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TOWARDS AN APPLIED DANCE TECHNIQUE {A.D.T} ON ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSERVATION AWARENESS; THE CASE OF ‘THE FIVE BIRDS OF THE VLEI
PROJECT.’
BY
GWINYAI BERE
DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE ARTS IN
PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF ARTS HONORS IN THEATRE ARTS
DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE
SUPERVISORS
MR. N. CHIVANDIKWA, MR. N. MUWONWA,
JUNE 2014
ii
DEDICATION
To my mother, Claris Mukarati … you never lost hope in me. You raised me well and it is because of you that I strive be a significant
individual in our society.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all I want to thank God almighty for his grace, mercy and love. He will always be my
provider, my shelter and my refuge. Without him my life is meaningless for he is the very
source of my breath.
My utmost gratitude goes to my sister Kudzai Nyamunda Tizora and her Husband Jonathan
Tizora, for the financial support you provided for me during the time I was writing the
dissertation. May the dear lord bless you with prosperity.
To my big brother Tinashe Nyamunda and his wife Patience Mukwambo Nyamunda, thank
you for giving me the inspiration and motivation that I needed to start this academic journey.
You saw my potential and stood by me throughout my stay at the University of Zimbabwe.
Special thanks goes to my lecturers Mr Chikonzo, Chiedza Chinhanu, Mr. Chivandikwa and
Mr Muwonwa you showed me the way and gave me moral support in this difficult journey
that produced this dissertation. Special thanks also goes to Onai Bikishoni, Isheanesu
Dzvairo, Vongai Mavhunga, Darius Grey, Alouis Mangwende, Stella Chimunda, Natalie
Chipara, Farirai Borerwe, Sithabile Maziva and Shelby Ncube. You guys made this research
possible.
My best friends Melfie Ngwenya, Nyasha Mango and Timothy Katerere; I love you guys, you
shared my joys, my pains and witnessed my battles. No words can express how grateful I
am, if only you could see through my heart you would understand.
To my colleagues, the Theatre Honours class of 2014 we shared the good and bad times
together. You guys made my three years at this university interesting, each day I woke up
expecting a different experience to share with you. May God bless your visions and prosper
you with divine provision both economically and spiritually.
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Contents DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................................................................. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................................ iii
CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................................................................... 1
1.3 JUSTIFICATION ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
1.4 METHODOLOGY............................................................................................................................................................ 3
1.4.1—P.A.R TECHNIQUE .............................................................................................................................................. 3
1.4.2--- DATA GATHERING ............................................................................................................................................ 3
1.4.3--- DATA ANALYSIS/ OBSERVATION FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................... 4
1.5 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7
CONCEPTUAL AND CONTEXTUAL FRAMEWORK .............................................................................................................. 7
2.1--PERSPECTIVES ON APPLIED THEATRE .................................................................................................................. 7
2.2 APPLIED THEATRE AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION ................................................................................................... 8
2.3---APPLIED THEATRE FOR ENVIROMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION .......................... 9
2.4--DANCE AND COMMUNICATION ............................................................................................................................... 10
2.4.1- DANCE, NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION AND KINESTHETIC IMAGERY .................................................. 10
2.4.2--- DANCE AS A SEMIOTIC SYSTEM .................................................................................................................. 11
2.4.3--- DANCE AND STORYTELLING- THE ART OF DANCE DRAMA .................................................................... 12
2.5.1 ---THE DANCING BODY AND EMBODIED COGNITION ......................................................................................... 13
2.5.2---DANCE AND THE EMBODIED SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS THAT REINFORCE THE EFFICACIOUS USE
OF DANCE IN APPLIED THEATRE ............................................................................................................................. 15
2.6.1 —THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE HARARE WETLANDSAND THE VLEI’S BIODIVERSITY ..................................... 16
2.6. 2--- THE PLIGHT OF THE GREY CROWNED CRANE .............................................................................................. 18
2.7—CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND OF “WE USED TO LIVE HERE” , THE FIVE BIRDS OF THE VLEI PROJECT. . 20
2.8--- CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................................... 21
CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................................................................................. 22
TOWARDS STRUCTURING AN APPLIED DANCE METHODOLGY .................................................................................... 22
3.1--- INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 22
3.1.2—SCOPE OF REHEARSALS .................................................................................................................................... 22
A. THE APPLIED DANCE TECHNIQUE {A.D.T} ..................................................................................................... 23
B. THE CHOREOGRAPHIC CONCEPT .................................................................................................................. 28
C. THE CHOREOGRAPHIC APPROACHES .......................................................................................................... 29
v
3.3--- THE PLIGHT OF THE GREY CROWNED CRANE AND THE WETLAND BIODIVERSITY- THE DANCE DRAMA
PIECE ‘WE USED TO LIVE HERE’.................................................................................................................................... 30
3.3.1--- SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................................. 30
3.3.2 --- THE CAST AND CHARACTERS INVOLVED IN ‘WE USED TO LIVE HERE’ ............................................... 31
3.3.3--- SCENARIO BUILDING AND THE THEMATIC CONCERNS ........................................................................... 32
3.3.4 --- SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS- THE SEMANTIC S AND SYNTATICS OF ‘WE USED TO LIVE HERE’ ................... 33
3.4--- UNDERSTANDING THE EMBODIED SOMATIC IMPULSE: ................................................................................... 38
3.4 .1 ----THE PERFORMER’S BODY -THE REHEARSAL PROCESSES. ................................................................. 39
3.5--- CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................................... 43
CHAPTER FOUR .................................................................................................................................................................... 44
APPLIED DANCE IN PRACTISE – A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FINAL WORKSHOP “WE USED TO LIVE HERE” ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 44
4.1.2 --- NOTE ON THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS ............................................................................................................. 44
4.2--- PRAGMATICS: THE DECODING OF THE DANCE DRAMA PIECE. ..................................................................... 45
4.3--- RECEPTION: THE UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE STUDENT COMMUNITY AND THE DYANMICS OF
PARTICIPATION ................................................................................................................................................................ 48
4.3.1-- THE INTRODUCTORY PHASE ......................................................................................................................... 48
4.3.2— CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT AND THE DANCE DRAMA ‘WE USED TO LIVE HERE’. ................................... 49
4.3.3--- POST PERFORMANCE DISCUSSIONS. ......................................................................................................... 52
4.4---OUTCOMES ARISING FROM THE WORKSHOP ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF THE GREY CROWNED CRANE ..... 52
4.4.1---HUMAN DEGRADATION OF THE WETLAND ECOSYSTEM .......................................................................... 52
4.4.2--- GREY CROWNED CRANE AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE WETLAND ECOSYSTEM ............................... 53
4.4.2---CONFLICT OF INTERESTS BETWEEN THE HUMANS AND THE BIRDS ..................................................... 53
4.4.3--- POLITICAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES THAT AFFECT CONSERVATION AIMS ................................. 53
4.4.3----POLICY MAKING – GOVERNMENTAL ACTION TO THE PROTECTION OF WETLANDS .......................... 54
4.5--- THE APPLIED DANCE TECHINIQUE (ATD) - COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS AND THE
PERFORMERS. .................................................................................................................................................................. 54
4.6--- CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................................... 56
CHAPTER FIVE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 57
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 57
5.1 SUMMARY.................................................................................................................................................................... 57
5.2 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................................. 58
5.2.1 FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................................................. 58
5.2.2 THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS: PERSPECTIVES ON THE APPLIED DANCE TECHNIQUE ....................... 59
5.2.3 FURTHER RESEARCH ........................................................................................................................................ 59
5.2.4 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY .................................................................................................................................... 60
APPENDIX .......................................................................................................................................................................... 61
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................................................................... 66
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CONTENTS
DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 AREA OF INVESTIGATION ............................................................................................ 1
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ........................................................................................ 1
1.3 JUSTIFICATION ............................................................................................................... 2
1.4 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 3
1.4.1 P.A.R. TECHNIQUE ............................................................................................. 3
1.4.2 DATA GATHERING ............................................................................................ 3
1.4.3 DATA ANALYSIS/OBSERVATION FRAMEWORK ....................................... 4
1.5 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO
CONCEPTUAL AND CONTEXTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................... 7
2.1 PERSPECTIVES ON APPLIED THEATRE ..................................................................... 7
2.2 APPLIED THEATRE AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION ................................................. 8
2.3 APPLIED THEATRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND WILDLIFE
CONSERVATION ............................................................................................................. 9
2.4 DACE AND COMMUNICATION .................................................................................... 10
2.4.1 DANCE, NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION AND KINAESTHETIC
IMAGERY ............................................................................................................. 10
2.4.2 DANCE AS A SEMIOTIC SYSTEM ................................................................... 11
2.4.3 DANCE AND STORYTELLING – THE ART OF DANCE DRAMA ................ 12
2.5.1 THE DANCING BODY AND EMBODIED COGNITION .............................................. 13
2.5.2 DANCE AND THE EMBODIED SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS THAT REINFORCE
THE EFFICACIOUS USE OF DANCE IN APPLIED THEATRE .................................. 14
2.6.1 THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE HARARE WETLANDS AND THE VLEI’S BIODIVERSITY ................................................................................................................. 16
2.6.2 THE PLIGHT OF THE GREY CROWNED CRANE ....................................................... 18
2.7 CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND OF “WE USED TO LIVE HERE”, THE FIVE BIRDS OF THE VLEI PROJECT ..................................................................................... 19
