Dance Technique Research Articles

Codifying African dance: the Germaine Acogny technique and antinomies of postcolonial cultural production

The French-Senegalese choreographer Germaine Acogny is deemed to be the first to develop a dance technique that is both ‘African’ and ‘universal.’ Following her teaching certification training from 2010 to 2013, a growing body of dancers around the world practice the Germaine Acogny Technique as it is no longer only foundational at her École des Sables in Senegal but also taught overseas by certified instructors. Initiated by a confrontation with the restrictions of classical ballet and as a way to valorize and professionalize African dances, the technique may be considered a site of decolonial cultural production. Yet, it must contend with continued Euro-American economic and immaterial dominance. Based on ethnographic research at École des Sables, this paper examines antinomies inherent to the Acogny Technique. Using theories of postcolonial cultural production and consumption, I demonstrate that the technique sustains a critique of power structures embedded within Western-derived dance techniques while constituting a shared, meaningful movement vocabulary for Pan-African dancers. At the same time, it capitalizes on certain colonialist signifiers of a differentiated Africa, a tendency all but required for survival in the late capitalist global economy.

Rebalancing dance curricula through repurposing black dance aesthetics

ABSTRACT In my investigation of dance curricula in US higher education, the dance discipline’s primary pedagogical concentrations in classical ballet and Eurocentric modern dance techniques implicitly signal their centrality to the development of any academically trained dancer. This focus, in turn, generalizes and essentializes other cultural and innovative approaches that could be vital to the foundation of the well-trained 21st century dancer and undergraduate dance studies major. Although components of black aesthetic dance techniques and vernaculars, such as Dunham, Umfundalai, and Jazz, as well as Hip Hop and African derived styles, are being offered, they are typically not a central part of the curriculum, but electives. This study proposes the necessary approach to curricular overhauling. I offer an alternative ‘entercultural engaged pedagogy’ that can rectify what is currently lacking in higher education dance departments. Subsequently, this study’s approach to a paradigm shift away from the historical ethnocentric paradigm is not only the introduction of an entercultural approach to dance education but also the undoing of the monocultural epistemology.

Gender, caste, and feminist praxis in transnational South India

ABSTRACT In the past 70 years, certain kinds of Indian dance have been read as classical or aspirational, especially when performed by or associated with Hindu/high-caste people and in cosmopolitan spaces like Chennai or San Francisco. Inversely, certain dancers and dance techniques associated with those who stand apart from caste or religious status are dismissed as poor in quality, and not worthy of emulation. In this article, I examine how such logic operates through South Indian (Telugu) cinema, tourism, and transnational capitalist flows, and how it relies upon reductive and exclusionary notions of gender, caste, identity, and affect. In doing so, I consider how the same media, which validates and fetishizes certain gendered notions of the body, simultaneously offers new possibilities for challenging casteist and misogynistic hegemonies. Relying on queer and critical transnational feminist theory, in this article I explore how the fetishization of the low-caste courtesan dancer – a symbol for generations of South Indian expressive culture – has ultimately produced a site of resistance.

Creative and embodied methods to teach reflections and support students’ learning

ABSTRACT Dance education in the twenty-first century has started to shift with the evolution of contemporary dance techniques and the introduction of more holistic somatic practices into dance training. Nowadays, the idea of developing ‘professional self-sufficiency’ is at the heart of the learning experience for young dancers. We believe that in response to these shifts and in order to future-proof dance education there is a need for a renewed focus on theoretical approaches and academic engagement; a focus reminiscent of and aligned with the conceptual frameworks commonly associated with social sciences, in which the process of arriving at ‘professional self-sufficiency’ is inextricably linked to reflective practice. In this article, we describe a project at the Rambert School of Dance that introduced the use of creative methods for teaching reflection and reflective practice. After a brief introduction to the specific context of Rambert School, we will provide an overview of dance education and reflective practice. Subsequently, we describe the reflective-practice project with its session contents as it was delivered over the course of several weeks before providing a critical evaluation. In the final section we offer concluding thoughts regarding the relationship between reflective practice and dance education.

