Hierarchy in Dance Class

Identifying Self-worth through Hierarchical Position in Class

In a class situation, there is a hidden curriculum of hierarchical categorisation, and people involuntarily take on a position within that hierarchy: the regulars, the new ones, the ones who always find themselves in the front row, the ones at the back, the sneering ones, the hard working ones...

In this case, I grew aware of my advancing position and scared of loosing it at the same time. Sometimes I say to myself, I will just be at the back today, and I will not expect any attention, I will be humble and that's okay. A higher position brings with it an expected amount of attention (perhaps only imagined) by either teacher or others, and will lead to being on the look-out for signs of this attention, while trying not to appear to be so. Thus, I linked my perception of self, and self value to this perceived hierarchical position.

Making Adjustments in Choice

The hierarchical choice of the day will be made after an assessment of the understood personal skill against the competition that day in class. Adjusting hierarchical aspirations and being satisfied with less is relieving oneself from the burden of expectations of praise and attention, spacing, personal performance, which all lead to not being calm.

However, although the hierarchical position is self-perceived, others shape it through their behaviour. One might decide to be at the back satisfied with less and one will be praised, or one might be at the front and performing to the maximum and never receive a comment. This might lead to further adjustments.

Teacher Influence

The teacher can create strong momentary hierarchical positions by highlighting a performer - depending on whether this is done on true merit or on favoritism, this is momentary or becomes accepted fact.

When the teacher becomes involved in hierarchy that's where the dancers instinctively step back. Because, those stepping boldly forward with a remark or demonstration are often rebuked and put back into a humble place. The teacher in a class might choose each time who will be in front, and when this is constantly changing, no-one tries to look eager or anxious in order not to betray a pre-conceived idea of one's own standing in the hierarchy. This practice might create a forced humility in class.

Students might really work more humbly, or might cross the line and become self-conscious.

Do they feel they have been judged?

Where the teacher is more subtle, like giving feedback (as opposed to praise, space, applause or highlight) to all and sundry, hierarchy develops more naturally by itself through general mutual appreciation of skill and generosity of spirit.

Hierarchy and Exclusion

In another class, I was at the low end of the hierarchy by not being a regular and by not knowing the routine. This meant I had to work harder and mark stuff more, but many people seemed to be defending their hierarchical position as the regular group by reacting with annoyance at the inconvenience of me using space to mark and bumping into them or touching them. I started by apologizing nicely, but met with no sympathy and grounding looks. There was perpetual competition for space. I felt excluded from the group through spatial and non-verbal negative interaction. Hierarchy was here defined by knowing the settings, not dance skill, because the class was so fast and the exercises so complex that no-one mastered them completely.

Not Responding to Students' Needs: General Influence on Class

In this class the teacher perhaps had a share in the negative interaction of the group. He did not respond to the needs of the students - he went fast and did not allow the new students time for assimilation in his demonstrations. My learning needs were ignored, and the regulars/upper hierarchy - for fear of loosing their position if they would loose their mastery of the exercises - focused so frantically on getting it right that they withdrew sympathy for those who struggled and sided with the teacher as long as they were still in a position to.

This process ended in me finding my potential blocked: in subsequent easier sequences, I was not able to give everything/to unfold my full skill.

Rough drafts. Any thoughts?

The pianist as an active presence

Listening to music... How did people feel today about listening to the pianist as a performer at the end of class?

A Linha Curva, Choreographer Itzik Galili

Just to share with those who don't know about this work.



Shorter but better quality extract:



The chequer-board stage of Itzik Galili's A Linha Curva is filled with rhythmic pulses and sexual tension, with irresistible samba-inspired lines and curves, blended with a Brazilian style and contemporary dance technique. The original music, composed by Dutch percussion band Percossa, drives the rhythms and electrifies the atmosphere to an incredibly powerful level.
A Linha Curva made its UK première as part of the Sadler's Wells spring season in May 2009 and was back at Sadler's Wells in May 2010 due to huge demand.
(Source: Rambert dance company website)

Getting On

It is inspiring to start building connections with artists (teachers, musicians, dancers), and to start to know some people. This has happened for me over the last few classes, and it is very simple and good. Apart from spending time with inspiring people, opportunities for the future might be linked to them in some ways. I feel like I could do much more to advance my dance life - go to more classes, talk more, learn more.
But at the moment the overarching worry is my dissertation progress: I cannot code and analyse data quicker than I collect data, because all is data in grounded theory, and I have pages and pages.

Tomorrow I hand in my dissertation proposal:
How do people experience dance class (ballet and contemporary) and why?
What phenomena have an impact on these experiences?
What are the reasons, implications, links?

Interaction, Engagement and Isolation in Student-Teacher-Musician Relationship

If the musician is not present, in a class used to having a musician, there is a void - especially in terms of interaction and engagement with the music - suddenly the class has no one to respond to, no one who will care whether they respond to them, and especially they will not be responded to as dancers by the musician. One is responding to the musical structure and qualities (recorded) rather than connecting with the source, it is a lonely engagement with self and hearing rather than an atmosphere of interactive engagement.
The relationship with a recording is different: in this case the CD was unknown by the teacher and dictated the class inasmuch as the teacher had to devise exercises to fit the chosen musical structure. The exercise then was a self-engaged cognitive act by the teacher rather than team engagement.


What happens:
The teacher devises something with the music on his own (isolation), then tells the class (interaction), who pick it up (engagement) and then perform it to what they hear (isolation) - the teacher looking on (can be isolation), then feedback (interaction) and feedback implementation (engagement).
As opposed to the teacher giving a setting to the class, having worked it out beforehand (interaction) then the class engaging with it, then the musician playing his music and the class marking it - engagement by musician and dancers - then the students performing it to the musician playing (interaction). Goal: eliminating the isolated moments in class.
As an aside, teachers often clarify their setting while interacting with the group through demonstration so engagement (learning it) and interaction are happening straight away or are more interspersed with the isolated act of devising, or still have the class practice (engage) while checking notes to be ready to go on with interaction smoothly without an isolation break. Isolation happens when the teacher thinks settings over and others are waiting.

By having to manage the music, and by having to adapt to the limitations of the recordings and time, the teacher could not respond to the moment, to the students' needs, especially as time was being lost through CD maniplation. Responding to the moment and to students' emerging needs seems to be crucial. More to be thought about that.

Pro-activity and Pilates

It was a mini struggle to go to the contemporary and pilates evening classes today, fighting a way through the routinal tube strike, and sporting a heavy bagpack.

But - I did make the decision to go, after many changes of mind in the scope of the five minutes I had after finishing my last rehearsal today and the time I needed to get the bus.

I wonder nothing great has come of it - except the teacher remarking I looked tired, which I had been trying to hide.

I think my tired nature in the class was reflected through the following:

being worse at controlling my technique, indulging in certain movement patterns like rocking, missing oportunities to focus on breath, wondering about the dubious state of my own engagement, struggling to make pro-active decisions, seeing the music as rousing my energy, as opposed to inspiring my performance quality, making adjustments and expecting less of my technique.

In Pilates class actually I have closed my eyes and could quite comfortably have seen a little dream while my turn out muscles were burning through the exercise. My muscles were burning and working, my mind was sleeping. That was interesting.

One thing I think I have come to note is that nowadays I genuinely feel as though I could get through any class, even though I am tired. I used to block and drag myself through the class. Perhaps it is having the bodily strength to make the muscles work in the used way, even though they lack rest.