Teaching Popular Dance in Higher Education

Date: 26 Jan 10
Venue: Institute for Performing Arts Development Dance Centre (Trinity Buoy Wharf)
Host institution: University of East London

This workshop reflected the growing number of students interested in dance forms other than contemporary dance at higher education. Like the popular music degrees which came before, new dance degrees which focus on other dance styles need to share their practice to establish a place within the university setting. The workshop aimed to explore the inclusion of popular dance styles (such as street, hip-hop, etc.) at undergraduate degree level and also to share teaching and learning strategies for developing these styles.

Introducing the day, Kate Sicchio, (Programme Leader, Dance: Urban Practice, University of East London), outlined the aims of the day; sharing practices looking at popular dance, discussing concepts and issues involved in programmes/modules which include popular dance styles and approaches to teaching such styles within higher education.

Popular Dance in Higher Education: Concepts, Values, Approaches
(Theresa Buckland, Professor of Performing Arts, De Montfort University)

Theresa's keynote presentation discussed her personal approach to teaching popular dance in higher education.

Theresa began by discussing the development of dance degrees in the UK and how dance had been conceptualised through a Eurocentric and modernist lens. The curriculum is now beginning to broaden out again.

In studying popular dance forms, students need to be familiar with the conceptual frameworks that that have been used by academics to interpret popular dance. The main defining concepts in the literature are classical (formal), folk (traditional) and popular ('of the people'). The way that these concepts are used is actually very particular to certain historical periods and geographies. The popular is often portrayed as the 'other', in contrast with classical and modern dance in higher education because it is considered as non-mainstream and non-institutionalised - it isn't learnt in an academy and there are no established standards of excellence or prominent teachers of an agreed syllabus. It can be seen as not 'professional' and the concept of 'amateur' carries with it notions of the inferior.

Popular dance isn't a product and it's not spectacular. It is participatory and its' associations with the folk process are linked to the view that it isn't technically complex.

Theresa suggested that there are close parallels with the development of popular music in higher education - there are so many non-European, non so-called 'high art' forms excluded from the syllabus. There is a need to unpick the conceptual systems and values in order to allow students to make their own decisions.

In making popular dance matter, it is important to start from the student experience, giving students the tools to interrogate where they are in their awareness of dance styles. Teachers and lecturers need to be skilled in practice and theory. While there are challenging constraints of time and space, a range of popular dance can be covered to give undergraduates a broader education, opening students to the possibilities of some other forms of dance. Students who can relate to popular dance are also better equipped for future work in a variety of roles in the wider dance industry.

There is a lack of student centred undergraduate texts and also a need for more visual/aural materials, resources and databases, supported by new research. Blogs may be the most suitable format for dissemination of such resources.

The need for new resources was discussed by delegates following Theresa's presentation. Other issues discussed included how to include students who are not so familiar with the popular forms and may not have had much exposure to them.

Documents

Global Perspectives on Popular Dance
(Sarahleigh Castelyn, Dance Lecturer, University of East London)

Sarahleigh is a choreographer, whose work is practice based, using dance to understand issues, including issues of gender, race and nationality. This approach, using dance as a way of understanding the world, is reflected in the taught module Global Dance at the University of East London.

Sarahleigh described the teaching of the module, which builds on a prior first year module on urban dance. The module explores dance forms from across the world, such as African dances, including the politics of South African dances.

Sarahleigh then showed a short video clip demonstrating the diversity of South African dance culture before describing how such material is used in teaching the Global Dance module. The module is based on lectures, seminars and workshops, combining live and recorded material studying dance through particular perspectives, including:

In the subsequent discussion, delegates discussed some commercial productions, such as Lion King and Gum Boots and making students aware of the choices made in working on particular popular dances and why they have been made - the idea of developing 'thinking dancers'.

Documents

Firing the Canon: integrating popular dance into the dance curriculum
(Clare Parfitt, Senior Lecturer in Dance, University of Chichester)

Clare discussed approaches and assumptions that underlie teaching in this area and the course taught at the University of Chichester.

Approaches to teaching popular dance combine the practical with the theoretical. They also consider relationships between bodies, art and social sites, drawing on a range of theoretical frameworks, including the cultural theory/historical discourses on popular culture.

Recent productions have challenged the distinctions between high art and popular culture, including the Breakin' Convention at Sadler's Wells and the film Save the Last Dance. What teaching models might come out of this challenge, models that actively engage students in the cultural politics of the shifting relationships between popular culture and high art? Clare highlighted three concrete implications:

Frameworks used to analyse the canon focused on high art can be used to connect the study of popular dance with that of other art forms. Popular dance can be integrated into a range of models, including those usually focused on high art, such as dance history, studying, for example, the Romantic Ballet and the cancan together. Similarly, the early dance experiences of many of the pioneers of modernism can be compared and contrasted with their later works, highlighting the interaction between popular and other forms of dance.

Documents

From Club to Class: Teaching House Dance as Technique
(Carla Trim-Vamben, Visiting Lecturer: Dance, University of East London)

Carla's presentation described the teaching of house dance at the University of East London. House is a group of dance styles primarily danced to house music that have roots in the clubs of Chicago but grew and evolved in the clubs of New York.

This is a social dance transferred to an academic setting, without losing the elements that define it (loud music, a group dynamic, improvisation, etc.). It has foundational techniques that allow for improvisation including 'jacking', 'footwork' and 'lofting'. Carla led a series of short practical exercises with delegates demonstrating 'jacking' and 'footwork' techniques.

Carla then outlined the teaching plan for house classes, based on a strong technical foundation, allowing for individual expression and improvisation.

Following the presentation Carla and delegates discussed assessment. The house classes aren't currently assessed (students are assessed on oral presentations and essays) but assessment criteria could be based on:

Documents

The Big Dance in Higher Education
(Sharon Phillips, Big Dance Schools Pledge Coordinator)

Sharon provided an overview of the Big Dance initiative, a biennial celebration of dance taking place in July 2010 and 2012, forming part of the Cultural Olympiad. Big Dance aims to encourage people to get into dance, increase fitness levels and generate a legacy of dance for all. Developing the legacy of change is where the initiative has links with higher education and there is a Big Dance module taught at the University of East London.

Break Out Session/Discussion
(Kate Sicchio, Programme Leader, Dance: Urban Practice, University of East London)

Groups of delegates discussed issues raised by the workshop. Kate Sicchio then led a short session summarising the issues raised by the different groups, which included: