrelationships and interactions
within and between systems and their components. Through the interactions
between, Waldrop proposes, a dynamic generative space of possibilities unfolds
in an “endless dance of co-emergence.” (Waldrop, 1992: 12). According
to Waldrop, this generative space or what may be called the “edge of chaos”
is a location where “components of a system never quite lock into place, and
yet never quite dissolve into turbulence, either…the one place where a complex
system can be spontaneous, adaptive, and alive.” (1992: 12).

Along with Waldrop, many scientists and theorists from a variety of disciplines
have contributed to the current intellectual growth industry that is
complexity science (including those of us in this journal). Education, in particular,
becomes a fertile site for curriculum theorists who seek to release
the butterfly from the curricular grid of unit plans to create curricular possibilities,
responses, and generative spaces of learning. What matters for
education is how complexity offers curriculum practitioners a theoretical
underpinning for curriculum-as-experienced.

Complexity theory permits educators and researchers to acknowledge and
engage in the multiplicity of complex relationships and interactions that
simultaneously embrace and disturb conventional expectations. While we
as educators may offer our students pedagogical frameworks for learning
and situational environments, we cannot forecast nor control the pedagogical
experience and learning that emerge: How often have lesson plans been
thwarted by a disruption that in turn leads to new learning not anticipated
in our ambitious list of learning outcomes?

A pedagogical commitment to complexity theory requires a new lens through
which to view teacher education. Complexity theory compels us to investigate
the interplay and interrelationships between learners, phenomenon,
object or action of inquiry, context, and environment. The role of the teacher,
classroom management, lesson plans—the language of Tyler’s pedagogical
frameworks—must be released from their structured order of surety. The
pedagogical ambition is to initiate generative engagements in search of possible
new learning “on the edge of chaos.”

Curriculum as a pedagogical action/site of learning is to be understood as
a co-evolving experience created through the interactions of teacher and
students within a context of location, time, and phenomenon of inquiry. As
curriculum theorists, Brent Davis, Dennis Sumara, and Tom Kieren advocate
that who and how we come to be in relationship with others and our
environment is a fluid interactive process.

Far from merely existing relatively autonomously in the same location, individual
and environment continually specify one another. Just as I am
shaped by my location, so is my location shaped by my presence.
—Davis et. al., 1996: 163

Through complexity, a new understanding of how individuals learn necessitates
movement away from the conventional transmission model in which
knowledge is viewed as a transferable entity to be transmitted from teacher
to student. Learning is to be understood not as a complicated mental operation
but as “…an ongoing bringing forth of a world through the process of
living itself.” (Maturana and Varela, 1992: 11, my italics). “What we do,”
Francisco Varela says, “is what we know, and ours is but one of many possible
worlds. It is not a mirroring of the world, but the laying down of a
world …” (1987: 62).

If we understand our lived experiences as unfolding possible worlds within
which learning emerges, we must then pay attention to how we engage in
pedagogical encounters, and how we chose to interact with our students
within what becomes a co-evolving curriculum of possibility. A new balancing
is required in the pedagogical relationship, one that locates educators
and students within the tension of ambiguity and the not-yet known.
But why, you may ask, is a drama education researcher exploring the possibilities
of complexity theory in teacher education?

Performative Inquiry: Stepping into the Edge of Chaos

All rise! the judge enters the room. He bangs his gravel on his desk and
proceeds to read a lengthy list of courtroom rules. “
Rule Number One: Nobody speaks unless I grant them permission. Absolutely
no whispering or talking in the court.” He glares pointedly at the
jury bench.
“Rule Number Two: I have sole responsibility for deciding the legitimacy
of the evidence presented.
Rule Number Three: Food and drinks are not permitted in the courtroom....”
A jury member and I roll our eyes at each other—this judge is certainly
asserting his authority …

As a drama educator, I have long suspected that drama might be a critical
avenue for learning. This suspicion brought me to university in the midnineties
to investigate the learning that becomes possible through the creative
critical interplay7 that is performance8 , an investigation which, I soon
learned, plays in the curricular interstices of chaos and structure. What happens,
I wondered, if drama is introduced as a curricular intervention in the
science classroom?

I confidently mapped the route of my doctoral research, but early into the
journey, I strayed off-course. Drawing on my experiences as a performing
arts educator, the results of a three-year science education research project,
and from the drama education courses I taught during my doctoral studies,
I conceptualized and articulated performative inquiry as a research methodology:
a mode of inquiry in which the researcher or educator engages in
performative explorations with participants as a means of investigation and
learning.9 Little did I anticipate when I stepped off the plane into the misty
world that is Vancouver that my quest would lead me into the realm of
complexity theory.…

Here is the tale of how I stumbled onto complexity theory through performance…
On my first day in university family housing, I meet Lee Stothers10 , my
next-door neighbour in family housing, who offers to loan me an ironing
board and a book called Imogologies (1994). I tell her I am in Vancouver to
research drama education.

“I know that children learn while they are doing drama, but it’s just not
enough to say drama is knowing—I want to find a theoretical underpinning
for the work I do in drama education,” I explain. We decide to work
together to conceptualize performance as a process of cognition.11
“Find out what the etymology of the word performance is,” Lee suggests,
two weeks later as she photocopies pages from Waldrop’s text (1992) on
complexity. Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I scurry off to the
library to track down the The Barnart dictionary of etymology (1988).
per/form/ance

Locating the dictionary, I retreat to a corner of the library, and open to the
page that houses the word, performance. Strangely, the word, performance
offers a curious doubling of complex interplay. The words form (ie. structure)
and ance (ie. action, as in dance) are joined together with the prefix
per. What is the meaning of per? I flip eagerly through the onion-thin pages.
Ah, per informs the meaning of the adjacent word, which in this case, is
form. The prefix per means through so that performance may be read as
through form we come to action.

But wait! per also means through the destruction of. Hmmm, so then we might
also read performance as through the destruction of form we come to action. I
nibble on the end of my pen. Piecing together this word puzzle, I erupt in
a gleeful shout!

If performance is understood as simultaneously through form and through
the destruction of form we come to action—
Shhhhhhh! The librarian gives me a warning look.
And if we understand action as “knowing, being, doing, creating”12 then
performance may be understood as a way of coming to knowing simultaneously
through form and through the destruction of form.
This is not a definition, this is a possibility!13
Young lady, this is a library. I’m going to have to ask you to leave…
Grabbing the dictionary, I dash towards the library exit. At the security
bar, I am abruptly halted by electronic beeping.
That dictionary does not leave the premises!
Something is nagging, tugging at my sleeve, whispering, and…yes, I have it!
If we imagine performance as generative action-interaction—a birthing and
rebirthing—of coming to know simultaneously within form and through the
destruction of form, we find ourselves within the generative space located
between structure and chaos. This is the space that complexity theorists
call the “edge of chaos” where, as Waldrop (1992) explains, patterns of
interrelations are continually created and recreated through an “endless
dance of co-emergence.” 14 .

And it is “on the edge of chaos,” that we bring forth possible new worlds. This
is where new life emerges, new learning comes into being. And, for those
who have engaged in drama education and understand performance as an
exploratory process, as in, for example, improvisation or role drama, we can
see that participants in role are engaged in the bringing forth of a new possible
world. What learning becomes possible, as participants shape and are shaped
by the imaginary worlds they create and within which they engage?

Performative inquiry then, in which performance is understood as an improvisational
space of interaction, may be understood as a co-evolving interaction
between participants and their environment within which moments
of learning emerge, just as life dances into being within the interrelationships
and co-evolving patterns on the edge of chaos.
EUREKA!!
Security guard! Could you please remove that woman from the building!!
I confess, in this writing, that I have perhaps lingered a tad too long on the
triumphant moment of my locating the connection between the performance,
cognition, and complexity; yet it is the interplay between that delights me,
resulting in my exuberant literary shout of recognition.
The conceptual underpinning of performative inquiry, as I have chosen to
articulate it, proposes that it is through the simultaneous interplay between
our experiences as we engage in a role drama or drama exploration through
visualization or improvisation, and our lived experience, past, present, and
anticipated that we come to moments of recognition, moments of learning
which, in turn, illuminate our embodied experience.

Commenting on his exploratory work with his acting company, theatre director,
Eugenio Barba explained that initially he thought that he was “in
search of a lost theatre.” However, through time he realized “instead I was
learning to be in transition. Today I know that this is not a search for knowledge,
but for the unknown” (Barba, 1995: 4). By being in the present moment,
and listening to the possibilities that unfold, the emergence of the
not-yet-known becomes possible.

Augusto Boal, a renowned theatre activist, uses forum theatre to help individuals
and communities come to recognition of possible new action. He
calls members of his audiences, “spectactors” to acknowledge their participation
in the unfolding of their own learning; after playing through a scene
of oppression with experienced actors, individual audience members are
invited to enter individual scenes to replay the action. Each scene unfolds
in new ways, as inter-actions and relationships are simultaneously disturbed
and recreated. Boal argues that, “Theatre is change and not simple presentation
of what exists: it is becoming and not being.” (1995: 28).

In describing his methods, Boal turns to Aristotle who speaks of a dynamic
interaction in which Matter (pure potential) seeks to realize Form (pure act).
The movement of things or individuals towards form is what Aristotle calls
“enactment of potential.” (1995:8) According to Aristotle, says Boal, there
are not two worlds—the ideal and the real—but rather “the world of perfection
is yearning, a movement that develops towards its final form” (1995:
8). It is this yearning that moves us to reimagine our lives and our engagements
with others in new possible ways.

Drama educator, Gavin Bolton (1992) speaks of the “here and now,” those
“spontaneous” and “existential” moments which may unfold in performative
explorations such as role drama. According to Bolton when participants “submit”
to the fictitious or imaginary world they are creating, the dramatic play
is “here and now”; present and narrative in its unfolding as participants experience
through form and through the destruction of form that is performance.
Yet, as complexity theory suggests, form is temporal, elusive, unfolding to
recreate anew. Performance theorist, Peggy Phelan (1993), proposes that
“performance boldly and precariously declares that Being is performed (and
made temporarily visible) in that suspended in-between.” Being or coming
to learning through performance is the temporal bridging of imaginary play
and lived experience. And it is within these meeting places that research
becomes possible—a seeking of disequilibrium and temporal balance that
spells the not-yet known into being.

Performative inquiry is curious about those moments of learning (elusive
and desired) that emerge through performance to inform, disturb, question,
or illuminate actions, relationships and/or issues that emerged that
trouble, engage, or challenge participants while being in role and/or experienced
in their everyday lives. Practitioners of performative inquiry understand
that the focus of their research lies not in finding answers, but in
realizing possible spaces for exploration. What if? What happens? The essence
of the question, said Gadamer (1975) is the opening up, and keeping open of
possibilities (van Manen, 1990, 1990:43). The quest of performative inquiry is
not to achieve answers but to open up spaces of inquiry through which
new ways of engaging become possible. This requires a strong component
of reflection.

Several years ago, during a talk to our faculty, curriculum theorist Jacques
Daignault spoke of his struggle to write a book about his bicycle trip across
Canada. However, the non-fiction account he wrote failed to express what
he had experienced. It was only when he turned to writing fiction, or what
might be called creative non-fiction, that he was able to capture the breath
of his experience. It was through “la doublure” 15 of his fictional writing,
that his biking experience could be per/formed and shared with others.
For Daignault, the writing of fiction became the underlining of lived experience:
it is in the interplay between that allows the “true” experience of lived
moments to be (per)formed to interstanding.16 So it is, in the playing through
intersecting spaces and relationships of co-emerging possible worlds that
we bring forth together that we come to stops, glimpses, and recognitions
which alert us to possible new ways of being and engaging with others.
The learning that emerges through performative inquiry in which students
and educators engage in drama activities such as role drama, improvisation,
play-building, and visualizations demands mindful awareness. The
performative space of role drama, for example, becomes what Jacques
Daignault might call an accoustmatic text17 , where participants listen for
the disharmonies, and possible new learning that emerges in their engagement.
Responsibility for the emergent pedagogical experience falls in precarious
balance between participants and educator or facilitator18 in a coevolving
dance of inquiry “on the edge of chaos” as they bring forth new
worlds of possibility.

Our judge, while reading his list of rules, expects the jury members to fall
into line; he assumes that by establishing and maintaining control, he will
be able to successfully direct and impose his will on the court. The role
drama will unfold as expected according to the script he and his colleagues
have designed. This intention, however, becomes misshaped by the response
of the restless jurors. They desire to participate in a meaningful way, and as
a consequence of being thwarted, they respond in role as any restless group
of teens trapped in an airless classroom might respond to an authoritative
teacher, who chooses to stifle the voices of the disengaged.

Role Drama: Critical Creative Moments of Interplay

Imagine two intersecting spheres constantly in fluid interrelational movement
and co-evolvement. One spheres represents an imaginary world we
bring forth together through performance, in this instance, a role drama about
the prodigal son and his father’s murder. The second sphere represents the
“real world”19 of lived/living experience as shaped and influenced by who
we are in our multiplicities of relationships, experiences, cultural and communal
histories, and interactions. Now, imagine that this second sphere also
represents our lived experience both prior, during, and after the role drama
and therefore, simultaneously overlaps (i.e. la doublure) while intersecting
the “imaginary world.”

In the intersection between, “something happens”: a crack breaks apart the
imagined in role and our individual roles as lived, and a new understanding
emerges. Here, in the cross-shading of the intersection, is an action-site
of possible learning, a generative space within which “aha!” moments, those
moments of recognition or what I call learning, may emerge. And here, too,
moments of stop or hesitation or paralysis, realized in the intersection of
performance and lived experience, become signposts of learning not-yetknown.
This spherical analogy is a hopeful attempt to illustrate the multi-dimensional
complexities (and complicities) of lived experience as experienced
whether we are in engaged in a role drama or riding our bicycle down the
street and across the country. Alas, any analogy struggles and cannot begin
to anticipate the complexity and unexpected that emerges as we engage
performatively to bring forth new possible worlds, which in turn simultaneously
shape and are shaped by our lived experience. Complexity theory itself defies
our attempts to diagram its generative coming into being.

Just as we cannot begin to explain “the edge of chaos” by drawing a Venn
diagram of two circles, one labeled Order, the other labeled Structure, and
cross-hatch the intersection, labeling it the “Edge of Chaos,” it is problem84
Complexity, Teacher Education, and the Restless Jury
atic to refer to “imaginary worlds” of role drama, and “real worlds” of lived
experience—especially as whatever happens to us during role drama is our
lived experience. Whether we are performing “ourselves” as a member of
the jury in a role drama or as a bicyclist cycling across town or as a teacher
in a grade eight classroom, these experiences overlap, inform, interrupt,
and recreate ourselves anew in interaction with others and our environment.
What is critical to understand is that the interplay between our imaginary
play, and the individual and shared experiences of participants simultaneously
in role and through their lived experience opens a space of inquiry;
a new possible learning beckons to researcher and educator.
Opportunities for learning arise through performative activities such as role
dramas, visualizations, tableaus and/or improvisational play. Role dramas,
in particular, create multiple opportunities for participants to engage in
meaningful learning. Such learning co-evolves through the embodied actions
within the role drama, and through subsequent reflections by participants.
20 As humans, we inevitably bring an interpretative hermeneutic stance
to our experiences, and these interpretations and reflections invite new possible
meanings and ways to engage. It is within these spaces of creative
critical interplay and reflection that we may come to understand the complexity
and complicity21 that per/form teacher education.

In a role drama, participants take on roles or positions of responsibility, and
together, co-create an “imaginary world” which has a logical coherence in
which decisions, actions, and words are performed spontaneously within
the moment of doing. A person in role is guided in his/her choices of action
or words by the actions of others, and by asking himself/herself: “If I had
this job or these responsibilities with these particular concerns, what would
I do or say in this situation? How might I respond? If we do this, what will
happen?”

In the courtroom role drama, for example, our task as witnesses, lawyers,
and jury members was to come to a conclusion about the guilt or innocence
of the accused elder son. In role, participants weave a tapestry of accusations,
revealed jealousies, concealed agendas, fragmented memories, and
fabricated evidence that was challenged, accepted, over-ruled, or deleted
from the courtroom transcripts. The only rule for role drama is that participant
actions be coherent with the emerging imaginary world as it is being
collaboratively created.

The lawyers energetically argue their case, robes swirling, questioning witnesses, submitting
evidence. Sitting in the jury box, I decide to be the next door neighbour of the
recently murdered farmer. In role, I whisper bitterly to the juror beside me. “I phoned
the police last night to complain about how loud the music was. Everyone was making
such a ruckus—and you know what, they didn’t even invite me to the party!”
For participants engaged in role dramas, an opportunity for debriefing and
reflection is a critical and necessary component of the research/learning
experience. Participants explain why they chose to do or say the things they
did; they reveal the motivations and hidden agendas that influenced their
choices of action; and together, they reflect on the imaginary world they cocreated.
By sharing their experiences, they learn from each other the impact and
consequences of their actions and responses. Participants may speak of connections
between previous or current lived experience and those experiences
or situations which evolved during the role drama. And, if the researcher
is lucky, participants, individually or collectively, may speak to an
“aha! moment”: a moment of recognition which startles, interrupts, or enlightens—
a crack through which light spills.

Such moments of interstanding22 give rise to new recognitions of how choices
of action and ways of engaging impact on our shared environment and
relationships. Such moments may lead to significant shifts in perception,
empathy, action, and understanding. For the educator or researcher, it is
recognitions such as these that are the desired “performance outcomes” of
role dramas. As sites of exploration, roles dramas create opportunities for
embodied learning which may, in turn, inform the participants’ and teacher/
researcher’s understanding of the complexity and complicity of relationships,
responsibilities, decision-making, and as-yet unnamed pedagogical
desires or fears.

As a character witness speaks of the deceased man’s dedicated marriage, I lean over
to disclaim this evidence snidely to the juror beside me. The judge bangs his gravel.
“No talking or whispering in the courtroom!” He admonishes, pointing a finger
directly at me. “Rule number 1.” Silenced, I sit subdued. My enthusiasm to stay
engaged, and in role, diminished. The jury member behind me is becoming restless.
He leans over to make a comment about the defense lawyer’s argument. Again the
gravel demands silence.

In our Texan courtroom, the judge is quick to lay down the rules of behaviour,
a management strategy well-known by classroom teachers. The group who
designed this role drama clearly indicate through the judge’s set of rules
how they expect participants to engage. Control is clearly in the hands of
the judge. The student teacher in role as the judge desires participation, but
a participation that he directs and controls.

The defense lawyer brandishes a plastic bag in which collected evidence connects the
youngest son to the crime site. The judge declares the evidence inadmissible, the
argument invalid. Deflated, the lawyer returns to his desk, muttering wretched remarks
about the judge to his partner. “Next witness to the stand,” orders the judge.
The location of the judge’s desk, the rules of a courtroom, the ritual dance
and language of the defending and prosecuting lawyers as they present their
evidence are recognized by those of us who are familiar with courtroom
behaviour as seen on television, in movies, or perhaps as experienced in a
courtroom or read about in novels. As participants we understand the
behaviour required: the list of rules seems redundant, and counter to its original
intent, a draft of discontent enters the courtroom. Within the confines of
a role drama courtroom, it is difficult for a jury to remain silent. And so we
resort to whispering. We whisper to comment on the evidence. We provide
imaginative asides that further develop our roles in relationship to the various
members of the farmer’s family and the unfolding narrative.
But alas, as I and my fellow jurors attempt to engage, the judge’s incessant
demands that we be quiet, and his rejection of the pro-offered evidence by
the defense lawyers, has the effect of dampening the lived experience of the
role drama. Without the ability to engage meaningfully, we become restless.
Shaped by the responses and directives of the judge, we respond in increased
measures of defiance. Having established his rules, this particular judge seems
unable to assess the situation that he is co-creating with the participants in
this Texan courtroom. Caught in his own unfolding of the script, he does not
pause to listen to the curriculum emerging beneath his banging gavel.
I catch a movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning my head toward the
defendant’s box, I find myself caught in the smirking gaze of the defendant. He
winks at me! How inappropriate, I sniff. (Although, in role as a fifty-five year old
spinster, I am secretly flattered by this unexpected attention). I frown at him, cross
my legs, but still, the winks continue. Is it a nervous tic? Is he making a play at me?
I call over the court guard and ask her to deliver a note of complaint I’ve just
penned to the judge. She hands the judge my note and whispers in his ear, but the
judge takes no action. He is too busy denying yet another piece of evidence submitted
by the defense team. “I can’t believe the judge is ignoring my complaint,” I
complain to my neighbour on the left.

“Jury member!” bellows the judge. “You’ve already been warned. Five minutes in
the time-out chair!” Embarassed by the public tongue lashing, (both within and
out of role), like a disciplined child, I am forced to sit shame-faced in a chair set
aside from the jury box. An awkward moment.
“Really,” I mouth to the jury at large, “this judge’s behaviour is outrageous.”
“You! Ten push-ups!!”
Exploration through role drama provides participants opportunities to come
to individual and/or collective understanding about shared experiences,
perceptions, and relationships. Taking on a role is often described as “stepping
into someone else’s shoes,” but to do so, I would argue, is an impossible
ambition. We respond to situations through the lens of our own experience,
limited knowledge of others’ lived experience, and our imaginations—
an unsettled exploration. And yet, through performance, there exists
the possibility of emergent recognitions and resonances: a hinge, a gap,
a momentary glimpse that invites us to reconsider, which offers a new perspective,
or encourages a new way of engagement and response, in the unfolding
of our own lives in interaction with others.