2.8 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER THREE
TOWARDS STRUCTURING AN APPLIED DANCE METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 21
3.2 SCOPE OF REHEARSALS ............................................................................................... 21
A. THE APPLIED DANCE TECHNIQUE (ADT) .................................................... 22
B. THE CHOREOGRAPHIC CONCEPT .................................................................. 27
C. THE CHOREOGRAPHIC APPROACHES .......................................................... 27
3.3 THE PLIGHT OF THE GREY CROWNED CRANE AND THE WETLAND
BIODIVERSITY - THE DANCE DRAMA PIECE ‘WE USED TO LIVE HERE’ ......... 29
3.3.1 SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................... 29
3.3.2 THE CASE AND CHARACTERS INVOLVED ‘WE USED TO LIVE HERE’ .................................................................................................................... 30
3.3.3 SCENARIO BUILDING AND THE THEMATIC CONCERNS ......................... 30
3.3.4 SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS – THE SEMANTICS AND SYNTATICS OF
‘WE USED TO LIVE HERE’ ................................................................................ 31
3.4 UNDERSTANDING THE EMBODIED SOMATIC IMPULSE ....................................... 37
3.4.1 THE PERFORMER’S BODY – THE REHEARSAL PROCESSES .................... 37
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3.5 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 42
CHAPTER FOUR
APPLIED DANCE IN PRACTISE – A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE FINAL
WORKSHOP “WE USED TO LIVE HERE” ................................................................................ 43
4.1 NOTE ON THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS ........................................................................ 43
4.2 PRAGMATICS: THE DECODING OF THE DANCE DRAMA PIECE. ....................... 44
4.3 RECEPTION: THE UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE STUDENT COMMUNITY AND THE
DYNAMICS OF PARTICIPATION .................................................................................. 47
4.3.1 THE INTRODUCTORY PHASE .......................................................................... 47
4.3.2 CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT AND THE DANCE DRAMA ‘WE USED TO LIVE HERE’ .................................................................................................... 48
4.3.3 POST PERFORMANCE DISCUSSIONS ............................................................. 51
4.4 OUTCOMES ARISING FROM THE WORKSHOP ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF THE
GREY CROWNED CRANE ............................................................................................. 51
4.4.1 HUMAN DEGRADATION OF THE WETLAND ECOSYSTEM ...................... 51
4.4.2 CONFLICT OF INTERESTS BETWEEN THE HUMANS AND THE BIRDS ... 52
4.4.3 POLICY MAKING – GOVERNMENTAL ACTION TO THE PROTECTION
OF WETLANDS .................................................................................................. 52
4.5 THE APPLIED DANCE TECHNIQUE (ADT) – COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
MEMBERS AND THE PERFORMERS ........................................................................... 53
4.6 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 54
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................. 56
5.1 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 56
5.2 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 57
5.2.1 FINDINGS ............................................................................................................. 57
5.2.2 THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS: PERSPECTIVES ON THE APPLIED
DANCE TECHNIQUE ......................................................................................... 57
5.2.3 FURTHER RESEARCH ........................................................................................ 58
5.2.4 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY .................................................................................. 58
APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................... 59
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................... 64
1
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 AREA OF INVESTIGATION
This study seeks to investigate on the feasibility of using dance in raising awareness to the
university of Zimbabwe’s student community about the plight of the endangered bird the
‘Grey Crowned Crane’ and the degraded state of Harare wetlands. The analysis is based on
the Five Birds of the Vlei project’s workshop ‘We Used to live here’. The practise of
environmental management and wildlife conservation has led to the development of different
communication modes or paradigms (Humbler 2004; Colby 1991) which seek to educate
people on the practise of conservation. Hence this research investigates applied theatre as a
communicative mode which raises awareness to people about environmental management
and wildlife conservation. In the Zimbabwean context, techniques such as forum theatre,
image theatre and playback theatre have been in dominant use in most applied theatre
projects however, it has come to my knowledge that dance has not been appreciated as a
structuring element or as a methodology in applied theatre techniques. Therefore, this
research seeks to explore on ways of devising an Applied Dance Technique {A.D.T} as a
dance based applied theatre paradigm. Also central to this research are the factors that come
into play when the dancing body communicates particularly the plight of the birds and
wetland management. Such a focus entails an analysis of the extent to which the audience
decoded the dance-drama piece and how the workshop provoked participation to the audience
members.
1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The research aims;
To investigate on the feasibility of using dance in raising awareness to the university
of Zimbabwe’s student community about the plight of the endangered bird the ‘Grey
Crowned Crane’ and the wetland biodiversity.
To analyse the extent to which the dancer’s body can be used to communicate the
plight of the ‘Grey Crowned Crane’ through the Applied Dance Technique {A.D.T}
and the embodied factors that influence the somatic impulse of the dancer.
To critically analyse how the audience decoded the dance-drama piece ‘We Used to
Live Here’ and the dynamics of participation during the workshop.
2
1.3 JUSTIFICATION
Inspiration for this research has been brought about by a number of reasons which are derived
both from personal interests and academic concerns.
Firstly, applied theatre practises tend to be human centred, that is to say that the
functionalities of applied theatre projects target issues that directly affect human communities
(Nicholson 2005; Thompson 2003). The trajectories in most applied theatre practises are
aimed at either theatre for development, theatre for education, theatre for prisons, theatre for
life skills, drama therapy or conflict transformation. The wildlife ‘community’ which has
been marginalised in applied theatre projects require specific attention. However, this is not
to say that theatre projects that tackled with conservation concerns do not exist. In light of the
argument, the research seeks to endeavour into the practise of applied theatre for
environmental management and wildlife conservation treating birds as ‘marginalized
communities’ affected by destructive human activities in the wetlands. The project aimed at
engaging the University of Zimbabwe’s student community on environmental issues. One
can observe that dance as a theatrical convention can raise awareness about endangered
species and their feelings towards environmental degradation which affect their habitats.
Secondly, there have been discourses on the utilisation of drama in applied theatre with
many techniques being formulated such as forum theatre, playback theatre, image theatre and
simultaneous dramaturgy. Most of these are mainly centred on acting and other performance
forms like pantomime, recitals, poetry, and dance. To my observation; dance as an art form
has not been fully utilised in applied theatre as a tool for effective artistic communication.
Dance has appeared in most of these techniques with a decorative function that is to say to
add beauty in the work of drama. Dance has occurred as a ‘window dressing’ or only as an
‘instrument’ in most of the boalian techniques. On the other hand the art form of ‘dance-
drama’ has evolved to be recognized as dramatic activity, this is due to the mimetic elements
that can be appreciated in dance as an art form. This research entails a shift towards a dance
dominated applied theatre paradigm particularly in the form of Applied Dance. In which
dance-drama was used as a structuring element or as a methodology which aimed at raising
awareness about the plight of the ‘Grey Crowned Crane’ and wetland conservation. Thus
this discourse attempted to substantiate the communicative and efficacious power of dance
and practically evaluate if the development of a dance based communication technique was
possible and if it successfully communicated the intention to the University of Zimbabwe’s
student community.
3
Thirdly, this research has not only been influenced by my personal interest in Dance as a
discipline, but it has been inspired by the desire to create and appreciate a dance performance
with intentions that do not seek to merely entertain. I believe dance can be used to inform the
human community about the endangered birds which have become a rarity in most of
Harare’s wetlands. This research does not only benefit the academic field of dance studies
and applied theatre but it can also benefit the dancers as this will enlighten them on new ways
of dancing and employment creation for dancers in field of Applied Dance. The project was
a beneficial learning experience for me as I was also involved in the project.
Finally, the case study is suitable since the Five Birds of Vlei project’s workshop ‘We Used
to Live Here’ is based on dancers representing the endangered birds. They become the voice
of the voiceless birds and the wetlands, which justifies the use of dance as a theatrical
convention. Dance is a silent art that can express the issues of bird life conservation and
wetland management that are raised in the case study. .
1.4 METHODOLOGY
1.4.1—P.A.R Technique
This research was mainly a Practise as Research methodology (P.A.R), which is also known
as practise led research or practise based research defined as “… research initiated by practice
and carried out through practice (Malins and Gray 1995, p.3).” I was personally involved in
the project as a choreographer/director with the aid of Onai Bikishoni who presented the
major issues in the plight of the birds. It is important to note that this dissertation was based
on a hypothesis in which the practicability of the given assertions was the purpose of this
experimental research. This dissertation seeks to formulate an applied dance methodology in
which the creative process and outcomes from the final workshop were discussed. I embarked
on a twelve-day rehearsal process, creative journey which arrived at the final workshop ‘We
Used to Live Here’.
1.4.2--- DATA GATHERING
-LOGBOOK AS OBSERVATION- Using a personal logbook to record the activities was
essential because of the experimental nature of this research. In this log book I
recorded my working plan and the rehearsal working schedule. The post rehearsal
comments, discussions, games and exercises were included in this logbook. An
analysis of the performance, post-performance discussions and student observations
4
will also be recorded in this logbook. A practise led research is based on observations;
which is essential in the analysis of dance as a communication tool.
INTERVIEWS AND QUESTIONNAIRES - The open ended interviews were crucial since
the perspective of the dancer and the audience enhanced the establishment the results
of the experimentation. The instrumentation was an interview protocol which was
based on predetermined set of questions that are related to the research objectives.
Questionnaires were useful in the final workshop as there was no sufficient time to
interview all the audience members. It is important to note that as an ethical measure
my use of participants’ names in this research was informed by their consent.
PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS- Photographs and videos not only provide evidence for
the activities but the movement gestures were also analysed visually to reinforce the
notion that the body can communicate through dance.
1.4.3--- DATA ANALYSIS/ OBSERVATION FRAMEWORK
I analysed the rehearsal process in order to evaluate the devising of the dance-based applied
theatre technique and the dance drama piece ‘We Used to Live Here’ in terms of its
methodology and development. I analysed the content of the workshop with the aid of the
data gathered from the fieldwork, the content was analysed as guided by the objectives stated
above. But central to this analysis, the activities will be examined on these aspects namely:
semiotic analysis, audience reception, and dynamics of participation and the evaluation of the
methodology.
1.5 LITERATURE REVIEW
Chibememe (2010) studied how the Malilangwe drama group has concretized elitist
ideologies through the performance of biodiversity conservation plays. While Ruzive (2007)
analysed the themes of environmental degradation and utilisation of environments as they
were presented in the Tunza productions’ play “My Land” noting natural ways of
environmental control in the Zimbabwean traditional society comparing them with modern
environmental degradation activities. Both Chibememe (2010) and Ruzive (2007) analyse
environmental conservation issues presented through the ‘drama’ medium. My focus is on
theatre for environmental management and wildlife conservation with the discourse
expounding on the use of dance in communicating issues of bird life conservation and
wetland management.
5
In the African domain scholars like Chinyowa (2005), Nasidi (2003), Okeke (2012),
Musheyngezi (2003) and Akoshoro et.al (2010) support the view that indigenous
performance forms like dance can either validate or can be used as an instrument to bring
about social change in communities. This research supports the assertion that dance whether
indigenous or contemporary can be used to raise awareness about the plight of the grey
crowned crane as much as drama has been used in contemporary applied theatre projects.
Chinyowa(2005,p.12) seems to agree with this view as he states that “but the problem with
most proponents of folk media,… has been to view folk media as simply a ‘tool’ or
‘instrument’ rather than a structuring element in development communication.” In this
discourse, dance is approached as a structuring element in the formulation of an applied
theatre technique engaging the participants with environmental issues.
In as much as Ackroyd (2000), Nicholson(2005) , Boal(1979) and Taylor (2003) postulate
that applied theatre brings together a broad range of dramatic activity, at this point it is then
the purpose of this research to ascertain dance as a ‘dramatic activity’ that can be used to
address serious issues that pertain to everyday life, discussing oppressive situations.
However, their focus seems to confer on the dynamics of oppression in light of the people as
the oppressed. Boal in Theatre of the Oppressed advocates for a theatre “for the people, by
the people”. This research entails a shift to a theatre “for the birds, by the people”. Therefore
it approaches environmental degradation as ‘indirect oppression’. Interestingly, it also
presents a shift towards addressing the issues to the oppressors which are humans who
indirectly oppress the birds by degrading the environment. The oppressor becomes the target
for the project aimed at raising awareness to the University of Zimbabwe student community
about the plight of the Grey Crowned Crane and the Harare wetland biodiversity.
I argue that in dance drama performances which are highly aesthetic, efficacy can also be
achieved as long the intentionality has been addressed during the choreographic process. Also
related to this issue is the aspect of active participation which can foster transformation. As
noted by Schechner(1994) , Mda(1993), and Jackson(2005); applied theatre is unique in the
role of the audience and the dynamics of their reception and the nature of their participation.
In this dissertation, the question of the extent to which a dance based applied theatre
paradigm can be able to foster active participation is essential. Okoronkwo Chukwu-
Okoronkwo (2012) postulates that in indigenous African roots, performance has always been
regarded as means of communication and participation in informing the community on
culture and addressing ideologies.
6
Dance communicates visually through kinaesthetic imagery and non-verbal codes
(Hagendoorn 2010, Peick 2005, Cegala 1981, and Smyth 1984). Hagendoorn (2010) and
Tomasello (2008) comment that dance is a form gestural communication, which “employs
gesture to express and communicate (Hagendoorn, 2010)” This perspective on dance as
gestures which communicate to the audience is useful in trying to create a dance-drama piece
that communicates the plight of the Grey Crowned Crane. Anderson (1974, p.9) also states
that dance prompts responses from viewer as it is a kinesthetic art that appeals to our sense of
inherent motion. Since the mind is trained to decode meaning though non-verbal language,
the kinaesthetic imagery created in a dance performance; a study of body language is a
essential aspect of this research. Also crucial to this research is regarding dance as a semiotic
system since the body speaks while the mouth is silent, Kerr’s (1980) views on the semiotics
of theatre concretize the study.
Miller (2013) analyses the somatic impulse in the context of physical theatre, Ravengai
(2011) and Chivandikwa (2011) analyse the body on a socio-cultural dimension in which it is
exemplified as a knowledge container shaped by social and cultural practises. However, their
views focus on the ‘actor’s body’ and not the ‘dancer’s body’. Smyth (1984) connects the
dancer’s bodily expression with subliminal perception which coincides with the embodied
cognition scholars’ (Wilson 2011; Anderson 2003) views that perception triggers bodily
expression as a result of mental processing. Such discourses edify the study of the ‘dancing
body’ addressing the embodied somatic impulse and how embodied cognition affects bodily
expression.
Basing on the reviewed literature, the research entails a study of applied theatre concepts,
dance as communication and the embodied somatic impulse of the dancer. These concepts
provided a conceptual framework for the devising of the dance dominated applied theatre
workshop addressing the plight of the Grey Crowned Crane and the wetland ecosystem. Such
concepts will be discussed in the following chapters.
7
CHAPTER 2
CONCEPTUAL AND CONTEXTUAL FRAMEWORK
This chapter seeks to investigate on the feasibility of using dance to communicate as a
applied theatre for environmental management and wildlife conservation initiative. The
discourses that edify the hypothesis of devising an Applied Dance Technique {A.D.T} which
seeks to communicate the plight of the “Grey Crowned Crane” and the state of the Harare
wetlands will be discussed. It provides a basis for the above-mentioned endeavour laying
groundwork to the conceptual exertions on the issue of the use of dance in the applied theatre
context. Emphasis is taken on associating dance with communication and embodied
cognition. The chapter also cross-examines applied theatre’s associated concepts like active
participation and Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed relating them to context birdlife
conservation. Furthermore, a contextual background is given in which the case study will be
briefly described.
2.1--Perspectives on Applied Theatre
Applied theatre is basically a discursive practice motivated by the desire to use theatrical
means to make a difference to the lives of others (Nicholson, 2005, p. 16); it goes beyond the
conventional theatre form due to its intentionality. Taylor postulates that
“Applied theatre is a theatre that is not simply a presentational medium that occurs within a
conventional mainstream theatre house. This is a theatre that is taken out into non-theatrical settings,
community centres… and other locations (such as after school programs) for the purpose of helping the
audience… grapple with an issue, events, of question of immediate public concern.(2003, p. xx)”
Taylor goes on to view applied theatre as a transformative agent which allows the participants
to be in direct confrontation with aspects of their own lives. Some of the applied theatre
practises include theatre for development, theatre and education, drama therapy , community
theatre, theatre for prisons and dance therapy to mention a few. Ackroyd (2000, p.1) states
that “it is an intentionality which all the various groups have in common.” In the context of
this discourse the intention was to raise awareness to the student community about the plight
of the ‘Grey Crowned Crane’ and the state of the Harare wetlands using the Applied Dance
Technique {A.D.T}. Dance as the theatre form will be used to enable the members of the
student community to think collectively about and embody a specific issue as Skeiker Fadi
8
(2010, p.14) suggests. Applied theatre then becomes tool for effective engagement for the
benefit of the communities concerned however this is not to say that the applied theatre
practitioners, the organisations involved and the performers will not benefit from the practise.
Augusto Boal’s (1979) discourse of the ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’ presents interesting
insights on the nature of applied theatre practises. Oppression is of diverse nature and it does
not only apply only to the dynamics of human relations but also to the between the animate
and inanimate bodies of the natural ecosystems, the relationship between humans and the
environment Thus the oppressed in this discourse are the birds and the wetland ecosystems
and the theatre becomes a theatre ‘for the birds and wetlands, by the people’ approaching
environmental degradation as ‘indirect oppression’. Boal’s principal focus was oppressed
communities but there is an ominous need to raise awareness to the ‘oppressor’ since he or
she may not even be aware that he is oppressing others. Thus this discourse is centred on
‘indirect oppression’, raising awareness to the University of Zimbabwe student community
about how humans indirectly contribute to the degradation of the wetland biodiversity leading
to the decline of the endangered ‘Grey Crowned Crane’
2.2 APPLIED THEATRE AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
Purpose and intention are key to defining applied theatre but crucial to practise is the issue of
active participation. Schechner (1994), states that active participation is a precondition for
transformation to take place. This view corroborates Anthony Jackson’s dictum who views
applied theatre as interventionist theatre that
"If art is referred to at all in interventionist theatre discourse, it is not the primary concern but rather the means
toward a larger end—putting “empowerment,” “ownership,” and the voices of the participants at the center of the
work. Process is valued above product. It is of course wholly understandable. (Jackson, 2005, p.107)".
Thus in applied theatre audience participation takes the forefront, the fourth wall that divides
the performer and the audience is removed allowing interaction as a doorway for critical
engagement. In the workshop ‘We Used to Live Here’, the content of the dance-drama and
the process was the source of discussion. The research seeks to explore on ways in which
active participation in applied dance can be enhanced during the workshops. This also entails
giving the participants a ‘voice’, in other words the workshop was approached in a dialectical
manner allowing the students to critically explore possibilities arising from the given issues
in their own perspective. However one of the dichotomies of applied theatre is the
demarcation between the professional artist and an individual participant with no artistic
background, for instance an audience member can refuse to dance during a workshop.
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Participation becomes a complex issue given that the art form itself present challenges to the
audience members who wish to participate. According to Zakes Mda (1993, p.151)
Participation from the student community should be an ‘exercise of people’s power in
thinking and acting and collecting their actions in a collective framework” thus not much
emphasis should be put on the art form but how the art form manages to give room of critical
thinking and collective involvement.
2.3---APPLIED THEATRE FOR ENVIROMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
This discourse entails the utilisation of dance-drama in the context of environmental
management and wildlife conservation address issues of bird life and wetland conservation.
An environmental management website (www.caribbeaninnkeeper.com) article defines
environmental management as “a systematic approach to finding practical ways for saving
water, energy, and materials, and reducing negative environmental impacts.” In Zimbabwe
various governmental and non-governmental organizations such as the Department of
National Resources and Forestry Commission and Bird life Zimbabwe use many
communication strategies to conserve the environment which include Mass Media,
mobilization, education or even law enforcement as Chibememe (2010; p.17) observed , the
National Resources and Forestry Commission department’s “… approach is enforcement
rather than coercion or persuasion”. Thus it can be observed that most awareness strategies
for environmental management are linear communication models which do not give room for
‘interactive feedback’ from the communities. This is where theatre becomes a “prime setting
for awareness (ibid)” In the context of the Five Birds of The Vlei project; it entails a practical
and systematic approach to raising awareness about wetlands which are the natural habitats
for birds like the Grey Crowned Crane. Colby (1991, p.194) postulates that environmental
management is approached in different paradigms in which ask
“different questions and perceives different evidence, dominant imperatives, threats or risks (problems
for development), has different modelling techniques for how the world works, and different preferred
solutions and management strategies."
Thus applied theatre is one of the paradigms that can be used as an awareness strategy.
Humbler (2004) an advocate for conservation posits that “drama is useful in bringing
awareness and public awareness...” however, in the context of this research, dance drama is
the prime text for raising awareness. Applied theatre as a discursive practise portrays diverse
functionalities with possibilities for new endeavours. For instance, the Malilangwe Drama
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Group, a Chiredzi based theatre (Chibememe 2010; p.1) performed environmental
conservational theatre plays to concretize and empower local communities with knowledge
about natural resources. (Ackroyd (2000, p.1) postulates that theatrical art forms “has grown
so quickly, that it warrants our attention. It is no longer small groups of enthusiasts, or
politically active individual writers who seek to utilise the powers of drama.”
The Applied Dance Technique {A.D.T} is then approached as an applied theatre technique
leading to the discussion of environmental management strategies. On the other hand,
wildlife conservation “is a practise in which people attempt to protect endangered plant and
animal species, along with their habitats.(m.wisegeek.com/what-is-wildlife-
conservation.htm)” thus performers in the workshop ‘We Used to Live Here’ represented the
endangered ‘Grey Crowned Crane’ species of birds. Theatre becomes an awareness tool for
environmental management and wildlife conservation trajectories in which the communities
can be motivated to ‘take action’ in favour of the protection of animals and their habitats. As
applied theatre projects allow for participatory and dialogic communication, possible
solutions about wildlife and environmental conservation strategies can be raised through
applied theatre workshops.
2.4--DANCE AND COMMUNICATION
2.4.1- DANCE, NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION AND KINESTHETIC IMAGERY
Since the body itself is the medium of communication and it is also the medium of the art
form of dance, there is need to analyse its application in the theatrical perspective. Williams
(2004, p.4) speaks of dance as the poetry of human motion, his view is factual since the body
speaks with a language that is visually decoded. Dance is an art of bodily expression; it is a
silent voice rich in meaning and purpose. The French Poet Stéphane Mallarmé likens the
dancer to the writer as she states“[the ballerina] writing with her body, suggests things which
the written word could express only in several paragraphs of dialogue or descriptive prose.
Her poem is written without the writer’s tools (Mallarmé, 1983, p.112)”. This notion
therefore reinforces the view that dance is a form of non-verbal communication were it
communicates through non-verbal codes, gestures/kinaesthetic imagery and emotional
content. Non-verbal communication is also called body language which is defined as “… a
convenient generic term for communication by the use of parts of the body other than the
tongue by hand gestures, facial expressions, mime, touch and posture. (Little, 1977, p.265)”
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Hagendoorn (2010) seems to agree with this view as he postulates that dance employs
gestures to communicate intention and emotion.
Conversely Mellissa Peick (2005, p.2) elucidates that dance communicates in the form of
non-verbal codes like haptics (sense of touch), proxemics(space), touch, Oculesics (eye
contact) and kinesics; she states that
“Touch can communicate either positive or negative messages. These messages can communicate stimulation,
hostility, enjoyment, etc… There is also another nonverbal code that is prominent with dance. This code is
kinesics, which includes facial movements and eye contact/gaze.”
Haptics, proxemics, Oculesics and kinesics are universal to all dance forms. These codes
differ from culture to culture. Cegala (1981) states that eye contact/gaze happens frequently
in the act of dance. For instance eye avoidance may be a sign of lack of interest and lack of
enjoyment or conversely a sign of shyness. It is crucial to note that gestural movements will
then be categorized in the realm of the code of kinesics in the form of kinesthetic imagery.
Kinesthetic communication is inherent in the body’s sensory system that is used to pick up
messages send them to the brain. Smyth comments that
“The word "kinesthesis" was coined to refer to the sense of movement (kinein = to move, aesthesis =
perception) of one's own body, which is derived from movement information provided by receptors in
joints, muscles, tendons and skin. In this context it means "sense of one's own movement (1984, p.19)”
However, the context also applies to one’s visual perception of another person’s movement
not only ‘one’s own movement’. Clenching fists may be a sign of anger, raising the hand with
a clenched fist is a kinesthetic action, if such a movement was incorporated in a dance
choreography piece, the audience’s sense of movement will help them decode the message
that the dancer is expressing anger. This largely depends on perception which Smyth (1984)
explicates that it is subliminal. Thus dance can display the emotional and sensory content of
the body which the audience decodes through identifying non-verbal codes which entails a
meaning making process.
2.4.2--- DANCE AS A SEMIOTIC SYSTEM
Moreover, dance as rhythmic gestural movement is a semiotic system of symbolic
representation which reviews intended messages. Take for instance the sign language system
which comprises of symbols that stand for culturally accepted codes of meaning. The sign
language system is as much a body language system as much dance is also a body language
system too. The human mind knows more than one assumes it does, only after taking into
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consideration and awareness of the existence of things that man tends appreciate the world
around him. Thus every object bears a purpose, everything is meaningful. In the realm of the
arts, the meaning of the text becomes the object of analysis. True to this context, semiotics is
a universal phenomenon that finds its applicability in almost anything on earth. Semiotics
generally deals with signs and the systems of signs; it tries to construct a language from the
metaphoric object that one easily relates to. Eugene Gorny (www.zhurnal.ru)elucidates that
semiotics is “ an application of linguistic methods to objects other than natural language… is
a consideration of something as a metaphor of language or … a metaphorical description of
anything as language.” Thus semiotics of dance becomes the metaphoric description of dance
as a theatrical language. In this context emphasis is on the semantics and pragmatics of the
dance performance, semantics is the relationship of signs and what they stand for
(suifaijohnmak.wordpress.com) in other words the relationship between the sign and body.
Pragmatics is the relationship of signs to interpreters (ibid) in other words, the sign and the
viewer.
Gestures, are the primary mode in the continuum of motion, dance as elevated form of
gestural movement is part of this continuum of motion. Elam (1980) divides gestures into
three categories namely the indexical gesture, intentional gesture and the attitudinal gesture.
The indexical gesture helps make sense of the language like a dancer pointing at another
dancer to express “he did it”. The intentional gesture is used to make the act clear, like a
dance expressing “I am going”, movement clearly shows the dancer’s intentions. The
attitudinal gesture shows the character’s attitude to the other performers or to the subject
matter it mainly in form facial expressions and sharp postures. Tomasello (2008) argues that
natural gestures such as pointing and pantomiming are the best examples of forms of non-
verbal communication. He comments that they were the earliest forms of human
communication in the process of evolution and are also crucial to process of early child
development. This system of gestural communication is embedded in the body’s
communication system.
2.4.3--- DANCE AND STORYTELLING- THE ART OF DANCE DRAMA
Dance is itself diverse in terms of form, style and genre; there are different genres of dance
all over the world including jazz, ballet, samba, hip hop and contemporary to mention a few.
Nevertheless, regardless of what genre is performed, dance is made up of a form which is
determined by how it is choreographed. Having said that, dance can either be pure, abstract
or literal. A literal dance, sometimes called narrative dance, dance-drama or dance theatre is
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a dance piece that has a definite plot and follows a storyline with a beginning, middle and
ending. Porter (2008, p.1) states that is “a clear story is presented by the use of movement,
mime, spatial relationships … and development of character supported by the environment.”
This discourse is centred on using dance to tell a story, thus the Applied Dance Technique
{A.D.T} is based on literal dance/dance drama. The dance drama piece should have themes
that relate to the conservation of the Grey Crowned Crane and the wetlands.
According to Woodward (1977, p.61), dance-drama is a “...purely silent art, where meanings
were conveyed solely through gesture, movement and expression — an art where emotion
and dramatic action was expressed solely by the use of face, the limbs, and the body.” In its
preparatory stages, all movement phrases derive their essence from the story which has
themes and plots. More emphasis is taken on the dancer expressing his or her inner feeling,
mood and instinct. Compared to speech based drama, dance drama has the ability to express
detail in a shorter time frame than speech based drama, this is because it can "convey
sophisticated meaning in a more compact and rapid manner than speech" (Enekwe 1991;
p.11). However, in terms of delivery; dance drama has a limitation that the audience will have
different perceptions on the meaning derived from the dance drama. This is not to say that the
differing perceptions will hinder message delivery. There is always a difference between the
implied message and the message that the audience will decode. However the art form of
dance is a universal language in which anybody from any part of the world can be relate to
since it’s a visual composition. A combination of spectacle and storytelling makes dance
drama a highly engaging art form that which anyone from any cultural background can watch
and be cathartically affected.
2.5.1 ---THE DANCING BODY AND EMBODIED COGNITION
The body’s communicative power can be accessed through the notion of embodied cognition.
According to Michael Anderson (2003, p.93) cognitivism is
“… The hypothesis that the central functions of the mind, of thinking can be accounted for in terms the
manipulation of symbols according to explicit rules. Cognitivism… has three elements of note:
representation, formalism and rule based transformation.”
In other words dance as a visual composition, contains symbols that convey meaning to the
subconscious mind of the audience through a set of biological rules that govern perception.
Cognitivism is based on a set of rule based transformations, representations that are
biologically embedded in the brain which influences how individuals perceive and react to
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different situations. There is need to explain the principle of embodied cognition and relate it
to the dancing body. Wilson and Foglia (2011) elucidate that “cognition is embodied when it
is dependent upon features of the physical body of an agent. That is, when aspects of the
agent’s body beyond the brain play a significant causal or physically constitutive role in
cognitive processing.” The body has a systematic way of acquiring, delineating and
synthesizing information; this information will be expressed visually through the aid of the
somatic impulse. The crux in the embodied cognition phenomenon is the maxim that the
human body displays for what the human mind cannot utter in a vocal form. Each movement,
no matter how simple or involuntary has a meaning. Such movement results from
transformations, representations or formalities that are informed by the brain due to sensory
and motor processing of information. Anderson (2003, p.109), mentions that embodied
cognition is a result of the body trying to solve problems posed by the individual’s interaction
with the environment and with objects.
Mary Smyth (1984, p.20) links dance with the study of perception and communication
arguing that the message is decoded through subliminal perception, “subliminal perception
occurs when a stimulus which cannot be detected affects the further behaviour of the person
who has been unable to detect it.” Smyth explains that the perceptual input (the performance)
is linked to the motor command system which becomes active and it triggers sensations in the
observer’s body, the perceptual input is also connected to stored memory representations in
the subconscious mind. Certain body movements can be affective to the observer due to their
visual nature. However as the dancers perform, the observer will continue to search for
meaning in the movements. This act is not a conscious choice but the mind is trained to
decode non-verbal codes resulting in the observer’s perception. “The important part of the
message in dance is not ‘what was that movement?’ and for the spectator who is not a dancer,
being able to discriminate one movement from another is not the problem. We are concerned
with how we perceive meaning in the movement… (Smyth, 1984, p.21)”
2.5.2---DANCE AND THE EMBODIED SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS THAT REINFORCE THE
EFFICACIOUS USE OF DANCE IN APPLIED THEATRE
An interesting observation is that any dance event happens in a cultural context, in which the
art form conveys social behaviours, beliefs and attitudes. In order to understand how dance
communicates social underpinnings, one has to comprehend how dance is shaped by culture
and how culture becomes a contributing factor to how participants in an applied theatre
project perceive and decipher a performance. However, in context of this discourse, a
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quintessential explanation as to how dance is shaped by culture is exemplified by the notion
that all forms of kinesthetic imagery and gestural movements are a direct result of social
interactions and normative behaviours. Mason (2009) explains the relationship between the
brain, dance and culture. The brain, through cultural and environmental interactions store
normative behaviours, bodily expressive movements and non-verbal codes. This information
is stored in the brain consciously or subconsciously. As a child grows up this information
becomes embodied in the individual, the child with the aid of mirror neurons picks up
gestures by observing how other people behave in an environment. Through time and
experience these factors influence the way the individual dances. Mason (ibid) also postulates
that dance may show the individual’s perception towards the environment.
Congruently, dance is also viewed as a form of ‘play’; this is a cultural form of social activity
which ‘draws its materials from all aspects of experience, both from the interior milieu and
the external environment’. It is informed by the brain’s limbic system (Mason, 2009, p.28)
which processes sensory information and determines how the individual functions socially.
Mason (ibid.) states that “the limbic system has many nuclei that collectively contribute to
emotionally-driven behaviours. Play is essential for developing emotional intelligence, motor
skills and social awareness." Through dance, emotionally-driven behaviours are rhythmically
converted to kinesthetic imagery subconsciously by the dancers. J. Huizinga (1970, p.189)
elucidates that dance is ‘the purest and most perfect form of play that exists’. Chinyowa
views cultural performances like dance as “the language of social expression, shaping culture,
and in turn being shaped by culture in response to the variables of the context. (Chinyowa
2005; p.21). Play in its various forms has symbolic connotations that relate to the existing
societal norms that people in that society adhere to. Hall (1969) refers to these symbolic
connotations as ‘symbolic patterning’ which he argues that they are appear culturally oriented
and that they affect how people “orient themselves in terms of such phenomena as time,
space, facial expression, gesture and eye contact (Chinyowa 2005, p.21).” An interesting
observation is that these phenomena can be viewed as the basic elements that constitute a
literal dance/dance-drama piece. Therefore culture is a vital part in the analysis of bodily
expression and dance because it embodies socially constructed ideologies which are
presented in the performance.
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2.6.1 —THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE HARARE WETLANDSAND THE VLEI S BIODIVERSITY
A wetland, often called the ‘Vlei’ is a vital part of the savannah natural ecosystem. The
Ramsar Convention cited in (Russi D, et al. 2013) in which Zimbabwe have become a
contracting party defines wetlands as:
“areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with
water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of
which at low tide does not exceed six metres” (article 1.1).
According to Birdlife Zimbabwe’s website (www.birdlifezimbabwe.com), a Vlei is an
important type of wetland typical of the Mashonaland Plateau which is low-lying, marshy wet
grassland, covered with water. Wetlands are grasslands were the water table is almost near
the surface. Such wetlands are located in most open green spaces in Harare, such as the
Marlborough Vlei, Borrowdale Vlei, Northwood Vlei, Vainona Vlei, Ashbrittle Vlei and the
Monavale Vlei, which sit in the headwaters of the Manyame and Gwebi catchment
basin(ibid.). These catchment basins are part of the wetland ecosystem, supporting a great
diversity of plant and animal life. Wetlands are also classified as “permanent shallow waters
that commonly support aquatic beds and emergent plants (erect, rooted, non-woody plants
that are mostly above water)… (Cowardin et al. 1979).”
The images above show typical wetlands. Top right shows wetlands in their most desirable state, top left shows a degraded
wetland ecosystem with wattle cranes still roaming around the area. The bottom image shows a part of the Monavale Vlei in
which people have been dumping rubbish and other degrading activities which affect the wetland biodiversity.
17
Ecosystems are a vital part of human survival as “The ‘nexus’ between water, food and
energy is one of the most fundamental relationships and challenges for society.(Russi D, et al.
2013).” It is of one most important goals in sustainable development as the United Nations
(UN) Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012 documents that “We
recognize the key role that ecosystems play in maintaining water quantity and quality and
support actions within respective national boundaries to protect and sustainably manage these
ecosystems” as D. Russi et al (2013) notes “Without wetlands, the water cycle, carbon cycle
and nutrient cycle would be significantly altered, mostly detrimentally.” The people of Harare
need to be aware of such interconnectedness and the interdependencies involved in the
wetland ecosystem. The Birdlife Zimbabwe (www.birdlifezimbabwe.com) website notes that
“Even though it may seem to be dry during the winter season and droughts, it is actually storing water
under the ground which it releases slowly into the streams and rivers – a natural
regulator….Approximately 6.5 million people rely on this invisible source for their water supply. There
is no higher place from where Harare can source its water. Many people are unaware that Lakes
Chivero and Manyame are downstream of Harare and that this lake water needs to be pumped back up
to Harare.”
Birdlife Zimbabwe (ibid) also takes note of the advantages of the wetland biodiversity to the
residents of Harare which include:
Recharging of rivers, headwaters and aquifers of the Mashonaland watershed (Headwaters and
aquifers contain 97% of the Earth’s unfrozen fresh water)
Highly effective filtration of this recharged groundwater
Are a more efficient carbon sink than forests (carbon dioxide accounts for at least 60% of the
effects of global warming).
Control of groundwater flow, which prevents river siltation and land erosion, as well as depositing
nutrients to maintain wetland biodiversity.
Flood attenuation
In as much as the Vlei ecosystem plays a vital role in providing the city of Harare with water,
the shortage of water supply has been made worse by environmental degradation. Human
activities indirectly and directly affect the wetland ecosystem; such disruptive behaviour is
created by people directly through dumping, burning and informal urban agriculture.
Indirectly it is done through deforestation, commercial and residential development, road
construction, impoundment and industrial processes like waste and dredge disposal
(www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/wetlands/wetloss.html).However, the Five Birds of
18
the Project’s workshop ‘We Used to Live Here’ focused on raising awareness to the
University of Zimbabwe’s student community about those activities that people are engaged
in at a local and residential level like rubbish dumping, burning and informal agriculture.
2.6. 2--- THE PLIGHT OF THE GREY CROWNED CRANE
The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum regulorum) is a metre tall bird species that
inhabits many of Africa’s wetlands. “It’s predominantly grey plumage contrasts sharply with
black and white wings, a crest of golden feathers sitting on top of the head, and a bright red
gular pouch that hangs from the throat (www.arkive.com).” This elegant bird used to grace
most of Harare’s wetlands twenty years ago, however, its natural habitat is under threat as
now only limited numbers can be seen in areas they once roamed. Regionally, the African
population of this bird has decline at approximately 15% (www.karkloofconservation.org.za).
The question becomes ‘will they ever call Harare’s wetlands home again?’ The Five Birds of
the Vlei project attempted to raise awareness about the plight of this endangered bird.
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Grey Crowned Crane (above)
According to Hutchinson(1957) “understanding a species’ fundamental niche and the threats
to its survival are essential aspects for the future conservation of the species.” Because the
deteriorating state of most of the Vleis and the decline of bird populations is often left
unchecked, there is need to connect the decline of bird populations with habitat deterioration.
As witnessed by Dood(1990), most wetlands are isolated and the wetland species populations
are small thus become vulnerable to extinction. “Because they are sensitive to habitat change,
birds are one of the most visible indicators of the health of the environment. Changes in bird
populations are often the first indication of environmental problems
(www.birdlifezimbabwe.com).” these birds are also important as they provide insect and
rodent control. They also provide plant pollination and seed dispersal thus their survival is of
great importance. Other than the degradation of the Grey Crowned Cranes’ of its breeding,
feeding and nesting areas; its survival has been threatened by deliberate poisoning,
irresponsible agrochemicals, insecticide and herbicide use, Power lines have also posed a
threat (www.karkloofconservation.org.za)as the birds suffer from electrocution on these
power lines and on transformer boxes when they roost. Above all, the conservation of these
birds will contribute to healthy and sustainable natural ecosystems for present and future
generations.
2.7—CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND OF WE USED TO LIVE HERE , THE FIVE BIRDS OF THE VLEI PROJECT.
The Five Birds of the Vlei project was pioneered by Onai Bikishoni, a graduate of the
Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts where she studied Theatre Design and specialised in
Theatrical costume and make-up. As part of the Five Birds of the Vlei project; the workshop
‘We Used to Live Here’; which was performed on the 17th
of April 2014 at the University of
Zimbabwe’s Beit Hall was done as a preliminary workshop for the final performances
centred on five birds (Grey Crowned Crane, Wattled Crane, Yellow Mantled Widowbird,
Diedric‘s Cuckoo and the Southern Red Bishop) that were performed on the 24th
of May
2014 at the Bird Sanctuary in Avonlea. It was performed by the second year Theatre Arts
Honours students of 2014 as part of the fulfilment of the requirements of the Design for
Dance course (HTHA0340) course lectured by Mr. K. Chikonzo. I was mainly involved as
the director and choreographer for the project.
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Onai Bikishoni engaged with two organizations ‘Imagine Avonlea’ and ‘Birdlife Zimbabwe’.
‘Imagine Avonlea’ is an organisation formed by some of the members of the Avonlea
community to clean up the rubbish dumped and prevent destruction of their local wetland
(Avonlea Vlei) which is also a bird sanctuary. ‘Bird Life Zimbabwe’ is a partner designate of
Birdlife International, a global partner supporting bird conservation. Supported by these two
organisations and collaborating with second year Honours in theatre arts students, O.
Bikishoni aimed at raising awareness to Harare residents about the vulnerable indigenous
birds inhabiting the Harare wetlands and the threatened state of these wetlands .As Bikishoni
(2014) witnessed, “People continue burning, dumping, cultivating unsuitable crops for the
soil in the wetlands, this then makes the birds uncomfortable as they can only lay their eggs
in reeds.” She held the same belief that I had in the power of dance in communicating the
plight of these endangered birds. We hoped that through dance, design and the formulation of
the applied theatre workshop that the objectives of the Five Birds of the Vlei project may be
achieved.
N.B: at this point it is crucial to note that as a director/choreographer and an applied
theatre student I chose to devise a dance based applied theatre technique centred on
only one of the five birds, which was the ‘Grey Crowned Crane’. I chose a separate
date to do the workshop ‘We used to Live Here’ which was the 17th of April 2014 were
the dance-drama piece also under the same title ‘We used to Live Here’ was performed.
The other four performances were done on the 24th
of May 2014 at the Bird Sanctuary
in Avonlea thus this dissertation is a record of the processes that led to the workshop
that happened on 17th
of April 2014 under my full responsibility. The processes that led
to the performance done on the 24th
of May 2014 at the Bird Sanctuary is not
documented in this dissertation since they were not in line with the objectives of this
research.
2.8--- CONCLUSION
This chapter managed to provide the major conceptual exertions that concretize the devising
of a dance based applied theatre technique and the applied theatre for environmental
management and wildlife conservation context. The concepts addressed in this chapter laid
the groundwork for the processes involved in the structuring of the applied dance
methodology and the creation of the dance-drama piece ‘We Used to Live Here’. It also
managed to document the context in which the case study is based on.
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CHAPTER THREE
TOWARDS STRUCTURING AN APPLIED DANCE METHODOLGY
3.1--- INTRODUCTION
This chapter is a descriptive and reflexive documentation of the processes that transpired in
the structuring and rehearsals for the workshop ‘We Used to live Here’. Crucial to any
applied theatre project is the technique used to bridge the gap forming effective channels of
communication (Chinyowa, 2005) between the performers and the spectators. Therefore the
devising of the Applied Dance Technique {A.D.T} is discussed in this chapter paying
particular attention to various aspects of the methodology and the choreographic processes.
Basing on the information gathered in Chapter 2 about the context which the conservation of
the Grey Crowned Crane and the wetlands is based; the processes of script and scenario
development are described highlighting the specific themes related to the context. A semiotic
analysis of the dance drama piece is given treating movement as ‘symbolic patterning’ (Hall,
1969) where the dances will be analysed in terms of the themes they portray. The embodied
somatic impulse as a focus on the dancer’s body is also investigated in relation to some of the
rehearsal processes that occurred. The chapter ends with a record of the general perspectives
of the performers and the practitioner on the Applied Dance Technique {A.D.T} and the
project in general.
3.1.2—SCOPE OF REHEARSALS
It is important to note that the rehearsal process happened within three weeks, for exactly 12
days between the months of March and April 2014. The rehearsals were done were everyone
involved was free and they did not exceed twelve days due to the limited time that was
available to plan the final workshops and write this dissertation. It is also important to note
that not all the processes that transpired in the rehearsals have been written in this research
due to limited space. The processes documented in this research were selected in accordance to their
relevance to the objectives of the study.
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3.2.2--- DEVELOPMENT OF THE DANCE BASED COMMUNICATION
TECHNIQUE- BIRDLIFE CONSERVATION AND WETLAND MANAGEMENT
A. THE APPLIED DANCE TECHNIQUE {A.D.T}
The story “We Used to Live” will be used in the applied theatre technique called the Applied
Dance Technique {A.D.T}. In this technique the dance drama piece is performed twice. In
the first performance, the performance will go on without any pauses in order for the
audience to spectate the story. In the second performance, the dance drama is divided into
segments consisting of a combination of movements and gestures. These segments will be
used to give the audience room to discuss the content of the dance drama piece. In this stage
the audience will describe with the guidance of the facilitator how they interpreted the story
and what they learned from the specific segment of the dance-drama piece. The Facilitator
will then ask the dancers to tell the audience what were the intended visual messages in the
specified segments that were performed. The intended meaning will then be discussed in
contrast with the interpreted meaning. This is an attempt to critically engage the audience and
provoking them to participate in the meaning making process. After all the segments have
been performed and discussed, the facilitator will then lead the post-performance discussion
this is where critical issues concerning the problematic situation will be discussed.
The development of such a workshop methodology has been inspired by the techniques of image
theatre, forum theatre and playback theatre respectively. I visualized the Applied Dance Technique
{A.D.T}, with some of these practises in mind. The major tenets of the Applied Dance Technique
{A.D.T} can be summed up by the following points or stages:
The entrance process for the performers should be in the form of dance and song or
dance accompanied by a live musical background, this would not only captive the
audience’s attention but would also get them ready to enter into a liminal space
(Turner, 1967) - a state of intensity were the individual inhabits a space of social
equilibrium where meaning is negotiated. The workshop becomes a negotiation
process were participants adopt new ideologies discarding or mitigating the old ones.
The dancers introduce themselves through dance, in this particular workshop we
spiced up the ‘name and gesture’ game calling it the ‘name and dance’ game whereby
a dancer moves in front of the audience and introduces him or herself with an
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individualized dance, the other dancers will support the dancer introducing himself by
rhythmically calling his name and mimicking his dance.
After the entrance process, both the performers and the participants (spectators) may
engage in warm up and games. In the Applied Dance Technique {A.D.T}, the most
favourable types of games are those that involve dance or any form of bodily
expression. In this particular workshop the participants engaged in to games which
accompany dance and song Ngati Bhaunsee Bhaunsee and Shiri Yakanaka. The
games will be discussed in the following section.
Following the warm up and games would be the section whereby the facilitator briefly
introduces the workshop’s objectives and also introduces the nature of the
problematic situation to the participants.
The dance-drama piece should be performed twice; the initial performance should
progress uninterrupted. In the second performance the dance drama piece would be
divided into specific segments or scenarios were a progression of movements and
gestures would be performed ending with a still image. These segments will be the
source of discussion for the spectators.
The facilitator should guide the discussion of the segments; the audience’s
interpretation of the deconstructed material should be noted. The interpretations
should be discussed in light of the intended messages given by the dancers {they will
tell the audience what they intended to show in the segments}.
The facilitator will then lead the post-performance discussions were critical issues
about the problematic situation should be discussed. It is crucial to note that the
facilitator should facilitate the discussion in a dialectical manner meaning that the
facilitator should not make didactic conclusions for the participants but lead them in a
discussion where the participants synthesize the information and arrive at their own
conclusions.
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The workshop structure is as follows:
WORKSHOP PLAN: FINAL PROJECT
DATE: 17 APRIL 2014 VENUE: BEIT HALL
ACTIVITY: FIVE BIRDS OF THE VLEI PROJECT WORKSHOP- We Used To Live Here
TIME: 2:00 – 4:00 PM
PRESENTERS: Facilitator- Phyllis Tambandini ___Dancers_- Isheanesu Dzvairo, Natalie Chipara,
Darius Grey, Sithabile Maziva, Alouis Mangwende, Shelby Ncube, Farirai Borerwe, Stella Chimunda
and Vongai Maziva.
AIM: TO SHOW THE STORY OF THE GREY CROWNED CRANE AND TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF
COSERVING THE HARARE WETLANDS AS IT IS THE BIRDS’ HABITAT
AGE GROUP: 16- 35
TARGERT GROUPS: UZ STUDENT COMMUNITY
TIME/DURATION: 1 HOUR
BY THE END OF THE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS SHOULD KNOW:
About the life of the Grey Crowned Crane, how it survives.
About the Harare wetland environment and why it should be preserved as a habitat for the Grey Crowned Crane.
Be informed on how humans become oppressors in this situation, in what ways do humans endanger the Grey Crowned
Crane and its habitat.
Possible solutions to the problems posed in the situation.
UNITS:
Warm up- ten minutes (for the dancers only-In this activity body exercises like stretching, flexibility exploration and
anaerobic exercise)
Entrance process- Mbakumba dance, name and gesture ( done by the dancers only with help of music)
Warm up and games- ten minutes (for the participants)- 1) Ngati Bhaunsee Bhaunsee 2) Shiri Yakanaka game
Storytelling- forty five minutes
Discussion of the story
METHODOLOGY:
First activity: game- Entrance Process :Mbakumba Dance & NAME AND GESTURE
Objectives- to make the audience members comfortable with the performers and to introduce each and every performer
in the workshop in a dramatic way. The entrance process, the music should play whilst the dancers introduce themselves.
The actors will enter with rhythm and dance then they will proceed to do the name and gesture. The name and gesture
exercise introduces the dancers to the audience, after this the facilitator takes over and she will introduce the project
coordinators to the audience.
Second activity: 1) Ngati Bhaunsee Bhaunsee 2) Shiri Yakanaka game- a brief section of warm up
Learning objectives- to aid students to get in the mood for participatory learning, relaxation of muscles, and tautness,
also to boost focus and attentiveness.
Third activity: The dance-drama piece “We Used to Live Here’ will be performed theatrically by the dancers without any distractions.
Fourth activity: In this second performance of “We Used to Live Here”, the dance drama is divided into segments consisting of a combination of movements and gestures. These segments will be used to give the audience room to discuss the content of the
dance drama piece. In this stage the audience will describe how they interpreted the story and what they learned from the dance-
drama piece.
Fifth activity: post-performance discussions
NOTES ON WORKSHOP PLAN
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The Entrance Process
We agreed that the entrance process should be initiated with the Zimbabwean traditional
dance called Mbakumba. The reason for the workshop to be initiated with a dance is to create
some form of exposition to audience, introducing them to the nature of the workshop, which
is dance dominated. Since first impressions have an impact to the participants, they will be
induced to think that dance is basic art form in the workshop. Furthermore it will also help
connect the five senses of the spectator to the performance “engendering an atmosphere of
fun and creativity (S. Macdonald and D. Rachel, 2000; p.2)”. With their senses captivated as
they enjoy the dance from the performer, as Enekwe (1991, p.14) observes “dance increases
the concentration of the audience on the performer. By gathering cosmic energy dance creates
a channel of transition" thus as the workshop becomes alive it naturally sets the mark which
gets everyone ready for the presentation.
Name and Dance
After the Mbakumba dance, the dancers introduce themselves to the spectators through the
‘name and dance’ game. I adopted this exercise from the Boal’s ‘name and gesture’ in which
an individual introduces his/her name to others accompanied by gesture which the whole
group will repeat after he does it. In the same manner, the ‘name and dance’ game entails that
the dancers stand in front of the spectators introduce themselves one by one accompanied by
a short personalised dance which the others will repeat shouting the name rhythmically. For
example, one of the dancers stands in the front and says to audience “Good Afternoon, My
name is Farie”, as he introduces himself he starts dancing, the other dancers imitate his dance
rhythmically shouting “Farie, Farie, Farie…” After Farie comes another dancer who and
stands in front introduces herself as “Stella” while dancing, the others join imitating the
dance at the same time shouting her name. The process continues until all the performers
introduce themselves. This exercise does not only introduce the performers to the participants
but it also releases inner tensions which are one of the conundrums of an applied theatre
workshop in its initial stages. Basing on our experiences in the rehearsals, there was a
possibility for the exercise to be fun and exciting this will release the inner tensions in the
mind of the participant as they enter into a liminal space of social equilibrium with the
performers (Turner, 1967).
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Games and exercises - Ngati Bhaunsee Bhaunsee
When the performers finish introducing themselves, the facilitator will then tell the
participants to gather into a circle. One of the dancers will lead in the game ‘Ngati Bhaunsee
Bhaunsee’. It is an exercise that accompanies dance and song; the lyrics of the song are as
follows:
Ngati bhaunsee bhaunseee, Ngati bhaunsee bhaunseee (lets bounce bounce x2)
Bhaunsee (bounce)
In this exercise, the participants will be dancing and bouncing rhythmically as they sing the
song and clap their hands. This will help them get in the mood for participatory learning,
relaxation of muscles, and reduction of tautness thereby boosting focus and attentiveness.
Shiri Yakanaka
Still gathering in the circle, the participants will be engaged in another exercise. The second exercise
is also a dance and song activity called Shiri Yakanaka (beautiful bird). In this activity, one of the
dancers will be positioned in the centre of the circle and leads the song Shiri Yakanaka; he then picks
participants randomly to join him dancing on the centre of the circle singing “uya uya titambe” (come,
please come and let us dance). The lyrics of the song are as follows:
[Human]-Shiri yakanaka unoendepi? (Dear beautiful bird where are you going?)
Uya uya titambe (come, please come and let us dance)
[Bird replies] Ndiri kuenda kumakore, kuti ndifanane nemakore (I am flying to the
clouds, so that I become like the clouds)
[Human]Shiri yakanaka yakanaka, Shiri yakanaka yakanaka x2 (beautiful, beautiful
bird)
Uya uya titambe, Uya uya titambe (come, please come and let us dance)
‘Shiri Yakanaka’ is a local song that little children sing while they play. I remember when I
was young we used to sing this song and dance whenever we saw birds. We wanted to play
with the birds but they always flew away if someone gets to close. The song expresses the
need for a harmonious relationship between humans and the birds; it thus encourages children
not to kill birds, which is the basic aim of birdlife conservation. Through this activity my
hope was for those childhood memories of this game to be revived in the minds of the
students, once again reminding them that birds are beautiful creatures which need to be
conserved. At this point, one can observe that this activity introduces the participants to the
problematic situation addressed in the workshop which is the plight of the Grey Crowned
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Crane. The activity also helped the participants get in the mood for participatory learning,
bringing them from a personal-marginalized container into a collective container were
everyone is comfortable with each other. The dances in the activity also helped in the
relaxation of muscles and reduction of tautness thereby boosting focus and attentiveness.
B. THE CHOREOGRAPHIC CONCEPT
“We Used to Live Here” was a literal dance piece, also called narrative dance, dance-drama
or dance theatre. The main form of dance was a fusion of contemporary dance with hip hop
styles with some movement motifs derived from the Zimbabwean Dinhe traditional dance. It
is crucial to note that the dance styles will depended on the content of the story, major focus
is on bodily expression rather than articulation of dance styles. Thus the body and the story
determined movement styles. The music was in the form of an instrumental hip hop beat
fused with the African drum from a soundtrack in the movie ‘The Lion King’. I wanted the
music to be as closer to home as possible, at the same time the rhythmic changes in tempo of
the beat also appealed to the mood values embedded in the story.
The main idea behind the story “We Used to Live Here” is to try to replace dialogue by dance
and bodily expression. Emphasis was taken on how the body can communicate the plight of
the Grey Crowned Crane through mimetic dance drama in the narrative style. The dance
becomes a literal dance piece. The movement phrases were chosen basing on their mimetic
potential and communicative effect. For instance in the scenario were the birds engage in a
mating dance, the movement motifs were chosen for their communicative effect with the
major question at the end of day being “are these moves able to communicate the mating
dance?”.
C. THE CHOREOGRAPHIC APPROACHES
As a choreographer, I basically used three choreographic approaches which were essential in
the creation of the dance drama piece ‘We Used to Live Here’. Given that I had the concept
in mind, the dancers’ body and music as tools of creation, these approaches are worth
mentioning.
This first approach is called the ‘concept and theme approach’ which “…provides the
choreographer the opportunity to create for the concept or theme of a particular scene or
situation where the dance is to take place within a dramatic piece. The approach comes into
use when the script is not prescriptive of particular movements to be used (F. Akinsipe 2000;
p.9). ” In this approach; I took into cognizance the choreographic concept and the thematic
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concerns that were raised in the production script for the dance-drama piece. The literal
content of the script should be converted to visual content by the choreographer/director as
the literal content is not prescriptive of the particular dance motifs. For instance; using the
script which highlighted the theme of human degradation and invasion of the wetland
territory, I created dance movements that communicate degradation. These movements were
then synchronised with the rhythm of the beat as per the concept of the production.
The second approach is called the ‘mood approach’ (Ugolo 1998; p.7); in this approach
attention is paid to the emotional content and moods of the story. It entails “… the breaking
down of the story or situation into sequences and identifying the different moods (ibid.)”. The
moods will then be developed into dance movements with facial expressions being central to
the enactment of the movements. The mood value will determine the willpower and the
intensity of the movements for the dancer. For instance, having divided the story into
scenarios which will be discussed in the following section, each scenario had a specific
mood. When the Grey Crowned Cranes are ‘happily’ roaming around their habitat, the
dancers’ facial expressions and their willpower that informs the energy the used in their
movements was supposed to show a harmonious happy mood.
Finally, there is the ‘rhythmic/instrumental approach’ which is the most common approach to
the practise of choreography. This approach is concerned with the rhythm and tempo of the
musical beat. “The choreographer identifies the rhythm of a song/instrumentation through
meter and he develops movements to suit the rhythmic beats … (Ugolo 1998; p.7).”
However, in a dance drama piece, in order for this approach to be effective the other two
approaches should have been amassed in the choreographic process. The
‘rhythmic/instrumental approach’ then becomes the last approach that creates uniform,
smooth and rhythmic progression of movements in synchronisation with the music. This
approach was particularly useful in the scenario were the humans enter the wetland, the beat
changes tempo in a dramatic way with varying rhythms. This dramatic tempo highlights the
change of mood for the birds which fly away at the sight of humans and also sets the mood
for the humans as they enter the wetlands.
It is important to note that these approaches assisted me as the choreographer derive the
communicative indices that help the dancers to visually display the plight if the Grey
Crowned Crane. Through the visual treatment and indication of the concept, moods, themes
and the rhythm of the dance drama piece the movements are able to communicate.
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3.3--- THE PLIGHT OF THE GREY CROWNED CRANE AND THE WETLAND
BIODIVERSITY- The Dance Drama Piece We Used To Live Here
3.3.1--- SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT
The script for the dance-drama ‘We Used to Live Here’ was developed in light of the data
gathered about the problematic situation. The data presented in the last chapter about the
wetland ecosystem and the plight of the Grey Crowned Crane was the source of creation to
the story. I discussed with Onai Bikishoni what she basically wanted to be highlight in the
dance drama piece. She noted that the story should show that the Grey Crowned Crane used
to frequent the Harare Vleis, it should also display that their natural habitat is under threat.
Also crucial to the dance drama piece as Onai suggested was the grey crowned crane’s
instincts, behaviour and mannerism, which were to be shown in the initial stages of the story.
I then visualized the story with male and female birds, showing their basic instincts through
dance. The following is what the production script looked like:
“We Used to Live Here”
The story of the ‘Grey Crowned Crane’ depicts its harmonious relationship
with its habitat, ‘The Vlei’. The male birds show their majestic prowess to
their female counterparts as they get the ready to mate (it is their breeding
season). The two male birds leave the females in the nests protecting eggs as
they meet to display their might showing that they are in charge of their
territory. While the male birds fly in search for food; humans enter the Vlei
.this alarms the female birds that flee to the male birds to notify them of the
possible danger that faces their habitat. However there is not much that the
birds can do as the human have invaded the territory. Some of the humans
destroy the nests and take the eggs; others engage in disruptive activities
like informal agriculture and rubbish dumping. The humans; now satisfied
with their day’s work leave the wetland in a degraded state. The birds notice
the humans are gone, however they see that their habitat has been destroyed.
