People Dancing

By Marion Gough

Does methodology sound dull to you? Perhaps the word does not inspire you. As dancers choreographers and teachers we like words such as challenge, imagination, empowerment, ownership, creativity - to describe the art form we are engaged in. But methodology is important, it reflects who we are and sets out our priorities and the way we work. Normally we are beavering away doing it and do not have much time to reflect on what we do and why we do it in a particular way . We hope by reading these articles it will confirm your belief in what you do or perhaps make you question your methodology. Questioning is good. In education the ability to question is more important than having all the answers. A continuing curiosity stops us from becoming complacent. None of our writers can be accused of this.

In a preliminary discussion on methodology with Ken Bartlett we came up with these questions:

• How did you arrive at your methodology/methodologies?
• How does your methodology reflect your view of the word, dance, and the people you work with?
• Do you use different methodologies for different purposes, groups or contexts?
• How does your methodology support creativity?
• What is the primary focus of your work?

We asked our contributors if they would like to address some of the questions in their writing or, if they wished, ignore them completely or work against them. It is interesting to see the variety of ways in which they responded.

The writers work in many different contexts and some of these - such as the culture in prisons, the aggression in some of our secondary schools, and the competitive world we function in - are at odds with their philosophy of how they want to work. But regardless of where they work or who with, what comes over strongly in all their writing is their passion for dance and their desire to transmit this to the people they work with.

Their articles reflect clear underlying personal philosophies of how they value dance, how they see their role as teachers and what they want for the people they teach. Their contributions are inspiring and full of humanity.

Is there a recognised way of teaching a dance class - a recipe, a formula? If there is, does it become a ritual? Do our methodologies allow us to improvise, innovate, and change? Clearly our writers aim to do all these things; they value creativity and want to offer their dancers unique creative experiences. What comes over strongly is their concern for the significance of the art form and desire to make it possible for people to change.

Methodology is more than merely a prop, a coat hanger, an arrangement, a structure. We might start by wanting to establish good communication and physically engage participants in the activity of dancing, which is laudable, but this is not enough certainly for our writers. They want to achieve more than that, they are concerned with challenging the creativity, imagination, and intellect of the people they work with. They want their dancers not only to become confident but also to gain independence. Michael Platt talks about "the thinking dancer" and Rosemary Brandt about "dancing significantly".

Methodology should not put you off. The orderliness of method gives you security and, hopefully, the people you work with a safe space. It should not be a static state but one that evolves and changes as you and your perspectives change. A chance encounter may make you want to throw all the balls up in the air. Go for it!

Marion Gough is a dance education consultant and author of In Touch With Dance (Pub. Whitethorn Books) and Knowing Dance (Pub. Dance Books) and was a contributor to Continuing Good Practice published by Dance East and Edited by Sue Akroyd. She has worked in higher education, notably at Laban, and has over 40 years experience of teaching courses and workshops for a variety of groups - young people, students, teachers, dancers and choreographers across the globe.

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Animated: Spring 2004