Today a friend sent me one of those "baby dances to rap song, lol!" youtube clips.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=193835835672&ref=nf
I had fun watching it, and I did laugh a lot. But it also got me thinking about how some children mature much faster than others in terms of their motor skill development. I definitely believe in Constructivism-- the idea that genes and environment together construct how we see the world. I also believe that many children are capable of learning at a much faster pace than we give them credit for.
Of course the baby in this video is merely copying dance moves he's probably watched his parents do or seen done in the media, but I think that by watching this video, or any of the other thousands of videos similar to this one on the web, one can see that dancing is an innate quality in humans... in other words, adults do not teach children how to dance. We may teach them steps, or specific styles or techniques based on our cultural and social values, but we are merely a "more knowledgeable other" in the learning process. Dancing is inborn in us the same way rhythm is inborn in us. This innate connection to rhythm, the reason I think that music is such an important part of our lives, serves as our connection with the rest of the world and the universe. Rhythm sustains life through the beating heart, and it is one of the most powerful way to connect people and communities.
So although movement is a combination of nature and nurture in that there are aspects of movement that are specifically learned (like swimming for example), and some children advance in motor skill development at a faster pace than others, rhythm is the birthright of every human being. It is one of the most effective ways in which to express ourselves and to connect with other people and communities, and it is necessary in order to feel a inter-connectedness with the world.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Using technology to motivate a smoother and higher achieving learning process.
Okay, here we go, my first blog post ever!
About a month ago I started setting my most recent work-in-progress on three dancers for the upcoming NYU MA Concert this November. When working out the rehearsal schedule I wanted to allow for enough time so the piece would come out the way I envision it, but I also had to consider all of our busy schedules, so I decided one rehearsal a week for two hours would be sufficient. With a week lag time in between each rehearsal, however, part of me worried about whether the choreography I taught each week would get watered down or lost somewhere in the back of my dancers' brains... kind of like a game of telephone, only with a dance composition.
So I tried something I haven't done before, I videotaped the routine at the end of each rehearsal and posted it on facebook that night so my dancers would have access to it throughout the week. I know my dancers are busy people just like the rest of NYC, and I understand that with all our responsibilities, practicing a piece of choreography-- especially in NY where space is not readily available-- can drop to the bottom of one's priority list. I also know that most of us spend more time than we should in front of our computers, so by putting a video of my dancers on the web, I made it much easier for them to retain the information we'd learned from week to week.
Now here we are a little over a month into the choreographic process, and my dancers look incredible. Not only have they retained the choreography, but they are dancing with a uniform quality that one rarely sees on a group that's only been rehearsing together for a few weeks. They've told me that the video posting ritual has really helped them, not just because it helps them retain the choreography, but also because it allows them to see what they look like on camera, and in some cases, this inspires them to try harder after they see what they 'actually' look like. One of my dancers said she saw herself on tape and thought, "What? I can do better than that!"
Of course there are some limitations to watching a video of yourself dancing rather than practicing the choreography on your body. One of these drawbacks can include an accidental execution of a step with the opposite arm or leg, or maybe even traveling in the opposite direction, because you've watched yourself dance facing the camera too many times. It's amazing how the brain retains this backwards information and all of a sudden you're dancing with the wrong arm up without even realizing it, ha.
I'm definitely going to keep experimenting with using video technology to motivate my dancers and students, both when setting choreography and also, in the future, with teaching dance technique. I had a feeling it would be helpful, but I had no idea to what extent. I'm also very happy to have found one way facebook can actually function as a beneficial use of one's time. :)
About a month ago I started setting my most recent work-in-progress on three dancers for the upcoming NYU MA Concert this November. When working out the rehearsal schedule I wanted to allow for enough time so the piece would come out the way I envision it, but I also had to consider all of our busy schedules, so I decided one rehearsal a week for two hours would be sufficient. With a week lag time in between each rehearsal, however, part of me worried about whether the choreography I taught each week would get watered down or lost somewhere in the back of my dancers' brains... kind of like a game of telephone, only with a dance composition.
So I tried something I haven't done before, I videotaped the routine at the end of each rehearsal and posted it on facebook that night so my dancers would have access to it throughout the week. I know my dancers are busy people just like the rest of NYC, and I understand that with all our responsibilities, practicing a piece of choreography-- especially in NY where space is not readily available-- can drop to the bottom of one's priority list. I also know that most of us spend more time than we should in front of our computers, so by putting a video of my dancers on the web, I made it much easier for them to retain the information we'd learned from week to week.
Now here we are a little over a month into the choreographic process, and my dancers look incredible. Not only have they retained the choreography, but they are dancing with a uniform quality that one rarely sees on a group that's only been rehearsing together for a few weeks. They've told me that the video posting ritual has really helped them, not just because it helps them retain the choreography, but also because it allows them to see what they look like on camera, and in some cases, this inspires them to try harder after they see what they 'actually' look like. One of my dancers said she saw herself on tape and thought, "What? I can do better than that!"
Of course there are some limitations to watching a video of yourself dancing rather than practicing the choreography on your body. One of these drawbacks can include an accidental execution of a step with the opposite arm or leg, or maybe even traveling in the opposite direction, because you've watched yourself dance facing the camera too many times. It's amazing how the brain retains this backwards information and all of a sudden you're dancing with the wrong arm up without even realizing it, ha.
I'm definitely going to keep experimenting with using video technology to motivate my dancers and students, both when setting choreography and also, in the future, with teaching dance technique. I had a feeling it would be helpful, but I had no idea to what extent. I'm also very happy to have found one way facebook can actually function as a beneficial use of one's time. :)
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