Steps towards danceliteracy : An embodied inquiry into the histories and aesthetics of dance as a warm-up class

The aim of this study is to begin developing a method that contributes to the advancement of danceliteracy at an early stage of professional dance education. The research questions are: How can awareness of, and curiosity about, the historical and aesthetic development of dance, both in practice and theory, be cultivated in dance-educational environment, and is it possible to do so already within the framework of a warm-up class? What tools are required to structure and bring to light the discourses and conversations that have shaped the aesthetic divisions and transformations within the Western dance and choreography field, both historically and in its ongoing expansion? If the dance archive, including techniques and repertory, is understood as a material-discursive knowledge apparatus, can it be a tool in bridging past and present? Can it also serve as a tool in formulation of a terminology through which the archive can become a dialogical conversation partner across the diverse forms of dance. As a pedagogue, I implicitly ask: What should, in fact, a future dance-artist be warming-up? The empirical material is collected during a series of five warm-up classes with students and graduates from dance education in modern dance at the Balletakademien in Gothenburg. Through the lens of semiologist Juri Lotman’s theory of the semiosphere, the finding of this study was made visible using the method of pedagogical documentation, drawing from professor in pedagogy Hillevi Lenz Taguchi. The result show that an exposure to reflection on history and aesthetics of dance in practice and theory, already in a warm-up class, can improve a student's knowledge and interest in what dance as an artform was, is and can become

Att utforska känslornas makt

Hos mig har det alltid funnits en nyfikenhet att utforska gestaltning och se hur långt det går att tänja på en karaktärs uttryck i olika riktningar. Den här nyfikenheten har växt under tiden jag sjungit opera just för att opera är en konstform där mycket är förutbestämt av ramar så som notbild och tempo. Jag undrar därför hur mycket jag som sångare kan påverka min karaktärs uttryck och motiv utan att förlora textens innebörd eller kliva utanför de musikaliska ramarna. I denna uppsats utforskar jag vad det ger en sångare att dra känslorna som karaktären känner till sin spets och gestalta samma roll i ett brett känslospann, en undersökning om att våga tänja på ramarna i scenisk gestaltning.

Doing just this : A study on the concept of dance practice

This study aims to approach the concept of dance practice and to create a deeper understanding through unfolding different perspectives on the concept. The methodology of the study includes post-qualitative and practice-based methods. The research was conducted through practicing a dance practice in the studio every day, 5 days a week for four week and sharing the practice with three colleagues. The research material was induced through written reflections after practicing in the studio and sharing the practice. For the analysis the diffractive method was used in order to read the material through the roles involved in A/R/Tography. Firstly, a simplification of the material is done by reading the material through each role and then a complexification by reading the material through the A/R/Tographer’s role and combining this reading with the activities of teaching, performing, training, reading and writing. Lastly in discussion the analysed material in contact with the literature create different perspectives on the concept of dance practice offering an increased understanding of the concept in the professional life of the dance artist, teacher, researcher

Mental hälsa och rösten : Psykologiska och praktiska metoder för bättre sånghälsa

This work uses psychological methods learned during EMDR-therapy, combined with mindfulness, to enhance the opera singers mental health and quality of performance. Furthermore there is a reflection on how to use performance psychology as a helping factor as well. There are analysis of practical workshops with teachers and experts in voice and body training (dance), which ultimately conclude that the most successful practical methods used by experts in the fields of singing and dance also reflect the psychological methods discussed earlier.  Finally other inspirational artists and their struggles are presented, in order to emphasize the importance of an open atmosphere where mental health for artists is freely discussed. Which in turn can help produce better art and artists.

Factors of motivation for dance students in higher education

This thesis explores the factors that impact students’ motivation in higher dance education, focusing on how teachers affect students’ motivation as perceived by the students. The surrounding factors are highlighted, for example, inner drive, inspiration from peers, families, and the impact of study environments. Motivation is introduced, with intrinsic and extrinsic factors highlighted, and the self-determination theory is discussed. The factors discussed in this thesis include pedagogical approaches, teacher-student relationships, and environmental influences. The study is based on quantitative research with a qualitative depth to dive deeper into the factors of motivation. The study conducted a quantitative questionnaire, with both pre-coded and open free-text answers. The questionnaire was spread in online communities of dance students in higher education, both active and alumni student groups. The thematic analysis reveals that students’ motivation is influenced by passion, peer support, versatile feedback, and the teacher’s enthusiasm for the subject. The findings emphasize the importance of reflective, student-centered, and supportive learning environments to foster student motivation.

