Meshwork choreography: a pragmatic approach to collaborative embodied learning in South African higher education

Abstract

ABSTRACT The diversity of the South African higher educational student population requires innovative pedagogical strategies that facilitate transformative and collaborative embodied learning. This article demonstrates how the choreographic process emerges from the context of multiculturalism through a pragmatic learning approach called meshwork choreography. Meshwork suggests an interwoven relation that emphasises the ever-evolving nature of relationships within an environment. Choreography as meshwork is where the choreographer does not impose preconceived ideas on the dancers but rather facilitates a collaborative and exploratory process. The research employed a conceptual framework of phenomenography, embodied and collaborative learning to frame the discussion towards a model of how choreography functions as meshwork. Composition and design processes in and of themselves embrace transformative learning through collaborative, embodied, and relational practices and are bolstered when they converge within the creation of choreographic work. This article reflects on students’ experiences in the Performing Arts Dance Stream at Tshwane University of Technology in conceptualising choreography as meshwork. Phenomenography was adopted as the research methodology, where data was analysed within phenomenographic categories. The article offers a South African perspective, informed by Ubuntu, of a meshwork model for the benefits of applying transformative learning through choreography within a higher education dance context.