Ethics and integrity in dance and research

Step by step, task after task. I am slowly getting on with my draft proposal for my inquiry. 

Those last weeks, I tried to be very systematic in my approach and proceeding and I lost the relation to my body.

In my blog post 'thoughts around truth, certainty and knowledge' I wrote that very often, I find it difficult to formulate thoughts in my mind in order to communicate them. "The bodily knowledge I possess is easier to share through its own language, through movement. It does resonate in my mind, but without words." Wishing to get on with my proposal, it seems like I have forgotten about this for a short moment. 

This weekend, I participated in a ten-hour workshop about the choreographic composition of a solo. I was in a particular state. As if my mind was exhausted from the work I do for module two, I accessed the language of movement, first. I have let my body find a way to talk without worrying about words. In the end, I was able to put words on what I have created. The bodily experience nourished my mind and they slowly began to work together, again. Despite everything, I was frustrated. Frustrated because I didn't get on with my tasks from module two. However, even though I haven't finished the task about ethical considerations, yet, I have learnt something quite important through this experience. Don't forget your first language. I learn as much through experience as I do from reading and writing, even, or especially when studying for this programme. The literature and theory are there "to stimulate (my) thinking about (my) own Professional Practice deeply or differently" (Adesola, A, 2017 "Ideas, theory and theoretical frameworks."). Theory can guide me but I shouldn't get lost in it and forget about my professional practice. So, what did I learn about ethics this weekend?

Considering the ethics, I was able to interlink my experience from this very workshop with my project. In fact, during a debriefing session, participants said that they were nervous and scared to present their work. However, everyone noted that there was a spirit of benevolence in the group that was very supportive. Actually, when you present a solo, you have made choices that you have to fulfil and defend. There is no right or wrong, so you have to stand for your ideas and choices. Presenting this choice can be scary because some might question or criticise your choices. This is where the ethical framework becomes important. How do we respond to someone who is communicating with us through their body and what are the consequences of our reactions? In this group, no one questioned or judged the choreographers. Criticism was constructive and reflective words were chosen with great care. Everyone participated in the discussion. This puts the choreographer into a position where he knows that he can present his work with full commitment which leaves no time or room for fear. 
When it comes to dance education, those ethical configurations still apply. If I carry out a research project where I observe and reflect on experiences, where I want to analyse the benefits of 'students ownership of the learning', I need to have a similar ethical approach. If I promote student ownership, I encourage my students to make choices, to fulfil and defend them. I want them to be committed in the process and I want them to feel safe in order to do so. 
When it comes to interpreting data collected, the same ethical considerations apply. I will analyse my own and my student's experiences with great care and free of judgement. The word choice becomes very important when it comes to the interpretation of stories. I have to be fully committed and at the same time, I have to be aware. Aware of the difference and the consequences of my choices and language. I also have to be respectful. Respectful towards my students, the people I interview, the people whose stories I listen to. Respectful to the people's privacy, confidentiality and integrity. 

Furthermore, we had a very interesting discussion about the fact that when you present your choreography, you tend to show your movements. You want to show your intentions so much that you are not deep 'in it' anymore. You should rather just be and do. When it comes to my project, this is something I want to keep in mind, especially considering my ethical framework. I don't want to show my intentions (my findings) in terms of proving or justifying something. I want to make connections between ideas, experiences and theory, talk about them, discuss them, reflect on them, ... I want to be 'in it' and not look down on it from the outside. This will allow me act according to my own ethical guidelines.  
 

Creating a literature review

“Recently in education, the idea of promoting student ownership has emerged as a means of authentically engaging students in their own learning.”[1] In education in general, the idea of empowering students by promoting ownership emerged recently, considering the literature around this theme. This phenomenon finds its sources in the development of ‘student-centered education’, a notion that arose in the 1990s as a response to educational systems that didn’t fully consider the needs of every individual. Theorists like John Dewey, Jean Piaget or Carl Rogers, to name only a few, have pioneered student-centred education through their research on how the individual learns and the importance of creating a learning environment with opportunities for the student to actively engage in the learning process through experience.

In dance, the additional aspect of the physical body becomes very important when it comes to ownership. Research around student ownership in dance raise questions about embodiment, empowerment and the training of dancers’ bodies. How can we free the student dancers’ body in a technique class and allow him to own the learning process and learning material?

Some researchers say that by not imposing any kind of form, the dancer becomes autonomous and responsible.[2] In such cases, the teacher doesn’t feed the students with learning material but is there to initiate, to guide, to create learning opportunities. With a similar point of interest, but considering the aspect of technical skills, J. Karin develops an approach to acquire ballet skills respecting “the role of sensory awareness, imagery, and intention in cuing efficient, expressive movement”[3]. With her ideas about aesthetics, imagery, sensory context and expressivity, she touches on the theories of somatics in dance[4] such as J. Green’s research study from 1998. J. Green questions the education of the dance student’s body by focusing on the objectification of the learner’s body and how one can change this by applying somatic authority where the student regains ownership of the body[5] and engages more personally in the learning process. In 2013, R. Rimmer discussed in her research one possible method to achieve embodiment and ownership of the body, movements and especially learning, namely improvisation[6] (using it “not to create new material, but to work with existing material”[7]). The type of class R. Rimmer is explaining joins Stanton’s propose that a technique class is a ‘laboratory’, “working with principles and not codes”[8], where teacher and student work together, move, observe and verbalise.

