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Module 3 Session - What are we doing in terms of research?

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 Hi! Well, we are off! Module 3 has begun whether we are ready for it or not. 😳⏳🗓 It was a nice session last evening hearing from some classmates and our mentors. The breadth of the research topics is so interesting and everyone who spoke did a wonderful job. I was intrigued. I agree with Helen when she said that the session went by quickly! I didn't get an opportunity to share what I am doing, so I will summarize a bit here. I liked the idea Helen presented of breaking down your study in bulletpoints. So I have spent some time today doing that.  Here is my MA research study broken down using the 5 W's + How🕵🏻‍♀️: Title: An Investigation into the Relationships Between Spoken Language and Dance Pedagogy in a Non-Native Setting What: I will use an embodied approach to dance pedagogy as an entry point into research surrounding communication and learning in a non-native setting - all examined through a pedagogical lens and from a social constructivist epistemology (= lived ex...
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Checking back in... Sunday Discussion Group Reflection

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  It's been a while since I have posted here. Life moves so quickly! 😳⏱ Anyway, I wanted to pop in an write a bit about our Sunday group discussion from last evening with Dr. Sam Murray. The topics that Sam covered and the explanations/examples he provided were very interesting to me. I felt a familiarity as he spoke about music, his music, group composition and the use of technology - among other things. I'm not claiming to be a musician, but I view my body as my instrument. The connection to the music is and has always been so important for me.  While listening to Sam, it stuck me how much crossover there is from his "world" into ours, as dancers. From using his instrument in different ways to search for inspiration, to working collaboratively, to trying to connect with an audience, these are all things that we do on a regular basis within the field of dance, too.  Sam said something in particular that stood out to me and it continued to resonate after the discussi...
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Sunday Discussion Group - Theory & Frameworks

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Now that we are a few weeks into the programme and have had the opportunity to gather online for a number of Skype sessions, I think it's time for me to ask something. Does anyone else feel as though our discussions (although very interesting) don't seem to really correspond with the topic listed on our calendar?  I DO NOT mean this as a criticism as what has been discussed up to this point has been both intriguing and lovely. It's just that I read the title of the upcoming discussion in advance, I join the call and then... it happens. I'm confused! Not confused as in I can't follow the conversation, but confused because to me, it feels like the conversation has veered off of the set topic. For example, this week we were to discuss Theory and Frameworks. We did start off with a brief conversation, speaking about monism/dualism and then touched on the mind/body connection while dancing. We then took off into a conversation about choreography/repertoire/direction and ...
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🎥📱 Filming: Friend or Foe?

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 As a continuation of my thoughts from the Sunday discussion group, I'm touching now on the topic of filming dance/choreography. I realise that filming and watching rehearsals and performances can be discussed, but I am choosing to focus solely on the use of filming within the studio, during class time. Over the past few years, I have been faced with a personal predicament with regards to filming in class, particularly combinations and choreography, towards the end of class. I feel a bit "caught in the middle". I am of a age that we DID NOT ever (ok, on very rare occasions) film ourselves as I was growing up and training or in rehearsal as I was working (👵🏻).  Yet, I am also of an age where I understand how technology works (most of the time!😉) and I am capable of simple filming my students in class. I am not going down the road of ethics and GDPR here. I do think that is a very important issue, but I have another quandary. Here is my issue... If we are constantly film...
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Investigating My Own Interpretations...

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After a week with 3 interesting online sessions, I am finally able to carve out  some time, try to collect my thoughts and express them here on my blog. First, I just want to make a reference to something that Adesola said as we began the 23/9 Module One discussion on "Seeing Your Practice & Self". She likened our online discussions to an improvisation. Oooohhhh, that's nice! That actually made me feel something and I instantly understood what she meant. As a tap dancer & teacher ( I also teach and have trained/performed in other genres),  I so appreciated the suggestion of a riff, then playing off of it, then changing the rhythm and sharing... I found comfort in that familiarity. It was an excellent analogy. The Skype discussions are something new for me. Like many, I now have some experience (thanks to the Covid-19 situation) teaching and taking class online, but being involved in an online discussion is different and new. I find myself feeling nervous, intimida...
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Now What?

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Since our Welcome Skype on the 11th, I've spent some time reading and going through the Programme & Module Handbooks. I felt quite motivated last week and was ready to just dive in and get started.  But how? Where should I begin? What needs to happen first?  I am a planner and an "order of events" for me to follow is crucial. If I feel structured and organised, I feel calm. Abstract thought and a "wait and see" approach make me crazy and anxious! So the next logical step for me was to pick a handbook and start again from the beginning.  I started with The Module Handbook: Recognition of Prior Learning, making notes, noticing terms & phrases that I may have missed the first time and pulling out any information that I think will be useful for me. I chose this one first as I am hoping it will nudge my thought processes in the right direction and help me to come up with my AOLs - soon. I intend to do the same for both the The Module Handbook for DAN4510 ...
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I'm Really Doing This!?!?

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Did it take anyone else WAY TOO LONG to write their first (ever!) blog post? What should I write? What should I not write? What am I doing? And why? Am I really doing this?!?! Yes! I'm really doing this. For me. Yay! The present me and the future me are relying heavily on the past me, right now. Oh, reflection... After years of dancing professionally, I transitioned willingly into teaching and choreography in order to have a schedule more conducive to raising my 3 kids. Work and family life have afforded me wonderful experiences and opportunities throughout the years and for a long while, I felt quite satisfied.  Fast forward a few years and my kids have now reached an age where I can invest more time into me and my continued development. I was then faced with the tough task of deciding "what" to do. I do have a university degree in Kinesiology and it has absolutely complimented my dance teaching, but since my life's work to this point has been routed in dance, I knew...
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