Art in Competition

Winners! My students just participated in 2 dance competitions. I have a love/hate relationship with dance competitions.

I love that it gives the kids something to work toward. More than just an end-of-the-year recital. This way, all those weeks and weeks of work get to be performed more than once and seen by more than just parents! Additionally, competition helps them set goals, and measure success.

However, there are plenty of issues. Beyond what I perceive as an objectification of little girls, which is a pretty big issue, in and of itself. There is the question of how we quantify art.

Some things, like technique, are a bit easier to measure. Are their toes pointed? Are their legs straight? Are their turns in the right position, with the correct spot, and done in precision? Are their formations clean?

Then, we get to the performance aspect. Are they in character? Is their intent clear?  Are they focused and “in the moment”?

And then, the questions that I think are super-important, and seem not to be addressed. Do the dancers understand what they are doing- in the technique and the performance realms? Is the audience engaged in the performance? Did the students enjoy the process of learning and performing?

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Do we Teach the Product? Or the Process? And, Does it Matter?

Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Nicole on Pinterest

April was full of events. Actually, most of them occurred all in 1 week! My high school students presented A Midsummer Night’s Dream and their semester dance performance. My students at Hedgerow performed for a fundraiser. Through it all, I was coaching, correcting, writing program notes, performing as well, and just generally hoping for the best.

Weeks like that are the best and the worst. We celebrate as all of our hard work, scolds, suggestions and teaching become a beautiful final product. And, we worry that it won’t. Somehow, it always seems to “come together”. Yet, I’m concerned that miracle of adrenaline is something we take for granted. Do we, as teachers and directors, just trust it will “come together”, and then not instill in our students the importance of discipline, rehearsing as you would perform, and taking pride in one’s work, as much in the process as the product?

If we do not encourage our students to be disciplined- prepared, on time, respectful of the process, their peers and their authorities- we miss a chance to prepare them for college and jobs, where they will not have us there to remind them.

If we do not have them rehearse as they perform, we do not teach them that the arts, and most things in life, are group efforts. That the actions (or lack thereof) of one person has a ripple affect on the group, with consequences s/he may not foresee when focused on him/herself.

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Let’s Review- How’d we get this far into May already?!

Why we Do What we Do-- I’ve spent a couple of hours over the last week typing up the comments on our audience response cards at Hedgerow. It’s been a refreshing reminder of the power of theatre to teach, lead us to questions and help us discover our own answers. Adam Thurman at Mission Paradox writes similarly- “But when it works . . .It can change lives. Never forget that.”

Kelly Dylla at CreatEquity.com examines the role of a “teaching artist” and argues that they should be involved with the oh-so-hot topic of “audience engagement”. Money quote: 

“This is a distinct discipline from learning one’s art form to produce finished works of art. A teaching artist is not just an artist or an art teacher; they study and are inherently interested in how others experience art. They are able to craft lesson plans, events, and performances that help facilitate deeper intrinsically-motivated experiences for all types of audiences.”

Thought for the week from Sasha Dichter:
"You can’t make people care.
You can make people act.
How does knowing this change what you say and do?"

Let's Review Week of 4/30

Arts Education

Leo Babuata at Zen Habits offers some interesting thoughts on learning. As a teacher, and typically a happy one, in both academic and studio settings, I’m always interested in educational theory. This time of year, it’s always a bit difficult to keep the kids focused and motivated. And I’ve found the past few weeks to be tough on me, mentally and emotionally (more on that next week).
Money quote: “The teacher’s job, really, is to fascinate the student. Fascination is the key to learning. Then help the student put the fascination into action.”

Being an Artist

I think Akhila Kolisetty read my blog post about striving!
Deep thought: “For me, at least, I’ve come to realize that constantly plotting my next step comes out of not fully being happy where I am in the present moment. If I work towards a situation where I’m in the place I want to be in life, of course, I don’t need to satisfy myself by trying to cross the next finish line. But the challenge for me – and I suspect for you too – is enjoying the moment even when the moment isn’t picture perfect.”

Sasha Dichter reminds us to practice a mentality of abundance- in personal and work settings. 

Let's Review- Arts Advocacy Week

Randy Cohen give us 10 Reasons to Support the Arts.

Adam Thurman at Mission Paradox gives us 3 challenging thoughts.