Language of Dance by Jane Dulieu

Language of Dance Distance Exchange Programme:

Drop From Above -- Dance Across the Pond

by Jane Dulieu

I want to share with you today the experiences of setting up a dance project between two countries on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. I hope from my account of the successes and the shortcomings that anyone who is interested in setting up such projects will benefit and be equipped for the future. The project has been an exciting and sometimes hair-raising roller coaster, but I am confident that it has great potential for the future to bring together children of different cultures on other sides of the world through the medium of dance.

1. Background to the Project
Between 1994 and 1996 Tina Curran and Heidi Wiess both US citizens trained as Language of Dance® Specialists in the UK and were keen to set up projects in the USA. In July 1997 Ann Hutchinson Guest, Tina Curran and Heidi Wiess founded the USA Language of Dance® Center, Inc. The UK Centre was established in 1967 in London.

Heidi was particularly interested in setting up projects whereby the children she was teaching would be able to collaborate with children in the UK who were also learning the Language of Dance® approach to dance composition. This interest was sparked by efforts in US schools to promote cultural understanding. Heidi had co-taught with me in London schools where the diversity in ethnic mix was evident with children from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the African nations. We thought children from the USA and the UK would benefit from learning about and enjoy meeting each other.

In 1997 Heidi was invited to teach at the Cherry Brook Primary School in Canton, Connecticut and saw this as an the opportunity to set up such a project. Supported by Principal Cheryl Klozcko and Physical Education teacher, William Phelps, Heidi contacted me in September 1997 to discuss the possibilities and to ask if I knew of a suitable school in the UK I could work with. As Associate Director of the Language of Dance® Centre, UK, I have been keen to make connections with the newly established Center in the US and to be involved in projects to raise its profile and this seemed a good opportunity.

Finding a school to work with was not a problem. I have had a good relationship with Thomas Gamuel Primary School in the London Borough of Waltham Forest for a number of years. I initially worked there as a part-time classroom teacher, then became the school's dance teacher supporting the special educational needs programme, through which I introduced the Language of Dance® approach both in school time and as an after-school activity.

So, the seed for the project, which became Drop from Above -- Dance Across the Pond, was planted.

2. Project Outline

Heidi had the idea that children of a similar age in each school (approximately 7-8 years old) could follow a proscribed dance framework through Language of Dance® classes for a number of weeks. After a period of time the classes could link via the Internet and through video conferencing to share their work, exchange ideas and discuss how they had found the project. Sounds simple, doesn't it?!

I thought the idea was great -- innovative, exciting. I felt the children would benefit from sharing their dance work with others outside their own school environment. The project might extend their knowledge and understanding of people in another country. It has the potential to link other children around the world in the future. I was also keen to use this opportunity as research project into the development and progression of Language of Dance® in a particular school. I also loved the idea of linking technological advances with our work, especially as the profile of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) was already being raised in UK schools.

My concerns, though, were how to set up the technological side of the project: where to start looking for the equipment, even understanding what equipment was necessary for the project to succeed. At that time I had little experience of working with technology except for using my trusty PC to write basic documents; I had only just started to master email and had no idea how to surf the net! So the technical side was more than a little overwhelming.

There were other concerns too: the school in the UK was not technologically advanced: one teacher had been appointed the ICT coordinator but had no experience and was awaiting training; the school only had one phone line which was used for both phone and fax and there was certainly no internet connection, so where and how could we set up the live exchanges via the Internet? Given the time difference of five hours, the length and time differences of the school day in each country how could we coordinate the children's live exchanges?

Both Heidi and I were freelance dance specialists so we needed to coordinate communication between ourselves, the schools' managerial and administrative staff, the class teachers and the children themselves and at the same time work around already established school working practices -- this proved to be quite time-consuming, but the enthusiasm of the class teachers and the head teachers of both schools kept us going.

Fundraising was vital. We began a vigorous fundraising campaign to foundations and corporate sponsors. By May 1998 we had received support from the Canton Creative Arts Council, the schools and the Language of Dance® Trust, UK. At that point, we were unable to secure video conferencing sites in either the USA or the UK. Despite all this, the project began.

3. The First Phase of the Project

Drop from Above: The Tale of a Raindrop, a beautiful poem written by Mark Borchelt has been the catalyst for the title of the project: Language of Dance® Distance Exchange Programme: Drop from Above - Dance Across the Pond. The poem tells of one raindrop's place in the water cycle and made me think of one drop of rain creating ever-increasing ripples in the Atlantic Ocean until these ripples touched and connected the coastlines on both side of the Atlantic.

In 1997 Heidi and Tina introduced the Language of Dance® approach to teachers at a HOT schools conference in Connecticut (HOT stands for Higher Order Thinking). Heidi and Tina were asked to provide an example of integrated curriculum for teachers and so created the "Drop" dance. I would just like to explain that in the UK I use the term "framework" rather than "curriculum" since to me curriculum implies the whole spectrum of what is taught in schools so from here on I will use the term framework.

It happened that at the time of the Distance Exchange Project the water cycle was prescribed for both schools, so we decided this would be an ideal starting point for the children to develop and share dances.

4. The "Drop" Dance

This first phase was teacher-guided; the children had no experience in the Language of Dance® approach and the choreographic outline for the dance was set and documented as a dance score.

The poem by Mark Borchelt was read as a stimulus in the first lesson and referred to on numerous occasions during the project. In each lesson the children explored movement concepts relevant to each section of the poem and the dance. They were then shown Motif Description symbols to represent those movement concepts and saw how these fitted together to create the dance score. Heidi worked with the children in the USA slightly differently. Each week the children learned new Language of Dance® concepts, parts of the poem were read, key words identified and written on large sheets. Then the children chose the movements which best depicted the words in the poem; for example, flexion and extension were movements selected for the words "quick, bright, flash" which depicted lightning. The symbols have only a general meaning so this allowed the children to put their own interpretation into the movement choices. You will see evidence of this in the video clip where although the basic outline of the dance from both schools is the same, the actual movements vary. The timing of the piece is also relative so you will notice parts of the dance being performed at different points in time.

Each week the lessons were recorded on video and the children were also interviewed and asked specific questions. At various points the videos were transferred to compatible formats and exchanged by express delivery. This was to give the children as immediate a response as we could muster. The results this offered were a revelation. The children noted the similarities in the dances but were interested to discover the diversity of their movement choices. In addition, differences observed included the clothing that children wore. This opened up a whole discussion into the cultural diversity that existed. Girls wearing veils particularly fascinated the children at Cherry Brook and the children at Thomas Gamuel were surprised to see that the Cherry Brook children danced in everyday clothes and not school uniform. Further questions via videotape were exchanged and this vital communication began the process of cultural understanding between the children through this experience. This initial exchange also fed into other areas of the curriculum such as geography and history. It encouraged the children to look at maps and see where their new friends came from. Through a video clip of the Waltham Forest coat of arms, children at Cherry Brook discovered what a coat of arms was, how it was designed and subsequently each designed their own.

5. Phase 2 of the project

In October 1998 the second stage of the project began. We had managed to secure funding from Waltham Forest Arts Council, Canton Creative Arts Council, Cherry Brook Primary School Parent-Teacher Organization and the Canton School System.

The children were now 8-9 years old. The class teachers in both Connecticut and London were about to teach the body's circulation system and asked that we use this as a starting point for a dance. Heidi and I wanted to extend the children's progress in dance-making so after reviewing the movement concepts already covered and exploring further concepts with the children, we encouraged them to expand on a basic dance idea.

In groups the children then wrote their own dance scores incorporating the basic movement ideas explored. For example, if the children traveled from different body areas back to the lungs, they could add movement concepts they had already encountered to highlight the traveling. They went through a process of developing and refining their work making changes to both the score and dance where necessary.

In preparation for the video conferencing, the children in both schools prepared a series of questions to ask each other. They also prepared answers to their own questions so that they could extend the dialogue. It gave them the opportunity to think through what information they wanted from the children on the opposite side of the world and also give feedback about themselves.

6.   Technological Developments

As far as technological developments were concerned, the children were keen to communicate face to face. Heidi and I now hoped to use video conferencing

I had found great support in the head of Waltham Forest SchoolsMedia Resource Unit, Hugh Meteyard. Part of the funding enabled Mr. Meteyard to install an ISDN2 line so that we could video conference at the Resource Unit and three video conferencing sessions were tentatively built into the programme: one planned for Week 2 or 3 of the project, a second in Week 6 and the third in Week 12 when the project would culminate. Mr. Meteyard was also keen that the children at Thomas Gamuel School be involved in all aspects of the project not just the creation of dances and leading the discussion via video conference with children in the USA. When the time came to video conference he would teach them how to work in the television studio, by allowing them to operate cameras, manage the sound equipment and video machinery, and understand the role of the studio floor manager.

Connecting with a national site and subsequently with an anonymous USA site tested the ISDN2 line; all went well - we were ready. Cherry Brook Primary School was still not equipped with a compatible ISDN2 line but William Phelps, the Physical Education teacher, found that CUCMi and NetMeeting software might work. He and Mr. Meteyard worked on a connection and eventually succeeded in linking via NetMeeting.

The planned video conferencing sessions were postponed on various occasions due to the logistics of two busy school timetables but were finally scheduled for December first, 1998.

At the last moment the video conferencing connection faltered so the children had real time email conversations using Mirablis ICQ. Despite initial disappointment the result was quite amusing as answers to questions overlapped and everyone had to learn to be patient in asking questions and receiving answers.

7. What to do next?

Over the winter break between 1998 and 1999 Heidi and I discussed at length how we could still achieve a video conference session for the children and what kind of dance-making process would support the Language of Dance® project. Heidi had offers from Southern New England Telephone Company to provide the necessary equipment for Cherry Brook School but the installation of the ISDN2 line was prohibitive. In the meantime William Phelps had made contact with the Connecticut National Guard who offered the use of their ISDN2 line for one session, which would involve transporting the Cherry Brook children some distance. It looked like it might finally work and that video conferencing would take place in April!

In the spring of 1999 a major international incident put the Connecticut National Guard on full security alert; our hope of video conferencing was gone. We were also out of funding.

8.  Phase 3 -- The children create their own dances
The children were now 9-10 years old. As far as the dance process was concerned, I felt the time had come for the children to consolidate their knowledge and use it to create their own choreography. The process took on a student-led focus and I was also interested in developing an arts-based focus rather than integrated curriculum one. Heidi and I also felt this offered the opportunity to focus the exchange discussions on the dance work.
We set about liaising with our own schools as to how and when we could work with the children. I arranged to start working in May 1999 even though finding time to fit dance in was becoming increasingly difficult. The national literacy hour had been introduced and the children had already had more than their quota of dance classes for the year (UK Key Stage 2 Dance: 7-11 years old, approximately 6 x 45 minutes sessions per year!). However, since I had started using Language of Dance®, the class teachers had noted a positive change in behavior - children were cooperating with one another and there was an increased sense of community as a class. The teachers were also pleased to see that the integrated approach I used, reflected on the children's understanding and performance in the classroom. They had also noted the children's enthusiasm for dance so we worked hard to find a slot in the already hectic schedule -- thank goodness they were in Year 4 and not expected to sit SATs (standard achievement tests). We agreed to use the children's "Games" slot for 6 sessions. The children reviewed all the movement concepts covered. I then let them loose creating and recording their own dances from the knowledge gained.

In Connecticut, however, life was about to change; Heidi had decided to start a new life in her native Texas. How could we maintain the relationship between the schools?

William Phelps, the PE teacher at Cherry Brook and Cheryl Klozcko, the principal were so enthusiastic about the Language of Dance® programme that funding was found for Mr. Phelps to take the first training course in Language of Dance® before Heidi left so that he could continue the work. The children exposed to the Language of Dance® had provided much evidence of its value. Take, for example, the case of Emma; a child who was neither strong in verbal communication nor exhibited much evidence that she was processing knowledge. Thanks to Cherry Brook School's policy of including all children, Language of Dance was the first activity where Emma demonstrated that she was processing and understanding knowledge. For the first time she spoke enough to carry on a conversation about the activity she was undertaking. Her classmates spoke of how proud they were of her achievements. Another example is Molly, who is 100% blind. She was able to understand the movements concepts, to trace the symbols with her finger and was for the first time given the opportunity to explore and consciously experience her own kinesphere.

With Heidi's support Mr. Phelps felt that he could continue the project in early 2000 and we would reflect on how we could exchange dances in the meantime.

9. Posting the dances on the Language of Dance® website

After working with the children in the UK, I again recorded their dances on video. Joukje Kolff, the UK Centre's IT expert then suggested posting these and the notated scores on the Language of Dance® Centre's website so that the children at Cherry Brook could see them and have a platform to discuss them. The children in the UK were thrilled. The school now had an Internet connection so we were also able to call the dances up and view them. Joukje posted questions to the Thomas Gamuel children asking for clarification on performers, titles, etc., to encourage them to use the website independently of school.

10. Where does the project stand now?

Although the relationship between the schools continues, the children at Cherry Brook School have moved on to new pastures. Mr. Phelps now serves on the Connecticut Board of Education Committee to revise the PE standards, which at present include dance, and he is recommending Language of Dance® as the model for the dance curriculum. He admits that being based in a rural locale is at present making costs of installing an ISDN2 line for video conferencing prohibitive.

The head teacher at Thomas Gamuel School continues to support the Language of Dance® research with the children I have been teaching since Year 3.

In January 2000 I revisited the movement concepts but added dynamics to encourage the children to look at the physical versus expressive content of their choreography and to integrate this with the new PSHE and Citizenship curriculum. The children were now aged from 10 to 11 and I was aware of the changes in their emotional behavior. I thought this might be a way to explore the positive as well as negative aspects of the dynamics of each emotion, for example using strength to depict pride as well as anger. The children have documented their dances and we have made videotapes, which we expect to be added to the Language of Dance® website by the end of the year.

I will continue to work with Thomas Gamuel children in Year 6 (their final year) and hope to explore choreographic structure with them. Now the children would like to investigate choreographic forms and how these might be represented in symbol form and recorded.

11.  Conclusion

Projects reflect life, changes always occur and things don't always go as we expect them to. Heidi and I are still committed to video conferencing but on reflection understand that this may happen at a later date than we envisaged. A number of changes in circumstance need to be taken into account.

In the UK:

a new head teacher

still not enough compatibility in software and hardware on the school site which would make video conferencing easier

the addition of the numeracy hour in the National Curriculum is squeezing out time for innovative projects

these children will disperse at the end of Year 6. I will endeavor to keep track of those who wish to continue

Joukje Kolff, the Centre's IT specialist is investigating setting up a children's chat page whereby children can post dances and have on-line discussions about them.

In the USA:

Heidi, despite relocating to Texas, maintains the Language of Dance® connection with Cherry Brook by encouraging the Phys. Ed. Teacher, William Phelps to continue in his training to become a Language of Dance® Specialist and writing curriculum for the school.

This new location also encourages Heidi and me to investigate more schools in their respective localities to create new links and to continue aiming towards video conferencing

Although all our goals have not yet reached a successful conclusion, all parties involved: the children, teachers, head teachers, Heidi and I have enjoyed the excitement of being involved in a pioneering venture. However, two important goals have been achieved. One is the use of Language of Dance® as a vehicle to explore cultural diversity and to promote intercultural understanding. The second the creation of a truly integrated curriculum. I hope that it demonstrates that dance is a language that transcends geographic, situational and expectational boundaries.

About the Author:
Jane Dulieu is the Assistant Director of the Language of Dance Centre. Jane received her Certificate for Education from Alsager College of Education and her Dance Theatre Diploma from the Laban Centre London. After a brief spell in primary education and some years in TEFL in Athens, Greece, Jane returned to the UK with the aim of a career in Labanotation. She began working at the LODC as a part-time assistant in 1986 and during that time also taught Labanotation at Middlesex Polytechnic and A-level dance at North Herts College, Hitchin. She was introduced to the LOD teaching approach while studying Advanced Labanotation and decided to use it when teaching dance in a London primary school. Jane has now been a teacher in primary schools for 22 years. She is employed full time at the LODC and focuses on the development of the LOD approach in the public school curriculum. Jane heads all LOD certification courses and provides inservice training for non-specialist teachers in primary education. She can be contacted via e-mail at lodc.jane@dial.pipex.com
The Language of Dance Centre could be viewed as a tree. In 1968, Ann Hutchinson Guest founded it, with strong roots in dance creativity and dance preservation. At its base holds one of the largest libraries of Dance Notation and Dance Theory in London. The Centre also supports dance heritage by creating new dance publications on a regular basis. Branching out, it is thriving and creative centre that is interested in sharing movement with you. Our mission is to bring movement exploration to children, adults, professionals and beginners alike. Movement is an important element in our lives that is often overlooked and disregarded.   The Language of Dance® approach, which has received support in the UK and USA, takes a second look at movement in a innovative and fun way while at the same time recognizing movement for its potential in education and choreography. The Language of Dance® approach provides an alternative teaching method for almost any subject though creative dance and the Movement Alphabet. Whither it is discovering how you move or breaking out of old movement habits, it is our opinion that every child and adult should have this experience and it is our hope that you will enjoy your discoveries as much as we have! Our centre is very open to providing work experience and internships for all those who are interested.   Please contact us for any further information.

UK Language of Dance Centre
17 Holland Park
London W11 3TD
United Kingdom
Tel:020 7229 -3780
Fax: 020 7792-1794
info@lodc.org

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