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Dance is Home → Live the Studio

8/9/2021

As I plan to go back to the studio I can’t help but take a moment to reflect on the vast experiences I’ve had as a teacher and dancer during remote learning. It wasn’t easy but it wasn't all bad.

In my home space there were days that I would open my laptop to glitchy connections or blank screens. There were also thoughtful conversations in the chat and beautifully crafted video projects that were not only creative but extremely personal. I am excited to bring the lessons I have learned from the last 1+ year in my home to the studio.

Going back into the studio is exciting and admittedly a little scary but by unpacking these “wins” I believe it will lead to a very interesting, very investigative year.

I am curious how to continue in the studio what we found dancing at home, where the dancer’s individuality was so often accentuated by their home spaces. This studio is essentially empty: four walls, no kitchen or bedroom or closet. When the studio comes alive, it’s from what we bring as dancers.

The studio also doesn’t force us to reveal our personal spaces, which can be freeing. Home spaces are so personal that sharing them could inspire or intimidate. I’m wondering how to use the conventional studio space to encourage personal style and space exploration. And live it.

Many questions have come up in the last year and I’m ready to unpack them to continue to grow as a dance educator and artist.

Questions to consider for future lessons in the studio:

What worked with the Dance Is Home lessons?
What did students’ movement look like?
What did students’ composition look like?
What about the collaborative process helped students achieve their outcomes?

Some of my reflections:

Dance Is Home projects from my students were creative and full of personality.
The home space set a very specific tone for their projects. They were able to use props, specific spaces in their homes, etc. to tell their story. Did this make it easier? More comfortable? How can we transfer this to the studio and the stage?
They didn’t have to compare themselves to others because they were dancing alone and I believe because of that they created original dance projects that captured their style and personality.
Thoughtful and quick conversations using zoom’s chat feature enabled direct feedback while the film format provided each individual a level of visual focus. Moving forward, let’s stand in individuality while building community through group work.

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Dance Is Home: Still Zooming

8/9/2021

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Still Zooming is a variation of Dance is Home #14: Zooming with the addition of a Movement Guide that gives a specific structure for putting the dance together.

Are you zoomed in or zoomed out?

In your house:

Study your next zoom meeting.
List the mannerisms and body language you see.
Find inspiration from the camera angles and focus.
Use the movement guide below to help create your dance.

Let’s dance about our zoom experiences. Zoom can be comical, frustrating, friendly, heartfelt, flat and so many other things. The gestures, body language and mannerisms speak to movement. This study encourages you to embody your current online practices in a fun and cathartic way. Use any of the suggestions below to expand on this mini-dance. Remember this can be as simple or complex as you want. It’s yours to make. Take your time and play!

Movement Guide:

Movement that describes logging on…This is your BEGINNING.
Add gestures from the reactions toolbar or any other effects to keep the zoom moving.
Teach your gesture to the dancers in your break out room. Put them together.
Short phrase about what you do during DL or how you feel at this time.
3 movements from the current class combination put together in any order.
Log off! This is you ENDING
#2-4 can be in any order. This is where you expand and tell your story, create and ARC/MIDDLE.
1 to 2 minutes in length.

Consider:

Using your learning space.Props.
Different camera angles.Edit features.
Sound: music, a lecture (get permission first), noise from your home.

A quick window into the current teaching reality: adjusting lessons as well as camera angles. There is a new way of checking in, playing with facings, working with audio, and sharing the space.
Check out my sample here:
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/419719659

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