Current research and lecturesStomping Ground
Suzie West has been digging into the pedagogical benefits of site specific and outdoor performance this year and has spent time develop theories and methodologies alongside Exeter University, Cornwall College, Mounts Bay Academy and Chhaya Collective. The Action Research studies how dance partnership projects with an outdoors focus can forge new identity and connections with places. Stomping Ground has just completed its first cycle of research with 4 Outdoors Dance projects: Inside Out in Plymouth, The Soul Birds in St Austell, Midsummer in Liskeard and Wild in Penzance. Each project weaves together significant spaces in the community, schools and professional dancers to explore and develop a creative outcome that brings the community together. SpiNDrift have brought together over 200 participants and performed to over 550 members of the public in 8 difference sites across Devon and Cornwall. SpinDrift will be working closely with Exeter University and a national collective of schools to study the creative possibilities between partnering arts and science. SpinDrift is partnered with Mounts Bay Academy and sistered with PSCA to specifically study the use of investigation, cross- arts partnership and identity shaping. Co- Creation Suzie visited The National Danish School of Performing Arts in April to work with the Choreography and Pedagogy students for one week. As a guest lecturer Suzie introduced and evolved the students of co-creation and choreography with young people. This opportunity to develop a dialogue with professional dancers in Denmark and to meddle with the theories in the UK with other European scholars was really interesting and has strengthened SpinDrift's visibility in the academic world. Co-cretion and Co-construction will be integrated in to every project this Summer, giving every participant an equal and valued creative and performance role. The empowerment and shared repertoire experienced in each project with strengthen the committees of practice in the local communities and deepen their connection with the locations we dance int Mergecology
Following on from the huge success of Merge8, SpinDrift have been continuing to bring dancers of all ages and dancers from all sectors together. We firmly believe that there is a need and hunger for more joined up thinking and capacious practice within education and cultural settings and will continue to research how aspiration, training and access is facilitated for everyone.
Mergecology focused on fortifying the local dance ecologies in Devon and Cornwall by running Mergeology Platforms and Mergecology projects that encouraged collaboration. Dancers of all ages performed in the same work, co-created the same work, danced with students from other schools, other universities and other countries. We visited over 20 schools and colleges engaged all three Universities in Falmouth, Plymouth and Exeter and averaged 100 dancers per Mergecology project. What has been fantastic is that out of the initial Mergecology projects, new collaborations and relationships have been formed, old partnerships from last year strengthened and the health of the dance ecology has been maintained. New people have been in touch, new venues have stepped forward, more dancers have joined the collective and new ideas just keep springing up! We thrive on new connections and new solutions so can't wait to see where 2017 will take us after such a successful pilot. Suzie West also knows how important it is to reflect on what we have achieved and what the journeys of the dancers have been, The data is being collated and the repertoire created this year is being developed into legacy projects that will reconnect the younger dancers with the professional work they experienced. The next Mergecology is Saturday 3rd February 2018 at AMATA Falmouth University. Quotes.... Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to work with you all. It has been a fantastic experience for both staff and students and I look forward to the future. Read about the pedagogy and outcomes of our research in the pdf documents below.... an inspirational read!
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Stomping Ground Update
As the director of the collective Suzie West is currently project managing Stomping Ground which is a partnership project linking local schools creatively with their outdoor spaces. We are currently working on projects in: Penzance & Newlyn with Mounts Bay Academy, Falmouth College, Falmouth University and Exeter University to explore the science and creative arts perspective on the landscape. The students are encouraged to develop their own investigations, creating art, dance, poetry and stories based on their responses to Newlyn Gallery & The Exchange, St Michaels Mount & the promenade. There will be sharings at Newlyn Gallery in November and Penlee House and Gardens in December. This project is supported by FEAST and Arts Council England. St Austell with Cornwall College, Newquay Treviglas, Looe School and local primaries to explore the heritage and sites of Wheal Martyn & Luxulyan Valley. There will be a joint workshop in December, followed by site visits in Spring to co-author a large scale community performance in June 2018. Altarnun Primary School are working with SpinDrift to develop a term long outdoors literacy and creativity adventure. The students and performers have already co-designed and collaboratively performed Once Upon a Dark Dark Night, making use of the new school wildlife trail, craft club, ghost story wiring and weekly dance lessons. The students will be joined y Cornwall College Drama students in December for Once Upon a Christmas Tree, as their own christmas themed stories are brought to life by SpinDrift professional performers, the students of Altarnun and the 6th form students. This project is supported by Arena Coaching and commissioned by Altarnun Primary School. Bodmin College & Looe School have jinxed together to look specifically at site specific dance and are being joined by SpinDrift Dance Collective to create work in response to local sites for their BTEC courses. We have brought the two schools together this Autumn for some joint workshops inspired by the landscapes and horizons of cornwall, specifically the history and folk tales. Both will be performing their initial work at a dance platform in November. We would like to continue to develop this project with them by exploring their favourite stimulus in the initial workshops- Restormel Castle. Other small groups of dancers may join the two visit days, including, Cornwall College & Newquay Tretherras Wild Investigators
CREATIONS Project The ‘Wild Investigators’ Project was conjured up as a vehicle for students to explore the creative and scientific process of investigation. We have found as teachers that more and more these days there is a fear of mistakes, a tendency of ‘googling’ to find an answer and a predisposition to categorise knowledge. The Wild Project challenges the students to use themselves as a resource, a starting point and an interdisciplinary learner. The activities were guided by introductory workshops, trips, sensory walks, tours, and performances leaving the students curiosities to be the driving factor in the personalised investigation. For example
The students outcomes were open ended and continued to be developed as the year went on, after the initial exhibitions and sharing some took on leadership roles running workshops with primaries in their investigation topics. Some developed poetry and choreography for other venues. Others continues to investigate new sites, psychology and make new films. As a dance teacher the CREATIONS project has been a really interesting bridge for collaborating with new departments and exploring inter- disciplinarity. I have been able to focus my projects on ‘investigators’ as a process and collaborating closely with science teacher Nikita and the Cornish landscape. Its been really interesting to innovate methods of practice that are open ended and risky, but still tangible for the science curriculum, arts award evidence and BTEC Performing Arts course. The activities and format trialled have been the most useful resource for future inter- disciplinary work in the school. Some activities have been adapted to science and arts lessons particularly, as ‘starters’ for investigations and project week topics. I have a strong opinion that actually this action research should not be squeezed or sterilised into a particular lesson. Taking a much looser structure like a relaxed timetable day, after school project or independent study values the time and freedom of the process and shifts the students attitude to the learning that happened. It also encourages them to continue the investigations, creation and experiments in their own time, setting up a new learning habit. A year on from the project starting I can see the real changes in the students adaptability. capaciousness and curiosity. Some of the arts award students have developed their own dance company, door have created independent pieces at local gardens, and some have collaborated with others on music, art or poetry. The action research advocated the need for students to ‘own’ their learning: to make their own decisions, mistakes and conclusions. Whether they are studying geology, kinetic energy, archeology, biology or psychology they engage in their own personalised learning journey. Im a trusting, optimistic and perhaps a slightly lackadaisical teacher. `I enjoy messy learning and acknowledge that a little confusion, fear or risk, is a good thing sometimes. I really enjoy supporting the process as a ‘meddler’ and have learnt that this method can be useful in science too. There are always compromises to be be had and I have learnt that a certain amount of careful planning, curricular kudos, and persuasive benefits for science teachers allow them to access time off curriculum and an opportunity to collaborate. As teachers, dialogue is the key reason why simply redistributing this project back into solitary lessons, isn’t beneficial. The shared observation time, conversations and problem solving that happened between Nikita and I is the most valuable part for teachers. Planning and completing a project of any length or complexity together has made the biggest impact on our practice. Our presence in the projects also a visual, sub-conscious cue for the investigators to blend two subjects simultaneously. Interdisciplinary has to be experienced by the teachers and the learners in order for a gear change to occur in the pedagogy of the school. Written by Suzie West | ||||||
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Mergecology
Bringing the local dance ecology together to develop a culture of aspiration
Merging dance artists with local schools and their teachers to support high quality dance in education
Sharing practice, movement and perspectives of students, teachers, community and artists
Co- creating and co- performing live work for the region, alongside new work by artists
Empowering the creativity and visibility of dance students, teachers, and artists
Researching the adaptive pathways for dance in the current climate
Bringing the local dance ecology together to develop a culture of aspiration
Merging dance artists with local schools and their teachers to support high quality dance in education
Sharing practice, movement and perspectives of students, teachers, community and artists
Co- creating and co- performing live work for the region, alongside new work by artists
Empowering the creativity and visibility of dance students, teachers, and artists
Researching the adaptive pathways for dance in the current climate