Inclusive Dance

Katy Dymoke

Description

Inclusive Dance is an ethnography of disability arts, and historiographic overview of the 1980s when many new disability arts groups came to fruition. Touchdown Dance was the research 'ambition' of dancer Steve Paxton and theatre maker and psychotherapist Anne Kilcoyne, involving visually impaired and sighted adults in Contact Improvisation - a dyadic movement form requiring physical contact. Katy Dymoke took over Touchdown Dance in 1994 and refers here to archives, accounts and personal experience to share the learning that has been shared over the years to today.



Touch and movement are vital for accessibility and inclusion and modality specific approaches were devised to ensure a democratic process towards the inclusion of visually impaired people in a pro-touch activity. The continuum of movement based methods fills the gaps in polarities of visual and nonvisual and a two-way membrane interlinks all the participants in a body focused learning experience. The mutable membrane becomes a heuristic device for the relational realm, a locus for debate, for change. Touch deprivation, exclusion and inequality are the consequence of an inaccessible visually dominant society.

Three point of view chapters - from two visually impaired and one sighted company dancer - further describe the performance work, revealing how lives are changed and why sociocultural inclusion is imperative.

 

List of Figures

Abbreviations

Preface

Acknowledgements



Introduction

- An ethno-historical overview of the origins of Touchdown Dance: A radical initiative in a radical climate

- Part 1. Taking a stand for inclusivity in an exclusive society 

- Part 2. The body as the locus of liberation

- Part 3. Bringing CI and Touchdown Dance to Denmark



1. Returning to the Origins: The Journey Taken by the Founders

- Part 1. A chance encounter – Where it all started

- The first years of Touchdown Dance 1986–88 – Finding a common way of seeing using CI

- Bringing visually impaired and sighted people together through CI

- The first encounter – A mini revolution

- Part 2. Touchdown Dance (1988–94), Breaking new ground, new discourses, new science, new praxis: Re-inhabiting the body brought into question the perception of the visible and invisible

- Part 3. Finding my place



2. Methodology: Undertaking Research That Is Practice-Led

- Contact Improvisation – Sowing the seeds of self-determination through touch and movement

- CI – A practice-led approach to learning

- Part 1. CI – The inter-relationship of pedagogy and practice-led research – The advent of an integrated and inclusive approach

- Part 2. The foundational principles in practice 

- Vignette 1: An integrated exchange and inter-corporeal event – The three reciprocal membranes

- Vignette 2: Touch – On the gap between physical and verbal language – The motile membrane between states of consciousness

- Part 3. The role of discursive, ethnographic methods



3. Touch Communication: The Reciprocal Membrane of Inclusion

- Part 1. Touching the skin is touching the membrane of the inner body

- Part 2. In search of a natural attitude towards touch



4. The Pedagogic Process in Practice

- Part 1. Introduction

- Working with movement – A path towards change

- CI – A sphere for cultural motility and mutability

- The transitional state – New ways of seeing, moving and being

- Part 2. The different modality-specific methods

- Modality 1: The lower six inches

- Modality 2: Rolling

- Modality 3: Back-to-back sitting

- Modality 4: Stand on ‘all fours’ – The low ‘bridge’ or ‘table’

- Modality 5: Lifts – Pathways into space and back to the floor



5. Workshops: Our Partnerships and Projects Since 1994

- Children

- Youth work

- How would you rate your movement skills before and after the workshop?

- Adults



6. Performance and Creative Process

- Sixth Sense – Second Sight: Practice-based research – In performance

- Productions post 1994

- I-radiate – 1999–2000

- SENSE-8 2000–01

- TACT 2002–03

- CLOSER. Created 2005–08 reworked as APPARENTLY NORMAL 2010–12

- Follow the frame

- 343 m/s – The speed of sound

- 343 m/s Lisbon



7. Final Words

- The paradigm shift – Towards the individual and collective – Embracing the membrane of inclusion

- The research accomplishments and the return of non-touch 

- Capturing the experience – The multiple membranes 



8. Three Touchdown Dance Artists’ Points of View

- Introduction

- Holly Thomas – Dancer and facilitator

- Sharing practice

- Performance work

- Robert Anderson – Dancer and facilitator

- Jamus Wood – Dancer and facilitator



Afterword – Steve Paxton

Appendix 1. The Small Dance 329

Appendix 2. The ‘Hatching Chick’ – And the ‘birth’ of the Membrane Concept



Timeline

Notes

Bibliography

Sujets

• Cognitive Science
• Performing Arts
• Sciences et techniques
• Contemporary dance
• Textbook
• General officer
• Mind
• Dance
• General
• Science