Post-Soviet Primas: Challenging Archive and Repertoire

In ballet’s dual conceptual tracts of archive and repertoire, choreography and dance technique became largely associated with the field of repertoire, due to their potential to resist the structures of the archive. In my work, I set out to examine contemporary Russian ballet narratives of leading prima ballerinas, who consistently associate choreography and dance technique with the archive rather than the repertoire. Defining themselves as “interpreters” of the “texts,” rather than dancers, and rendering re-staged classical ballets as “editions,” rather than independent choreographies, primas challenge ballet power structures and assign a higher value to dancers’ work. As ballet remains a state-sponsored and state-administered sphere in contemporary Russia, it is important to analyze how and why leading artists distance themselves from historical ballets and traditions of “classical dance,” while largely acting as its cultural agents. I rely on the notions of archive and repertoire, as theorized by Diana Taylor and Rebecca Schneider, and dance technique, as defined by Susan Foster, Judith Hamera, Randy Martin, and Claudia Brazzale. I argue that Russian primas frame ballet as an archival art, through the use of the notions of “text” or “edition” in relation to choreography and “school” or “classicism” in relation to dance technique

Вигадка в обґрунтуванні "справжності": як радянські хореографи обґрунтовували народний характер своїх творів

Over the decades, starting from the late 1930’s, soviet journalistic reportage about professional and mainly amateur folk dance groups from central European regions of the USSR and Siberia, Ukraine, Transcaucasia and other parts of the Soviet Union were full of reports about choreographers’ "ethnographic expeditions" down the country and their desire to "learn from the people" dance technique. Why did "field collection" of the choreographic material hold a prominent place and deserve special mention in the stories about amateur folk dance arts? Weren’t numerous stories about folk trips the invention? In the article subsequent steps are undertaken to answer these questions. Firstly, the place of amateur dance art performance in the official soviet culture and the specialists’ role of choreographic business in its development are outlined. Secondly, there is an explanation of reasons of author’s doubts in authenticity of soviet choreographers’ numerous stories about "going to the people". Thirdly, the art of dancing soviet experts’ motives, that frequently inspired them to the fictional stories about the collection of choreographic folklore are explained. Therefore, it makes an attempt to renew folk dance soviet specialists’ logic of notion about the subject of their passion, liking and professional activities. In the issue the author comes to the conclusion that ritualized stories about the analysis of folk sources by choreographer-directors were the significant argument in corroboration of "folk roots" of the soviet choreographic creative work. As the result, in the soviet discourse of folk dance the stories about choreographic "going to the people" paradoxically made instrumentalization of fiction in substantiation of "authenticity".

Is studying dance technique enough?

Is studying dance technique enough?

Міжнародні проекти за участю представників сучасного танцю України 2010–2017 років

The purpose of the research is to trace on the material of several successful examples how the processes of unilateral influence of contemporary Western dance on Ukrainian are gradually transformed into bilateral cooperation. Methodology: historical-chronological method, comparative analysis, critical analysis. Scientific novelty: the art history research on tracing the participation/initiation of Ukrainian dancers in international projects is carrying out for the first time. Conclusions. The period of borrowing as an inevitable stage of the process in relations Western/Ukrainian contemporary dance ended. The transition from this stage to the next consisted in a great work on the study of movement and dance techniques, composition methods and other methodological aspects of choreography developed during the history of contemporary dance. To date, the unconscious borrowing can only indicate the creative inconsistency of one or another choreographer. By the current moment, the leaders of the Ukrainian contemporary dance, among which are Larisa Venediktova, Ruslan Baranov, Olga Kebas, Danil Bielkin, Anton Ovchinnikov, Krystyna Shyshkariova and others have gained sufficient prestige on the international art market. During the observed period, not only the relations with dance communities of Russia and Belarus were prolonged, but the new strong relations with dancers from Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Spain, Estonia, Norway, France, Great Britain, and the USA were established. It should be noted that partnerships with Western dance evolved in conditions of unequal financial participation in joint projects. In the absence of investments from Ukrainian side, Ukrainian dancers have acquired the skills to attract foreign investments to the works implemented both in Ukraine and abroad. As a result, with the first positive changes in the area of cultural policy (as shown by the first experience of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation in 2018), the community of Ukrainian contemporary dance proved to be prepared for the implementation of high-level projects within a very modest funding.

Musculoskeletal Pain in Dance: Prevalence, Localisation and Development Over Time in Amateur Dancers and Professional DanceTeachers

Pain in sport occurs both as a result of acute injuries and in the form of chronic pain due to overuse or misuse. Pain often occurs in dance and is associated with the high specific strain on the musculoskeletal system caused by dance techniques. There is a lack of data on pain-relevant aspects in semi-professional and ambitious popular sports. This applies to dancers and (professional) dance teachers alike. This study aimed to determine pain with regard to prevalence, localisation and development over time in female dancers (T) and dance teachers (TP) engaged in non-professional dance. This descriptive quantitative cross-sectional observational study was conducted with semi-professional dancers (n = 153) and professional dance teachers (n = 149) in the context of a fully structured anonymous online survey. More than 70 % of the respondents reported pain in the musculoskeletal system occurring in the context of dancing both within the last 3 and 12 months, with the lower back and knee joints being most frequently and strongly affected. Regarding the development over time, both T and TP predominantly suffered from pain that lasted for more than six months and occurred frequently. In TP, the pain lasted longer, was more likely to occur at rest and was more often associated with limited mobility and resilience compared with the T group. Regarding prevalence and localisation of pain, the available results are comparable with previous study results from the professional field, both in the TP and T areas. Health risks and (professional) restrictions associated with them are mainly caused by chronic pain development in TP. Therefore, the treatment and management of chronic pain conditions in the healthcare of TP can be very important with regard to their professional participation.

Location of Possibilities

ABSTRACTLearning through dance technique has the potential to transform students, both in terms of their bodily capabilities and their sense of self in the world. By exploring the “how” of dance pedagogy, this research study investigates dance technique learning through the accounts of undergraduate students and teacher-researcher reflexivity at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. The multilayered experiences of seven student participants are centralized, bringing insight to the complex ways that transformation might be enabled in dance technique pedagogy. The theoretical perspectives of engaged pedagogy (hooks 1994) and care ethics (Noddings 2013) provide a framework through which participant student data are organized. Active participation, demonstration of care, and stimulating environments are discussed in terms of the nuance of experience for individual students. An interpretive phenomenological approach is used in this longitudinal study within which the teacher-researcher locates himself or herself as subject and coparticipant.

Danza, creatividad y artefactos cognitivos

La creatividad artística puede ser observada como una propiedad de la manipulación de artefactos cognitivos. Más específicamente, está distribuida a través de artefactos cognitivos, como oportunidad para la emergencia de entidades y procesos sorprendentes. En danza, la manipulación de nuevos artefactos cognitivos, como técnicas de danza, softwares, notaciones, lleva a la transformación de “espacios conceptuales” (simples). Cuando se producen nuevos artefactos, o se usan oportunamente en nuevos contextos, observamos lo que Margaret Boden denomina “creatividad transformacional”. Enfocamos nuestro trabajo en cómo la introducción y manipulación de nuevos artefactos en ejemplos históricos, contribuye a la transformación de los espacios conceptuales de la danza.

Balance Training in Modern Dancers: Proprioceptive-Neuromuscular Training vs Kinesio Taping.

Kinesio tape and proprioceptive exercises are both used for increasing balance in dancers. The purposes of this study were to: a) determine the acute effect of kinesio tape (KT) application on the ankle joint on balance performance, b) investigate the effects of an 8-week proprioceptive-neuromuscular (PN) training program on balance performance, and c) compare their effects vs modern dance technique classes alone. Thirty-three trained, university-level modern dance students (9 male, 24 female) were divided randomly into three groups: kinesio tape (KT, n=11), proprioceptive-neuromuscular (PN, n=11), or control (n=11). Static (turn-out passé-opened eyes/relevé and turn-out passé-closed eyes/flat foot), semi-dynamic (airplane), and dynamic balance (monopodalic-straight and -transverse in a turn-out passé-eyes opened/flat foot) tests were performed before and after the intervention. One day after pre-tests, KT mechanical correction technique was applied to the left ankle joint (supporting leg) in the KT group, and tests were repeated to determine the acute effect of KT. The PN group participated in an 8-week balance training program (2 days/wk, 60 min/day) involving exercises using stable and unstable surfaces. Significant improvements were observed for all static and dynamic balance tests in the PN group; semi-dynamic airplane and dynamic monopodalic-straight and transverse tests improved in the KT group; and only semi-dynamic airplane test scores changed significantly for the control group (p<0.05). Our findings suggest that with the exception of the semi-dynamic airplane test, both PN training and KT application were more effective at improving balance performance for modern dancers than modern dance technique classes alone.

Can Internal and External Attentional Focus Bring Change in Ballet Pirouette Turn Performance Patterns?: a pilot study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of attentional focus instructions on movement patterns in a ballet pirouette task. We were also interested on how the effects will apply in different skill levels: professionals and amateurs. Methods: Four amateur dancers (1-3 years of experience) and four professional dancers (more than 9 years of training) participated in this experiment. All were asked to perform a single pirouette turn on the non-dominant(left) side. Each dancers had 5 trials for each of the following three instructions: non-focus instruction (turn as you usually do), internal focus instruction (stretch your standing leg vertically, making a consistent turn-out with the working leg, make your head remain to the front as long as possible), and external focus instruction (push against the ground with your standing leg” and “imagine that your body spirals up to the ceiling”, and “try to keep gazing at a spot until you have to turn your head”). Data were collected with motion analysis systems having 10 cameras. We analyzed the qualitative change in individual movement patterns on each three conditions. Results: Professional dancers did not show any difference from the contrasting instructions. However, the amateur dancers showed varieties according to different focus instructions. For amateur dancers, it was possible that internal focus instructions as well as external focus gave positive effects. Conclusion: In order to apply these research findings, further research is needed with more challenging task in professional dancers. Moreover, individual tendencies on using attentional focus when learning and enhancing dance techniques should be clarified.

HERMAN ISUPOV’S PERFORMING AND BALLET MASTER’S SEARCHES IN THE LVIV OPERA AND BALLET THEATRE

Purpose of Research. The purpose of the research is to find out the features of Herman Isupov's creativity as an artist of ballet and ballet master. Methodology. The methodology of the research includes the following methods: analysis (to systematize of historiographical sources), art criticism method (to find out the particularities of the performing manner and choreography of H. Isupov). They have allowed us to research the figure of H. Isupov in the art space. Scientific Novelty. The scientific novelty of the research is the fact that the author analyses the peculiarities of H. Isupov's performing manner and choreography and proposes the author’s typology of his ballet master's works. Conclusions. The principles of the Leningrad Classical Dance School, which were studied by H. Isupov at the Perm Choreographic Institution, were the condition of the high performing and ballet mastery skills in Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre in 1963-2000. H. Isupov-dancer formed his own performing style, which had the following features: the technical artificiality, the depth of performing images, expressiveness and a wide range of acting range from a grotesque, a comedy to a psychological drama or a deep tragedy. We should note the part of Spartacus among his ballet parts. This image of the invincible man, free, brave hero was embodied by the virtuoso dance technique. There were many author’s version of the classical ballets in H. Isupov’s ballet master’s works («Swan Lake», «Nutcracker» and «Vain Warning»), the choreographic dramas of the Soviet period («Bakhchisarai Fountain», «Romeo and Juliet») and the choreography performances of the Ukrainian period («Lilia», «The Forest Song»). His ballet «The Seasons of Year» (1980) is the example of his innovations in the ballet. Synthesis of the classical dance lexica and plastics of the contemporary choreography characterize it. H. Isupov as a ballet master worked at the staging of a number of opera performances and always followed the academic ballet traditions.

