Being vulnerable in your research process...

Being in the midst of your research can be daunting, but don't step away from it. Try to embrace the vulnerability of the process. Your research is yours, based in your own professional practice. You are present throughout it. Try to communicate this when you share through your written submissions and artefacts. Accept that you don't know all the answers...GREAT, accept that the journey is more interesting and allow yourself to be in that in-between space between knowing and not knowing. This is the beauty of study, of research, pushing yourself beyond what you know and being ok with the vulnerability of not-knowing.

Last night's skype talked about connections and how we are in relationship with our research, how we feel and sense our experiences through this process. In module one you are situating yourself within your professional practice, in module two developing areas of wonder to travel into through designing a research inquiry that has relevance to you and your professional development, in module three you are the practitioner-researcher, you are at the heart of your inquiry. Try not to overlook the significance in that as you begin to communicate your inquiry process through your essay, presentation and artefact.

Those who were a part of the discussion please comment here with your blog addresses:

Synthesis of information ..Module One focus skype

Last night we talked with a module one focus about relationships between practice and theory, between creating an essay and a diagram, we discussed constellations of stars, trees, plant roots as possible visual ways of mapping practice and talked about process - that all learning is a process, and moving between mapping a diagram, writing an essay and producing a diagram or artefact is all part of the process of developing the establishment of your professional practice in module one. The essay and diagram are ways of communicating this.

Those on this call please do comment below with your blogs that reflect on your experience of the discussion and allow us to carry on the conversations...

Kortext Books

I've been getting messages from some of you regarding accessing your Kortext book.

Please note the Kortext books for ACI3611 (module one) and ACI3633 (module three) are not available as e-books online. We have the hard copies of these on campus in London. If you are able to drop in we can meet you and give you your copy, alternatively simply email us with your mailing address and we can have the book sent to you.

For ACI3622 (module two) your kortext book is available online.

Trust and Flow

I've been thinking about respect, about trust and about flow.
I've  been thinking about how these words are meaningful in my life, through my practice, in all that I do. I'm not sure I can see these three things separately from one another, so I am going to explore a little of what I see as their relationship with each other.

Respect and trust for me, are earned through our encounters with others and through the flow was are a part of in our environment. When we meet others in contact improvisation for example, we greet each encounter as a possibility. We offer and we respond, we give and receive information through a non-verbal dialogue with a shared understanding of their being respect for each others offering-gesture through movement. We trust in the environment we are in, co-creating it in the moment of our movement together. We trust in our own bodies, our relationship with gravity, with the earth and with each other. We do not know what is going to happen in an improvisation; that is the very beauty of it!! The word improvise from the Latin 'improvisre' means quite literally not being able to see ahead of time. We enter the space and in doing so we enter into the flow of possibilities; of change, encounter, interruption. We are in a continous flow of communication. Flow becomes an energy which supports us. It is not a thing as such, it is not related directly to time(space), but aware of the presence of flow within each of us and so within the environment we are able to be responsive to it, responsive to its energies, and responsive to change. With a respect for each person and our environment having something meaningful to offer, we can trust ourselves to enter the flow of the moment, to be open to the possibilities of the now. 

These processes are not exclusive at all to improvisation, or to dance, but this is how I have been thinking about them this week. Respect, trust and flow are a part of who we are as people, communities, societies, the environment, how was approach and are a part of the world around us. It is important to to respect the encounters we have in life, through study maybe this is with other artist-scholars work through literature, or direct engagement through practice. We should respect that this is their lifetime's work, something they are passionate about, have invested time, energy, effort, life into to explore how it is meaningful and are generous enough to share that with you through their writing and/or through their practice. While we don't have to agree with everyone's ideas (in contact improvisation, we don't have to respond to every offering), we should be open to explore why we don't agree (why our response did not meet the offering of another). We do this through researching further, finding out more, questioning, considering our practice further in relationship to others, asking questions (verbally and through our practice) and trusting ourselves to be ok with being challenged by the possibility of something other than us, an idea (a theory) outside of our immediate or current frame of reference (framework). If we allow ourselves to be in the flow of our own lives, of our learning, to be in conversation with each other, with our environment, we are able to at least notice and acknowledge change as possibility and make choices in our responses in relation to that trust in ourselves.

What are your thoughts in relation to your own learning?

Queering the Somatic symposium

We are excited to let you all know that BOOKING is NOW OPEN for our next somatic-inquiring symposium!!

Queering the Somatic: Interrupting the Narrative Symposium
Nov 1st - 2nd 2019 (Friday 1st, 1-5pm, Sat 2nd, 10am-6pm)
at Middlesex University London

We really would love as many of you as possible to join us for this and we have FREE places for Mdx students to attend.

Please comment if you intend to join us!

We are excited to have a key note presentation from Dr Thomas F. DeFrantz, Duke University and a number of International and UK-based artists and scholars ...we will post the full schedule soon.

Spet 25th PM discussion

A good supportive discussion this evening, mainly between those on Module One and those on Module three of the programme... no Module Two voices this time...

It was good to get going with some questioning that opened up the field of the discussion and the possibility for many voices and perspectives rather than the question (seeking answer) approach we tended to begin with. 

With areas of Creativity, Diversity, Culture, Gender and Ethics all raised as areas of peoples current practice-research-wonder in the space of a one-hour discussion we acknowledged the enormity of these areas and looked at routes into, processeses of considerations, making connections that are pivotal for all areas of research. 

There were some great techniques and strategies shared through the discussion which was great in developing a supportive community through these calls. 

Sophie suggested some preparatory focus on mindful-ness in order to have space to see, think, feel where you are and Amy spoke about trust. Trust in your practice and trusting that you are in a process of learning (in practice and study) is vital. Andrew suggested ways of coming back to where you began, looking back over notes, past blogs, reminding yourself of the journey you've taken so far on the BAPP being helpful to situate where you are right now...this is very much the process of the mapping in the first module also. 

Thoughts were shared around approaches to mapping, translating ideas from literature, from others, and across discipline and acknowledging the lenses we use to relate things around us. 

It will be great to read more and continue these conversations through your blogs, draw things visually too if that's helpful to you in visually mapping thoughts... Do comment here with your blog post in relation to theis discussion group for others...

Re:generations conference

We are really excited to be able to offer a few funded places for BAPP students to be able to attend the Re:generations conference hosted by One Dance UK in partnership with Mdx in November. The funding covers three days of entry to the conference plus your accommodation. The conference is held at The Lowry, Salford, in the UK. 

Re:generations is a biennial academic and artistic conference which aims to share current practice and research in the field of dance of the African Diaspora (DAD); explore and stimulate further research, documentation and new approaches to education and training in the field; and encourage new perspectives on the future of African Peoples Dance (APD). The conference invites scholars, artists and dance practitioners from the Caribbean, Africa, the United States, Canada and the UK to share their research with other artists, practitioners, dance teachers, students and the general public.

The Re:generations Conference* is the UK’s ONLY international platform dedicated to connecting academic and artistic voices within African influenced dance styles; such as Hip Hop, Jazz, Afro Caribbean, traditional and contemporary African and Caribbean, Afro-Latin, and African American Dance.

This will be a great opportunity to be a part of a vibrant conference, network with other artist-scholar practitioners, and get inspired in your own professional development. The funding requires you to blog each day about the sessions, papers, workshops and performances you attend to share with the rest of the BAPP community.

To express your interest please comment here. We will then email you directly. We will announce which students have places on October 10th 2019. 

*Re:generations – dance and the digital space

7-9 November 2019
The Lowry, Salford

An international forum exploring how technology drives innovation in dance of the African Diaspora.

Hosted in partnership by One Dance UK, IRIE! dance theatre, Middlesex University, Dance Immersion and The Lowry, the theme for Re:generations 2019 is dance and the digital space. We will explore the ways digital technologies can be used for artistic innovation and creative practise, unite global communities through online platforms whilst increasing the visibility of diverse work to mainstream audiences.

Across the three days there will be panel discussions, lecture demonstrations, masterclasses, workshops, academic paper presentations, performances, networking events and more!

The conference will provide CPD for dance teachers, healthcare practitioners and other dance professionals, in addition to bespoke programming for producers, new media practitioners and executive artistic leaders. A key event will be the launch of the report for One Dance UK’s ‘Dance of the African Diaspora Mapping Research’; presenting the current state and needs of the DAD workforce with a scope for future growth and development.