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THE CREATIVE PROCESS

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The video series entitled, "Humans, Artists and Dancers," is inspired my by personal journey through the SFU Masters of Arts Education Program. It is my creative attempt in building a clear foundation for my teaching (and life) practice moving forward. My autobiographical journey through this program, as presented in my Comprehensive Exam presentation, highlights the key moments and theories that have particularly inspired my growth as a human, artist and dancer. These ideas and experiences are what prompted me to create this work with my students. 

Through the creation of the video series my students and I engaged in deep learning and co-creation. Together we explored the embodiment of some of the key ideas, theories and  concepts that have resonated deeply with me in this Masters of Arts Education program and have now inspired my pedagogy in the arts, in education and in life. This video series is just the beginning of what I hope to be a life-long inquiry on what it means to be a good-hearted HUMAN in process, a purposeful and playful ARTIST, and a valiant and embodied DANCER. 

In Sara and Robert Davidson's book, "Potlatch as  Pedagogy,"  the process of preparing for and hosting traditional Indigenous potlatches and feasts, was used to create a model for learning pedagogy. This model includes nine principles of learning that are holistic, relational, practical and continuous. Using these nine principles of learning as a framework, the following reflections investigate how each of these principles are naturally integrated in contemporary dance education and more specifically through the creative process of the "Humans, Artists and Dancers" video series.  

DANCE AS PEDAGOGY

THROUGH THE CREATION OF DANCE WE HAVE EXPERIENCED FIRST HAND HOW "LEARNING EMERGES FROM STRONG RELATIONSHIPS, AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES, AND FROM CURIOSITY; THAT LEARNING OCCURS THROUGH OBSERVATION, CONTRIBUTION, AND RECOGNIZING AND ENCOURAGING STRENGTHS; AND THAT LEARNING  HONOURS  THE POWER OF MIND, OUR HISTORY AND STORIES, AS WELL AS SPIRITUALITY AND PROTOCOL." 

INSPIRED BY "POTLACH AS PEDAGOGY" BY DAVIDSON & DAVIDSON (PAGE 67-73)

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LEARNING EMERGES

LEARNING EMERGES FROM STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

In our dance program, we call our community a family. We are the #nosurdfam. The students who volunteered their time to be in this project are current students from all grade levels (8-12) as well as alumni. They are friends both inside and outside this program - catching a bite to eat, doing homework together and playing video games before and after practices. Throughout the year we have spent a lot of time together at rehearsal, class, competition, our yearly retreat, and of course several full days or creating/filming for this project. We have all been vulnerable and we have all built trust in each other (including me, their teacher). Because of the nature of what what we do, dance teachers often build a very special relationship with their students. My students have seen the worst and the best of me. They have seen my successes and my struggles. They know I am human and that we are all human together. 

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LEARNING EMERGES FROM AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

I often mention jokingly with my students that I don't just teach dance, I teach "life." I try to remind both them and myself that while dance IS very much about the steps, it also very easily transcends beyond them. Whenever there is a teachable opportunity to reflect on the "real world" applications of dance, it reinforces the importance of what we do. This video series in particular was so rich in dance-to-life connections. Working through such a collaborative and co-creative process, my students and I witnessed these life lessons sprout from our connections to each other, to the artistic mediums (ie. chalk and paint) and to nature.   

LEARNING EMERGES FROM CURIOSITY

The creative process for this video series was very different from our norm. It was important that the work be collaborative and that there were elements of improvisation embedded within it. Instead of giving answers, I wanted to encourage my students to be comfortable with their curiosity and to find answers for themselves. They each come with so much knowledge already in their minds and in their bodies. To create movement, we worked through several choreography tasks/challenges. I asked my students questions like, "What does connection look like through group movement?" or "What does it mean to make your mark?" Using these movement prompts - we improvised, shared and set sequences as they came to life. Together we found a variety of answers to the complex questions we were investigating.

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LEARNING OCCURS

LEARNING OCCURS THROUGH OBSERVATION

 

Prior to creating together, I sat with the cast to reveal a series of "mood boards" with them. These mood boards are compilations of videos, photos, music and key words that express the overall essence of the project we were about to build together. For inspiration, we watched dance videos of the Ouro Collective, Mari Madrid, Heather Hansen, Big Ideas Dance Showcase and Higher Ground. Through observation, my students and I were able to visually conceptualize that mission together. In the creation process, we did a lot of sharing and observing each other's movement creations carefully. There were many drafts to each sequence as we continued to refine them after each observation. Each observation inspired more movement and more creative solutions.  

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LEARNING OCCURS THROUGH CONTRIBUTION

 

The co-creative nature of this video series opened up an invitation for my students to contribute their ideas and movement sequences in response to each theme. My students created movement, shared them and taught them to each other. We filmed our movement in groups, pairs and solos. Each student played an integral role in building the final product. This process encouraged my students to recognize how they are each part of a greater whole which can be translated to the importance of their contributions in the other communities that they are involved in - their families, their sports teams, their city, their province, their country and the world. 

LEARNING OCCURS FROM RECOGNIZING AND ENCOURAGING STRENGTHS

This video series is essentially a highlight reel of our strengths as movers and creators. Each student has a movement vocabulary that resonates with them the most - some students have an affinity for hip-hop or breaking while others gravitate more to contemporary. This video series was filled with opportunities for each student to shine and explore these themes through the lens of their preferred movement signatures. Outside of the movement, students who also had an interest in fashion helped co-ordinate costumes, students who had strong leadership skills took the lead in reviewing and refining movement,  students who are good at videography and editing offered their time to help. While it is important in dance to learning new things and be challenged, it is just has important to highlight and encourage their strengths.  

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LEARNING HONOURS

LEARNING HONOURS THE POWER OF MIND

 

At our first cast meeting, I asked my students to engage in a free write reflective activity. I explained to them that we are all already experts in each of these themes and that they all have significant experience already in being a human, an artist and a dancer. While this project stems from my masters program, this project is also a reflection of what we already know through our bodies and our lived experiences. My students wrote from their own understanding. They described the characteristics of what human, artists and dancers are. They wrote about how they identified with these labels and what they are actively doing to nourish these sides of themselves. They wrote about how our dance program helps them flourish in these areas. It was so beautiful to see the knowledge that they already have inside them pour out on to their pages. This activity was the much needed mental, emotional and spiritual preparation that they needed to make good work. 

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LEARNING HONOURS OUR HISTORY AND OUR STORIES

Taking form their own lived experience, my students also shared personal stories of the humans, artists and dancers who have inspired them or are currently inspiring them today. Some shared stories of their family members both living and past. Others shared descriptions of friends, public figures, and teachers. Some stories were of role models who they aspire to be like while others shared heart breaking stories of people who they aspire never to be like. Their perceptions of what it means to be humans, artists and dancers were direct results of the stories they shared. This sharing and telling of stories unified our experiences together and was a spring board for the movement we created for our videos. 

LEARNING HONOURS SPIRITUALITY AND PROTOCOL

 

At the beginning and end of each practice, each class and each filming session we do a team cheer. This act of joining together is a simple tradition and act of ceremony that contributes so much to our community morale/spirit. It is at this time that myself or one of my students talks about the goal for the day before we start dancing together or a mention of gratitude before we part. In my heart, I say a sort prayer for my students at this time. In a public school setting, we all come with our own spiritual knowledge. Although it is important to recognize that we each believe in different faith systems (or not), coming together in this very simple way honours the spirit that is present through the work we do and the people we share it with.

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