Psychometric Properties of the Dance Functional Outcome Survey (DFOS): Reliability, Validity, and Responsiveness

There are no outcomes measures that focus on the unique functional requirements of dancers. To evaluate test-retest reliability, internal consistency, construct validity, sensitivity, and responsiveness of the Dance Functional Outcome Survey (DFOS) in professional and preprofessional adult dancers. This prospective cohort study examined test-retest reliability of the DFOS in 198 healthy and injured dancers over 2 weeks, using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2,1). In a sample of 725 healthy and injured dancers, the following were examined: (1) construct validity, by comparing the DFOS to the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) using Pearson correlations; (2) exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency; and (3) sensitivity, by generating receiver operating characteristic curves and determining area under the curve (AUC). In a subgroup of 47 injured dancers, we determined internal responsiveness across 4 time points using repeated-measures analysis of variance (P<.05). Injured dancers' scores were analyzed for floor and ceiling effects. The DFOS demonstrated high test-retest reliability (ICC≥0.93). Single-factor loading in exploratory factor analysis supported unidimensionality of the scale, with high internal consistency (α = .96). The DFOS total score and activities-of-daily-living (ADL) and dance technique subscores had strong construct validity compared with scores on the SF-36 physical component summary (r≥0.77). This study found excellent sensitivity, with high AUC values (AUC≥0.91). There were significant differences across time for DFOS scores (P<.001), demonstrating responsiveness to change. There were no floor or ceiling effects. The DFOS demonstrates acceptable psychometric performance as an outcome and screening measure for dancers. The DFOS is a useful tool to monitor both healthy state and functional limitation following lower extremity or low back injury in adult ballet and modern dancers. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(2):64-79. Epub 27 Jul 2018. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2019.8247.

Self-somatic authority: Exploring the cultivation of somatic intelligence through a dialogic approach to self-reflection in dance technique learning

Abstract This article contemplates the notion of a ‘self-somatic authority’ by exploring the relationship between dialogue, self-reflection and the cultivation of somatic intelligence. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of dialogism, and specifically his concepts of ‘authoritative discourse’ and ‘internally persuasive discourse’, the author explores whether a dialogic approach to teaching release-based contemporary dance technique in higher education can enable learners to meaningfully reflect on their practice, subsequently leading to a stronger sense of somatic intelligence. To examine the efficacy of this pedagogical approach, responses from a focus group discussion conducted with a group of first year students who participated in a cycle of action research are examined; the teacher’s reflective journal notes are also analysed. Drawing on the data, the author proposes that a dialogic approach to nurturing self-reflection in the dance technique class constructs a particular kind of somatic-informed pedagogy that not only appears to facilitate ‘self-somatic authority’, but also presents unexpected challenges and contradictions.

Unsettling materials: Lively tensions in learning through ‘set materials’ in the dance technique class

Abstract An explorative engagement with learning through set materials in the dance technique class enables embodied knowledge. This qualitative dance research, framed through practitioner-led inquiry, reflects upon the experience of a deliberately unsettled process of bodily learning in the studio. Set materials in contemporary dance technique classes are considered through two intertwined strands of learning; exploration and embodiment. A series of ‘lively tensions’ are articulated through the student participant data that reveal the multidimensionality of dance technique practice. The pedagogical considerations and theoretical framing of what it means for set materials to enable rather than restrict dance student agency are discussed. The teacher/researcher reflects on how unsettling the process of learning in the studio might encourage dance students to more thoroughly engage with bodily inquiry. The voices of students as research participants, are quoted in order that their words articulate the nuances of the experience of learning in dance technique.

Imaging the future: an autoethnographic journey of using a guided and cognitive-specific imagery intervention in undergraduate release-based contemporary dance technique

ABSTRACTWith Higher Education moving toward a student as consumer model, the future of dance in this context requires a more collaborative and innovative approach. One way to achieve this is to find new teaching methods that use class time in a more meaningful way. This qualitative research project used a guided and cognitive-specific imagery intervention to impact on undergraduate ballet students’ skill acquisition in release-based contemporary dance to do just that. Drawing upon Jennifer Cumming and Sarah Williams’ Revised Applied Model of Deliberate Imagery a new intervention was designed and tested. Through the use of semi-structured interviews, observations, and field notes this autoethnographic paper explores the impact of such an intervention both on the participants of the study and me as a teacher of release-based contemporary dance technique. The research findings have movement centred impacts such as faster embodiment of movement material as well as mind centred impacts including improved self-confidence and focus. The designed imagery intervention and its use in this context have training implications for release-based contemporary dance technique teachers that could allow for a more collaborative and innovative approach in the future of dance in Higher Education.

