Beginning to Dance
Jan Sellers University of Kent
The context/situation/challenge
It was the winter of 2001, and, at 50, I was feeling out of sorts. I was looking for opportunities to cheer myself up – to bring more joy into life - and was invited to go along to a dance class to see if I wanted to join.
A little background information first – though I knew none of this at the time. The Chantraine Dance of Expression is designed to benefit the whole person: body, mind and spirit. It is ultimately a joyful experience. Widely taught in France, it is also taught at a few centres in England and in Belgium. There are over 200 Chantraine Ballets, and a professional company performing from time to time in national venues. The Dance of Expression was created by Alain Chantraine (who died in 2000) and Françoise Chantraine. Françoise has been awarded the gold medal of the French Federation of Dance, is Chevalier in the National Order of Merit and has been a member of the International Council of Dance at UNESCO. ‘La Danse de la Vie’, published in 1998, gives an account of her life and work. Chantraine Dance builds on all the traditional dance forms and also on its creators’ knowledge and practice of choreography, psychology, physiotherapy, music, poetry and sculpture. Teachers are trained by Françoise Chantraine and continue themselves to be students of Chantraine Dance.
I hadn’t danced regularly since folk dancing in my teens and 20s, but I liked the idea of learning something that I had no experience of, where there was no expectation of me being good at it (and though this was meant to be ‘just for me’, as my field is student learning development I recognised the value of such an experience professionally). I loved the first class, in January. By April I was completely hooked, and booked to attend a weekend dance workshop in Paris. This event attracted between 80 and 100 dancers from France and other countries. Would I keep up? Would I make a fool of myself? Was I good enough? Would I follow the French language sufficiently? Would I get on with the other British students, all much more experienced than myself – or intrude on their well-established friendship network? I didn’t know…
What were the particular characteristics of the situation that engaged you in an immersive way?.
It was clear that this was to be an immersive experience from the outset: we were all to form a company of dancers for the weekend and to work collaboratively, with no competition but in a spirit of commitment and friendship, aiming to do our best. This aim was achieved.
From the start, we were all welcomed: an active approach to make newcomers (and everyone) feel that we were, together, a dance company for the weekend. Newcomers were invited to say their names and a dancer’s gesture of welcome extended to them by everyone: a very warming experience. The workshops were of course very active, with everyone joining in, whatever their level, and with much-needed quiet time (‘interiority’) enabling some restorative rest. The need to concentrate on the French language (only intermittently translated), to concentrate on what was being modelled, and then to model it oneself as best one could – and the expectation that we would do all this to the best of our ability and with a positive, uplifted spirit of engagement and enjoyment – added to the physical effort, the challenge of trying to ‘get it right’, the exhilaration of speed, and of discovery – all combined together to create a thorough immersion and indeed this was designed into the entire structure of the event.
What forms of learning / personal development / change emerged from the situation?
·Physical learning: learning dance movements that then become part of oneself; learning sections of choreography
·Learning to engage with learning in this very mixed gathering of 80 or more people; over-coming self-consciousness in order to join in fully
·Language skills: discipline-specific
·Deeper understanding of working with tiredness, endurance: language skills diminish, body can be pushed, working through frustration and difficulty to achieve what perhaps did not feel possible at first
·Learning from an internationally recognised expert in her field who is also a charismatic and gifted teacher: the sense of personal relationship
·Learning, through experience, more of the underpinning concepts and approaches imbedded in this dance form
·Building confidence, both in terms of dance and in ability to engage with this adventure
·Deeper commitment to the discipline, wanting to learn more, engage further
What words/concepts/feelings would you use to describe the immersive experience?
Bewildering Celebratory Challenging Demanding Encouraging Engaging
Exhausting Exhilarating Friendly Illuminating Intense Joyful
Practical Scary Spell-binding Supportive Taxing Varied
What principles or lessons can be drawn from this story?
The opportunity for residential study – to learn, to study, to enjoy the experience together – is beyond doubt an enriching one if it is well managed. I’ve seen this over and over again at first hand: other examples are through the Arvon Foundation (creative writing); through retreats; through my A level experience of Geography field work in Snowdonia in 1969 or 1970, still remembered as a wonderful learning time. The Chantraine event lasted 1½ days only, yet was highly effective. If residential study is not possible, might a full day of learning together on a single theme, imbued with similar energising and engaging qualities, also be a valuable immersive experience?
Other lessons that may be learned lie within the classroom experience and in particular, (a) the way in which each class is structured and (b) the teaching and learning ethos. These thoughts draw on my experience of weekly Chantraine classes over the past five years, in addition to the weekend events.
a) Every workshop is balanced according to student needs, and addresses what are called in Chantraine terms ‘the five times of life’: Choreography; Rhythm; Interiority; Creativity; Technique. This means that in every session, there is time for focussed concentration on a specific technique, tackled in different ways, repeated and reinforced; time to work off energy and at the same time build stamina; time to work on the bigger picture, as a choreography is approached gently, a section at a time; time for physical relaxation and quiet listening and engaging; time to work on rhythmical understanding and response to music. The variety of approaches also maintains interest, adds stimulation and suits differing learning needs in terms of the students’ own approaches to learning. This is transferable to other disciplines, for example:
·A balanced mixture of activities involving close observation, listening, experimenting, practice, working in groups, working alone, work in pairs, quiet learning, lively learning
·Activities led by a teacher; activities led by students; activities where everyone is working together
·Activities that intensify the ability to observe closely, to learn from and interpret that observation, to put it into practice, to build on that experience and improve
·Activities that mix theory and practice, relating the two
b) The ethos of the Chantraine School of Dance is also highly transferable – but not a simple process of transfer as an ethos cannot merely be copied but needs to be embraced by those who wish to teach and model it. The following are examples, but it is the cumulative impact that has most effect:
·Everyone on first name terms; considerable care taken for people to learn each others’ names (especially in the context of longer-term study, eg weekly classes, but also evident in ‘Stage-Weekends’). Places everyone on an equal footing and overcomes formality where that is culturally expected
·Newcomers welcomed and practical steps taken to embed them in the group; particular needs of people with disabilities are addressed with practicality and sensitivity, recognising shared responsibilities, eg for safety
·An approach that is not competitive – but is decidedly challenging, offering opportunities to push the boundaries of what we can do and understand
·Respect for each other regardless of ability or prior experience
·An affirming and positive approach to study that spills over into everyday life; work on inner strength (central force), not only physical but ultimately in other ways, again spilling over into everyday life
·Opportunities to explore activities that are personally challenging, but where mistakes are positively welcomed as learning opportunities; a language of teaching that is never negative in spirit or in terminology, so that we explore next steps, break down the learning into smaller stages and identify ways to progress, rather than dwell on what we can’t do or have failed to do
·A feedback resource (‘The Thread and the Nine Points’) that enables positive reflection and contributes to a ‘virtuous circle’ of learning between teacher and taught.
·Built-in opportunities for progression – widening and deepening knowledge and understanding; no-one excluded on grounds of cost (now there’s a challenge for HE!)
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