… the role of imagination is not to resolve, not to point the way, not to improve. It
is to awaken, to disclose the ordinarily unseen, unheard, and unexpected.
– Greene, 1995: 28

Through reflective embodied engagement, we come to understand how we
interact between the lines, within the gaps, slipping through cracks to reveal
new possible worlds of interplay. Co-creative worlds of performance
become pedagogical spaces of investigation: in role, any multitude of “new
possible worlds” arise from a single step taken in “laying down a path in
walking.”23 What is of interest to the performative researcher is What matters?
What if? What happened? So What? and, as my ten year old son once
quipped in response to the first four questions, “Who cares?” 24
Role drama creates an accoustmatic text—a living embodied text that listens;
that invites conversation, that remains open for the entry of others;
that acknowledges gaps, holes, absences; that invites participants to co-create
new possible worlds within and between the lines and spaces of embodied
text. For those of us engaged in teacher education, these messy, generative
spaces become possible locations for investigating what it means to
“become a teacher.” In all this messiness, the need to pause for reflection, to
revisit together the sites of discomfort, surprise, elation, and decision is a
critical step in the journey towards understanding the learning that unfolds
on the “edge of chaos.”

Teacher Education: A Glimpse of the Impossible

Not walls of cement …
But the melodies of
(y)our temperature
– Barba, 1995: 162

The conventional tools of lesson plans, units, management control techniques
fail to acknowledge the complexities and experience of teacher education.
Teacher education fails to illustrate the messiness that is teaching. It is only
by entering a classroom that one begins to understand what it means to be
dancing “on the edge of chaos.”

As Davis, Sumara, and Luce-Kapler (2000) illustrate, a classroom and its
emergent curriculum is a complex emergent system of interactions and interrelationships
brought forth by teacher and students together within a
context and environment. Our students, their lived experiences, desires, and
ambitions, their participation, their very presence and/or absence shape
and reshape pedagogical experience; it is our adherence to an emergent
learning located in the interstices of performance and complexity that invite
cracks in the curricular walls of cement.

Halfway through my push-ups, there is a crashing from the upstairs loft25 , and the
dead farmer, miraculously resurrected, staggers down the stairs, wrapped in toilet
paper (bandages) and rope (chains). A horrible spectre risen from the dead, I am
reminded of Hamlet’s father, as he points a damning finger towards... The court
erupts in agitated response, voices shouting, questioning, accusing.

In response to the commotion, the judge orders all jury members to do fifteen
push-ups each. Two refuse and are escorted out of the room in disgrace. The dead
Texan, with a heart-rending groan, breaks into a country song, the lyrics designed
to expose the true murderer.

But his howls are drowned out by the banging gravel. The judge struggles to assert
his authority. And I, simultaneously in role as the town gossip and as their
classroom professor, am overcome by laughter—this Texan courtroom is at once
impossible and yet, in a bizarre way, as the script evaporates, has come to life. The
group leading the role drama glower at me for disrupting their curricular endeavors,
but, I, alas, fail them miserably. “Silence in the court! Silence in the court!”
To pause and listen to the melodies of a curricular journey is to recognize
that learning co-evolves through the nurturing, devotion, support, and interplay
of all engaged in the practice of education. Becoming a teacher is a
curricular adventure, a generative framework of possibility that invites stops,
interruptions, hesitations, elated moments of recognition, loss, and recovery;
a unique journey shared by educator and students across an emerging
landscape that unfolds with each footstep.

…
And when turning around
you see the road you’ll never stop on again.
Wanderer, path there is none,
only tracks on ocean foam.26

Varela’s translation of poet Antonio Machado’s poem invites us to think
again about the task of teacher education. Becoming a teacher is a journey
of pedagogical adherence and shared curricular exploration in as-yet unexplored
terrain. Yet, we send our student teachers off to schools with folders
of unit plans in their briefcases, arrange three-way conferences with their
sponsor teachers to discuss what these new teachers are doing right, where
they have made errors of judgment, what failed in their lesson plan, how to
better to control the class. As if, perfection (and control) lies within our grasp.
How do we impress upon our education students that their desire to create
curricular journeys of perfection is impossible? How is it that our Texan
judge believes that by simply listing his rules, order will prevail? The student
teachers who designed the framework of the role drama focused on
the need to establish immediate control by having the judge read out a formidable
list of rules. Did they not realize that the experience of being within
the imagined space of a courtroom would grant their judge ultimate authority?
Authority may be created by the physical space of interaction—the
judge’s desk and gavel, the jury’s row off chairs, the swirl of the defense
lawyers elegant robes—and by the roles we play in relationship within that
location.

But, defiance is aroused by an authority that oversteps, that imposes, that
fails to recognize the presence of the other within an unfolding relationship.
What has our teacher education scripts taught this particular judge,
who wears “la doublure”—as a student teacher leading the role drama and
as a judge participating within it— about listening on the “edge of chaos?”
Will he, in role as a judge, recognize that by his draconian imposing of order
in the courtroom, a counterpoint resistance brews in the front row of
the jury? How might he respond to the restless jury? Will his demand for
more push-ups successfully silence the defiant jurors? How might he reclaim
legitimate authority of this turbulent space?

This judge has multiple choices of action. He might, for example, try welcoming
the jurors to engage proactively in the court’s proceedings, he might
choose to accept, not reject the lawyer’s arguments, giving the jurors an
opportunity to critically engage by judging the evidence themselves. By
responding to the jurors’ concerns, would he find a new voice of his own
with which to engage all participants in the trial’s proceedings? What will
this judge learn from his afternoon in the Texan courtroom? What learning
will this student teacher carry forward into his teaching career?

There are other people of authority in role in this particular courtroom. The
courtroom guard might suggest that the judge announce a break in the proceedings.
A quick conference among the students who have designed the
role drama could advise the student playing the judge to alter his tempestuous
behaviour. They could release the jury from their current roles, and
reassign the participants as reporters writing the front page headlines and
story of the trial for the next day’s newspaper. These possible actions were
discussed later by the students when we reflected on the role drama and
the decisions that were made in role and as participants in the role drama.
But in the heat of the moment, the performative narrative, now unfolding
in the “here and now” of this rapidly overheating courtroom, carries its
own momentum.

It is through our so-called imperfections that learning happens; an
accoustmatic text requires the novice teacher to disclaim the position of expert,
and instead share in the embodied experiences of learning with students.
How might we, as teacher educators, illuminate the bringing forth of
new possible curricular worlds of engagement; a challenge when so many
of us are caught in the conventional paradigm of teacher education praxis,
language, and expectation?

The judge pounds his gravel. “Enough with the push-ups,” he growls, and motions
impatiently at the jury. “Back to the jury box!” We hurry to reclaim our
seats. Two chairs remain vacant. The judge belatedly remembers the two rebellious
jury members he had banished from the room twenty minutes earlier. “Guard, tell
those jurors to return to the courtroom.”

The guard goes to the door of the classroom, gestures emphatically, and the two
chastened jurors enter the courtroom, bearing coffee cups and donuts. We watch
them cross the room. And then, a collective gasp sweeps the room as everyone,
including the two hapless jurors, collectively remember Rule Number 3. No Food
or Drinks in the Courtroom. Heads swivel towards the judge to gauge his response;
and then, as if in one choreographed movement, eyes turn in my direction.
Startled, I am jolted back into my role as professor.

