The long awaited class has come and gone - the double dance lesson with Danceexpress's Piret Anus. Having started ballet and dance at the early age of three (but not being considered much good until five years later when her body came to adhere to her wishes and her self confidence grew), Piret is today considered one of Northern Ireland's best dance instructors - and as such I had been very much looking forward to this lesson.
After an introduction to Piret's dance background some questions were asked and then the dancing began; today was to see us learning the basics of the Passo Doble. At this I was a little disappointed to be honest as I had hoped she would do two or three dances with us. However, we partnered up and thus the class began. The first and continuous challenge for me today was to dance as a lead - I find it really quite a task to dance lead, but it had to be done.
The hold and movement of the dance was explained first and sequentially over the ninety minutes or so that followed three phrases/dance sequences were taught - first to the leads and followers separately and then practiced in partnership. The manner of teaching Piret employed was similar in many aspects to other dance classes (discussed in prior weeks) I have experienced; the first and foremost technique used was mimicry (in the active rather than the passive sense) - she showed us the footwork and we imitated, this was reinforced by means of verbal ques such as 'cross forward'...etc and by the counting out of beats 1 to 8 (the Passo Doble is usually danced to music in 2). Whilst all these techniques are the same as other dance classes, things that differed, although small, were for example the reference to other dance styles and techniques in relation to the dance at hand, the lack of imagery used to portray the required moves. Other than this the actual methodology used was similar, although I find that ones personality always impacts on the manner of teaching whether method is similar or different.
The learning of the Passo was quite interesting, and I must say quite revealing of my own stance towards learning to dance - first and foremost I found that I did not really embrace the role to be a lead because it meant I would be missing out on the follower's steps (to compensate I tried to learn both); second I found that I had great difficulty with the lead's required motion as for the passo there is little or no hip movement - although some is permitted in the follower's part the same is not true for the lead; the other element I had difficulty with was that the method of teaching here did not take into consideration the phrasing of the music - as such the dance was initiated on any beat that seemed to fit, not necessarily being the first beat of the musical phrase, coming from a musicology background and having always been taught that the first beat of the dance coincides with the first beat of the musical phrase this attitude very much threw me, and often led me to either loose track of where I was or made me start on when I felt the dance should start which usually had the consequence of collision with my neighbour.
Overall I found the lesson a great experience and definitely gave me an insight into the significance of one's background training and one's character on the learning and teaching of dance - both aspects require methodology, but at the same time neither is free from personal adaptation.
dinsdag 31 maart 2009
vrijdag 27 maart 2009
wk.8 ~ The experience of dance
What do we mean when we say dance allows us to "express" ourselves? Over the past few weeks we have been talking of the effects of dance on our perception portrayal of ourselves - even if that be only a part of ourselves, and how dance liberates us to express our sexuality and sensuality (see for example Leslie Gotfrit (1988) who argues for quite an extreme power in the act of dancing for the creation of female identity).
This week however we are dealing with two authors who have quite opposing views on this matter - namely Phil Jackson (2004) who looks at the clubbing scene in London and argues that clubbing and the experiences which accompany it such as drug use, social expression, etc. enable the person to find in this new sensual landscape an alternative way of being, and that this new found self can be carried over to everyday life. On the other hand we have Suzanne Langer (1953) (whose views have had quite an impact upon the dance world) who takes the stance that dance is merely a representation of emotions but it is not the actual emotion being experienced. As such Jackson can to a certain extent be bracketed with Gotfrit as they both see dance as having transformational powers, whereas Langer offers us the opposite perspective.
Personally I see merit in both of the above stances, however, I feel that both authors are too rigid in their arguments. Langer argues that dance movements are gestural in nature - "All dance motion is gesture, or an element in the exhibition of gesture...but always motivated by the semblance of an expressive movement" [1953:174]. Thus, she goes on to argue, dance is an illusion which has its expressive power in the nature of gesture, which to all intents and purposes is a bodily language we call upon to portray or symbolise our desires, intentions, feelings, etc [p.174-5]. Thus by soliciting the symbolism of gesticulation in dance one is able to portray to the onlooker the desires, feelings, and expectations of everyday life without the need to actually experience these sentiments; as she succinctly puts it "it is actual movement, but virtual expression" [p.178]. As I said I do see a lot of value in Langer's position, and certainly agree that a lot of dance is a mere representation of emotions not a true expression of them - however, I see this argument as applicable only to the dance professional, who is aware and has practiced the art of 'deception' and illusion through invoking gestural symbolism. I feel that if one includes the Saturday evening clubber or the Friday evening amateur salsa dancer - that is any person who dances for personal release and enjoyment - one may find that Langer's theory does not completely hold true. As for these people dance often is an outlet of self-expression.
