Leave our troubles at the door!

A common statement widely used by teachers within a variation of dance, movement, yoga classes etc suggests participants leave their troubles, worries or problems at the door upon commencement of a class. Some relate to this as controversial and some interpret it in a negative way. Whereas some note a cue for presence and focus, or to enable clarity of the mind for efficient practice and progress. 


Whether you are a student, participant, teacher, practitioner or facilitator, and you find it challenging to achieve and maintain focus in class, here's some ideas to help you….. 


Arrive at class at least 5-10 minutes early. 

Find space prior to class commencement. Turn your attention inwards and practice a few moments of breathing techniques / pranayama. 

Prepare your body and set a personal intention for your class or practice. 

Try not to engage in unnecessary conversation. Make your focus and concentration known to others.

Be in a space that feels comfortable to work/practice in. 

           Ensure you can be heard and seen / can hear and see your leader.

If the studio has a mirror, try to work away from it as much as possible. Feel movement from the inside rather than seeing it from the outside. Use a mirror for alignment checks etc, but for minimal amounts of time.

When external thoughts enter your mind during class, acknowledge them without judgement and let them go swiftly. 

Observe what you do well,  what you can improve on. Make simple mental notes or log them in a notebook during class.

Teacher & leaders - move in and around your class, immerse yourself, get amongst people, adjust and offer feedback.

Document your notes afterwards in a way that works for you. This will enable positive progression and focus towards your next class.


For me as a class participant, a solo practitioner and a teacher, the studio is a place of productivity, sanctuary and at times escapism. Whatever the studio or practice area is to you, and however troubled, worried or distracted you may be feeling prior to or during a class, tell yourself why you are there..... those moments will never happen again!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bridging the gap between pre-vocational and professional vocational training

It would be interesting to hear about people’s day to day activity within their teaching roles. It’s quite refreshing to be part of this community, being able to share our work and ideas in such a constructive way.  My areas of teaching cover two CDET accredited vocational dance/musical theatre based schools, teaching post-16 students who are working towards the Trinity Professional Diploma (level 6). I also work with younger people on a monthly basis who attend an associates programme at one of the said schools and have most recently taken on a small amount of teaching at a pre-vocational dance school. The age groups I work with during my week range from 9yrs to 23yrs. This experience allows me ample opportunity to identify and embrace possible areas of study in relation to the MAPP programme. At present I am trying to read as much theory as possible to encourage thought and motivation in order to write my blogs and plan ahead towards Module 1 and RPL. I feel slightly pressur
Read more

Observation, feedback, vocabulary and autonomy.

Observation strategies in the studio Student centred learning.  Feedback v’s correction Authoritarian v’s autonomous teaching and learning approaches. Observation plays a major role in the dance class in terms of teaching and learning progression. Through greater, more effective observation of our students in class, we will gain deeper insight into what they are really doing. By changing our position within the studio as much as possible, enables us to focus on individuals from different perspectives. We can better observe bodies from alternative angles as opposed to being positioned only at the front of the class. As you move amongst the class, be aware of the moments you become most alert to elements of the class and why? What do you notice? Whilst working on your observation methods, think about how you translate your observations into individual or group feedback. What it is that you require students to do? Ask yourself ‘does this make sense’?  Remember, we all learn differently,
Read more

A professional inquiry into movement retention and transferable knowledge within cross genre dance training. AG (2019)

Image
Anthea Garratt MA (dist)                                                                                                                                                            2019 An Investigation into Dance Pedagogy:  Methods used by teachers to  develop students ’ skills in movement retention and transferable  knowledge within cross-genre dance training. CONTENTS   INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW   OVERVIEW OF THE ENQUIRY PROCESS   Observations             Interviews   ANALYSIS OF THE TRIANGULATION OF THE DATA Teachers experiences and influences   Somatic influences   Communication and vocabulary   Repetition and development   Tasks   Use of mirrors Imagery and visualisation Transference of knowledge   Abstract   This article presents findings from a twelve-week professional research enquiry into dance pe
Read more