indian dance education in changing times

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Challenges of enabling learning of traditional dance in changing times.

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Page 1: Indian Dance Education in changing times

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Indian dance

education in changing

times

Page 2: Indian Dance Education in changing times

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Indian dance education in changing times

Dr Rohini Dandavate

Globalization, mass immigration, advancing technology, faster communication,

and easy travel connections has influenced the political, social and cultural life of people

all over the world. The field of entertainment and the arts are no exception. Fast

communication facilitates artists in exchanging information about their work and learning

about other art forms. Easier travel allows dancers and other artists to create,

experiment and present in far away places to audiences who are not familiar with their

art form. Innovative multi-media technologies inspires and aids dancers in extending

their creativity through new media. On the one hand, rapidly advancing technology has

created opportunities for more experimentation, exchange of information and interaction

amongst creative people. On the other hand, mass immigration is leading to an increase

of multicultural communities, which needs tools for facilitating intercultural understanding

to maintain cohesion and peace. Amidst these increasing opportunities and changes, I

feel that dancers and artists have a role in helping people understand social diversity by

making art which can be understandable to multi-cultural audiences. It is becoming

necessary for them to create and present work that can be meaningful universally.

Though this is relevant to all forms of art making, I will in this paper only discuss issues

pertaining to dance and how dance education has evolved to fit in this need.

A survey was emailed to 50 Indian dance teachers from India and the U.S. with

the objective of understanding how dance educators are evolving their curriculum to

include the needs of the changing times. The questions focused on:

• Approaches of teaching and learning dance,

• Resources used as teaching aids and

• Methods incorporated to address the current needs.

Profile of Research Participants: Responses were received from 11 teachers of Odissi and Bharatnatyam dance

styles, both from the US and India. Two of the 11 participants have full time jobs in

addition to teaching dance. One dancer teacher is a scientist and other an engineer.

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Two of the research participants are dance professors at universities in the U.S., while

the other participants train students in their own dance institutions or studios. 9

participants have been teaching since 1980, while one has been teaching since 1976

and another since 1965. Three of the dance teachers hold a doctoral degree. The

participants of this research were trained by:

• Guru Pankaj Charan Das

• Guru Kelucharan Mohapatro

• Guru Raghunath Dutta

• Guru Deba Prasad Das

• Shrimati Sanjukta Panigrahi

• Ms. Sudharani Raghupathy

• Guru Parvati Kumar and in

• Kalakshetra Findings: Participants of this study reported that:

• History, traditions, current events, traditional and classical art forms from

countries other than their own are sources of inspiration for new work.

• Dance training is focused on emulating and perfecting the Guru’s style,

repertoire and technique

• Dance educators often use the teaching techniques of their own Gurus.

• They are required to teach under constraint of time. Increasing pressures of

school, extracurricular activities and job commitments, leave students limited

time to devote to learning dance.

• Time constraint has led to departure from the traditional method of

incremental learning and division of lessons between theory and technique.

The focus of students is now on acquiring skills to perform, as opposed to

learning to internalize the art over a period of time as a life skill.

Responding to the current scenario and upcoming needs, the participants of this study

observed that there is:

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• A trend for integrating multimedia technology in dance presentations.

Technological advancement has added new dimensions in stage design,

lighting design, audio and video. The ambiance that was traditionally

achieved with the presence of the musicians in a performance is now

compensated through use of multi-media.

• A growing need to train students in arts management.

• A rising awareness of understanding dance injuries and treatments.

• A demand for more group presentations

• An expanding audience for Odissi worldwide.

• Integration of non traditional themes in Odissi repertoire

• A demand for faster pace in dance numbers

• Borrowing of ideas from other dance forms, costumes, and music

compositions.

• An increase in number of dancers who want to make dance their primary

profession instead of pursuing it as a hobby or an activity for leisure

Reflections:

Review of the participant response and literature on dance education leads me to

infer that Intermingling of people from diverse cultures is creating new avenues for

experiencing and understanding unfamiliar cultural traditions and practices. It is also

adding new dimensions in dance education. The responses received indicate that using

new technologies, borrowing from other cultures and art forms, translating and

employing different languages, themes, concepts and practices while keeping in place

the integral elements of the dance form is becoming essential.

Traditionally, Indian dance education followed the Guru shisya parampara where

the pace of study was usually based on the student’s capacity. The gurukul (guru’s

home) was considered an ideal setting because the student had the opportunity to learn

one on one at his or her on pace and also observe the guru’s process of creating. The

home setting also helped develop a relationship, which perpetuated a sense of devotion

for the teacher and to the art form. With the establishment of formal schools of dance

students are trained in classroom settings for a specific time period following a

structured curriculum. It is observed that the participants of this study prefer to follow the

teaching technique and content of their own gurus. However since the present day

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students are pursuing professional and other academic interests alongside their dance

training, they have limited time for training. This constraint results in students choosing

to acquire the performing skills and mastering the Guru’s repertoire. It is observed that

the approach of learning dance has therefore moved towards fulfilling performance

needs.