The fourth wall collapses, as the Texan courtroom we have created together and the
university classroom world with its own rules and expectations converge in this
moment. Our intersecting and overlapping embodied co-evolving worlds collide,
in which the two students in role as jurors simultaneously transgress the rules of
our Texan courtroom and those of the university classroom.
How should I respond?

It is in this moment that I experience what David Applebaum calls “the stop,” a
moment of risk, a moment of opportunity.
… the betweeness is a hinge that belongs
to neither one nor the other.
It is neither poised nor unpoised,
Yet moves both ways …
It is the stop.27

This moment, swinging on a hinge between the courtroom and the classroom:
here then is a way to engage student teachers in the ambiguity and
unknowingness that is pedagogy. It is a stop that catches my breath, and
holds me momentarily paralyzed, a moment of opportunity and risk through
which we may come to understand that our ethical positioning and choice
of action matters. A cracking of authority that reminds us that rules govern
action, they language our ways of being in the world, and how we are shaped
by and reshape that world. And here is a moment of learning: Actions that
disrupt or interrupt the expected may yet be moments of release, harbingers
of pedagogical freedom, opportunities to engage anew.

Liberating education consists in acts of cognition, not transferals of information....
Liberation is a praxis: the action and reflection of men and women upon their
world in order to transform it.
– Freire, 1970/95: 60

It is through our so-called imperfections that learning happens; an
accoustmatic text requires the novice teacher to disclaim the position of expert,
and instead encourages shared embodied experiences of learning with
students, to welcome students to participate proactively, to co-create the
curriculum in partnership with the teacher. How do we, as teacher educators,
illuminate the bringing forth of new possible curricular worlds of engagement;
a challenge when so many of us are caught in the conventional
paradigm of teacher education praxis, language, and expectation?
The members of the class/courtroom awaits our response. Will the judge sentence
the jurors for contempt of court? Will I scold the students for leaving the building?
The judge and I exchange worried glances. How to reclaim authority?
And it is within this moment of stop, under the gaze of my students, that I come to
recognize the possibility of role drama as a way to return teacher education to its
original difficulty.

We speak often to the difficulty of educating the educators; yet how do we,
as teacher educators, interrupt, startle, reimagine the classroom habits, engagements,
expectations and practices of the “already known” curriculum?
How might we help student teachers to understand and embody within
their practice so that the complexity of relationships between student and
teacher, curriculum and learning, environment and experience are not ignored
in the routine of habit and teacher-centred authority, but are fraught
with tension, unknowns, balances lost, regained and renewed? How might
we illustrate that teaching is a practice of improvisation within pedagogical
frameworks that invite meaningful and collaborative work, as we simultaneously
shape and are being shaped by those with whom we learn and we
teach?

What might happen if we offer our student teachers the opportunity to explore the
metonymic spaces of role drama within which to learn their profession?
Learning through role drama, student teachers may come to recognize the
value of student participation and leadership, as well as the value of “letting
go” of the curriculum-as-plan28 to allow an emergent curriculum to
unfold in shared partnership. The pedagogical environment that students
teachers may experience through role drama and upon collective reflection
effectively model that teaching is a collaborative encounter that requires
improvisation, reflection, and “thinking and responding on one’s feet to
the unexpected unfolding of the curriculum in concert with students’ active
participation. By bringing forth new possible worlds with their students
through role drama, student teachers may yet learn to locate the gaps, absences,
and moments of possibility that emerge within performative spaces
which, in turn, will guide them to better understanding of this project we
call education. The judge’s gavel will learn to temper its sounding out.29
My laughter, an interruption of the Texan courtroom—as the restless jury
fulfilled my expectations of a perfect lesson plan waiting to be sabotaged,
and the incident of the two jurors caught bearing food and drink, transgressing
simultaneously the rules of the courtroom and those of the classroom—
called me to pay attention. When debriefing the role drama, I questioned
my students about the possibility of using role drama as a way of
helping student teachers come to understand teaching. I asked them to consider
their experience in light of teacher education.

As a beginning teacher, what did you learn as a participant in this role drama?
What did you learn about classroom management, about the importance of engaging
all students in a curricular activity, about the need for students to have their
contributions welcomed and acknowledged? Why did the jury misbehave? What
happens when you fail to give participants meaningful work? Is there a connection
between meaningful work and engagement? How did you feel when your contributions
are ignored or dismissed by the judge?

What does the emergent world of role drama tell us about curriculum, teaching,
and learning? How might we come to reimagine curriculum? What does it mean
to respond within the moment? How might the judge and other role drama leaders
have re-engaged the jury? What does a role drama script have in common with a
lesson plan? What are the differences? How might the role drama be redesigned?
Who owned the curricular experience?

Does our experience bring us closer together as a learning community? What
happens when a teacher falls out of role? What did you learn in terms of your
responses, actions, and motivations? What happens in the moment when the teacher
and students come to a stop; when an emergent curriculum hesitates mid-breath—
What emerged through our discussion, was a renewed and invigorated
understanding of teacher education, and our participation in its unfolding.
The moment of the stop—perceived failings, hesitations, stumbling, transgressions,
and startled recognitions—are signposts to new ways of engaging
in our world(s) of embodied experience. “Authentic authority is not
affirmed as much by a mere transfer of power” Paulo Freire suggests, “but
through delegation or in sympathetic adherence.”30 Authority of education
lies through a shared bringing forth of new possible worlds.
It is in the cracks that open as we engage in pedagogical journeys that reveal
a luminosity of interstanding. Performance, through role drama or other
performative explorations, opens up the practice of teacher education to
one of collaborative engagement, and communal reflection of what learning
is possible in the bringing forth together of new possible pedagogical
worlds.

Perhaps our quest as teacher educators should not be one of seeking “… a
method for clarifying or solving questions…but…a ‘restoring of life to its
original difficulty.”31 This time, in role as a restless jury member, with one
foot in an overheated Texan courtroom, and the other simultaneously in a
classroom—in role as a teacher educator, in role as a middle-aged gossip—
I witnessed chaos erupt from what was, on paper, a perfect lesson plan.
Caught on the pedagogical edge of chaos, I had a glimpse of the impossible.

Endnotes

1. The courtroom role drama was created by student teachers participating in a drama
education course. It is with great appreciation to them that the insights that arose
through my experience within the role drama and upon reflection have helped to
clarify my understanding of challenges of engaging student teachers in meaningful
ways within a teacher education program. Tarlington and Verriour’s (1991) Role
drama provides educators with an excellent resource for educators interested in the
design, facilitation and pedagogical implications of role drama in classrooms. The
intent of this paper is not to analyze this role drama as an example of how to use it
in teacher education, but to illustrate how my current thinking about role drama as
a viable strategy for teacher education was provoked by my participation in this
role drama.
2. Philosopher, David Applebaum, in the articulation of the philosophical underpinning
of his work, The Stop, uses the story of Oedipus who, exiled from the city,
blinded and full of remorse, traverses the unknown terrain by aid of a walking
stick. He becomes paralyzed in motion, when his stick strikes a rock, and he must
choose what action to take. This “stop” is simultaneously a moment of risk, and a
moment of opportunity.
3. From Leonard Cohen’s (1993) poem, Anthem. 373.
4. Authority here means the legitimacy of educational action by the educator which
through facilitation, leadership, and/or guidance brings students to new learning.
5. This story is related in M. Mitchell Waldrop’s book, Complexity: the emerging science
at the edge of order and chaos. Published by Mitchell. & Schuster New York: Simon in
1992.
6. The “butterfly effect” is commonly used as an analogy for Chaos Theory, yet is
applicable in contributing to an understanding of complexity and the generative
interrelationships and interactions which arise within minute moments of movement/
engagement.
7. Creative critical interplay, in this context, refers to the interactions and relationships
between participants both within and outside the role drama. I deliberately
use the prefix inter to suggest the complexity of possibilities within and through
actions between participants. These actions and responses hold within them a
multiplicity of lived experience, relationships, ambitions, desires, fears, and patterns
of engagement, which influence individual choices of action. I introduce role
drama to new students within the context of play, to address the reluctance of some
to engage in “drama.” “You’ve done this before,” I remind my students, “as a child,
coming to learn through play, imagining that you are a princess or a ninja turtle; an
astronaut or a truck driver, in the sandbox, in the kindergarten playhouse, when
you, as a child, created imaginary worlds in play.” I use the adverbs, “creative
critical” to underline the interpretative lens that simultaneously dwells within creative
action, so that interplay is understood to embody simultaneously both a creative
and interpretative action/response.
8. The word “performance” here is understood as simultaneously both noun and verb,
and is an action-space of creative critical interplay realized through imaginative
response and action. In drama education, the words “process” and “product” are
commonly used to discuss the different modes of drama activities. Given the etymological
meaning of “performance,” (as revealed later in the article) my intent is
to encourage readers to move beyond the limitations inherent within the terms of
drama education, process, and product into a different paradigm. Performance, as I
choose to interpret it, acknowledges multiplicities of engagement with performative
structures and action, simultaneously, noun and verb; i.e. creative critical interplay
through imaginative response and action that is emergent and interpretative.
9. See Fels, L. (1998). In the wind clothes dance on a line. jct: Journal of Curriculum
Theorizing, 14 (1), 27-36. In this article, the conceptual intertwining of complexity
theory, enactivism (Maturana & Varela, 1992; Varela et. al., 1993; and Brent Davis
et. al., 1996) and performance (Fels & Stothers, 1996), leads to a conceptualization
and articulation of performative inquiry as a research methodology.
10. Lee Stothers was then doing her doctoral studies in Asian Studies at the University
of British Columbia with a focus on Japanese Noh theatre. I am indebted to her
contributions in my conceptual work, as well as for introducing me to several key
authors, cited elsewhere, who have informed my work.
11. See Fels, L. & Stothers, L. (1996). Academic Performance: Between Theory and Praxis.
Drama, culture, and education. J. O’Toole & K. Donelan (eds.). Australia: IDEAS. 255–
261. In this article, Lee and I conceptualize performance as an interactive space for
learning. This work, which was presented in Australia at an international conference
on drama education, led to my doctoral work of performative inquiry as a
research methodology.
12. The concept of knowledge as “knowing is doing is being” within the conceptual
framework of enactivism as explored by Davis, Sumara , & Kierans (1996) in an
early and what was then unpublished paper. I included the word “creating” in the
trilogy to embrace our imagining of the not-yet-real which is incorporated in our
being, becoming. See my article (Fels, 1995) in which I go cross-country skiing with
Madeline Grumet.
13. See Fels & Stothers (1996). See also Fels (1998).
14. Waldrop, 1992: 12.
15. As explained by Jacques Daignault during his presentation, January, 1996, “la
doublure” refers to the underlining of a jacket. The lining allows a jacket to maintain
its shape, eases the movement between jacket and the wearer, and, remains invisible
to the viewer yet is felt by the wearer, thus being simultaneously absent yet present.
16 Taylor and Saarinen (1994). In their book, Immogologies: media philosophy, the
authors introduce the concept “interstanding” explaining that “Understanding has
become impoosible because nothing stands under. Interstanding has become unavoidable
because everything stands between.” Interstanding 2.
17. From an unpublished paper presented by Jacques Daignault at the UBC Narrative
Inquiry Conference, May 1996 which I had translated by Caitlin Ivan.
18. Role dramas require that the educator or facilitator participate in the unfolding of
the drama; there can be no teacher standing at the sidelines observing. Participation
in a role drama invites teacher and students into a fluid interactive engagement,
in which the teacher simultaneously guides and is guided during the process.
My richest learning experiences have been when I have actively given responsibility
for the design and leading of a role drama to my student teachers, and
engaged as one of the participants.
19. In these post-modern times, it is impossible to refer to the “real world” without
placing one’s tongue firmly in one’s cheek. The term, so-called “real world” is not
a universal modernist conceptualization in this instance but speaks to the multiple
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Complexity, Teacher Education, and the Restless Jury
experiences, interactions and absences within our perceived and lived world(s) of
embodied experience.
20. The work of Dorothy Heathcote, Gavin Bolton, and David Bolton, Richard Courtney,
among others speaks eloquently to the educational values and learning that drama
education affords. I would like especially to acknowledge Patrick Verriour, who
through his teaching and drama education workshops, introduced and promoted
role drama throughout British Columbia. See Tarlington & Verriour, 1991.
21. See Sumara & Davis, 1999, for discussion of complicity within the framework of
complexity theory.
22. Philosophers Taylor and Saarenin introduce the term interstanding to illustrate their
positioning that learning is an inter-relational engagement between. “Understanding
has become impossible because nothing stands under. Interstanding has become
unavoidable because everything stands between.” (Taylor & Saarinen, 1994:
Interstanding 2).
23. Varela,1987: 63. A line from Proverbios y Cantqres, a poem he translated written by
Antonio Machado, [1930]. Varela and Maturana’s concept of cognition as “…an
ongoing bringing forth of a world through the process of living itself (Maturana &
Varela, 1992: 11, my italics) and Varela’s understanding of knowing as being “what
we do is what we know, and ours is but one of many possible worlds. It is not a
mirroring of the world, but the laying down of a world…” (1987: 62) are pivotal to
understanding role drama as an emergent action-site of inquiry.
24. I am indebted to Dr. Karen Meyer for her framing of scientific investigations into
these four questions. It was during a research project that Karen did with my son’s
grade five class, that the fifth question emerged. See Fels & Meyer (1997).
25. The delight of the classroom in which I teach drama education is that there is an
enclosed loft accessible by stairs. It has been through these years of role drama, a
hide-out for thieves, a den for bears, and and a bomb shelter for families reading
letters from the front during World War Two.
26. Poem by Antonio Machado, from proverbios y Cantqres (1930) as translated by F.
Varela, 1987: 63a.
27. Applebaum, 1995: 15, 16.
28. Curriculum-as-plan and curriculum-as-lived is explored by curriculum theorist Ted
Aoki whose work greatly informs my understanding of the “in between spaces.”
See Aoki, 2004.
29. I use the courtroom role drama and my experiences within it, as an example of the
learning that may be possible through role drama: and how it might serve as a site
of exploration for student teachers learning about becoming educators. This particular
role drama gave rise to reflections about authority in the classroom, authority
in role, the importance of meaningful work, how successful engagement of students
can facilitate classroom management and encourage learning. It is not meant
to serve as a template nor an analogy of a classroom. Individual roles dramas will
bring forward new learning and issues. What is key in this conversation is that role
dramas offer a viable medium for teacher education.
30. Friere, 1970/1995: 159.
31. I am, here turning to David Jardine, who in turn quotes John Caputo (1987) who, as
Jardine says, “goes as far as to ‘define’ phenomenological hermeneutics, not as a
method for clarifying or solving questions regarding some feature of life, but as a
‘restoring of life to its original difficulty.’” (Jardine, 1998: 11).

