Choosing a research topic and thoughts from Skype group discussion 05/11/2017

Something that resonated from our group discussion on Sunday was how our experiences as dancers filters through into our teaching. We agreed that to an extent the way we judge ourselves and critique as dancers, can add both a positive and negative aspect to our teaching and ultimately impact our students. If I consider my training and experience as a dancer, the areas of technique, which I struggled with are reinforced and over compensated in my teaching to ensure that the students I train do not have the same problems.

The process of finding a topic for my research project was more difficult then I thought. Initially I thought about the impact of competitive dance on my students as this was something I introduced to my school 18 months ago and wanted to look at how this had changed the students attitudes, perceptions and others around them. The problem, was that indirectly, I already knew the answer, thus proving something I already knew or thought I knew. Instead I went back to the module 1 and my reflections and re-focused on what I didn’t know, that related to my area of teaching. In the Skype discussion, Lizzie and Imogen spoke about how the learning environment impacts their own teaching practice. Similarity, because I taught in schools, colleges, community settings, I began to question what I do differently now I have my own dance school and why. 

The unspoken separation between dance and academia, as dance practitioners makes us quite defensive in trying to justify the value of experiential learning. Coming from an academic background, I was quite happy to rely on key literature to support my ideas but felt uneasy about the non-positivist approach to relying on my experience and discussing, rather then finding a desired outcome. I believe this is partly due to my previous academic experiences but also my personality which likes to know the answer to everything and doesn’t like to see something unfinished or left open.


Having spoke to Adesola about my ideas we concluded that the way I teach the students in my school could be unique and/or unconventional, based on my prior experiences. When we consider our body as holding onto its individual narrative or journey, everyone is different and what shapes us is our experiences alongside the knowledge gained. The process of setting up my dance school was based on my personality, priorities, self reflection on prior learning and life experience. I had clear ideas about the ethos and what I wanted to achieve, however I now wanted to consider 10years on, how that is filtered into my teaching.

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