I would like to propose here that borrowing the essence of the teaching approach

from the guru shisya parampara will be worthwhile to find a balance in the distribution of

time in teaching technique, theory, and in harnessing the power of implicit learning while

providing a concrete, flexible resource for reflective analysis. An ideal dance education

curriculum should facilitate the opening up of a student’s potential to express, and let

creativity come through in movement, while preserving the core content and form.

Mastering the dance technique is an important aspect of learning in any dance form, but

it forms one part of the complete experience of dance education. Focus on technique

and long hours of practice help refine movements and improve presentation, but

understanding the social, cultural and historical context of the dance enables one to

create a strong foundation for analysis, experimentation, innovation and improvisation.

In order to reinforce this proposal I would like to quote Ana Paula Batalha, faculty

of dance at Da Faculdade De Motricidade Humana in Portugal who in her paper on

Teaching the Paradigms of dance’ states

The objective of the study (of dance) has to be regarded in an

interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary view, in which technical, scientific,

philosophic and artistic knowledge have to meet to answer the

requirements of the dancing act, the choreographic creation act, the

act of communicating intentionally, the act of artistically impressing and

the act of observing, contemplating and, fundamentally, criticizing.

(1975).

The fundamentals of training should focus upon helping students to gain deeper

understanding. Students of dance should be encouraged to work in relationship with

their own environment through collaboration with other experts from the field who are

further advanced in their own developmental process. The learning process can

recapture the essence of the ancient gurukul tradition both in content and in form by:

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• using a well defined syllabus which includes study of both technique and

theory

• shifting focus from event-focused (performance based) learning to nurturing a

deeper understanding of the form and content

• pooling in resources through collaborations and partnerships with other

institutions, and experts in the field

• engaging students in dance research and writing, criticism and analysis

• helping develop technological skills and

• encouraging innovation, experimentation and improvisation

Keeping view the dimensions that need to be addressed the following template presents

a framework for dance education which includes strategies for building, expanding and

diversifying the curriculum.

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FRAMEWORK FOR DANCE EDUCATION IN 21ST CENTURY Build Expand Diversify Teaching • Base teaching on

knowledge of students’ interests, abilities, skills, knowledge, family circumstances and peer relationships.

• Promote self esteem,

motivate learning and foster respect for cultural and religious differences

• Monitor student learning

by articulating goals, • Encourage

experimentation and innovation, self expression and creation

• Teach dance in all its aspects –aesthetics, anthropology, history, business, management, pedagogy, choreography, experience, kinesiology, physics

• Engage colleagues and

experts to focus in teaching different aspects

• Draw upon educational

research and scholarship

• Use multi instructional methods

• Adapt teaching to new findings, ideas, and theories.

• Pursue change • Collaborate with other

dance teachers on instructional policy, curriculum development

• Provide dance education resources

• Include understanding and learning the use of the new technologies

Product/Dance Presentation

• The presentation should reflect the aspirations of the audience

• Pre-publicity material and

communication material be designed to make the presentation meaningful to the viewer

• Explore new themes –universal themes, which people from diverse cultures can relate to

• Blend/juxtapose diverse art forms and into novel experiences

Organization • Adapt product marketing techniques and

restructure if necessary • Build Partnerships

• Collaborate with other dancers and other art forms

• Increase access to a wide

range of art forms and creative expressions

• Equip the organization to interact with artists/organizations from diverse cultures/nationalities

Audience Development

• Proactive Actively involve audience/potential audience in selecting, structuring and presenting the content • Reactive Engage the audience in giving feedback/ evaluate the presentation on a regular basis • Interactive Create a mechanism to maintain an ongoing dialogue with current/potential audience about the events

• Reach out to potential audience that has diverse points of interest and different perspectives

• Changing demographics necessitate reaching out to culturally diverse population

• Cultivate a feeling in

diverse audiences that Dance event can be a place for

intercultural socialization

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Dance education curriculum includes aspects of dance history, technique,

criticism and aesthetics. This template includes guidelines on the process of teaching,

developing and presenting dance, organizational planning and building audiences. I

have attempted to keep the essence of the ancient gurukul tradition while adding

strategies for building, expanding and diversifying the dance education curriculum. I

have suggested that the process of teaching follow a gradual pace covering all the

aspects of the dance form keeping in view the emotional and physical abilities of

student. Providing information and explanations about the dance form, promoting self-

esteem, developing an understanding and respect for cultural differences builds

confidence and courage in the student. Appropriate guidance, feedback, planned

lessons with clear instructions and the readiness to improvise in the subject area helps

boost motivation for learning. Overall being sensitive to the individual student and the

changing demographics of the neighborhood can become the keys to initiate and

enhance self-expression and creative exploration in students.

