I am very blessed to have the opportunity to intern this semester with the National Dance Education Organization, based in Silver Spring, MD. NDEO does amazing work advocating for dance eduction and creating a national support support system for dance educators in K-12 and early childhood education, higher education, and the private sector. I am learning so much from the talented and dedicated women who run the organization!
As an intern, I am working on a research project, for which I have been reading a number of articles, reports, and dissertations relating to the benefits of dance education in the K-12 classroom. One of these readings was a project by Emily Caruso Parnell of UNC Greensboro. The piece, titled The Permission of Time: Changing Practice by Putting the Arts First in Early Learning and Primary Classrooms talked about Parnell’s work as a dance educator in Ontario’s new Kindergarten program, which is based in part on the educational philosophy of Loris Malaguzzi and Reggio Emilia. Parnell included this beautiful poem by Malaguzzi, which captures this philosophy:
The Hundred Languages of Children
By Loris Malaguzzi
Translated by Lella Gandini
No way.
The hundred is there.
The child is made of one hundred. The child has a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
a hundred, always a hundred
ways of listening
of marveling, of loving
a hundred joys
for singing and understanding
a hundred worlds to discover
a hundred worlds to invent
a hundred worlds to dream.
The child has a hundred languages (and a hundred hundred hundred more)
but they steal ninety-nine.
The school and the culture separate the head from the body. They tell the
child to think without hands to do without head
to listen and not to speak
to understand without joy
to love and to marvel
only at Easter and Christmas.
They tell the child
to discover the world already there and of the hundred
they steal ninety-nine.
They tell the child
that work and play
reality and fantasy
science and imagination
sky and earth
reason and dream
are things
that do not belong together.
And thus they tell the child
that the hundred is not there.
The child says
“No way – The hundred is there.”
How amazing would our educational system be if we acknowledged the hundred (and hundred and hundred more) ways that children do, learn, and experience the world? How many more children would be considered “successful” if we recognized their learning not just in reading and writing and numbers, but in movement and pictures and music? Similarly, how much more inclusive and exciting would the dance world be if we acknowledged the hundred (and hundred and hundred more) ways that children dance? How many more dancers and dancer enthusiasts would there be if recognized that movement can bring joy to all people, not just those with good turnout, flexible hamstrings, and tiny waistlines?
I’ve been thinking about this in my planning and approach to teaching ballet to children in the private sector. In October, I wrote a post about a new approach to ballet education that I was in the early stages of developping. This approach uses play as a pathway to critical thinking skills, creativity, and good technique in the ballet studio. I am still working with the group of students who served as the primary “guinea pigs” for the approach. While they seem to still enjoy the class and are showing strong thinking skills and improving technique, they are also getting the age where technical achievement takes more time and effort to attain, and other dance styles (like jazz) and non-dance activities are becoming more appealing. It is tempting for me to focus on those dancers in the class who have “it” – who can naturally speak that language of ballet. It’s easy to assume that they, with their natural facility, abilities, and discipline, are the ones who will benefit most from my specialized knowledge of ballet pedagogy. However, reading Malaguzzi’s poem reminded me that even in highly specialized situations, such as the ballet studio, there are ways to acknowledge the hundred other gifts the students bring into the studio with them, and help them to further develop those special talents through the medium of ballet. I was not the most turned-out, flexible, or thinnest of students, but my teachers saw my natural drive, knack for performing, willingness to help others learn, and early seeds of choreographic ability … and they didn’t give up on me. No, I’m not a professional ballet dancer and that may disapoint some of my old instructors who poured their time and effort into helping reach that specific goal. However, by giving me outlets to work on those other “languages” (choreography, teaching, performing) that came more easily, while at the same time pushing me to get better and better at the ones (ballet and pointe technique) which I struggled, my teachers set me up for the fullfilling career I enjoy today.
For that, I am so very grateful. I hope to be the same sort of facillitator for my students, and I encourage all my dance teacher friends to be the same. Dance is a great gift, and one we must give generously, to all.
It’s so nice to know that someone (other than my advisors) read my project! In addition to my work in schools, I also teach ballet. I struggle with some of the same challenges of balancing creativity, exploration, and technique. One tool I’ve found helpful is the way that Anne Green Gilbert focuses on one dance element per class (or per week) and explores that element through the technique. For instance, you might explore a variety of movement speeds during a class, focusing on the contrast between adage and allegro. AGG also encourages mini-improvs on the same theme so that students change spots in the class or at the barre by improvising on the theme (for example, 32 counts of fast movement, 32 counts of slow movement to find your new place, then do the exercise on the left side).
How wonderful that you found this post! I was very inspired by your paper. I have also been reading a lot of AGG and trying to incorporate her ideas into my classes – I’m glad to hear you reinforce that path. I love the idea of changing spots at the barre, using a variety of tempos. Please keep in touch and continue to share new ideas! My email is shannon_dooling@hotmail.com. Thanks!