Tamás Bakó

    Tamás Bakó


1. Report about T.T.T 2013 Budapest
Tamás Bakó & Viktória Varga

Pedagogical approaches of Contemporary Dance in Art education. „The role of art in dance pedagogy”

As a research topic we were questioning how can we found within our own pedagogical practice  the focus point, the right tool or method what leads the student to his/her own future art making, to his/her clear self-image? “The role of art in dance education? How do we teach art while teaching dance?”

We wanted to understand our own art education through the following questions:

-From what kind of creation and performance practice do we connect to the field of contemporary dance?

-what kind of transformations do we notice in the methods of our own pedagogical practice?

- How do this relate to the notion of art?

We wanted to discuss the listed question trough 3 different methods in practice: 

-The verbal introduction of the research team’s members, presenting their professional background.

-Transmitting our approaches to art pedagogy by teaching each other.

-Common creative work, in which our methods are becoming tools for a real time creation.

For feather research and sharing, next to the international group of teachers, we establish a local group composed from young local dancers.

The conception and schedule we built was redefined at the beginning of our common work. While getting to know each other we were looking for a common ground of motivation and interest around the main topic.

During our first discussions we soon arrived the following conclusion: we can dive into the  original question by trying to forget the traditional teacher-student image. We felt that an open laboratory context fits more to our interest and intention. To create a ground for our research we chose the Open Learning structure know and used in Contemporary dance.

 

The two groups worked both separately and together in order to analyze our topics and to be effective. Our discussions led us to 3 basic questions:

-What is art?

-What is the mission of art education?

-How to bring all this theories into practice?

During the week we found 3 models that can be seen as answers for the 3rd question:

I.                   10 minutes classes

We established a class structure in which each of us had a 10 minute teaching. All the 10 minutes together became one long co-teaching session. We did not decide ahead about the order neither about the content of the 10 minutes, this is how this „flow –teaching” was created.

One of the most exiting conclusion was, that this accelerated time and density put the content of the class in foreground and the usually fixed role and habits did not influence the process of learning. According to the score the roles of teacher and student rotated in short intervals, in this was the role schemas where dissolve.

II.                Models for Open Learning Structure

We arrived to another model trough the method of „Open Space” used in Contemporary Dance and Improvisation. We believe that this structure includes the free usage and reinterpretation of both teaching and learning process.

The process:

The process starts with common moving, alignment. Then we give half an hour open space were everyone of us is becoming a student, somehow finding how we can chose our own teachers, clarifying in ourselves what do we really want to learn. The next half an hour is the opposite of the first score, where everyone can experience the role of the teacher. After this process we gave a short reflection time to ourselves. At the end we all shared our observations. The model opened the possibility to experience other roles.  We could be present in the space as a witness or as a free mover, widening the possibilities to connect to what happens in the space.

Where did we get?

Are we able to create an environment where -without the pressure of responsibility-, we can live and experience creativity, attention toward each other, co-operation and personal time and space within the container of our motivation, interests, personal attitudes? According to us an Open Learning Structure model con create such a supporting, inspiring and motivating atmosphere in which the need of individual learning strategies and the power of personal creativity can appear, integrating the personal and the environment’s conditions.

III.             Presentation

The closing event of the week created another open learning format, model. Preparing the presentation of our conclusions for a wider circle, we were looking for a format that mirrors  in the most faithful way the experiences of our research.

We wanted to create such a structure where we let the participants experience the result of our research and in which everyone -according to his/her own interest- can freely connect to what happens in the space.

The space was an installation of sounds, images, books, as well as a performing space and a playground for open learning structures.

This experimental way of creating contact let an open space for active participation, for creative self-expression, for receiving, interaction, and experiencing several way of learning.

Concerning our question: how can we transmit art within our teaching practice we formulated the following thoughts:

Contemporary dance is a non-defined category as the most of its topics are dealing with the research of the unknown. As in creation the method is experimentation, the teaching practice should also stay a constant experiment. As both of its creative and pedagogical aspects are merging, we found that models like Open Learning Structure can work well for us. In this kind of learning format creativity, annalistic ways of thinking, experimentation, non-hierarchical prospective and a different vision of knowledge itself, becomes part of the learning process. The process of receiving and a self –reflective attitude are redefined.

The exploratory aspect of contemporary dance led us to the well know thought: art can’t be taught, only the tools of art, it’s technical approach, it’s history as well as creativity that can be seen as a bridge. 

2. Peadgogical statement

As a pedagogue I deal with contemporary dance and contact improvisation which I present hereby:

Contemporary dance technique: Dance is an adventure for me when I possess my body in many ways, through perception and sensation. I use various sources; different contemporary techniques, martial arts as well as contact improvisation. The dynamic and lively sets of movements - based on gravity, balance, fall and swing - occupy all the space while follow the anatomy and the natural streamlines of the human body. They give form to simple physical elements.

“Rolling, stepping, running, flying.”

Contact dance and improvisation: Contact dance is a duo form based on physical principles, the relation of the dancers towards them and the communication between the dancers when the moment is defined by the events. The context of contact dance is improvisation which offers thousands of possibilities and solution for the situation while taking in consideration the reactions given to it. During the class, which is composed of three parts, we try to prepare ourselves to meet the unknown.

• Body Awareness techniques: the participant gets closer to the image of her/his own body through observing sensation and perception.
• We analyze a technical problem arisen in the forms of contact dance in model situations and seek for solutions. Participants observe ways of connection and physical principles operating.
• Improvisation: we deal with the linguistic of improvisation, its formal frames, the composition of the situation and the artistic expression; we play and jam.

I have been working as a teacher in two institutions: Artus Company where I have been responsible for the daily training of the company and the Budapest Dance School where I teach regularly. Both places formed my techniques and methods. During my classes I concentrate on providing a kind of private space where participants can act as member of a collective while improving themselves as individuum. The collective should be a context of attention, affirmation and experience for its members.