References

Applebaum, D. The Stop. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995.
Barba, E. The Paper Canoe: a Guide to Theatre Anthropology. Translated by R . Fowler. London:
Routledge, 1995.
Barnart Dictionary of Etymology . (1988). Robert K. Barnart (ed.). New York: The H.W.
Wilson Company.
Boal, A. The Rainbow of Desire: The Boal Method of Theatre and Therapy. Translated by A
Jackson. London: Rouledge, 1995.
Boal, A. Theatre of the Oppressed. Translated by Charles McBride and Maria-Odilia Leal
McBride. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1979.
Cohen, L. Stranger Music: Collected Poems and Songs. Toronto, ONT: McClelland & Stewart,
1993.
Pinar, William and Rita Irwin, eds. Curriculum in a New Key: The Collected Works of Ted. T.
Aoki. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.
Daignault, J. (1996). “Mixed Autobiography or the Acoustmatic Modality.” Paper presented
at UBC Narrative Conference, University of British Columbia, May, 1996.
Translated by C. Ivan.
Davis, B., D. Sumara, and R. Luce-Kapler. Engaging Minds: Learning and Teaching in a
Complex World. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2000.
Greene, M. Releasing the Imagination: Essays on Education, the Arts, and Social Change. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995.
Davis, B. & D. J. Sumara. “From Complexity to Complicity: Reading Complexity Theory
as a Moral and Ethical Imperative.” JCT: Journal of Curriculum Theorizing15, no. 2,
(1999):19–38.
Davis, B., T. Kieren, and D. Sumara. “Cognition, Co-emergence, Curriculum.” Journal
of Curriculum Studies 28, no. 2 (1996): 151–169.
Fels, L. “In the Wind Clothes Dance on a Line.” JCT: Journal of Curriculum Theorizing 14,
no. 1, (1998): 27–36.
Fels, L. and K. Meyer, “On the Edge of Chaos: Co-evolving World(s) of Drama and
Science.” Journal of Teacher Education 9, no. 1 (1997): 75–81.
Fels, L. and L. Stothers, “Academic Performance: Between Theory and Praxis.” In Drama,
Culture, and Education, edited by J. O’Toole and K. Donelan, 255–261. Australia:
IDEAS, 1996.
Fels, L. “Cross-country with Grumet: Erasing the Line.” Educational Insights 3, no. 1
October (1995): See Archives. www.educationalinsights.ca
Freire, P. Pedagogy of the Heart. Translated by Donaldo Macedo & Alexandre Oliveira.
New York: Continuum, 2000.
Freire, P. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. 1970. Reprint, translated by Myra Bergman Ramos.
New York: Continuum, 1995.
Jardine, D. To Dwell with a Boundless Heart: On Curriculum Theory, Hermeneutics and the
Ecological Imagination. New York: Peter Lang Publishers, 1998.
Maturana, H. and F. Varela. Tree of Knowledge: The Biological Roots of Human Understanding.
Rev. Ed. Boston: Shambhala, 1992.
Phelan, P. Unmarked: The Politics of Performance. London: Routledge, 1993.
Tarlington, C. and P. Verriour. Role Drama. ONT: Pembroke, 1991.
Taylor, M. and E. Saarinen, E. Imagologies: Media Philosophy. London: Routledge, 1994.
Varela, F., E. Thompson, and E. Rosch. The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human
Experience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1993.
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Varela, F. “Laying Down a Path in Walking.” In GAIA, A Way of Knowing: Political Implications
of the New Biology, edited by W.I. Thompson. Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne, 1987.
Waldrop, M. Mitchell. Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.
About the Author
Lynn Fels is currently co-ordinating editor of Educational Insights, an on-line journal
sponsored by the Centre for Cross-Faculty Inquiry at the University of British Columbia.
Her work focuses on performative inquiry, teacher education, and curriculum theory,
with an emphasis on integrating drama across curriculum. She teaches graduate courses
both on-campus and in the Faculty of Education off-campus Master’s of Education cohort
programs.

The Arts are Important

2009-05-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a speech forwarded to me...although it's about music, you could replace 'music' with any of the fine arts.

THE ARTS ARE IMPORTANT...

Welcome address to freshman at Boston Conservatory, given by Karl Paulnack, pianist and director of music division at Boston Conservatory.

"One of my parents' deepest fears, I suspect, is that society would not properly value me as a musician, that I wouldn't be appreciated. I had very good grades in high school, I was good in science and math, and they imagined that as a doctor or a research chemist or an engineer, I might be more appreciated than I would be as a musician. I still remember my mother's remark when I announced my decision to apply to music school - she said, "you're WASTING your SAT scores." On some level, I think, my parents were not sure themselves what the value of music was, what its purpose was. And they LOVED music, they listened to classical music all the time. They just weren't really clear about its function. So let me talk about that a little bit, because we live in a society that puts music in the "arts and entertainment" section of the newspaper, and serious music, the kind your kids are about to engage in, has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with entertainment, in fact it's the opposite of entertainment. Let me talk a little bit about music, and how it works.

The first people to understand how music really works were the ancient Greeks. And this is going to fascinate you; the Greeks said that music and astronomy were two sides of the same coin. Astronomy was seen as the study of relationships between observable, permanent, external objects, and music was seen as the study of relationships between invisible, internal, hidden objects. Music has a way of finding the big, invisible moving pieces inside our hearts and souls and helping us figure out the position of things inside us. Let me give you some examples of how this works.

One of the most profound musical compositions of all time is the “Quartet for the End of Time” written by French composer Olivier Messiaen in 1940. Messiaen was 31 years old when France entered the war against Nazi Germany. He was captured by the Germans in June of 1940, sent across Germany in a cattle car and imprisoned in a concentration camp. He was fortunate to find a sympathetic prison guard who gave him paper and a place to compose. There were three other musicians in the camp, a cellist, a violinist, and a clarinetist, and Messiaen wrote his quartet with these specific players in mind. It was performed in January 1941 for four thousand prisoners and guards in the prison camp. Today it is one of the most famous masterworks in the repertoire.

Given what we have since learned about life in the concentration camps, why would anyone in his right mind waste time and energy writing or playing music? There was barely enough energy on a good day to find food and water, to avoid a beating, to stay warm, to escape torture-why would anyone bother with music? And yet-from the camps, we have poetry, we have music, we have visual art; it wasn't just this one fanatic Messiaen; many, many people created art. Why? Well, in a place where people are only focused on survival, on the bare necessities, the obvious conclusion is that art must be, somehow, essential for life. The camps were without money, without hope, without commerce, without recreation, without basic respect, but they were not without art. Art is part of survival; art is part of the human spirit, an unquenchable expression of who we are. Art is one of the ways in which we say, "I am alive, and my life has meaning."

In September 2001 I was a resident of Manhattan. That morning I reached a new understanding of my art and its relationship to the world. I sat down at the piano that morning at 10 AM to practice as was my daily routine; I did it by force of habit, without thinking about it. I lifted the cover on the keyboard, and opened my music, and put my hands on the keys and took my hands off the keys. And I sat there and thought, does this even matter? Isn't this completely irrelevant? Playing the piano right now, given what happened in this city yesterday, seems silly, absurd, irreverent, pointless. Why am I here? What place has a musician in this moment in time? Who needs a piano player right now? I was completely lost.

And then I, along with the rest of New York, went through the journey of getting through that week. I did not play the piano that day, and in fact I contemplated briefly whether I would ever want to play the piano again. And then I observed how we got through the day.

At least in my neighborhood, we didn't shoot hoops or play Scrabble. We didn't play cards to pass the time, we didn't watch TV, we didn't shop, we most certainly did not go to the mall. The first organized activity that I saw in New York, that same day, was singing. People sang. People sang around fire houses, people sang "We Shall Overcome". Lots of people sang “America the Beautiful”. The first organized public event that I remember was the Brahms Requiem, later that week, at Lincoln Center, with the New York Philharmonic. The first organized public expression of grief, our first communal response to that historic event, was a concert. That was the beginning of a sense that life might go on. The US Military secured the airspace, but recovery was led by the arts, and by music in particular, that very night.

From these two experiences, I have come to understand that music is not part of "arts and entertainment" as the newspaper section would have us believe. It's not a luxury, a lavish thing that we fund from leftovers of our budgets, not a plaything or an amusement or a pass time. Music is a basic need of human survival. Music is one of the ways we make sense of our lives, one of the ways in which we express feelings when we have no words, a way for us to understand things with our hearts when we can't with our minds.

Some of you may know Samuel Barber's heart-wrenchingly beautiful piece “Adagio for Strings”. If you don't know it by that name, then some of you may know it as the background music which accompanied the Oliver Stone movie “Platoon”, a film about the Vietnam War. If you know that piece of music either way, you know it has the ability to crack your heart open like a walnut; it can make you cry over sadness you didn't know you had. Music can slip beneath our conscious reality to get at what's really going on inside us the way a good therapist does.

I bet that you have never been to a wedding where there was absolutely no music. There might have been only a little music, there might have been some really bad music, but I bet you there was some music. And something very predictable happens at weddings; people get all pent up with all kinds of emotions, and then there's some musical moment where the action of the wedding stops and someone sings or plays the flute or something. And even if the music is lame, even if the quality isn't good, predictably 30-40% of the people who are going to cry at a wedding cry a couple of moments after the music starts. Why? The Greeks. Music allows us to move around those big invisible pieces of ourselves and rearrange our insides so that we can express what we feel even when we can't talk about it. Can you imagine watching “Indiana Jones” or “Superman” or “Star Wars” with the dialogue but no music? What is it about the music swelling up at just the right moment in ET so that all the softies in the audience start crying at exactly the same moment? I guarantee you if you showed the movie with the music stripped out, it wouldn't happen that way. The Greeks: Music is the understanding of the relationship between invisible internal objects.

I'll give you one more example, the story of the most important concert of my life. I must tell you I have played a little less than a thousand concerts in my life so far. I have played in places that I thought were important. I like playing in Carnegie Hall; I enjoyed playing in Paris; it made me very happy to please the critics in St. Petersburg. I have played for people I thought were important; music critics of major newspapers, foreign heads of state. The most important concert of my entire life took place in a nursing home in Fargo, ND, about 4 years ago.

I was playing with a very dear friend of mine who is a violinist. We began, as we often do, with Aaron Copland's “Sonata”, which was written during World War II and dedicated to a young friend of Copland's, a young pilot who was shot down during the war. Now we often talk to our audiences about the pieces we are going to play rather than providing them with written program notes. But in this case, because we began the concert with this piece, we decided to talk about the piece later in the program and to just come out and play the music without explanation.

Midway through the piece, an elderly man seated in a wheelchair near the front of the concert hall began to weep. This man, whom I later met, was clearly a soldier-even in his 70's, it was clear from his buzz-cut hair, square jaw and general demeanor that he had spent a good deal of his life in the military. I thought it a little bit odd that someone would be moved to tears by that particular movement of that particular piece, but it wasn't the first time I've heard crying in a concert and we went on with the concert and finished the piece.

When we came out to play the next piece on the program, we decided to talk about both the first and second pieces, and we described the circumstances in which the Copland was written and mentioned its dedication to a downed pilot. The man in the front of the audience became so disturbed that he had to leave the auditorium. I honestly figured that we would not see him again, but he did come backstage afterwards, tears and all, to explain himself.

What he told us was this: "During World War II, I was a pilot, and I was in an aerial combat situation where one of my team's planes was hit. I watched my friend bail out, and watched his parachute open, but the Japanese planes which had engaged us returned and machine gunned across the parachute chords so as to separate the parachute from the pilot, and I watched my friend drop away into the ocean, realizing that he was lost. I have not thought about this for many years, but during that first piece of music you played, this memory returned to me so vividly that it was as though I was reliving it. I didn't understand why this was happening, why now, but then when you came out to explain that this piece of music was written to commemorate a lost pilot, it was a little more than I could handle. How does the music do that?
How did it find those feelings and those memories in me?" Remember the Greeks: music is the study of invisible relationships between internal objects. This concert in Fargo was the most important work I have ever done. For me to play for this old soldier and help him connect, somehow, with Aaron Copland, and to connect their memories of their lost friends, to help him remember and mourn his friend, this is my work. This is why music matters.

What follows is part of the talk I will give to this year's freshman class when I welcome them a few days from now. The responsibility I will charge your sons and daughters with is this:

"If we were a medical school, and you were here as a med student practicing appendectomies, you'd take your work very seriously because you would imagine that some night at two AM someone is going to waltz into your emergency room and you're going to have to save their life. Well, my friends, someday at 8 PM someone is going to walk into your concert hall and bring you a mind that is confused, a heart that is overwhelmed, a soul that is weary. Whether they go out whole again will depend partly on how well you do your craft.

You're not here to become an entertainer, and you don't have to sell yourself. The truth is you don't have anything to sell; being a musician isn't about dispensing a product, like selling used Chevies. I'm not an entertainer; I'm a lot closer to a paramedic, a firefighter, a rescue worker. You're here to become a sort of therapist for the human soul, a spiritual version of a chiropractor, physical therapist, someone who works with our insides to see if they get things to line up, to see if we can come into harmony with ourselves and be healthy and happy and well.

Frankly, ladies and gentlemen, I expect you not only to master music; I expect you to save the planet. If there is a future wave of wellness on this planet, of harmony, of peace, of an end to war, of mutual understanding, of equality, of fairness, I don't expect it will come from a government, a military force or a corporation. I no longer even expect it to come from the religions of the world, which together seem to have brought us as much war as they have peace. If there is a future of peace for humankind, if there is to be an understanding of how these invisible, internal things should fit together, I expect it will come from the artists, because that's what we do. As in the concentration camp and the evening of 9/11, the artists are the ones who might be able to help us with our internal, invisible lives."

Dance Terminology 101

2009-03-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Click here for an extensive list of dance terminology which is recommended reading for all dance levels.

Here is a suggested links list.

Ballet Dance

Ballet Terms

Ballroom Dance

Country Line Dance

General Dance

Jazz Dance

Jazz Dance Basic

Social Dance

Tap Dance

West Coast Swing

If you have another list you think should be added, please leave a comment with a link to your list at the bottom of this post. Thanks!