THE "AND" IS WHERE MAGIC HAPPENS
Fresh out of the MAPP conversation I'm positively aware of the challenges ahead in module 2 and 3 from the input of other students in our Skype call.
There were a lot of points made about allowing ourselves enough time to think in between modules, in between interviews and data analysis to be able to process and reflect on our own ideas. Why?...well, the "in between" time is where magic happens.
In Salsa the counting of basic steps is called as: 1, 2, 3 AND 5, 6, 7.
If you study the genre in depth you will discover that in fact, it is the seemingly insignificant "and" timing that holds so much of the movement dynamic and expression. It's in that "in between" where magic happens and where dancers add a plethora of steps and body contractions, pulsations and footwork just to be able to interpret that "and" beat, or more accurately, the silent beat. The beat is silent yes, yet, the expression dancers seek to put in that silence has infinite possibilities.
In my reflection and evaluation of learning I realised that I often learnt the most when I failed. That moment in between achievements and small or big successes was were I seemed to have made the most reflection.
At some point when studying basic physics at secondary school I learnt that energy is never lost, only changes and/or is transformed. If one allows oneself to accept that transformation and adapt accordingly, we'll have a faster rate of progression and self improvement rather than when resisting change. If you resist change, you don't transform, you stagnate. Stagnation doesn't bring great reflection or adaptation to new learning. It stifles progression. It's like you've reached a lake rather than carrying on the flow of the river.
I read an amazing book years ago called "Who moved my cheese" by Dr Spencer Johnson on change. Simple, small book but very enlightening, I highly recommend it.
The conversation on communication and finding our voices was rich, and many of us are having common issues and sharing similarities in the realisation of how our voices have changed, evolved or are finding themselves amidst a million of other voices.
My feeling is that no matter how many voices are there exploring similar topics to mine, my voice is unique only to me and my experience, so, I need to be able to hear my own voice in between all the noise, in order to find myself and allow it to be confident enough to explore, develop and express its own ideas.
MA PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE BLOG
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Monday, November 11, 2019
RE: GENERATIONS CONFERENCE 2019 - dance and the digital space
Attending Re:generations conference this weekend was another positive step towards understanding the context within which Dance of the African Diaspora ( DAD) has developed in Britain and where it currently sits in UK Dance.
The Lowry is a beautiful building in the middle of new industrial complex in Salford - Manchester. The building in very sculptural, navigates in a kind of spiral, assuming various shapes on the way and is clad in stainless steel and glass. The area is surrounded by water canals, trees and new builds.
It was in this beautiful setting that Re:Generations conference came together with various national and international artists and partners willing to share their experience and discuss possible solutions for the challenges in the DAD sector.
I attended Day 2 and quickly wished I could have participated in at least another day out of the 3 day conference.
The Keynote from Dr Thomas F. DeFrantz was inspiring and forward thinking and stimulated plenty of self - reflection. There was some discord as to the use of the word Afrofuture but overall it was an enlightening talk.
The Mapping research report was presented by Dele Meiji Fatunla, Jeanefer - Jean Charles, Heather Benson and Mercy Nabirye FRSA WLF. The research data was detailed and thorough and pointed our how digital platform offer opportunities to connect, archive legacies and promote to new audiences. Some of the results seemed to be uncomfortably familiar for many of the different generations of artists present which provoked the question of what has exactly changed in the DAD sector. We broke out into groups to discuss various areas such as: Funding, Education, Marketing, Audience development and Legacy & Archiving. Having a personal interest in the latter I joined the artist Jonzi D who was leading the Legacy and Archiving conversation.
The time was short for such a key conversation. It was revealed that many elders that were part of DAD in the UK keep data and media about artistic work they've performed and/or developed "under their bed" (!). There is a trust factor in this process that doesn't seem easy to shake off. I pointed out that this is a serious issue in terms of legacy and education. As an artist, I trained and worked having the UK as a base. Throughout this time, despite being connected to various DAD artists of an older generation I was never exposed to the history of DAD in the UK and its artistic body of work. I have no knowledge of their legacies. This has a real impact to student development and outlook on dance. If students don't see the legacy of works of DAD how can they see themselves having a future in the sector?...How will artists in other fields see the DAD sector if it appears almost invisible?...There's an emptiness that needs to be filled as a matter of urgency. Solutions and ideas were put forward including the writing of books, digital libraries and a central point of access through membership or other.
I attended other conversations such as "Exploring cultral barriers to outreach and training programmes" with Dr Adesola Akinleye, Ann Williams, Dr Sandle Bourne, Beverley GleanMBE and Thomas Presto.
Thomas Presto presentation was an eye opener on how an artist is using technology to map and collect movement data in the DAD sector and bridge science, technology and dance forms usually equated with tradition and "fluid' perceptions of precision, specificity and movement styles.
I must say though, and this WILL sound bias(!) , but, that Dr Adesola's presentation was my favourite. It felt to me that Dr Adesola just hit the nail on the head and actually talked about the real elephant in the room.
Dr Adesola discussed white privilege in dance, treating dance as property and used a beautiful metaphor of a manor house. The idea being that, there's a dance ball happening in the manor house, the ball is lit beautifully and has all these beautiful dancers, costumes etc...outside of the lit area though, the manor is dark and cold, specially to those who are not invited to the ball...
It was a great way to bring light to the existing barriers to DAD in education, performance, etc.
The reason I truly enjoyed Dr Adesola's talk the most is because I felt that, having attended various conferences in the genre I haven't seen any real commitment from institutions and gatekeepers to truly present long term solutions for change. I felt that conversations were in fact "too safe" at times.
Unfortunately human beings seem to need a degree of discomfort in order to truly push for change and bring about real learning and self development. It's a positive effort to create a safe space for conversation but if it's too comfortable, too safe, it will maintain the status quo and prevent us from moving forward. More than one of the artists at the conference confided in me with the same feedback. We're talking the talk but..are we walking the walk?...
Attending Re:generations conference this weekend was another positive step towards understanding the context within which Dance of the African Diaspora ( DAD) has developed in Britain and where it currently sits in UK Dance.
The Lowry is a beautiful building in the middle of new industrial complex in Salford - Manchester. The building in very sculptural, navigates in a kind of spiral, assuming various shapes on the way and is clad in stainless steel and glass. The area is surrounded by water canals, trees and new builds.
It was in this beautiful setting that Re:Generations conference came together with various national and international artists and partners willing to share their experience and discuss possible solutions for the challenges in the DAD sector.
I attended Day 2 and quickly wished I could have participated in at least another day out of the 3 day conference.
The Keynote from Dr Thomas F. DeFrantz was inspiring and forward thinking and stimulated plenty of self - reflection. There was some discord as to the use of the word Afrofuture but overall it was an enlightening talk.
The Mapping research report was presented by Dele Meiji Fatunla, Jeanefer - Jean Charles, Heather Benson and Mercy Nabirye FRSA WLF. The research data was detailed and thorough and pointed our how digital platform offer opportunities to connect, archive legacies and promote to new audiences. Some of the results seemed to be uncomfortably familiar for many of the different generations of artists present which provoked the question of what has exactly changed in the DAD sector. We broke out into groups to discuss various areas such as: Funding, Education, Marketing, Audience development and Legacy & Archiving. Having a personal interest in the latter I joined the artist Jonzi D who was leading the Legacy and Archiving conversation.
The time was short for such a key conversation. It was revealed that many elders that were part of DAD in the UK keep data and media about artistic work they've performed and/or developed "under their bed" (!). There is a trust factor in this process that doesn't seem easy to shake off. I pointed out that this is a serious issue in terms of legacy and education. As an artist, I trained and worked having the UK as a base. Throughout this time, despite being connected to various DAD artists of an older generation I was never exposed to the history of DAD in the UK and its artistic body of work. I have no knowledge of their legacies. This has a real impact to student development and outlook on dance. If students don't see the legacy of works of DAD how can they see themselves having a future in the sector?...How will artists in other fields see the DAD sector if it appears almost invisible?...There's an emptiness that needs to be filled as a matter of urgency. Solutions and ideas were put forward including the writing of books, digital libraries and a central point of access through membership or other.
I attended other conversations such as "Exploring cultral barriers to outreach and training programmes" with Dr Adesola Akinleye, Ann Williams, Dr Sandle Bourne, Beverley GleanMBE and Thomas Presto.
Thomas Presto presentation was an eye opener on how an artist is using technology to map and collect movement data in the DAD sector and bridge science, technology and dance forms usually equated with tradition and "fluid' perceptions of precision, specificity and movement styles.
I must say though, and this WILL sound bias(!) , but, that Dr Adesola's presentation was my favourite. It felt to me that Dr Adesola just hit the nail on the head and actually talked about the real elephant in the room.
Dr Adesola discussed white privilege in dance, treating dance as property and used a beautiful metaphor of a manor house. The idea being that, there's a dance ball happening in the manor house, the ball is lit beautifully and has all these beautiful dancers, costumes etc...outside of the lit area though, the manor is dark and cold, specially to those who are not invited to the ball...
It was a great way to bring light to the existing barriers to DAD in education, performance, etc.
The reason I truly enjoyed Dr Adesola's talk the most is because I felt that, having attended various conferences in the genre I haven't seen any real commitment from institutions and gatekeepers to truly present long term solutions for change. I felt that conversations were in fact "too safe" at times.