This is where Jackson comes in, arguing that "the experience of clubbing could be viewed as a form of transferable knowledge. The knowledge generated by clubbing is created when people move from one socio-sensual state to another" [2004:ch.8]. Referring to Bordieu and his idea of habitus - that is one's socially ingrained and habituated ways of being - or as Jackson explains it "it is the bodily actuality of gender relations, class relations, points of reciprocity and morality." [2004:ch.8]. By means of interviews Jackson identifies that the habitus is a deep seated way of being, it is one which resides in our bodily knowledge, one which can not be altered merely through change of ideas or beliefs - the change has to become embodied and part of ones personality. Thus, Jackson argues, that clubbing offers just that, it offers one the physical experience of an alternative way of being, one which once experienced becomes part of the bodily knowledge and may thus be called upon outside of the clubbing scene, as Jackson says "The sensual framework that the civilising process imposed upon us via the habitus is disembodied and replaced [through clubbing] with a far more carnal and expressive experience of self, which revitalises our occupation of the world by making it feel less stale" and that "They [clubbers] use the social, sensual and emotional knowledge uncovered via clubbing to generate a new bodily posture that re-orientates their relationship to and perspective upon the world that lies beyond clubs" [2004:ch.8].
We have here two very different perspectives of dancing and it's effect on the person. Although Langer's view of dance as an idiom which enables the person to symbolise emotions without experiencing them has a certain merit, but to my mind is not wholly applicable to the area of social dancing. Then we get Jackson (and Gotfrit) who argue for the power of dance to liberate the self from everyday social constraints, and to introduce the person to a new way of being. Again this stance has value, but the problem for me here lies that neither Jackson or Gotfrit look at the idioms outside of clubbing, they do not take into account the other areas of dance which could perhaps back their theories, or could prove them as very much a figment of the imagination (although having said that I do not think the latter is true as if one looks at carnival and other areas of transgressive dance behaviour, which clubbing is to an extent, one can make a strong case for the value of these activities in everyday life. I do however think that Jackson has too much of an ideological perspective - his idea of creating an entire new way of being through the experience of clubbing is somewhat far fetched, it may alter once ideas and sense of self, but i do not believe it completely overrides the 'habitus'.
Turning to less debatable topics, salsa class this week was interesting this week. Interesting in that for the first time I had the feeling that my personal dancing "needs" (for want of a better word). I left the class somewhat dissatisfied, having the distinct idea that I could do with at least an other hour. I think this was probably due to the fact that this week's class was very much focused on getting everyone present to the same level - this meant teaching those that have not been attending for some time all the moves we have learned over the past 8 weeks. On the other hand it was useful to re-trace all the moves from day one and to differentiate the intricacies of each of the steps - as such casino, adios, and dile que no were all re-taught, (I also managed to take the opportunity to go over rueda, chica vuelta, and barbossa). One new step was introduced, namely sientala which is like barbossa to the extent that the follower is turned into the arms of the leader, but instead of letting go of the followers right hand and tugging on the left, the leader tightens the hold ensuring the follower is tightly pressed into the leader and then bending the knees creating a near sitting position which is held for 5,6,7. Quite a cute way to finish a dance.
Taking into account what we have been talking about above I can relate to both Jackson and Langer, the movements we a re learning are very much a representation of sentiments, take for example dile que no where the instructor tells the followers you've just been rejected so take the opportunity to look around the room for a more suitable partner - we imagine these sentiments but don't actually experience them. Whilst I feel that the salsa dancing does inspire and motivate me in my sense of self, it does not necessarily alter my way of being in the world.
This week however we are dealing with two authors who have quite opposing views on this matter - namely Phil Jackson (2004) who looks at the clubbing scene in London and argues that clubbing and the experiences which accompany it such as drug use, social expression, etc. enable the person to find in this new sensual landscape an alternative way of being, and that this new found self can be carried over to everyday life. On the other hand we have Suzanne Langer (1953) (whose views have had quite an impact upon the dance world) who takes the stance that dance is merely a representation of emotions but it is not the actual emotion being experienced. As such Jackson can to a certain extent be bracketed with Gotfrit as they both see dance as having transformational powers, whereas Langer offers us the opposite perspective.
Personally I see merit in both of the above stances, however, I feel that both authors are too rigid in their arguments. Langer argues that dance movements are gestural in nature - "All dance motion is gesture, or an element in the exhibition of gesture...but always motivated by the semblance of an expressive movement" [1953:174]. Thus, she goes on to argue, dance is an illusion which has its expressive power in the nature of gesture, which to all intents and purposes is a bodily language we call upon to portray or symbolise our desires, intentions, feelings, etc [p.174-5]. Thus by soliciting the symbolism of gesticulation in dance one is able to portray to the onlooker the desires, feelings, and expectations of everyday life without the need to actually experience these sentiments; as she succinctly puts it "it is actual movement, but virtual expression" [p.178]. As I said I do see a lot of value in Langer's position, and certainly agree that a lot of dance is a mere representation of emotions not a true expression of them - however, I see this argument as applicable only to the dance professional, who is aware and has practiced the art of 'deception' and illusion through invoking gestural symbolism. I feel that if one includes the Saturday evening clubber or the Friday evening amateur salsa dancer - that is any person who dances for personal release and enjoyment - one may find that Langer's theory does not completely hold true. As for these people dance often is an outlet of self-expression.