The Effectiveness of a Student‐Centered, Experiential Learning Curriculum on Musculoskeletal Anatomy of the Lower Limb Using Yoga Asanas

Background and purposeTraditional human anatomy pedagogy has been experiencing paradigm shifts over the years as curricula evolve to better engage students with student‐centered, experiential learning. Today, these conceptual strategies are integrated into Dance Technique Education, as a way to increase dancers' knowledge and understanding of how to use their own bodies. The same active learning approach has a future in applications to other physical activities including yoga practice. Using the three representations (Iconic, Symbolic, and Enactive) of curriculum design from Bruner's Theory and Kolb's two‐fold Experiential Learning Theory, the primary purpose of this study was to fashion a new teaching curriculum dedicated to the learning and understanding of the anatomy of the lower limb. The secondary purpose was to document and assess improvements in participants' Range of Motion (ROM), flexibility, strength, and balance in the lower limbs post completion of the experiential learning curriculum.MethodFollowing literature reviews on the successful impact of Active and Experiential Learning, 17 experimental participants were recruited to participate in a two‐hour, lower‐limb musculoskeletal anatomy learning session using yoga asanas and inspired by Bruner's three Representations. In contrast, 17 control participants were recruited to participate in yoga sessions lacking anatomical instruction. All participants were assessed on anatomical knowledge retention, ROM, flexibility, strength, and balance performance over a two‐month time period. Participants attended two follow‐ups sessions where the researcher documented changes in lower limb mobility. Participants' qualitative feedbacks were used to study the overall impact of a learner‐centered and experiential learning experience.ResultsBased on participant feedback and documented results, the Experiential Learning program was well received, effective in teaching anatomical concepts, and notably increased participants' ROM, flexibility, and strength. Experimental participants outperformed control participants in knowledge retention and overall improvement in lower limb mobility over two months.Discussion and ConclusionBruner's theory on curriculum design and Kolb's theory on experiential learning proved effective when implemented into a two‐hour anatomy‐yoga learning session. The positive outcomes yielded from the two‐hour learning session and the two follow‐ups sessions over the span of two months holds promise for this curriculum's future application using any movement‐based practice. Future work should focus on the development of anatomical experiential learning curricula to compliment traditional didactic teaching approaches.Support or Funding InformationQueen's UniversityThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in elite pre-professional modern dancers: A prospective cohort prognostic study

ObjectivesTo examine risk factors for injury in pre-professional modern dancers. DesignWith prospectively designed screening and injury surveillance, we evaluated four risk factors as categorical predictors of injury: i) hypermobility; ii) dance technique motor-control; iii) muscle tightness; iv) previous injury. Screening and injury data of 180 students enrolled in a university modern dance program were reviewed over 4-yrs of training. Dancers were divided into 3-groups based on predictor scores. Dance exposure was based on hours of technique classes/wk. Negative binomial log-linear analyses were conducted with the four predictors, p < 0.05. ResultsDancers with low and high Beighton scores were 1.43 and 1.22 times more likely to sustain injury than dancers with mid-range scores (p ≤ 0.03). Dancers with better technique (low or medium scores) were 0.86 and 0.63 times less likely to sustain injury (p = 0.013 and p < 0.001) compared to those with poor technique. Dancers with one or 2–4 tight muscles were 2.7 and 4.0 times more likely to sustain injury (p ≤ 0.046). Dancers who sustained 2–4 injuries in the previous year were 1.38 times more likely to sustain subsequent injury (p < 0.001). ConclusionsThis contributes new information on the value of preseason screening. Dancers with these risk factors may benefit from prevention programs.