Unfortunately human beings seem to need a degree of discomfort in order to truly push for change and bring about real learning and self development. It's a positive effort to create a safe space for conversation but if it's too comfortable, too safe, it will maintain the status quo and prevent us from moving forward. More than one of the artists at the conference confided in me with the same feedback. We're talking the talk but..are we walking the walk?...
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
INDEPENDENT WOMAN
There are plenty of benefits to being an independent artist. You choose your own hours of work, your creative time and you have the freedom of choosing your own areas of development and focus. This will mean that most times you need to develop your intuition, network with other artists, learn from experience and create your own opportunities.
After leaving dance college, if that was your path, you are thrown into auditions and teaching work with often not much more than a reference on how you were taught yourself.
With the advent of internet, there are more tools available to navigate the world of independent artistic practice of course and this has been a positive welcome to those who start their career with fewer resources and/or mentorship.
I consider myself lucky in the sense that I've always loved teaching dance. It helped me learn so much about myself but also plenty about the business side of being an artist. Having to integrate the business aspect of dance made me realise what aspects I enjoy and what aspects have led me to make great mistakes and consequently experience tough learning curves.
I was teaching yesterday and had a post class discussion.The aspect of socialising with students is akin to attending a networking event to me. I used to freeze socially as I din't feel I was equipped with the right conversational skills to meet new people and talk to artists and cultural leaders who could potential support my development.
I soon learnt that confidence was a key word, not only in doing well in a networking event but in almost anything. At the end of a dance class once, a teacher told me that my confidence was very low despite my potential. How would I be able to develop confidence though?...There weren't any counselling or mental health subjects at Dance college...outside of it people didn't care so much and carried on with their own challenges...it took me time but it was only after various interactions with other artists and practitioners that I understood that true confidence came from believing in myself first. Once I fully believed in myself, others would naturally be attracted to my work and my artistic expression. It does make me think though...Discussing with my students after class and teaching adult classes I reflected on how much artistic expression is left forgotten and hidden simply because society doesn't recognise creative thought in the same level as science and literature.
As an independent artist you are "forced" to work outside of any defined framework and this experience, with all its pros and cons certainly supports our own ability to listen to our intuition, to create our own path and discover through experience. Is it the "fight or flight" feeling that pushes our own development?...Could we develop the same skills under a more defined framework?...
Having to teach independent classes I realised, for example, I loathe social media. I learnt how to use it but feel that its a big distraction to my creative process. Interacting with technology is something unavoidable of course. How will this affect the artistic process?...oh, that's the theme for my next blog pre - Re:Generations conference this weekend in Manchester!
There are plenty of benefits to being an independent artist. You choose your own hours of work, your creative time and you have the freedom of choosing your own areas of development and focus. This will mean that most times you need to develop your intuition, network with other artists, learn from experience and create your own opportunities.
After leaving dance college, if that was your path, you are thrown into auditions and teaching work with often not much more than a reference on how you were taught yourself.
With the advent of internet, there are more tools available to navigate the world of independent artistic practice of course and this has been a positive welcome to those who start their career with fewer resources and/or mentorship.
I consider myself lucky in the sense that I've always loved teaching dance. It helped me learn so much about myself but also plenty about the business side of being an artist. Having to integrate the business aspect of dance made me realise what aspects I enjoy and what aspects have led me to make great mistakes and consequently experience tough learning curves.
I was teaching yesterday and had a post class discussion.The aspect of socialising with students is akin to attending a networking event to me. I used to freeze socially as I din't feel I was equipped with the right conversational skills to meet new people and talk to artists and cultural leaders who could potential support my development.
I soon learnt that confidence was a key word, not only in doing well in a networking event but in almost anything. At the end of a dance class once, a teacher told me that my confidence was very low despite my potential. How would I be able to develop confidence though?...There weren't any counselling or mental health subjects at Dance college...outside of it people didn't care so much and carried on with their own challenges...it took me time but it was only after various interactions with other artists and practitioners that I understood that true confidence came from believing in myself first. Once I fully believed in myself, others would naturally be attracted to my work and my artistic expression. It does make me think though...Discussing with my students after class and teaching adult classes I reflected on how much artistic expression is left forgotten and hidden simply because society doesn't recognise creative thought in the same level as science and literature.
As an independent artist you are "forced" to work outside of any defined framework and this experience, with all its pros and cons certainly supports our own ability to listen to our intuition, to create our own path and discover through experience. Is it the "fight or flight" feeling that pushes our own development?...Could we develop the same skills under a more defined framework?...
Having to teach independent classes I realised, for example, I loathe social media. I learnt how to use it but feel that its a big distraction to my creative process. Interacting with technology is something unavoidable of course. How will this affect the artistic process?...oh, that's the theme for my next blog pre - Re:Generations conference this weekend in Manchester!
Monday, November 4, 2019
EXPERIENCING THE QUEER
I didn't quite know what to expect from the symposium "Queering the Somatic: Interrupting the Narrative" but I loved to be part of it. I certainly opened my horizons to new perspectives and research in movement and technology. Following my attendance I lost my notes, so this blog will be purely out of what I can remember...a learning in itself.
Key note presentation by Prof. Thomas F. DeFrantz & Middlesex alumni Danny Tokay Reid discussed queer definitions, the art of queer and its own research challenges in modernity.
The vocabulary from Prof. DeFrantz was at times difficult to comprehend for me and it was a little difficult to keep up but his presentation process was so dynamic and fluid that it was not so difficult to catch up.
According to both presentations, definitions of queering encased 3 main aspects. These ranged between being, doing and how queering was perceived. These three approaches affected how notions of queer movement were interpreted and negotiated in dance.This is of course an extreme summary of a very thorough presentation but nevertheless what I'm able to remember.
The presentation by alumni Danny Reid discussed his experience of "queering" a museum space, using dancers, queer meditation and other activities. Being interested in meditation myself I asked at the end what was the definition of "Queer meditation". According to Danny, this particular activity was delivered by a third party who used cushions with icon images like Madonna, Rupaul etc. printed on them. I pointed out that at the core of spiritual practice is to not make distinctions or labels.
Queer expression identifies far beyond stereotypes and delving into its philosophy pointed out areas I hadn't thought about previously.
Discussing the queer somatic certainly provoked deeper thought and learning from different perspectives. The general understanding of expressing "queerness" relates to the fluidity of gender expression in more extreme forms and shapes. I was not fully in tune with the presented idea whereby any notions of movement that contained exciting, creative qualities and "pizazz" were defined as queer.
Is having a movement expression that is exciting and different considered queer?...
Is it expressing in a queer form by extension instantly exciting?...
Other workshops interpolated how architecture influenced our mood, our perception and our movement while performing daily activities. The workshop facilitator drew a map of a very small apartment on offer for sale in a city in Chile. An attendee commented that the space was akin to prison cell measurements in the USA. I found this quite powerful. As a dancer I've used many different spaces and to experience such a small space, albeit only drawn on the floor, was very constricting. I questioned it further.
Could it also be constricting to the mind?...
Does living in extreme small spaces limits our ability to have personal vision and/or develop creative thought?...
The symposium was well attended and workshop facilitators and lecturers were very exciting to talk to. It opened my mind to a million possibilities. Plenty of food for thought and loads of reading to do!...
I didn't quite know what to expect from the symposium "Queering the Somatic: Interrupting the Narrative" but I loved to be part of it. I certainly opened my horizons to new perspectives and research in movement and technology. Following my attendance I lost my notes, so this blog will be purely out of what I can remember...a learning in itself.
Key note presentation by Prof. Thomas F. DeFrantz & Middlesex alumni Danny Tokay Reid discussed queer definitions, the art of queer and its own research challenges in modernity.
The vocabulary from Prof. DeFrantz was at times difficult to comprehend for me and it was a little difficult to keep up but his presentation process was so dynamic and fluid that it was not so difficult to catch up.
According to both presentations, definitions of queering encased 3 main aspects. These ranged between being, doing and how queering was perceived. These three approaches affected how notions of queer movement were interpreted and negotiated in dance.This is of course an extreme summary of a very thorough presentation but nevertheless what I'm able to remember.
The presentation by alumni Danny Reid discussed his experience of "queering" a museum space, using dancers, queer meditation and other activities. Being interested in meditation myself I asked at the end what was the definition of "Queer meditation". According to Danny, this particular activity was delivered by a third party who used cushions with icon images like Madonna, Rupaul etc. printed on them. I pointed out that at the core of spiritual practice is to not make distinctions or labels.
Queer expression identifies far beyond stereotypes and delving into its philosophy pointed out areas I hadn't thought about previously.
Discussing the queer somatic certainly provoked deeper thought and learning from different perspectives. The general understanding of expressing "queerness" relates to the fluidity of gender expression in more extreme forms and shapes. I was not fully in tune with the presented idea whereby any notions of movement that contained exciting, creative qualities and "pizazz" were defined as queer.
Is having a movement expression that is exciting and different considered queer?...
Is it expressing in a queer form by extension instantly exciting?...
Other workshops interpolated how architecture influenced our mood, our perception and our movement while performing daily activities. The workshop facilitator drew a map of a very small apartment on offer for sale in a city in Chile. An attendee commented that the space was akin to prison cell measurements in the USA. I found this quite powerful. As a dancer I've used many different spaces and to experience such a small space, albeit only drawn on the floor, was very constricting. I questioned it further.
Could it also be constricting to the mind?...
Does living in extreme small spaces limits our ability to have personal vision and/or develop creative thought?...
The symposium was well attended and workshop facilitators and lecturers were very exciting to talk to. It opened my mind to a million possibilities. Plenty of food for thought and loads of reading to do!...
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