This is where Jackson comes in, arguing that "the experience of clubbing could be viewed as a form of transferable knowledge. The knowledge generated by clubbing is created when people move from one socio-sensual state to another" [2004:ch.8]. Referring to Bordieu and his idea of habitus - that is one's socially ingrained and habituated ways of being - or as Jackson explains it "it is the bodily actuality of gender relations, class relations, points of reciprocity and morality." [2004:ch.8]. By means of interviews Jackson identifies that the habitus is a deep seated way of being, it is one which resides in our bodily knowledge, one which can not be altered merely through change of ideas or beliefs - the change has to become embodied and part of ones personality. Thus, Jackson argues, that clubbing offers just that, it offers one the physical experience of an alternative way of being, one which once experienced becomes part of the bodily knowledge and may thus be called upon outside of the clubbing scene, as Jackson says "The sensual framework that the civilising process imposed upon us via the habitus is disembodied and replaced [through clubbing] with a far more carnal and expressive experience of self, which revitalises our occupation of the world by making it feel less stale" and that "They [clubbers] use the social, sensual and emotional knowledge uncovered via clubbing to generate a new bodily posture that re-orientates their relationship to and perspective upon the world that lies beyond clubs" [2004:ch.8].
We have here two very different perspectives of dancing and it's effect on the person. Although Langer's view of dance as an idiom which enables the person to symbolise emotions without experiencing them has a certain merit, but to my mind is not wholly applicable to the area of social dancing. Then we get Jackson (and Gotfrit) who argue for the power of dance to liberate the self from everyday social constraints, and to introduce the person to a new way of being. Again this stance has value, but the problem for me here lies that neither Jackson or Gotfrit look at the idioms outside of clubbing, they do not take into account the other areas of dance which could perhaps back their theories, or could prove them as very much a figment of the imagination (although having said that I do not think the latter is true as if one looks at carnival and other areas of transgressive dance behaviour, which clubbing is to an extent, one can make a strong case for the value of these activities in everyday life. I do however think that Jackson has too much of an ideological perspective - his idea of creating an entire new way of being through the experience of clubbing is somewhat far fetched, it may alter once ideas and sense of self, but i do not believe it completely overrides the 'habitus'.
Turning to less debatable topics, salsa class this week was interesting this week. Interesting in that for the first time I had the feeling that my personal dancing "needs" (for want of a better word). I left the class somewhat dissatisfied, having the distinct idea that I could do with at least an other hour. I think this was probably due to the fact that this week's class was very much focused on getting everyone present to the same level - this meant teaching those that have not been attending for some time all the moves we have learned over the past 8 weeks. On the other hand it was useful to re-trace all the moves from day one and to differentiate the intricacies of each of the steps - as such casino, adios, and dile que no were all re-taught, (I also managed to take the opportunity to go over rueda, chica vuelta, and barbossa). One new step was introduced, namely sientala which is like barbossa to the extent that the follower is turned into the arms of the leader, but instead of letting go of the followers right hand and tugging on the left, the leader tightens the hold ensuring the follower is tightly pressed into the leader and then bending the knees creating a near sitting position which is held for 5,6,7. Quite a cute way to finish a dance.
Taking into account what we have been talking about above I can relate to both Jackson and Langer, the movements we a re learning are very much a representation of sentiments, take for example dile que no where the instructor tells the followers you've just been rejected so take the opportunity to look around the room for a more suitable partner - we imagine these sentiments but don't actually experience them. Whilst I feel that the salsa dancing does inspire and motivate me in my sense of self, it does not necessarily alter my way of being in the world.
vrijdag 20 maart 2009
Wk.7 ~ Dance and Transgression
What is transgression? When does it occur? And how is it related to dance?
These questions were at the heart of this week's lecture - and truthfully, also at the centre of my mind over the past week.
Transgression can be seen as the crossing of boundaries - boundaries that have been set by society, one's culture, one's religious affiliations, or one's personal ideas and ethics, or boundaries that are physical. This is discussed in in Chris Jenks's, who argues that transgression is more than the mere pushing of boundaries or conventions, rather it is "a deeply reflexive act of denial and affirmation" [Jenks 2003:2]. It is part of human nature to inflict and impose limits on ourselves and those around us, thus, in today's modern society where life is defined more by what it is not than what it is, the desire to transgress and these confines and limits becomes ever more pervasive - hence the use of the term 'denial', we deny that these confines are put in place and may at times choose to ignore them completely. But why 'affirmation'? Jenks argues that our desire to transgress ultimately leads to the understanding of why we need these limits and thus reaffirms and stabilises them [see Jenks 5-7].
James E.Gibson [1991] then, leads us to the question of the link between transgression and art. Basing his work for a large part on Nietzsche's writing on ritual and the duality of terror and ecstasy which leads to "intoxication" [p.3] (or ritual transgression), Gibson proposes that, as in ritual, transgression is possible in the arts - thus also dance - and that it is necessary for a healthy society as it can "serve as the impetus for healing transformation"[see p.11-12].
Tying this in with Elisabeth Kirtsoglou's [2004] article on the Greek phenomena of the parea (an all female society or friendship group) is interesting. The parea is a group which celebrates femaleness - in all intends and purposes they have a somewhat feministic stance in that they initiate new group members by their presence, their ability to dance, to drink, to be heard, and to have sexual experiences - they basically see themselves as greater than society in that societal norms of behaviour do not apply to them. Thus, the parea is a transgression in itself - it's very beliefs clash with those of society. Thus, if we take Gibson's argument, the parea is necessary in society in order to avoid 'untimely stagnation' - the parea enables each and every female initiate to transgress - but if we take Jenks's idea of affirmation we would be led to believe that every initiate realises the necessity of the boundaries they are pushing - is this true? I don't know, but I do think that the idea of the parea enables many women to satisfy a part of themselves that is usually suppressed.
The idea of same sex relations (as seen in the parea) always posses a site of controversy in most societies. Coming from a country and culture where homosexuality and bisexuality is part and parcel of everyday life, it has become unthinkable to me that people remain to have a problem with this.
My brother has been happily married for over two years to his partner - a homosexual man from Poland. Every New Year's eve the family would go to a gala dinner-dance where dancing almost serves as a 'palate cleanser' after every course - my brother is a fabulous dancer (he was the first to teach me the chachacha when I was a young girl), but now that he is married he has not been able to enjoy these evenings as he is not able to dance with his husband - this to me doesn't seem right.
Why should people be seen as 'in the wrong' on 'not acting sociably' when they want to dance with their spouse? Why should it matter that it is two males dancing rather than a male and female?
But for reasons far beyond my reach it is unfortunately the case. Same sex dancing is seen as a 'transgression' - it is breaking the rules of social etiquette.
Even though same sex dancing has become permitted in many societies today, it is usually permitted in a specifically designated area - a gay club, or a same sex dance competition - highlighting to me that it still has not become accepted.
But having said that, it is not uncommon to see a group of women together on a dance floor - what is this social stigma we have against men dancing together? why is it a transgression for men to dance together (even in a group), and less so for women? Does the type of dancing make a difference?
Funnily enough, our salsa class falls within this category - there being only one male and numerous females has led to most of us dancing with another female. Is this a transgression? well for me it isn't - although it brings with it issues of body movement and such, but overall there does not seem to be a problem. Now I wonder, would this be the same if the situation had been reversed? I very much doubt it.
Speaking of transgression - I attended a Capoeira workshop this week - something I have always wanted to do. Having some experience of kickboxing behind me the movements of martial arts are not completely foreign to me, however there were certain moves that most definitely required me to overcome some physical boundaries - a fear of those perceived boundaries and the breaking of them led to a great sense of self, a sense of potential capabilities perhaps.
These questions were at the heart of this week's lecture - and truthfully, also at the centre of my mind over the past week.
Transgression can be seen as the crossing of boundaries - boundaries that have been set by society, one's culture, one's religious affiliations, or one's personal ideas and ethics, or boundaries that are physical. This is discussed in in Chris Jenks's, who argues that transgression is more than the mere pushing of boundaries or conventions, rather it is "a deeply reflexive act of denial and affirmation" [Jenks 2003:2]. It is part of human nature to inflict and impose limits on ourselves and those around us, thus, in today's modern society where life is defined more by what it is not than what it is, the desire to transgress and these confines and limits becomes ever more pervasive - hence the use of the term 'denial', we deny that these confines are put in place and may at times choose to ignore them completely. But why 'affirmation'? Jenks argues that our desire to transgress ultimately leads to the understanding of why we need these limits and thus reaffirms and stabilises them [see Jenks 5-7].
James E.Gibson [1991] then, leads us to the question of the link between transgression and art. Basing his work for a large part on Nietzsche's writing on ritual and the duality of terror and ecstasy which leads to "intoxication" [p.3] (or ritual transgression), Gibson proposes that, as in ritual, transgression is possible in the arts - thus also dance - and that it is necessary for a healthy society as it can "serve as the impetus for healing transformation"[see p.11-12].
