Peaceful Embodiment: Not Merely Tranquil In Nature

Choreography influences theoretical research and theoretical research influences choreography. In the past, bodies have served as vehicles for protest and have been equipped with training, plans, and choreographic tactics used to carry out movements aimed toward revolution. It is these bodies in space at a lunch counter, at a sit-in, at a march, and on a street which possess the ability to influence a revolt just as the body on a proscenium stage can influence a visceral reaction from the audience members toward taking action. My research as a choreographer is directly influenced by my interest in demonstrations and protests, from the past to the present, and how they are in fact an extension of dance through their own use of choreography. My objective as a choreographer is to present how more traditional forms of dance choreography can be an extension of protest. In the piece of choreography Buckworld One, choreographer Carrie Mikuls, takes the dance form of krumping to the concert stage. Dr. Megan Ann Todd, Independent Scholar and adjunct professor of Dance at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona, states this about the work, These moments in performance are exactly how and why art and performance can and do change lives. They bring the audience into presence, into the present… These moments in performance act as a catalyst for social justice inciting visceral and emotional responses, critical thought, discussion and a deep sense of accountability that begins in the space of the theatre and reaches beyond. [i] Dr. Todd’s words succinctly encapsulate the impetus of what motivates me to create choreography. Whether an audience member understands all of the crafted nuances or not, of the dance work being witnessed, seeing bodies dance can cause a visceral reaction to make audience members move. [i]Todd, Megan Anne “Aesthetic Foundations & Activist Strategies of Intervention in Rickerby Hinds’ Buckworld One.” The Journal of Pan African Studies 4.06 (2011): 164. Web

Modelling transdisciplinary pedagogy: A method for collaborative curriculum design

This article explores a transdisciplinary, collaborative, curriculum design project to promote institutional belonging as a driver of student engagement, and to equip graduates with the fluency to work across disciplines. It demonstrates a facilitated method, to construct learning outcomes that break with typical subject-based knowledge and associated hierarchies of expertise. After considering a small number of precedents, the authors use curriculum models to inform a design specification. Following the formation of a multidisciplinary design team, a development tool (Lego® Serious Play®) was selected for a design workshop. A qualitative analysis of the workshop transcript was then used to inform the learning outcomes for a common module to be taken by all first-year undergraduates. Finally, the article considers how the process provided a framework for collaborative design that has been implemented in further projects, and led to the creation of a growing community of practice. The project provides insights for others embarking on collaborative curriculum design initiatives, especially where transdisciplinary learning is an objective