I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Purnima Shah, Chair of the Duke Dance Department, about my research. We had a great conversation, musing on topics from the neurological connections of movement and learning to the impact culture and religion can have on dance and education.
We began our conversation discussing the differences in feeling between practice in the studio and performance in front of an audience. We agreed that performance changes the way we relate to our audience and to ourselves - it provides feelings of physical exhaustion and euphoria and a deep connection to those with whom you dance or observe.
Time both in the studio and in performance are important, because it's in these similar spaces that we learn to understand our bodies. Alone, perhaps, in the studio, we become aware of our body's capacity and skill. In performance, with other dancers and with the audience, the power of movement becomes clear. The ephemeral quality of movement allows the performer and audience to exist with the movement for only a brief time, but the meaning can last well beyond the final curtain.
Naturally, confidence in your abilities, both physical and emotional, is built in performance. One gains a deeper understanding of one's own body as well as an understanding of the power that body has.
How does this relate to the traditional classroom? And, more specifically, to the English classroom in American public schools? First, we must consider the physical and emotional state of adolescents. Their bodies and minds are growing and changing in ways they don't fully understand. We, as teachers, work with them to understand these changes on an intellectual level. It seems that little is done to integrate a sense of bodily control into learning. Would students gain more confidence in themselves, both physically and mentally, if they were given a space in which they could explore these changes with guidance and academic structure?
This leads us to a problem. Dr. Shah grew up in India, in a culture that includes dance in many aspects of life. In America, we move less, particularly in schools. Students are not raised to associate movement or dance with academia, and thus, if/when it's introduced, they may rebel. How can we get students to recognize the value, physically and mentally, of movement? As Dr. Shah said in our conversation, "How can movement free the shackled mind?"
Art of all kinds generally requires some creativity. Allowing our kids to use art with more academically focused subjects like reading and math can change their thinking and lead to deeper learning. The classroom is the performance space for students - they can create and share with their bodies and minds, which will deepen their connection to their classmates and material.
Dr. Shah also informed me of research done in the last few years by undergraduate students in the realms of Dance Therapy and Dance Education. I hope to reach out to these graduates to discuss their experiences and findings.