{"id":203,"date":"2012-05-08T09:49:34","date_gmt":"2012-05-08T13:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.montclair.edu\/crdirector\/?p=203"},"modified":"2018-11-29T13:27:21","modified_gmt":"2018-11-29T18:27:21","slug":"danthropology-a-new-interdisciplinary-after-school-project-in-structured-play-by-kelly-vaghenas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/2012\/05\/08\/danthropology-a-new-interdisciplinary-after-school-project-in-structured-play-by-kelly-vaghenas\/","title":{"rendered":"Danthropology: A New Interdisciplinary After-School Project in Structured Play &#8211; by Kelly Vaghenas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[<strong>Editor&#8217;s Note<\/strong>: We are very pleased to devote this month&#8217;s &#8216;iteration&#8217; of the CRC Director&#8217;s essay space to <strong>Kelly Vaghenas<\/strong>, MSU sophomore double-major in BFA dance and BA anthropology.\u00a0 Ms. Vaghenas is also\u00a0a member of the <em>Danceaturgy Seminar<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0This essay was awarded the undergraduate first place University-wide award in the Sixth Annual MSU Student Research Symposium, &#8220;Promoting Collaboration Across Disciplines,&#8221;\u00a0April 22, 2012.]<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-203 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide18.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide18-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"children engaging in structured play\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide19.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide19-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"collage of photos of children dancing\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide22.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide22-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"after school project in structured play\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide23.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide23-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"HotR Teaching Artists, 2010 - 2011\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide24.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide24-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"foam house covered with roses\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide25.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide25-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"playground\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Helen-Levitt-Two-kids-dancing-ca.-1940.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Helen-Levitt-Two-kids-dancing-ca.-1940-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Helen Levitt - Two kids dancing, ca. 1940\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide26.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide26-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"children dancing\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide14.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/147\/2012\/05\/Slide14-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Latin American culture table in &quot;Sala 3&quot;\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><em>Danthropology<\/em><strong><em>.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/strong>Grammatically speaking, it is a <em>portmanteau<\/em>, or blend or combination, of the words <em><strong>dance <\/strong><\/em>and <strong><em>anthropology.\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>Personally speaking, it is my academic passion.\u00a0 I often get puzzled expressions from people who learn I am double majoring in BFA Dance and BA Anthropology, and the question, \u201cHow are those two related?\u201d \u00a0I assert that they are inextricably linked.\u00a0 In her essay, \u201cDance in Anthropological Perspective,\u201d Adrienne Kaeppler defines dance as \u201ca cultural form that results from creative processes which manipulate human bodies in time and space.\u00a0 The cultural form produced, though transient, has structured content\u2026[It] is a visual manifestation of social relations.\u201d<sup>1<\/sup><strong>\u00a0 <\/strong>And just like kinship, or religion, dance can be analyzed through systematic observations and analyses.\u00a0\u00a0 One can understand the structures of society in a culture through dance.\u00a0 In her \u201cAddress on Career of Dance Anthropologist,\u201d Judith Hanna said, \u201cDance, conventionally conceived, is a visually perceived ephemeral plastic art in motion.\u00a0 But\u2026dance translates selected stimuli from the intrapsychic and social environments into meaningful expressions.\u201d<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>I extract this kind of meaning and value from the expressional dancing of the children at Mercy Center, an urban community center located in a predominantly Hispanic area of the South Bronx.\u00a0 Every Friday, I commute there to teach dance classes for two hours to children ages four to fourteen, through the House of the Roses Volunteer Dance Company.\u00a0 I became a member, or \u201cteaching artist,\u201d in September of 2010<strong>,<\/strong> during my freshman year here at MSU.\u00a0 The kids are divided into three age groups, and each group has a fun 40-minute dance class.\u00a0 All House of the Roses volunteers meet in Manhattan for two to four hours one Sunday per month to collaborate, and Rebecca, Debra, and I \u2013 the Mercy Center volunteers \u2013 e-mail one another to organize each week\u2019s lesson plan.<\/p>\n<p>Anthropologists gain their essential \u201cinsider perspectives\u201d by living with populations for extended periods of time.\u00a0 I see my dance students once per week; as such, I observe only a fraction of their lives.\u00a0 Still, there is regularity in our Friday afternoon meetings.\u00a0 This is important because the children at Mercy Center are economically underprivileged; in their world, there is much uncertainty and instability.\u00a0 Friday afternoon House of the Roses classes are a guaranteed occurrence, a promise; they yield familiarity and comfort.<\/p>\n<p>Cultural anthropology is a social science that explores human lifeways using a holistic perspective.\u00a0 According to Jon Van Willigen, \u201cApplied anthropology is a complex of related, research-based instrumental activities done by anthropologists, which produce change or stability in specific cultural systems through provision of data, initiation of direct action, and\/or the formulation of policy.\u201d<sup>3<\/sup> I see my actions as a House of the Roses teaching artist as instrumental in providing the children at Mercy Center with an outlet for creative self-expression and empowerment.\u00a0 The positive change produced is directly observable in the kids\u2019 improved attitudes and increased participation in class, week to week.\u00a0 In the teaching moments, I observe increasingly improved conditions in the children \u2013 and afterward, as any applied anthropologist does after conducting fieldwork, I reflect upon my actions and the responses they generated to assign meaning to my cause.<\/p>\n<p>The dancing we conduct is deemed \u201cstructured play.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 And as we all know, playtime is an essential component of childhood.\u00a0 We lead fun and enjoyable sessions in the classes but use pedagogical tactics to keep the activity controlled.\u00a0 The class sequence specific to House of the Roses can be revised, as need be; the classic order is:\u00a0Welcome Circle, Warm-up, Game, Choreography, Success Circle.<\/p>\n<p>To start the <em>Welcome Circle<\/em>, kids and volunteers sit Indian-style in a circle.\u00a0 A circle is an unending line.\u00a0 Each person in the Welcome Circle is point along that line, so we are all connected to one another, unified.\u00a0 This is the time for each person to introduce him or herself, and a call-and-response format is followed.\u00a0 To the rhythm of a patting and clapping pattern we make with our hands, each person says, \u201cMy name is [blank].\u201d\u00a0 In return, the rest of the group says in unison, \u201cHis\/Her name is [blank].\u201d\u00a0 The echoing of every name affirms each person\u2019s identity and acknowledges his or her presence in the group.\u00a0 Kids realize that they are not alone, that the classroom system is not \u201cevery man for himself.\u201d\u00a0 They are surrounded by supportive teachers and peers, and respect for one another is cultivated.<\/p>\n<p><em>Warm-up<\/em> is the time when the children come through as our \u201cinformants.\u201d\u00a0 House of the Roses class warm-up is more interactive than the standard dance class warm-up.\u00a0 When leading it, I always pose a question to students and use responses to create movement.\u00a0 For example, I recently addressed one student by asking, \u201cWhat did you have for lunch today?\u201d\u00a0 The answer was \u201cPizza, from the cafeteria,\u201d so I announced that we should all make personal pizzas.\u00a0 I talked the kids through the pantomime of tossing the pizza dough, ladling the sauce, sprinkling the cheese, etc.\u00a0 Another question was, \u201cWhat do you love most about springtime?\u201d\u00a0 After the kids responded, my generated choreography included moving as if to trace the colors of the rainbow (ROY G BIV) and shooting hoops at the community basketball court across the street from Mercy Center.\u00a0 Sometimes, I present a \u201cspecial challenge\u201d or occasionally an \u201c<em>extra<\/em> special challenge\u201d for the kids to conquer during warm-up.\u00a0 From balancing on one foot, for example, I might challenge them to <em>relev\u00e9<\/em>, or lift the heel of the standing foot off the floor.\u00a0 Such a challenge becomes more than a dance step; the accomplishment of the goal is not regarded by the kids as a gain in dance technique but rather as overcoming an obstacle.<\/p>\n<p>My fellow volunteer, Rebecca, suggested that we play Spanish music during warm-up one class.\u00a0 We had the kids do basic Latin ballroom dance steps of salsa, meringue, bachata, and more.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, they knew more that we did, and they thrilled to correct our steps and style.\u00a0 The students showed love of their Hispanic culture by displaying knowledge and enjoyment of the dancing fastened\u00a0 to their ethnic background and prevalent in their community.<\/p>\n<p>House of the Roses teaching artists receive binders with information to help us lead successful classes.\u00a0 Included in each binder is a packet with brief descriptions of various games to play after the warm-up. \u00a0Most of them induce movement exploration by creating a scenario that allows the students to explore a given concept, with guided instructions. <strong>\u00a0<\/strong>For example, the \u201cElevator Game\u201d is one of the kids\u2019 favorites.\u00a0 To play it, students must make a box formation, as if to fit inside the confines of an elevator, request to be sent to a certain level, and jump to get there.\u00a0 Jumping five times, for example, takes dancers to the fifth level.\u00a0 Because imagination is a key concept in House of the Roses pedagogy, what awaits on each floor is never an office setting but something outrageous.\u00a0 Our imagination may bring us to the jungle, to outer space, and under the sea.\u00a0 The children are let out at the destination level and dance around the room in a manner that suits the new environment.\u00a0\u00a0 We encouraged our students to \u201cswim\u201d when they were under the sea.\u00a0 Students danced the dive, the breaststroke, the backstroke, and more.\u00a0 Some pretended they were sea creatures, and this fostered interactions between all participants, as dancers pretending to be fish had to swim away from the lurking sharks!\u00a0 This game gives the kids a chance to invent choreography entirely of their own, to claim a voice and speak through dance.<\/p>\n<p>The next part of class is <em>Choreography<\/em>.\u00a0 Students self-choreograph alone or in groups when volunteers give them situations from which they create short dances drawing upon their life experiences.\u00a0 Sometimes we present students with a short, foundational combination and then invite them to manipulate it.