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 11 juillet 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781789388381
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Inclusive Dance
Inclusive Dance
The Story of Touchdown Dance

Katy Dymoke
First published in the UK in 2023 by
Intellect, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JG, UK
First published in the USA in 2023 by
Intellect, The University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street,
Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Copyright 2023 Intellect Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Copy editor: MPS Limited
Cover designer: Tanya Montefusco
Cover image: Tanya Montefusco
Production manager: Laura Christopher
Typesetter: MPS Limited
Print (hbk) ISBN 978-1-78938-869-5
Print (pbk) ISBN 978-1-78938-836-7
ePDF ISBN 978-1-78938-837-4
ePUB ISBN 978-1-78938-838-1
To find out about all our publications, please visit our website. There you can subscribe to our e-newsletter, browse or download our current catalogue and buy any titles that are in print.
Ray Chung letter;
Originally printed in Contact Quarterly Vol 24, no. 1, w/s 1999. www.contactquarterly.com
Body-Mind Centering and BMC are the registered service marks of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, used with permission.
www.intellectbooks.com
This is a peer-reviewed publication.
With thanks to Steve Paxton, Anne Kilcoyne and Lisa Nelson
To all those dancing CI and making it accessible
Before you learn how to fly you first need to learn how to land
-Katy Dymoke, March 2022
To Liam and Sam who shared this journey with me
Contents
List of Figures
Abbreviations
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
An ethno-historical overview of the origins of Touchdown Dance: A radical initiative in a radical climate
Part 1. Taking a stand for inclusivity in an exclusive society
Part 2. The body as the locus of liberation
Part 3. Bringing CI and Touchdown Dance to Denmark
1. Returning to the Origins:The Journey Taken by the Founders
Part 1. A chance encounter - Where it all started
The first years of Touchdown Dance 1986-88 - Finding a common way of seeing using CI
Bringing visually impaired and sighted people together through CI
The first encounter - A mini revolution
Part 2. Touchdown Dance (1988-94), Breaking new ground, new discourses, new science, new praxis: Re-inhabiting the body brought into question the perception of the visible and invisible
Part 3. Finding my place
2. Methodology: Undertaking Research That Is Practice-Led
Contact Improvisation - Sowing the seeds of self-determination through touch and movement
CI - A practice-led approach to learning
Part 1. CI - The inter-relationship of pedagogy and practice-led research - The advent of an integrated and inclusive approach
Part 2. The foundational principles in practice
Vignette 1: An integrated exchange and inter-corporeal event - The three reciprocal membranes
Vignette 2: Touch - On the gap between physical and verbal language - The motile membrane between states of consciousness
Part 3. The role of discursive, ethnographic methods
3. Touch Communication: The Reciprocal Membrane of Inclusion
Part 1. Touching the skin is touching the membrane of the inner body
Part 2. In search of a natural attitude towards touch
4. The Pedagogic Process in Practice
Working with movement - A path towards change
CI - A sphere for cultural motility and mutability
The transitional state - New ways of seeing, moving and being
Part 2. The different modality-specific methods
Modality 1: The lower six inches
Modality 2: Rolling
Modality 3: Back-to-back sitting
Modality 4: Stand on all fours - The low bridge or table
Modality 5: Lifts - Pathways into space and back to the floor
5. Workshops: Our Partnerships and Projects Since 1994
Children
Youth work
How would you rate your movement skills before and after the workshop?
Adults
6. Performance and Creative Process
Sixth Sense - Second Sight : Practice-based research - In performance
Productions post 1994
I-radiate - 1999-2000
SENSE-8 2000-01
TACT 2002-03
CLOSER . Created 2005-08 reworked as APPARENTLY NORMAL 2010-12
Follow the frame
343 m/s - The speed of sound
343 m/s Lisbon
7. Final Words
The paradigm shift - Towards the individual and collective - Embracing the membrane of inclusion
The research accomplishments and the return of non-touch
Capturing the experience - The multiple membranes
8. Three Touchdown Dance Artists Points of View
Introduction
Holly Thomas - Dancer and facilitator
Sharing practice
Performance work
Robert Anderson - Dancer and facilitator
Jamus Wood - Dancer and facilitator
Afterword
Steve Paxton
Appendix 1 The Small Dance
Appendix 2 The Hatching Chick - And the birth of the Membrane Concept
Timeline
Notes
Bibliography
