Imagine you are a small child, maybe 3 or 4 years old. A person comes into the preschool room. They plonk a big blue bag in the centre of the room. They take off their shoes, turn up some funny sounding music, and sit on the floor with their legs stretched long in front of them. They have a warm and smiley face, and they're wearing comfy looking clothes. And you...... you have no idea what's going to happen. What is this person going to do? Who are they? Where did they come from? What's in the bag? Why do they have a twinkle in their eye?
This is the Dance Artist. And she has with her a bag of objects, simple colourful scarves, that have no prescribed way of being used. Within early years pedagogy, we often think of objects such as these scarves as having ‘affordances’. The more possibilities for interaction and manipulation that an object affords or offers, the more creative the play can become. What I have discovered is that the dance artist working in early years can also be the embodiment of 'open ended' play. The dance artist affords so many playful possibilities due to their ability to become anything, or anyone, so the body as an improvisational tool becomes the object of play. They offer the child a companion with whom to explore the unknown, following paths of freedom and expression, which in turn can help unlock the creative potential that lies within each child.
Despite learning about the huge creative value of open-ended objects in play several years ago, it is only recently that I've thought about myself as an ‘open ended entity’. I have always made use of props such as scarves, lycra, balloons etc. and I love the way these open up the creative movement possibilities for so many children and their grown-ups. But I had a lingering fear of letting go of the more rigid movement plan that was so crucial to my facilitator career for so long working in school settings - a plan that's rooted in a more didactic style of education - where I have set movement material with particular aims and objectives. I am keen to be specific about what the children in my session will learn. The idea of relying on my improvisational skills to guide a whole creative session felt risky and made me feel quite vulnerable. Learning more about spontaneous movement play recently made me reconsider my approach, and I think this is where the magic happens! Now, if I shed my (possibly) imagined need for structured content, then I leave more space for improvisation and play. Play, in its definition, is unstructured, free and self motivated. Self motivation is the ability to drive oneself to take initiative and action to pursue goals and complete tasks.
…The smiley person begins to wiggle their toes. They look at you, raise their eyebrows, and you feel like you might want to copy their funny foot dance. They tap their toes on the ground like a dainty ballerina. Then they stamp their feet loudly like a giant. You join in, along with all your friends. It’s very LOUD!! You’re not normally allowed to make this much noise! You’re grinning now too. Then…. Stop! Shhhhhhhhhh! Be as quiet as you can. Then once you’re all quiet, they tip toe over to the big blue bag, and begin to open the zip…
Though I talk of letting go of the ‘plan’ this is not to say that there is not careful thought and preparation beforehand. The aspects I pre-prepare and plan will be the things that scaffold the session, such as themes, style of music, props, prompts or provocations. If I’m working with a large group, I will also consider the safety of lots of bodies moving together; perhaps coming to sit in a circle so that individuals can have more freedom and space to move, but also can become the centre of our attention, should they wish to. In most cases when I do this, supporting staff will then understand that I am holding the space, and are less likely to intervene in a way that could put a stop to the creative exploration.
Within the situation described above, the children have shifted to a key state that is so necessary for play and creativity - they are curious. Offering situations where children become curious is a powerful tool to unlock both the creative and learning potential within a child. Research* shows that the brain cannot exist in a state of curiosity and anxiety at the same time. Curiosity shuts down anxiety, so creativity and learning will flourish when curiosity is awakened. These playful situations can be key in changing the status quo and providing a spark of intrigue and interest.
I am keen to think deeply about the role I can play within a workshop setting, when acting as a facilitator, but being careful to allow for self directed movement and autonomy. There is a delicate balance (that's easily missed but can often be felt) between the dance artist and the participant, as to who holds the power in the relationship. By this I mean, is the dance artist modeling freedom and expression within their bodies, so that the participant is encouraged to do the same? Is the dance artist creating and holding space for participants to lead the movement, to be able to make decisions about how they move their body, when to speed up, slow down, pause, stop...
