Laois Youth Dance Ensemble - A contemporary dance group in Laois

And the Journey Begins! - ‘Mathematics – A dance concept’

 dance classes in portlaoise

I am once again honoured to be teaching dance in schools funded by Laois Arts Office. As life and circumstances changes, I also feel that I am changing in relation to facilitate dance in education. I feel that I am more concerned about the education in general and how much I can contribute to it as a dance teacher, instead of seeing dance as an extra activity in the schools.  I remember in my first dance project I kind had the idea of “converting” the children to dance and arts, neglecting to become part of their world in first place before sharing what was only about me. Then, in the next project I didn’t create many expectations; instead, I placed my feet solid on the ground until realizing students and school were expecting from me. I realized then that to be on the fence wasn’t a good idea either but to create a balance between giving and taking was what could make the project a success.

Now, that I am teaching dance in the same school that my daughter attends, I feel not only responsible to share dance and to contribute to the personal improvement of the child, but to contribute to the Education System in a generic form. The idea of associate dance and maths actually started by trying to help my daughter to do her homework, and now that I am living the project in a practical way, I am not only thinking about her but about all other children that are offered an education that in most of cases, don’t allow them to think beyond the box.

As ‘Mathematics – A dance concept’ reaches its third week, I start to wonder if the dance that I am sharing in the schools are a drop in the ocean or the beginning of a journey to many educators to change their methods of teaching and become more approachable to every child independently of their “I Q levels”.

As mentioned before, in my first project I got frustrated at the start because I thought all the students would somehow be “changed” by having me pointing them another direction of thinking, not realising that to change the thoughts is to change the arbitrary system of teaching people. To be on the fence and not creating a good expectation that those things can be changed isn’t a good idea either. Actually, it’s quite cruel to leave as it is because “things are the way they are”. I refuse to enter to a school in a hope of facilitating something if I still conforming to the methods of teaching that only treat people as if they were machines that stores information until the time it can be downloaded.

And what it has to do with dance?  If dance in education is to develop full self-expression regardless of age or experience, how could I be okay of knowing that children are having their confidence killed because they can’t learn in the same way that their peer do? If dance in education is to facilitate the discover that there will always be new steps to learn and to inspire people to try new things, why should I conform of knowing that some children are to be called dumb because they don’t understand the only possibility of learning that is offered to them?  

This is more than an update of the work that I do but an open call to all who are honoured to enter in schools to teach something. We must hold the responsibility of offering more than a subject but another way of expression and learning. The system will always be a bureaucracy and filled with no passion, but we, as humans’ beings can offer more than it’s said on the papers and change not only a small community but our society.

Laois Arts Office Summer Programme 2013 - Dance Workshop

I'm delighted to share the video of the Dance Workshop at Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise as part of the Laois Arts Office Summer Programme 2013. The children worked really hard during that week (1  to 5th July) learning 2 dance pieces and creating a dance phrase with my guidance. Their age group was between 9 and 12yrs and their experience in dance was none or little.
At the end of the programme they put great effort by performing to friends and family. Those dance classes in Portlaoise surely challenged them about confidence, self-presentation, communication skills, stamina, teamwork and collaboration, the ability to cope with criticism and learn from it, time management and organizational skills, self-awareness, self-discipline, an open mind and the ability to move beyond boundaries and experience different ideas.I hope you enjoy watching as much as I did teaching them.

Teaching Dance in Schools

As a Dance Teacher I find great pleasure in teaching dance in schools. I've been teaching dance classes in Portlaoise since 2009 but I feel that teaching in schools challenges and inspires me both as a teacher and artist in a different perspective. In the journey that I had in the Timahoe National School, Co. Laois I was delighted to see the progression of each student that embarked with me in the wonderful journey of finding the relation between arts and dance. In Timahoe N.S. they have a sculpture about the Salmon of Knowledge which is the result of the residency of the artist Stefanie Bruning in 2008 and we used this piece of Art as a theme for our dance project.

To start with, I choreographed a contemporary dance phrase and taught the students. It was clear that it was a totally new experience for them all. The movements were unusual and to relate it with a piece of art seemed innovative and a bit far from what they expected of a dance class could be. After they had learned the phrase they started to move accordingly to the story, being as imaginative as they could, having also the support of not to be afraid of being creative. After both sides (myself and students) had put our input into the project, we started to mix and match what we created and also to experiment what we had using different qualities of movements.
We could had worked together for months and years experimenting and recreating our movements, but my residency in Timahoe was for only 10 weeks. The result in my view is amazing for a bunch of children who had none or very little contact with dance. They developed the theme in a very short period as growing up people, showing also that to be creative is to be innovative.

I hope you enjoy the video of my journey which I call 'Still Dance'. And I hope to continually facilitate self expression through dance not only to fulfill my desires but to have other people inspired by the dance that can come from within.