Creating my literature review, I noticed that there are several case studies around multiple teaching methods promoting student’s ownership of the learning. However, I feel like there is a lack of literature about the reason why “laboratory” technique classes can be beneficial and how they meet with the students’ as well as the teachers’ expectations.  

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[1] McMullen, JM, van der Mars, H, Jahn, JA, (2014) “Promoting student ownership in a non-traditional physical education teacher education internship course”, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 19:3, p. 337.

[2] Necker, S, (2008), “Créer un moment de danse à l’école: les conditions d’enseignement et d’apprentissage dans l’atelier mené par un enseignant et un artiste”, Les Sciences de l'éducation - Pour l'Ère nouvelle, 41:2, p. 109.

[3] Karin, J, (2016) “Recontextualizing Dance Skills: Overcoming Impediments to Motor Learning and Expressivity in Ballet Dancers”, Frontiers in Psychology, 7, p.1.

[4] On somatics in dance: Meenan, M, (2013) Exploring the modern dance technique class as a somatic practice, MA thesis, University of Oregon.

[5] Walsh, L.D., Moseley, G.L., Taylor, J.L., Gandevia, S.C., (2011) “Proprioceptive signals contribute to the sense of body ownership”, The Journal of Physiology, 589:12, p. 3009-3021.

[6] On improvisation: Davenport, D, (1999) ”Working with play: Improving dance technique through improvisation”, Dance Teacher, 21:1, p. 85-88.

[7] Rimmer, R, (2013) “Improvising with Material in the Higher Education Dance Technique class. Exploration and Ownership”, Journal of Dance Education, 13:4, p. 144.

[8] Stanton, E, (2011) “Doing, re-doing and undoing: Practice, repetition and critical evaluation as mechanisms for learning in a dance technique class ’laboratory’”, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 2:1, p. 86.

Thoughts around reality and a non-positive position during a research project

How do I reconcile myself to a non-positive position? First of all, to talk about this position I have to define what reality means to me. Similar to truth, I believe that reality is constructed and self-referential. If I believe that what I say is real, that means that I perceive that it is real. By writing about a research, I’m not imposing this reality to anyone and I am aware that it only corresponds to one possible reality. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that this one reality is arbitrary. I don’t assume or blindly believe in something that could as well be unreal. I construct something by gathering data, by carefully choosing qualitative research methods and by respecting multiple stories. The idea of pragmatism is that there are multiple realities.

Being aware of this, I can allow myself to investigate something and to draw one reality. A reality based on lived experience. “(…) Dewey and other pragmatists called for a different starting point that was rooted in life itself—a life that was inherently contextual, emotional, and social.” (1) I don’t need to fight against the subjective features of myself, such as my origins, my emotions, my social status, etc. I am, as a researcher, part of my project, just like my phenomenon is. I acknowledge my own and my phenomenon’s personal, social, cultural, … context. However, I’m not only acknowledging this, but I also have to clearly include it, as part of the project/ presentation of my findings. My reality will be one interpretation constructed by what I see (through participant observation), hear (through interviews), feel (through perception) and finally come to know. This knowledge is built upon real interaction with the world/ experience.During my research project for my BA, I danced with disabled dancers. At the beginning of my research, even though I thought that I was very open and without bias, I had multiple prejudices.

During my research, I learnt that having pre-constructed ideas about something is okay. “More recent humanist and feminist researchers [even] refute the possibility of starting without preconceptions or bias, and emphasise the importance of making clear how interpretations and meanings have been placed on findings, as well as making the researcher visible in the ‘frame’ of the research as an interested and subjective actor rather than a detached and impartial observer (…).” (2) So, what happened during my research is that those preconceptions changed over time as I participated and made my own experience. I discovered an important and new dimension of inclusive dance and reformulated my knowledge based on my personal experience and on my interpretations of my findings. I felt like this new, bodily knowledge contributed to a better understanding and to a more complete story of inclusive dance. I experienced a new reality. This reality, however, couldn’t have existed without myself. I was part of it. I couldn’t have predicted my findings. Experience was part of it.  

Writing about this past experience doesn’t only show that I feel that a non-positivist position greatly contributes to a more complete story of my research, it also reveals how I feel about embodiment and dualism. My body opens a way to understand things with more depth. Once I experience something, my knowledge can shift or evolve. I gained this insight at a certain point in my life. At that moment, I slowly came to understand that I couldn’t make progress through an aesthetic approach. I was always trying to understand every mechanical process and each movement in my mind. However, what I needed was a deeper understanding of every single sensation and feeling. I developed an ‘inner approach’, an embodied approach that assisted my development as a dancer and teacher. I needed to include the experienced sensations. “(…) Dewey argued that experiences always have an emotional, embodied element, in which feelings provide an essential link between beliefs and actions.” (3) My mind doesn’t suffice to act. It doesn’t suffice to create movement. I need to feel it.I also understood that my movement depends on the reality of my body. This reality is different to other dancers’ reality and it changes with every day. My mind needs to be deeply connected with my body to create each day, each second, a reality that corresponds to myself. I am my own enquiry every day when I dance and therefore I believe that, when it comes to my research project, a non-positivist approach will correspond best with my views and beliefs. 

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[1] Morgan, David L., (2014) “Pragmatism as a Paradigm for Social Research”, Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 20(8), p.1047.

[2] Lester, Stan, (1999) “An introduction to phenomenological research”, Taunton UK, Stan Lester Developments

(www.sld.demon.co.uk/resmethy.pdf, accessed [12.03.2017], p.1.

[3] Morgan, “Pragmatism as a Paradigm for Social Research”, p.1047.