The need to understand organizational planning and management was not on

the forefront until recently because funding was available from the government and large

business houses. While opportunities to perform were comparatively fewer so were the

number of dancers and dance companies. In comparison, the upsurge in the number of

dance festivals and dance companies has led to competition. To be able to survive and

sustain in this scramble for work, students who wish to pursue dance as a profession

need to learn about organizational planning, marketing strategies, grant writing, funding

and audience development to maximize their opportunities in the field. As suggested in

the template dance educators would find it helpful to prepare students by partnering with

management institutions or experts in opening up opportunities for their students for

training in the subject.

Product development and audience development are areas which need equal

attention Unlike the earlier times when the traditional repertoire kept people engaged,

the present day audiences are multi cultural and it is crucial to understand what

motivates them to attend a dance performance. As written in Opera America Newsline

(1997) “Great product marketing isn't selling the product: it is responding to the way

people want to feel when they drive that car or run that mile. It's not selling the "it," it's

selling the feeling that people want to feel “. Some participants have mentioned that they

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have already started borrowing themes, costumes and music from other art forms.

Integrating universal themes and ideas will enable audiences to relate to their own

experiences and they will be in a better position to connect, appreciate, understand and

enjoy another art form. Developing audiences for the arts has become increasingly

challenging in the present times. Attending dance presentations or participating in the

arts is one of the many options available for people today. The rising number of malls,

increasing cable choices and computer gaming and entertainment, combined with

relatively high admission costs to arts events and the low emphasis on art education in

schools, is resulting in inadequate awareness and fragmentation of audiences. In

comparison to the rising population, the frequency of participation in the arts has been

comparatively low.

The template suggests strategies how understanding the aspirations of people

and creating work around themes that audiences can relate to will help in building

audiences. Besides this proactive strategy, evaluation or feed back forms designed to

record audience reaction can help in providing indicators for ideas for product

development, themes for dance creation, changes, and improvements. In addition,

workshops or discussions before performances can create platforms for interaction with

members of the audience and comprehending their preferences. These techniques will

enable students to reach out to wider range of audiences and develop productions on

themes, which would be meaningful and relevant to the context and environment of the

people.

Besides these aspects of curriculum and audience development, rising

awareness and concern for health is making it necessary for students of dance to learn

about prevention of injuries to the body caused due to dance training. Collaborating with

experts on injury prevention, attending lectures, seminars and workshops with reference

to dance will enable students of dance to prevent long-term injuries.

With changing times being flexible in adapting new techniques in dance education will

contribute in preserving and passing the tradition of dance to our future generations

while helping students of dance to grow in their field. Tom Peters, a management guru in

his book, ‘Thriving on Chaos’ writes ‘the present times demand…flexibility and love of

change”. Responses of participants of this research indicate that some have already

evolved their curriculums to include the upcoming needs and some are experimenting

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with different approaches and I hope this discussion will open up new avenues for

further change and innovation.

References:

Shapiro, Sherry B. (Ed.) 1998. Dance, Power and Difference, Champaign, IL:

Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.

Hanna, Judith L. 1999. Partnering Dance and Education, Champaign, IL: Human

Kinetics Publishers, Inc.

Peters, Tom. 1987. Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution,

New York, Harper Collins Publishers.

Batalha, Ana Paula. 2000. Paper on ‘Teaching Paradigms for Dance as an Art

form’ presented in Conference on Dancing in the Millennium, Washington D.C.

Stevens, Louise K. "Just who are those first-time ticket buyers?" Opera Americas

26th Annual Conference (Los Angeles 1996).

1992 Public Participation in the Arts: National Endowment for the Arts. Research

Division and the U.S. Department of the Census.

Building Audiences: Stories from America's Theaters. Lila Wallace- Reader's

Digest Fund (New York December 1997)

Parts of this essay have been published in Angarag- A Journal of performing and

Visual Arts Spring 2007

Rohini Dandavate holds a doctoral degree in Cultural Policy and Administration. She is

trained under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatro, Guru Raghunath Dutta and Guru Ramani

Ranjan Jena in Odissi dance in Kala Vikash Kendra, College of Indian Dance and Music,

Cuttack, India. As an artist in the Arts in Education Program of the Ohio Arts Council,

she conducts workshops and lecture demonstrations on Odissi dance for students in

schools and colleges. She has offered courses in Odissi dance as a Visiting Faculty in

Denison University, Kenyon College, Antioch College, Ohio University.

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