Tying this in with Elisabeth Kirtsoglou's [2004] article on the Greek phenomena of the parea (an all female society or friendship group) is interesting. The parea is a group which celebrates femaleness - in all intends and purposes they have a somewhat feministic stance in that they initiate new group members by their presence, their ability to dance, to drink, to be heard, and to have sexual experiences - they basically see themselves as greater than society in that societal norms of behaviour do not apply to them. Thus, the parea is a transgression in itself - it's very beliefs clash with those of society. Thus, if we take Gibson's argument, the parea is necessary in society in order to avoid 'untimely stagnation' - the parea enables each and every female initiate to transgress - but if we take Jenks's idea of affirmation we would be led to believe that every initiate realises the necessity of the boundaries they are pushing - is this true? I don't know, but I do think that the idea of the parea enables many women to satisfy a part of themselves that is usually suppressed.
The idea of same sex relations (as seen in the parea) always posses a site of controversy in most societies. Coming from a country and culture where homosexuality and bisexuality is part and parcel of everyday life, it has become unthinkable to me that people remain to have a problem with this.
My brother has been happily married for over two years to his partner - a homosexual man from Poland. Every New Year's eve the family would go to a gala dinner-dance where dancing almost serves as a 'palate cleanser' after every course - my brother is a fabulous dancer (he was the first to teach me the chachacha when I was a young girl), but now that he is married he has not been able to enjoy these evenings as he is not able to dance with his husband - this to me doesn't seem right.
Why should people be seen as 'in the wrong' on 'not acting sociably' when they want to dance with their spouse? Why should it matter that it is two males dancing rather than a male and female?
But for reasons far beyond my reach it is unfortunately the case. Same sex dancing is seen as a 'transgression' - it is breaking the rules of social etiquette.
Even though same sex dancing has become permitted in many societies today, it is usually permitted in a specifically designated area - a gay club, or a same sex dance competition - highlighting to me that it still has not become accepted.
But having said that, it is not uncommon to see a group of women together on a dance floor - what is this social stigma we have against men dancing together? why is it a transgression for men to dance together (even in a group), and less so for women? Does the type of dancing make a difference?
Funnily enough, our salsa class falls within this category - there being only one male and numerous females has led to most of us dancing with another female. Is this a transgression? well for me it isn't - although it brings with it issues of body movement and such, but overall there does not seem to be a problem. Now I wonder, would this be the same if the situation had been reversed? I very much doubt it.
Speaking of transgression - I attended a Capoeira workshop this week - something I have always wanted to do. Having some experience of kickboxing behind me the movements of martial arts are not completely foreign to me, however there were certain moves that most definitely required me to overcome some physical boundaries - a fear of those perceived boundaries and the breaking of them led to a great sense of self, a sense of potential capabilities perhaps.
vrijdag 13 maart 2009
Week 6 ~ gender & therapeutics of dance
Leading on from lasts week's discussion on carnival, we talked for the first part of this week's lecture about calypso; its rituals of reversal and inversion, and it's use of the body, and its element of catharsis. J. Skinner's own research several years ago having been on Calypso (with a focus on Montserrat), we benefitted today from his insights and experiences of the events - with some fantastic photographic images accompanying the talk.
Of course the aspect of gender features greatly in the Carnivalesgue, however its is used again to emphasise this idea if inversion - thus gender often manifests itself in the cross dressing of men as women. Funnily enough this process of role reversal is not seen in the use of the female body at carnival - femininity, or rather female sexuality, seems to be emphasised as bodies bear all and areas perceived as sexual are accentuated.
I have already discussed the therapeutic role of carnival last week when referring to it as 'safety valve' in society. This is probably the most obvious, and perhaps for some the most significant, form of therapy that can be perceived. This whole idea of allowing that which is not permitted in everyday life enables people to 'let off steam' and revel in their 'unacceptable' behaviour. One can only imagine what it is like to let go of all restraint and have no boundaries - it must to quite a significant extent be therapeutic - to the individual as well as society, as society only functions if the individuals 'function'.
Although, a point worth mentioning here is that Carnival is changing somewhat, as children become more involved and the event itself more publicised - seen as a good attraction for tourism. Will this alter the nature and thus the 'benefits' of the celebration?
Moving on from Carnival to Salsa, we see a whole different sort of therapy and gender portrayal at play. Leslie Gotfrit (1988) talks of "going out dancing in clubs" (set in Canada), and how this is often seen as a scene where roles of stereotypical male machismo and female subordinaeity are a play. However, Gotrfrit, rather than giving into these ideas, argues that dancing at night clubs can also offer the opportunity for "embodied resistance" to these stereotypes [pp122-3]. I found it interesting to hear that when the article was used in class the title Women Dancing Back was taken/interpreted as woman dancing back to a lost self or youth, whereas when I read it I interpreted the title very differently - more along the lines of 'dancing back' as in answering back.
Gotfrit's article does have some interesting points, especially about the "role" of women in these settings, one which they impose upon themselves, as well as those imposed on them by means of 'expected behaviour. Her article is very focused on the personal pleasures we find in dancing, the release, the opportunity to act sensually, etc. This got me thinking, within the club scene Gotfrit is referring to, these personal pleasures would probably not be shared by many - especially men (but that's a whole different story). Although Gotfrit makes some great points I am not entirely convinced by everything she argues, I find her too feministic in approach, and i am not sure how well it reflects women's sense of self today - but then it was written over twenty years ago.
Jonathan Skinners article then applies some of Gotfrit's ideas to the sphere of Salsa dancing in Northern Ireland Although not in agreement with Gotfrit's feminist stance, he does see some of the arguments reflected and expressed in the sentiments of the female salsa dancers he speaks to (for example self-regulation and separation of day self/salsa self).
From my own experiences of dancing I guess I could agree to a certain extent with both articles; Skinner's thought that "the dance floor might be an intersection point between desire and resistance, empowerment and self-regulation..." [2008:7] I find to be extremely succinct.
Then from a discussion on salsa we move to the 'doing' of salsa. This week's session saw us attempting Salsa Rueda - were aiming for something like this;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQszYBK-vR8
However, for the moment we'll make do with just the steps that we know. As you can see from the above the Salsa Rueda is danced in a circle with the followers changing partners on given ques - the partner change is achieved by (for us) either an enchufla or a 'dame' which is a dile gue no. The energy and vitality this dance style created in the group today was amazing, and I can finally say that the leaders definitely found there voice today - they were great ques were clear and most were able to be concise and assertive in their movements. The rueda requires quite a lot of strength and tension between the partners, which showed me that the prior problems I was having with leaders was merely due to lack of strength/tension, but today they all seemed to have it.
Of course the aspect of gender features greatly in the Carnivalesgue, however its is used again to emphasise this idea if inversion - thus gender often manifests itself in the cross dressing of men as women. Funnily enough this process of role reversal is not seen in the use of the female body at carnival - femininity, or rather female sexuality, seems to be emphasised as bodies bear all and areas perceived as sexual are accentuated.
I have already discussed the therapeutic role of carnival last week when referring to it as 'safety valve' in society. This is probably the most obvious, and perhaps for some the most significant, form of therapy that can be perceived. This whole idea of allowing that which is not permitted in everyday life enables people to 'let off steam' and revel in their 'unacceptable' behaviour. One can only imagine what it is like to let go of all restraint and have no boundaries - it must to quite a significant extent be therapeutic - to the individual as well as society, as society only functions if the individuals 'function'.
Although, a point worth mentioning here is that Carnival is changing somewhat, as children become more involved and the event itself more publicised - seen as a good attraction for tourism. Will this alter the nature and thus the 'benefits' of the celebration?
Moving on from Carnival to Salsa, we see a whole different sort of therapy and gender portrayal at play. Leslie Gotfrit (1988) talks of "going out dancing in clubs" (set in Canada), and how this is often seen as a scene where roles of stereotypical male machismo and female subordinaeity are a play. However, Gotrfrit, rather than giving into these ideas, argues that dancing at night clubs can also offer the opportunity for "embodied resistance" to these stereotypes [pp122-3]. I found it interesting to hear that when the article was used in class the title Women Dancing Back was taken/interpreted as woman dancing back to a lost self or youth, whereas when I read it I interpreted the title very differently - more along the lines of 'dancing back' as in answering back.
Gotfrit's article does have some interesting points, especially about the "role" of women in these settings, one which they impose upon themselves, as well as those imposed on them by means of 'expected behaviour. Her article is very focused on the personal pleasures we find in dancing, the release, the opportunity to act sensually, etc. This got me thinking, within the club scene Gotfrit is referring to, these personal pleasures would probably not be shared by many - especially men (but that's a whole different story). Although Gotfrit makes some great points I am not entirely convinced by everything she argues, I find her too feministic in approach, and i am not sure how well it reflects women's sense of self today - but then it was written over twenty years ago.
Jonathan Skinners article then applies some of Gotfrit's ideas to the sphere of Salsa dancing in Northern Ireland Although not in agreement with Gotfrit's feminist stance, he does see some of the arguments reflected and expressed in the sentiments of the female salsa dancers he speaks to (for example self-regulation and separation of day self/salsa self).
From my own experiences of dancing I guess I could agree to a certain extent with both articles; Skinner's thought that "the dance floor might be an intersection point between desire and resistance, empowerment and self-regulation..." [2008:7] I find to be extremely succinct.
Then from a discussion on salsa we move to the 'doing' of salsa. This week's session saw us attempting Salsa Rueda - were aiming for something like this;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQszYBK-vR8
However, for the moment we'll make do with just the steps that we know. As you can see from the above the Salsa Rueda is danced in a circle with the followers changing partners on given ques - the partner change is achieved by (for us) either an enchufla or a 'dame' which is a dile gue no. The energy and vitality this dance style created in the group today was amazing, and I can finally say that the leaders definitely found there voice today - they were great ques were clear and most were able to be concise and assertive in their movements. The rueda requires quite a lot of strength and tension between the partners, which showed me that the prior problems I was having with leaders was merely due to lack of strength/tension, but today they all seemed to have it.
vrijdag 6 maart 2009
Week 5 ~ the learning & teaching of dance (prt.2)
After some reflection on our Beat Initiative visit, talks soon turned to the Calypso phenomenon which emerged out of the Trinidadian pre-Lenten Carnival. Unfortunately I have been unable to locate J.Skinner's paper which deals with his own experiences of Calypso and Carnival as performed in Trinidad. However, he provided a quick overview in lecture on Monday and gave us a good idea of the salient features.
In all Carnival celebrations there is an element of inversion of socially accepted (and expected) behaviour; there's an element of parody, of grotesqueness, of exaggeration, of excess - all of which leads Max Gluckman to introduce the idea that there is perhaps a "license in ritual"; does ritual performance permit us to act outside the bounds of everyday behaviour? is there perhaps even an expectation to act differently within the ritual idiom? This would fit in with the whole idea of the safety-valve theory which argues that Carnival acts as a 'safety-valve' within society, it allows for the breaking of social codes of behaviour and 'rules' so that the rest of the year people can adhere to society's confines without the need to rebel.
This idea of 'license in ritual' leads on to the ritual of dancing. Do we perceive dancing as a ritual performance? If so only within the context of the performance space is this license to act 'differently' granted. This can be seen in J.Skinner's article 'At the busk and after dusk' [2003] where the ceroc team decide to 'busk' on a Saturday afternoon out on the street - a time and place very different from the usual place where their dancing takes place. This request to dance outside the usual performance space brought difficulty for several of the group's members who thought it wrong to dance at this time and place; they had set upon themselves a set of rules in which they only permitted themselves to dance (thus act differently) in the usual performance time and space (thus the ritual context) - here the 'license' provided by 'ritual' is greatly exemplified.
Soon the discussion was led to the aspect of embodiment and the question of its significance or importance in the learning process. Nigel Rapport's field work experience, after finding that his theoretical insight were most often preceded by some form if physical involvement, led him to belief that movement could be the "mother of cognition", and that perhaps our movements influence the way, or even what, we think. The significance of learning through embodiment in dance has already been discussed previously and thus I will take it as given for now.
Thus the teaching of dance, as I have experienced it here in Belfast, in Manchester, and in Spain all call upon embodiment to pass on the knowledge of dance movements - muscle memory instilled by means of mimicry is most often utilised, as is the cerebral memory through the use of vocalising the movements; in tandem these two techniques seem to be quite effective.
J Skinner, in his article 'Think like a duck: become the duck' [undated] points us to the use of metaphor in the teaching of dance movements. The use of imagery and metaphor may be very effective in order to explain a certain body motion, however it is only effective if all present understand and are able to visualise the metaphor invoked. If a student is from a different social or cultural background the images/metaphors used may not be helpful at all, but rather lead to the exclusion of this student. Thus metaphor is only useful if all those being taught share the teacher's understanding of it.
The session was ended with a short questionnaire concerning our own experiences of learning to dance. I must say I have never enjoyed these sort of questions which require you to actually express what it is you feel about a certain experience - as with the ethnography of dance (or music for that matter) it is extremely difficult to express in writing something which is experienced in and with the body. However it did give me food for thought, and made me more aware of the teaching methods employed in the next Salsa class. [An interesting aspect which emerged out of the questionnaire was that the personality of the instructor was of utmost importance - something which I was perhaps not expecting, but once I thought about it it actually did ring true to my own experiences also].
We have a breakthrough! The Wednesday salsa class could be argued to have been one of the most successful classes yet, and this was due to the fact that we were finally 'dancing'. After another step was added to our repertoire, namely enchufla [followers (as per usual starting with the right foot: back, forward (veering towards left), side, side (whilst pivoting anticlockwise 90 degrees), cross forward, together] which then leads on into the dile que no, something along the lines of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jb8LRMPMfs (I'm not sure about the guy's arm movement at the start - I'm all for being enthusiastic but this is a bit much;)).
Practicing this took up most of the class, however it was worth it - after several rounds and several tempos there seemed to be a shift in the movement of some of the class members' movements, and as the instructor said "now it's starting to feel like dancing" - there seemed to emerge a certain fluidity in the movement which had priorly been some what disjunct. People seemed to be embodying their acquired knowledge rather than actively thinking of each step.
