COUNTERACTING THE IDEAL BODY IMAGE IN BALLET

Here is an essay I wrote for my Master's application.  It is in response to a statement that culture affects art.

Dance as art reflects and affects society (Banes 1994, 43).  As society's philosophical view changes, so does the aesthetic form in dance (Banes 1994, 44).  Indeed recent practices in ballet disrupt the classical body and push the boundaries of the philosophical heritage associated with ballet, challenging the ideals surrounding classicism (Parsons 2011, 2).  In an article for the New York Times, dance critic Alistair Macaulay comments on the impact of costuming (or lack thereof) on aesthetic changes in dance. 

When tights are removed from ballet, the art itself is changed…The look of the bare leg drastically changes the entire aesthetics of the form. Muscular details of thigh, knee, calf become suddenly distracting. The leg becomes real, the arabesque not.

Macaulay 2012, online

DOES TECHNOLOGY HURT OR AID EDUCATION?

I have always believed that dance education and dance as an interdiscplinary subject is undervalued and neglected in our society.  Recent readings not only support this belief further, but lay a case for the importance of movement and dance in education. 

IT'S A CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

Chinese New Year offers a wonderful opportunity to incorporate some form of dance education into almost every socio-cultural school subject and creative dance class.  As I prepare for tomorrow's kindergarten creative dance class, I realize just how many areas of discovery this topic can cover.

ACTIVE LEARNING

In my recent workshops with kindergartners I have explored 'academic' subjects through movement experiences (active learning).  The lessons are 40 minutes long, and I see them once a week.  I am amazed at how quickly they learn new concepts through movements.  We have explored the water / weather cycle and the food chain.   They can recall the lesson, the terminologies and concepts learnt, and relate the ideas back to me, verbally and through movement.  I wonder whether they would be as competent to recall these modules, had the been sitting at a desk for 40 minutes (passive learning). 

Movement experiences are very limited in the traditional learning environment.  Why?  Sir Ken Robinson, well-renowned educator and creativity expert links this idea of learning in public education to industrialisation.  In this anime adapted from one of his lectures, he goes on to argue why the public education system should change.  What do you think?

Plié Exercise for Intermediate Ballet Class (3/4 music)

 1 count = 1 bar

2nd position starting position

Working leg - Right

1-4       Head roll (down, left, back, right)
5-8       Cambré sideways towards barre
1-4       Recover
5-8       D/Plié, rise to d/pointe, straighten legs, lower heels [arm in 2nd]

1-8       2 Grand Pliés in 1st [with 1st port de bras]
1-4       Cambré forward, recover
5-8       Cambré backward, recover

1-4       Head roll (down, left, back, right)
5-8       Cambré sideways towards barre
1-4       Recover
5-8       D/plié, rise to d/pointe, straighten legs, lower heels [arm in 2nd]

1-8       2 Grande pliés in 4th
1-4       Cambré forward while in a deep lunge (fondu R, pointe tendu L) and recover to L
             tendu derriere
5-8       Parallel lunge, front leg bent, straight back leg calf stretch

Notes:  Ensure the exercise is performed in a slow, controlled manner.  Remind students that it is a warm-up and they need to ‘fill’ the music with the movement. 

USING IPOD APPS IN CLASS

I have been mourning the loss of my classic ipod for several months now.  I was in denial for a while and even went to the extreme lengths of watching and performing youtube 'surgery' to try and fix it.  But alas, it had flatlined!!  So a few weeks ago I bought an ipod touch to use in dance and movement classes.  I have been excited about the potential use of apps in class, and today I finally got the opportunity to use one very successfully in class.

MY TOES ARE OUT TO GET ME

Poetry in ballet class?  How does that work?  Well, applying dance to other areas of a student's life (cross-curricular teaching) is a wonderful way to help improve movement skills and enrich other areas of his/her life.