In my hand is a bright red scarf. We are playing a game! When the music plays we move, and when it stops we freeze. The smiley person is dancing now. She takes her scarf and moves around us, wriggling it and swishing it. ‘Look, it’s a little fish in the sea’ she says, making it sweep along the floor and twirl in fast circles. ‘How will you move with your scarf?’ The music returns. I make my scarf twirl, swish and shake, and then I throw it in the air! Wooooooooo! It falls down slowly to the floor. I throw it again and again! The dancer joins me, throwing her scarf in the air too. She watches me and copies me so we are moving together. It feels good!
Handing over this control can be challenging. As an artist, I know that I want the people in the room with me to feel held and cared for. I want the supporting staff to feel as though I have enough control over the space to keep everyone safe, so it is important to adopt a position of leadership in the space. Yet I also need to find ways to share this power, and allow the individual children to lead the dance and shine a light on their self expression. I can do this by ‘scaffolding’ the session. Scaffolding provides a structure on which to work; clear boundaries within which there is space for the unexpected. The boundaries and structure bring a feeling of being safe and held, which in turn allows curiosity to be aroused. From there, we have space for free moving, self directed, autonomous and creative play.
I run as fast as I can across the room, the scarf waving above my head. I can feel the cold air against my skin as I move. I look behind me… yes! The dancer has followed me! She takes hold of the other end of my scarf and then we run together. I am leading the way. We make circles and twirl each other around. I take her on a journey to find my favourite place in the room; the book corner where I feel cosy and safe. We sit down to catch our breath. I put the scarf on my head so the world turns red as I look out. The dancer copies me and I start to giggle!
A 'safe space' is so vital in any facilitation role, it may look like a clear floor, no trip or slip hazards etc. However, what we are interested in is how to create a space that is safe physically AND emotionally. A place where we can be our authentic selves and feel seen as individuals. As an artist I aim to present my authentic self within a session, because children will recognise when I’m responding from a place of truth, instead of playing a role or keeping a distance emotionally. It is important to recognise that for many reasons, participants and indeed artists, can feel vulnerable in creative situations. If we can create spaces for people to feel safe to share their own vulnerabilities (which often means that as a leader, we also embrace our own vulnerabilities) then we can move toward a deeper and more profound creative experience together. Bringing in this sense of vulnerability leaves space for uncertainty and unknowing.
"In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen. Really seen."
Brene Brown
How do I allow myself to be seen? A tricky question to answer! I try to approach each session and each interaction with a relaxed and present mind, though I am aware of how challenging this can be. I’ll take some nice deep breaths before I enter the room and make sure I feel grounded in my body, perhaps taking time to notice how my body feels that day. I think that people can feel when you are present with them in that moment of interaction, and when you are, there is a shift in how you respond to each other. It feels more real and truthful.
Connection through social interactions and relationships, is one of the most essential experiences in creating curiosity, unleashing creativity and shaping the developing brain. Connections with attentive and responsive adults are especially important. As artists we could think of it as tuning in to the child; noticing them, acknowledging them, being curious about their verbal and non verbal cues. As facilitators we hold space for full creative exploration, but remain true to our artistic practice and allow the dance to do the communicating. Babies and young children especially are masters of non-verbal communication, just as dancers are masters of their bodies as tools of expression. Together, the child and practitioner can journey together in unexpected ways, creating routes into understanding oneself and each other better, developing empathy and learning what self acceptance and self love feels like.
Everyone floats their scarves towards the big blue bag and we close the zip. The dancer asks us to find a place to rest. I lie down on my side and shut my eyes. The music fades out. Ahhhh….I feel tired but calm and happy. I feel good in my body and I’m proud of what I’ve done today.
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Hayley Guest is an experienced dance artist and creative facilitator living and working in the Black Country. Her early years creative practice draws on her passion for collaborative movement, dance, nature and play. This blog has been written at the beginning of an Action Research project called Move Play Create. She is the Creative Lead for Spectra; a neurodiverse theatre company specialising in multi-sensory workshops, performance and installations.
Contact Hayley at guest.hayley@gmail.com or connect on Instagram @move_play_create
*From research by Jaak Panskepp, neuroscientist and psychobiologist (if you look him up, he became well known for researching play in rats by tickling them!), and a growing body of neuroscience on the effects of fear and anxiety on the brain.
On the power of connection for babies:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/serve-return-interaction-shapes-brain-circuitry/
The Power of Vulnerability (TED Talk) https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability