Philosophy of Dance

Like any art form, dance is a representation of human emotion, conflict, representation itself, and overall life. And like the rest of the art world, it should be accessible to all humanity. For me, art in general is a gift from which the artist shares his/her talents for the betterment of humanity. It is not to be locked up in some far, dark closet for only the super intellectual and technically trained to enjoy. But rather, it is something that is to be shared, loved, and argued about by all. For if art were meant to be viewed and enjoyed by only a select few, then it would no longer be art. Rather, it would take its place amongst the many lost documents of time that served no greater purpose than the selfish desires and greedy ambitions of its authors; and thus slowly decay into the wasteland of forgotten past

With this stated, dance is art, and therefore shares the same burdens and obligations as its sisters and brothers in related fields. Dance is not defined by any one technique. It can neither be harnessed nor claimed by any singular individual, group of individuals, technique based movement, or any one particular facility. Rather, dance is any movement, created by man, beast, or otherwise, that shares the inner most thoughts, feelings, emotions, characters, and ideals created by its choreographer. Dance shares no boundaries with regards to culture, race, sex, or social status, and is neither better than any other art form nor better than itself. It is in its purest form the movement of humanity, and therefore should, no must, be accessible to all peoples.

Dance Facilitation Essay

Discuss the meanings of authoritarianism and anti-authoritarianism in practices of dance teaching. Make specific reference to examples from practice and from the literature. Discuss ways of working that might be appropriate to working with a group of GCSE students and prepare a lesson plan for a specific session with GCSE students.

On an online dictionary the definition for authoritarianism is;

"Characterized by or favoring absolute obedience to authority, as against individual freedom"

Authoritarianism in the dance studio is generally structured with the teacher taking a very dictatorial role with the students being submissive, taking orders without question or objection. The method teaches by close observation, direct criticism and giving example. The students will be spread around the room all facing to the teacher and the mirror, all attempting to create the shapes in one technique or another.