Viktória Varga

Viktória Varga

1. Report about T.T.T. 2013 Budapest

 Viktória Varga & Tamás Bakó

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. Pedagogical statement

I have started to teach dance 15 years ago, for non-professionals at the first time, than I got involved in the professional field. Currently I am a teacher of the Budapest Contemporary Dance Academy and the Budapest Comprehensive Dance School.

As I teach in scholar frame sometimes I feel myself like in a protected zone. I rarely have the possibility to try myself and my experiences in other circumstances. I often ask myself whether my knowledge is valid also in another context and if so, to what extent?

I am interested to see the improvement of creativity and the shaping personality. These processes do not follow any predefined patterns just happen without any screenplay. We do not have a guideline in our hand to achieve our goals. We always have to reinterpret the aims and also the way we reach them. This is a very exciting task where lot of spontaneity is needed. It was good to find fix points in this system requiring permanent movement:

• To transform the pressure coming from outside into an inside exigency and to minimize constraints and obligations
• To accept myself and to live the feeling of self-confidence
• To accept other people

It is possible to achieve these only in an atmosphere which is free of judgment, full of confidence but critic is tolerated at the same time.

I use dance and movement as a tool and I have the same aims with my practices. I like and do a lot of floor work, weight transfer, using the whole body, the dynamic movement of space and keeping energy level high. Instead of copying forms, I concentrate on the state and quality of movements.