Professional Documents
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dance
education in
changing
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times
Indian dance education in changing times
Dr Rohini Dandavate
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.
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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:
• 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:
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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 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
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
• Interactive
Create a mechanism to
maintain an ongoing dialogue
with current/potential
audience about the events
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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.
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.
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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