UTTU : master degree project presentation for New Performative Practices of Stockholm University of the Arts

“UTTU” is a performative movement exploration that emerges from openness, allowing things to surface, rather than be shaped. It invites the hidden, the broken, the unwanted, and the in-between to reveal themselves - those neglected fragments that exist on the other side. In this space of non-separation, movement unfolds through the gesture of attunement into what is invisible or ‘unknown’. Karen Barad’s concept of intra-action informs this process of exploration both in the metaphysical experience of dance — where the dancer’s body is inseparable from the environment and the objects within it — and the creation of performance worlds, where everything is entangled in the co-creation of meaning and movement. The phenomenon is before the phenomena, there are no separate atoms, no separate agents or elements, what is happening is the creation in between.  “UTTU” is also a practice to decolonize my artistic process from the dominance of Western thought, and let the phenomenological experience, the inspiration and the intuition weave themselves through. 15-16 May 19:30</p

Performative landscapes : Site, encounter, performance

This essay examines the dynamic interplay between site and performative practices, investigating how spatial transformations are inscribed in the bodies of performers and influence their responses. By engaging with artists from diverse disciplines and geographical backgrounds, this research adopts a practice-based approach to explore the relationship between site, body, and stage. Through the creation of movement scores, improvisation, and devising, participants uncover the performative potential of various sites, contributing to the development of spatial dramaturgy. This project employs a psychogeographical framework, emphasizing the role of the environment in shaping emotional, behavioral, and cognitive processes. Central to this approach is the concept of the dérive, or “drifting,” as theorized by Guy Debord (1958), which facilitates an experimental, immersive engagement with space. By integrating psychogeographic principles into performance-making, this research offers new perspectives on embodiment, site-specific dramaturgy, and the creative processes that emerge from the convergence of body and space

Sångare och musiker : Vad är skillnaden?

Jag vill undersöka och utforska varför jag upplever det så mycket svårare att uttrycka sig i sång än på gitarr. Vad är det som skiljer sig egentligen, förändras sättet jag musicerar och fraserar på de olika instrumenten? Jag börjar med några problemställningar och aspekter på skillnaden i musikalisk tolkning och uttryck mellan att vara sångare och instrumentalist.Detta är en text om min resa från att vara instrumentalist till sångare, och hur mitt förhållningssätt till musiken ändras i och med det.</p

'RATBAG': A Solo Deviser's Journey : How can solo devising be used to gather, explore, and theatricalise autobiographical memory?

‘RATBAG: A Solo Deviser’s Journey’ explores the use of solo devising as a method for gathering, exploring, and theatricalising autobiographical memory, culminating in the creation of a performance titled ‘RATBAG.’ Through a detailed process of self-reflection, interviews, and practical experimentation within the rehearsal space, the research investigates how personal narratives can be transformed into performative expression. Central to this exploration is the concept of ‘The Spark,’ the initial moment of inspiration that drives creative exploration and the utilization of ‘distractions as tools rather than obstacles’. By embracing a non-linear, intuitive approach to devising, and by incorporating multimedia elements such as video projection and soundscapes, the researcher delves into the complexities of memory and its distortion over time. This study also addresses the ethical considerations of using personal and familial histories in artistic creation, emphasizing transparency and consent. Ultimately, this dissertation provides insights into the solo devising process, revealing its potential as a deeply personal and transformative and potentially therapeutic approach to creating autobiographical theatre

innebo : En undersökning av inneboende dans som konstnärlig praktik med funktionsvariation somideal, samt hur upplevelsen av dans med andra även kan upplevas i självständig praktik.

inhabit The aim of this project is divided into two parts. The first project aims to investigate how the dancethat is already within us, our inhabited dance, can be used as an artistic practice for people withneurodiversities. The second project investigates how the feeling of dancing with others, can beexperienced in an independent practice. The first project is a collaboration with Mosaikteatern, a daily activity centre for people withneurodiversities. With “neurodiversity as an ideal” as a common denominator, the methods consist ofpractical teaching, introspection and multimodal communication in the form of visual aid and signlanguage. The second project consists of independent studio work, using the methods scores anditerations. Throughout both projects, theories of teaching and choreography have been used ascatalysts for one another, bouncing off and feeding off of each other. As a result of the project, methods and assignments for highlighting and elaborating one’s inhabiteddance have been created and used in practical teaching. These methods together with the theory ofcriptime have created a sustainable workingspace for people with neurodiversities. Furthermore, theproject has created scores and iterations of scores, through investigating how attention can be used inindependent studio practice