\u00a0 To prompt them, we might ask, \u201cHow can this move be more exciting?\u201d or \u201cDo you think this would look neater if it traveled across the floor?\u201d\u00a0 To help the kids remember movements, we ask the students to give them names.\u00a0 In a recent class, one student suggested that a movement involving flipping her hands be called \u201csalt and pepper shakers!\u201d\u00a0 When students label their movements, they are better able to understand and embody them, so that they become less abstract and more personally meaningful.\u00a0\u00a0 The choreography section sparks the kids\u2019 constructive creativity; they build upon the combination in personal ways.\u00a0 The final product is the original movement phrase polished and embellished by the crucial input of the children.\u00a0 It is a representation of joint effort and teamwork between teachers and students.<\/p>\n<p>As we practice the final movement phrase, I often compliment specific students who take directions and important considerations to heart and apply them.\u00a0 If the choreography calls for marching with high knees, I single out the student who has the highest knees and ask him or her to demonstrate for the rest of the class.\u00a0\u00a0 In a community where gangs are prevalent and acting in groups might mean acceptance and protection, individual action is ambitious and daring and deserves verbal recognition.<\/p>\n<p>The class concludes with the <em>Success Circle<\/em>.\u00a0 In coordination with the <em>Welcome Circle<\/em>, it is convened when everyone once more sits together, Indian-style.\u00a0 It is a safe space for sharing ideas.\u00a0 We ask the students what they thought was successful about the day\u2019s class and, by a show of hands, to articulate those thoughts to the group.\u00a0 Especially with the youngest children, a common answer at Mercy Center is, \u201cEverything.\u201d\u00a0 To refine their thoughts, we try to receive more detail-oriented answers by also posing the questions, \u201cWhat was your favorite part of class?\u201d and \u201cWhat were you most proud of today?\u201d\u00a0 Kids note the good in themselves and in those around them and assume their roles as our anthropological \u201cinformants\u201d once again.\u00a0 Exchanges in the Success Circle provide feedback which volunteers can utilize in planning future classes, trying to incorporate more of what the kids like or want into the lesson plans.<\/p>\n<p>House of the Roses presents a culminating end-of-the-school-year performance at the Miller Theatre of Columbia University every May.\u00a0 Each of the five partner outreach facilities has its own time to show its dance onstage, and then everyone packs the stage to dance the finale.\u00a0 The material performed at the show is choreographed with the input of the children and practiced starting in January during the Choreography section of each class.\u00a0 The performance is a big deal for the kids, and they are recognized for their creativity and talent.\u00a0 They feel proud to showcase all that they have worked for to a \u201creal\u201d audience.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, I have realized that as a volunteer teaching artist, I am also serving as an <em>applied anthropologist<\/em> \u2013 an agent of change, because the classes coordinated by the House of the Roses Volunteer Dance Company empower students and give them healthy and creative ways to express themselves physically.\u00a0 I conduct inductive research by qualitative analysis, i.e., I reflect upon my weekly observations and interpret them to better understand my students and to determine the best courses of action for the future regarding dance \u201cstructured play\u201d pedagogy.<\/p>\n<p>Dorothy Sluss, professor of early childhood education at East Tennessee State University, said, \u201cWe don\u2019t value play in our society.\u00a0 It has become a four-letter word.\u201d<sup>4<\/sup>\u00a0 I personally believe that play cannot be understated or undermined for young people, most especially in impoverished urban areas like the South Bronx.\u00a0 For underprivileged children like those at Mercy Center, artistic after-school programs and recreation are invaluable and essential.\u00a0 The dance classes contribute a necessary balance between discipline and freedom, unity and autonomy.\u00a0 My students experience creative journeys throughout the year and as a final celebration and validation, travel from the streets to the stage, showing us that inner peace can be found \u2013 even in the inner city.<\/p>\n<p><em>End Notes<\/em><\/p>\n<p><sup>1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>Kaeppler, Adrienne, \u201cDance in Anthropological Perspective\u201d Annual Review of Anthropology Vol. 7: 31-49, 1978.<\/p>\n<p><sup>2<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hanna, Judith L., \u201cAddress on Career of Dance Anthropologist\u201d Congress on Research in Dance Vol. 5, No. 1: 35, 1973.<\/p>\n<p><sup>3<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Van Willigen, John, <em>Applied Anthropology: An Introduction<\/em>, (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002), 10.<\/p>\n<p><sup>4\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/sup>Cole, Wendy and Walter Kirn, \u201cWhat Ever Happened to Play?\u201d <em>Personal Growth and Behavior <\/em>(McGraw-Hill,2002), 78.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Editor&#8217;s Note: We are very pleased to devote this month&#8217;s &#8216;iteration&#8217; of the CRC Director&#8217;s essay space to Kelly Vaghenas, MSU sophomore double-major in BFA dance and BA anthropology.\u00a0 Ms. Vaghenas is also\u00a0a member of the Danceaturgy Seminar.\u00a0\u00a0This essay was awarded the undergraduate first place University-wide award in the Sixth Annual MSU Student Research Symposium, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-director-s-essay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":927,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203\/revisions\/927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/creative-research-center\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}