I had another dancing experience I encountered this week was that of a Brazilian Bumba Boi (or Boi meu Bumba) which is an altogether different experience - the dance steps are not intricate, rather they seem an elaborated version of three steps forward, pause, three steps back; however, I had great difficulty with getting my body to move in the way required, it required a certainty, legs in quite a wide stance, body sort of bent down, and in bear feet - the flat of the foot being used to tap the fourth beat (pause). Focus is on the legs rather than on hips (which should have already signalled to me i'd find it difficult. An interesting experience, requiring me to step out of my comfort zone were I to fully participate in the dance.
In all Carnival celebrations there is an element of inversion of socially accepted (and expected) behaviour; there's an element of parody, of grotesqueness, of exaggeration, of excess - all of which leads Max Gluckman to introduce the idea that there is perhaps a "license in ritual"; does ritual performance permit us to act outside the bounds of everyday behaviour? is there perhaps even an expectation to act differently within the ritual idiom? This would fit in with the whole idea of the safety-valve theory which argues that Carnival acts as a 'safety-valve' within society, it allows for the breaking of social codes of behaviour and 'rules' so that the rest of the year people can adhere to society's confines without the need to rebel.
This idea of 'license in ritual' leads on to the ritual of dancing. Do we perceive dancing as a ritual performance? If so only within the context of the performance space is this license to act 'differently' granted. This can be seen in J.Skinner's article 'At the busk and after dusk' [2003] where the ceroc team decide to 'busk' on a Saturday afternoon out on the street - a time and place very different from the usual place where their dancing takes place. This request to dance outside the usual performance space brought difficulty for several of the group's members who thought it wrong to dance at this time and place; they had set upon themselves a set of rules in which they only permitted themselves to dance (thus act differently) in the usual performance time and space (thus the ritual context) - here the 'license' provided by 'ritual' is greatly exemplified.
Soon the discussion was led to the aspect of embodiment and the question of its significance or importance in the learning process. Nigel Rapport's field work experience, after finding that his theoretical insight were most often preceded by some form if physical involvement, led him to belief that movement could be the "mother of cognition", and that perhaps our movements influence the way, or even what, we think. The significance of learning through embodiment in dance has already been discussed previously and thus I will take it as given for now.
Thus the teaching of dance, as I have experienced it here in Belfast, in Manchester, and in Spain all call upon embodiment to pass on the knowledge of dance movements - muscle memory instilled by means of mimicry is most often utilised, as is the cerebral memory through the use of vocalising the movements; in tandem these two techniques seem to be quite effective.
J Skinner, in his article 'Think like a duck: become the duck' [undated] points us to the use of metaphor in the teaching of dance movements. The use of imagery and metaphor may be very effective in order to explain a certain body motion, however it is only effective if all present understand and are able to visualise the metaphor invoked. If a student is from a different social or cultural background the images/metaphors used may not be helpful at all, but rather lead to the exclusion of this student. Thus metaphor is only useful if all those being taught share the teacher's understanding of it.
The session was ended with a short questionnaire concerning our own experiences of learning to dance. I must say I have never enjoyed these sort of questions which require you to actually express what it is you feel about a certain experience - as with the ethnography of dance (or music for that matter) it is extremely difficult to express in writing something which is experienced in and with the body. However it did give me food for thought, and made me more aware of the teaching methods employed in the next Salsa class. [An interesting aspect which emerged out of the questionnaire was that the personality of the instructor was of utmost importance - something which I was perhaps not expecting, but once I thought about it it actually did ring true to my own experiences also].
We have a breakthrough! The Wednesday salsa class could be argued to have been one of the most successful classes yet, and this was due to the fact that we were finally 'dancing'. After another step was added to our repertoire, namely enchufla [followers (as per usual starting with the right foot: back, forward (veering towards left), side, side (whilst pivoting anticlockwise 90 degrees), cross forward, together] which then leads on into the dile que no, something along the lines of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jb8LRMPMfs (I'm not sure about the guy's arm movement at the start - I'm all for being enthusiastic but this is a bit much;)).
Practicing this took up most of the class, however it was worth it - after several rounds and several tempos there seemed to be a shift in the movement of some of the class members' movements, and as the instructor said "now it's starting to feel like dancing" - there seemed to emerge a certain fluidity in the movement which had priorly been some what disjunct. People seemed to be embodying their acquired knowledge rather than actively thinking of each step.
I had another dancing experience I encountered this week was that of a Brazilian Bumba Boi (or Boi meu Bumba) which is an altogether different experience - the dance steps are not intricate, rather they seem an elaborated version of three steps forward, pause, three steps back; however, I had great difficulty with getting my body to move in the way required, it required a certainty, legs in quite a wide stance, body sort of bent down, and in bear feet - the flat of the foot being used to tap the fourth beat (pause). Focus is on the legs rather than on hips (which should have already signalled to me i'd find it difficult. An interesting experience, requiring me to step out of my comfort zone were I to fully participate in the dance.
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