Figures I.1 Aller Park Studio, opening circle wearing blindfolds. Photographer Kate Mount. I.2 (a) Steve Paxton and Anne Kilcoyne in conversation. (b) The workshop group exploring space and form through touch and movement. Photographer Kate Mount. I.3 Katy Dymoke and Torben Hansen dancing CI at Dartington College of Arts, 1992. Photographer Kate Mount. I.4 Katy Dymoke and Torben Hansen dancing CI at Dartington College of Arts, 1992. Photographer Kate Mount. 1.1 Personal and social acceptance – the body-on-body approach. 2.1 Stuart Jackson lifts Katy: High Bridge. 2.2 Stuart Jackson lifts Katy: High Bridge. 4.1 Rolling modality 1. Lower six inches. 4.2 Rolling modality 2. Finding pathways along the floor. 4.3 Crescent roll, connecting to the whole body. 4.4 Back-to-back – variation 1. 4.5 Back-to-back variation – side to side. 4.6 Back-to-back variation – twist. 4.7 Back-to-back variations – surf. 4.8 Low bridge from a squat. 4.9 Low bridge – all fours. 4.10 Aikido Arm – turning. 4.11 Aikido Arm – moving into space. 5.1 Workshops – visually impaired children under fabric. 5.2 Workshops – visually impaired children under fabric. 6.1 Six dancers improvise CI in the filming process for the SENSE-8 film. 6.2 Two duets in warm up, Holly Thomas and Scott Smith forehead to forehead, and Alan Foster connecting his arm to Rick Nodine's chest. 6.3 SENSE-8 filming the Round Robin score. 6.4 CLOSER performance at Waterside Arts Centre Sale, 2006. (a) Upper body shots of Patrick Beelaert, Stuart Jackson and Robert Anderson – enjoying their repartee in the ‘boys trio’ score ‘Where are you?’ ‘I am here!’. (b) Upper body shot, a moment of contact, standing in a side bend, Holly with her arm extended, and the underside of her head resting on Patrick's head as he offers support, and cradles her arm in his. Photographer Brian Slater. 6.5 CLOSER photo shoot, Robert Anderson standing with Holly Thomas across his shoulders in a high lift. Photographer Eric Richmond. 6.6 Katy reaches to the left over a flexed left leg, supporting Janee from the side to reach out into space. Photographer Eric Richmond. 6.7 343 m/s performance Angus Balbernie and Katy Dymoke sat on chairs watching Stuart Jackson jump and spin in the air. Photographer Mike Scott. 6.8 343 m/s performance Duet with Katy and Stuart as Angus watches. Stuart moves to his right, Katy folds her arms over her head Angus blows feathers over the floor. Photographer Mike Scott. 8.1 Workshops for a performance project TOUCH . Four dancers practice high bridge work as described in Chapter 4. At the Goethe Institute Columbo, 2013. Photographer courtesy of nATANDA Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka. 8.2 Two pairs sitting back to back, the 4 dancers are beginning the back to back exercises. At the Nelung Arts Centre studio in Columbo, 2013. Photograph courtesy of nATANDA Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka.
Abbreviations
BMC - Body-Mind Centering
CI - Contact Improvisation
DCA - Dartington College of Arts
PTW - Performance Training Workshops
RNIB - Royal National Institute for the Blind
Preface
This brief autobiographical account serves to show how the moral sentiment to write this book emerged and how arts practice and research became a vocation and ultimately a huge part of my life. I became dedicated to the practice of delivering opportunities for people usually excluded from the arts, so that, like me, they too had a choice of what to say yes and no to, of taking risks, of finding a way to grow and determine a life of autonomy and self-determination. The decision to write this book was made when I contemplated a Ph.D. by publication and the one thing I had dreamt of doing, without taking it so seriously due to lack of time, was to document the work of Touchdown Dance. This wish has been with me over the past 30 years of being with the Touchdown Dance praxis. The content of the book is coloured by my enthusiasm for the work, and by my wish for dance and arts practice to be inclusively taught, available to all learning needs, and for professional vocational courses to be the same. This moral sentiment required particular circumstances and an epistemic context to form and further lived experiences and encounters to inform and shape it. The overlapping and layered nature of experience underlies the iterative and reiterative nature of the chapters content.
First, I introduce myself as a dancer. I danced ballet from the age of 3 years old till my late teens when I danced on point shoes most nights a week; it was a gift , a natural affinity, I performed in the school productions and then one day I felt the need for something else and never wore ballet shoes again. I desperately wanted to find a surrogate and did so in writing, running and theatre-going, but still yearned to dance, just not ballet. I started to write poetry and plays, and once a student in London, I found the Royal Court Theatre and the Half Moon Theatre were on my doorstep. I did a degree in European Studies (French and Spanish) at Queen Mary College London University, a