When students enact the lives of the people they are studying, they develop a greater understanding of them.
CSDC tour group - period dance as community service
From 2016 to 2019 I was fortunate to be able to collaborate with dancers at CSDC to create dance pieces that represented different time periods in the 20th century. The group of about a dozen middle and high school age students performed for community events and monthly at various retirement communities and residential hospitals. The dancers found using music and dance styles from the past enabled them to connect to their audience of senior citizens, and the vintage styles inspired many of the residents to converse with the performers about their lives.
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What can we learn by performing history through dance?
-The common humanity of people in different cultures, places and times. -Empathy for experiences beyond that of your own life -A sense that the world is bigger and more complex than you thought 
"Dancing in a piece about the Irish Potato Famine required extensive research from a variety of sources which I then brought with me into the studio to help me create character. Synthesizing historical research to produce a piece of art is where the learning takes place, as it reinforces the connection dancers have with the material making it easier to comprehend than a set of dates in a textbook. Immersion in the subject removes it from a dense textbook making it more interactive, establishing a stronger connection in the minds of students." |
Black '47 - the great famine
In 2014 CSDC produced an original ballet about poverty, famine and immigration focusing primarily on the so called "Great Famine" in Ireland in the 1840s and 1850s. Students worked with novels and primary sources to understand the people they were portraying. We discussed the concept of a famine in the modern world, and whether or not politically influenced food shortages fall into the category of genocide. Additionally students, many of whom are of Irish descent, explored the idea of immigration, and refugees from disaster in American history. This was a way to discuss how historical immigration compares to immigration debates in the present day.
From this project, students came away with a greater understanding of the humanity of individuals facing trauma beyond their control. The students in this project reacted to the subject matter in a variety of ways. Some were dismissive, asserting that if they found themselves in a similar situation, they would react differently. Some were depressed by the way people in crisis sometimes turn on each other. But overall, the lesson learned was one of common humanity and solidarity with innocent people who find themselves in a crisis through no fault of their own. |
Legends of the West - Folk tales of Outlaws and Heroes of the American West
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In 2013 CSDC staged four stories told through dance of various legendary characters of the American West. In an exploration of the Turner Thesis that the western lands and the "frontier" between European-Americans and Amerindians were what formed the American character, students enacted stories of Billy the Kid, Annie Oakley, Jesse James and others.
The prominence of gun usage in these stories prompted fruitful discussions of the prominence of violence in American history and controversies surrounding the second amendment in contemporary society. Partly through the development of this performance students engaged with the concept of gun violence historically, as well as the ways in which that history continues to inform politics today. |
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