The birds are confused; they roam in search for the better parts of the
wetland that have not been affected by the degradation. Will these glorious
creatures ever call the Vlei home again?
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It is crucial to note that the story had to be ‘danceable’ meaning to say that the literal content
had to be converted to dance movements. Thus the script was prescriptive in nature; it
basically provided the framework for the chronology of movements in the literal dance piece.
In this narrative, conflict is shown between the humans and the birds as their interests
towards the wetland clashed. The themes in the story were the source of the scenario building
which are discussed in the following section.
3.3.2 --- THE CAST AND CHARACTERS INVOLVED IN WE USED TO LIVE HERE
There were basically two groups of characters involved in story ‘We Used to Live Here’, the birds and the humans. They were four dancers representing the birds and five dancers
represented the humans.
CHARACTERS INVOLVED
THE MALE BIRDS- Darius Grey and Alouis Mangwende
THE FEMALE BIRDS- Stella Chimunda and Vongai Mavhunga
HUMANS- Isheanesu Dzvairo, Sithabile Maziva , Natalie Chipara, Farirai Borerwe
The dancers that I worked with are not professional dancers but they are dance students and
have a background in applied theatre, thus through their participation in this project it was
hoped they acquired basic knowledge about the project that they participated in. Furthermore,
it was assumed that the participants answered truthfully to the interviewed questions based on
their involvement in the project.
3.3.3--- SCENARIO BUILDING AND THE THEMATIC CONCERNS
I divided the story into five scenarios, each scenario presenting different thematic concerns
and emotional states. The story progresses to a state where the birds show that they used to
live in the degraded wetland. The scenarios are as follows:
Scenario 1- this first scenario is the exposition for the story, it introduces the nature
of the Grey Crowned Crane. The grey crowned crane’s instincts, behaviour and
mannerism are the crucial concerns in this scenario. The two male birds roam their
habitats with grace showing that they own the space they in habitat.
Scenario 2- The second scenario concerns the breeding of the birds and the
harmonious relationship between the grey crowned crane and their habitat. Two sets
of couples do mating dances. Their happiness about the peaceful status quo is also
shown in this scenario.
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Scenario 3- The male birds leave the female birds in protection of the eggs in the
nests while they go in search for food. They meet and show their majestic prowess
and might.
Scenario 4- The humans enter the wetlands, alarming the female birds which flee
from the spot. This scenario displays the human degradation of the wetland. Thus
humans engage in activities that disrupts the wetland ecosystem. They leave the
wetland in a dilapidated state.
Scenario 5- This scenario shows the confused state of the birds as they find out that
their habitat has been destroyed. The nests and are the eggs are nowhere to be found;
in their despair and confusion the birds roam in search for the better parts of the
wetland that have not been affected by the degradation.
3.3.4 --- SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS- THE SEMANTIC S AND SYNTATICS OF We Used To Live Here
Each of the dance phrases that were created have connotations of implied meaning, a
semiotic study of the dance drama entails treating the movements as a set symbolic
conventions. As noted by Hagendoorn (2010; p.223) “…some movements have a symbolic
meaning and that the dance itself can be either abstract or representational in which case the
dance conveys a story…” Meaning is then embedded in the dance variations and the dance
phrases in the choreography. A semiotic analysis in this context becomes philosophical study
of how meaning was produced. Two of the broad branches of semiotics, semantics and
syntactics can be the basis of study of the dances, the dancers and how they relate to the story
‘We used to live here’. The syntactics of the dance drama concerns the relationship between
the symbolic movements of one dancer and the symbolic movements of another dancer [signs
and signs]. Semantics of the dance drama becomes the relationship between the symbolic
movements and the dancer’s body [signs and objects]. In other words, the following section is
an analysis of how the dance movements relate to the thematic concerns (syntactics) and how
the dancers manage to use their bodies to communicate these thematic concerns (semantics).
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A) THE ENTRANCE- GREY CROWNED CRANE’S INSTINCTS, BEHAVIOUR AND
MANNERISM
This scenario’s exposition relates to the dancer’s attempt to display the Grey Crowned
Crane’s mannerism. The dancers playing the roles of the birds became iconic representations
of the grey crowned crane; therefore they mainly relied on ‘iconic gestures’. Iconic signs are
those signs which strongly resemble that which it represents; it is a copy of the original. The
Grey Crowned Crane stands at over a metre tall, the bird is always extroverted unless if it is
breeding and it is also very tame when it is not disturbed (www.arkive.com). As shown in
the image above; the dancers managed to display its stature by protruding the chest and
slightly bending their knees with arms outstretched. One of the dancers; Alouis Mangwende
even said “being a human the only thing I can do is to try represent the bird through its
mannerism, but the easiest movement that closely resembles birds is flapping the arms as
they are outstretched.” However the outstretched arms were not enough to represent the
bird’s mannerism so I added a slow and exaggerated step to how they walked on the space,
this could help depict the grey crowned crane’s tame nature. Sharp angular head movements
were also added to the movements since birds move their heads in sharp angles. Through the
dancers moving around the space, it was hoped that the spatial relationships could
communicate the birds’ dominance over the wetland territory.
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B) THE MATING DANCE: LIVING HARMONIOUSLY AND PEACEFULLY IN TH E
VLEI
The arkive websites (www.arkive.com) also notes that the birds often perform dancing
displays in pairs or groups around Vleis. Thus the two sets of couples tried to portray the
birds’ mating dance by doing relational movements that were developed through contact
improvisation. Blanariu (2013; p.2) argues that “Although conventionalized, the structures of
the dance symbolic retain the evoking potential and the motivated character of the index and
icon”. Thus the mating dances became indexical signs which point out that breeding was
about to happen. The mating season for the Grey Crowned Cranes in Zimbabwe is normally
from November to May in Zimbabwe (ibid) it is also noted that both sexes watch over the
eggs which are normally two or three. To show that it was the mating season; the female bird
crouched as if they were covering eggs just after the mating dances. Their happiness about
the peaceful status quo was shown through their facial expressions.
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C) THE MALE BIRDS ’ MAJESTIC PROWESS
In this scenario , the dancers attempted to show the birds’ pride in their territiory ‘the
wetland’. As the male birds leave the female birds in custody of the eggs; they meet and show
each other their might. Thus the dancers relied more on ‘attitudinal gestures’ which showed
the extroverted attitude of the Grey Crowned Crane. Thus very vibrant movements were
added to show the demonstration of might and prowess. The pulsating movements the
dancers mirroring each other’s movements and constatnly exchanging space. Through
oculesic codes of eye contact their relationship is established. The movements included a
35
phrase in which the birds showed off their flying abilities to each other before they fly off
together in search for food {as seen in the above images}.
D) THE HUMAN INVASION- DISRUPTION OF THE WETLAND ECOSYSTEM.
The dancers playing the human characters did not face much complication since they are
humans. However their biggest hurdle was in trying to represent those disruptive activities
that humans engage since there were no props or sets to suggest they were in wetlands. Thus
their actions, particularly their entrance had to suggest that they entering an isolated
environment. When they entered the space; dance motifs showing the dumping, burning and
informal urban agriculture that human engage in which disrupts the wetland ecosystem had to
be deviced. Thus the movements became conventional movements with symbolic functions;
through the mimetic nature of movements it was hoped that the audience members would
grasp what the dancers were trying to communicate. Symbolic sings stand for something or
suggest something by reason of relationship and convention, they might not have any
resemblance anything. As shown in the second image above ; the dancers had to imagine
they are hold agriculture tools to show the disruptive activities that degrade the wetlands. In
the first image; the kinesthetic imagery was more attitudinal to show that the humans are
entering the birds’ territory causing the alarmed birds to fly away.
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E) THE CONFUSED BIRDS- WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR HABITAT?
The last scenario is more concerned with the birds’ reaction to degraded state of their habitat.
The emotional states aimed at showing despair and confusion thus as a choreographer I
emphasized the dancers’ facial expressions to communicate these inner states. Also to show
the confusion, I opted that the dancers should move haphazardly around the space in a
confused manner as shown in the above image. There is not much that these birds can do in
face of danger from humans their natural instinct is to flee when facing possible threats. The
only thing they can do is migrate to better environments which are conducive for their
lifestyles.
Collectively, the greater challenge came on the part of internalizing the movement in order to
create emotional states and moods. Even though we managed to create kinesthetic imagery
which had a primary communicative attempt, the dancers faced challenges in trying to
connect their emotions with the kinetic nature of their movements. For instance, Farirai and
Shelby were facing a challenge in trying to engage their emotions in one particular movement
sequence which required rhythmic repetition of a series of jumps while at the same time
waving their hands in manner that resemble the ‘chasing away of the birds’. This movement
sequence had a fast tempo which caused an adrenalin rush of excitement from the dancers
whereas Farirai and Shelby were supposed to look serious while ‘chasing away the birds’.
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3.4--- UNDERSTANDING THE EMBODIED SOMATIC IMPULSE:
As discussed earlier in chapter two, the body has a systematic way of acquiring, delineating
and synthesizing information; this is expressed visually through the aid of the somatic
impulse. In the initial stages of the rehearsals we embarked in activities that explored the
‘dancing body’. These exercises were aimed at understanding the somatic impulse in relation
to the concept of embodied cognition as discussed in chapter 2. How the mind processes
information into dances was crucial to some of the exercises especially those to do with
improvisation and spontaneity. It is important to note that the following section does not
document the rehearsals in their chronological order of occurrence but I selected particular
exercises to discuss the processes as they occurred.
3.4 .1 ----THE PERFORMER S BODY -THE REHEARSAL PROCESSES.
A. THE BODY – IMPROVISATION AND SPONTANEITY
The dancers took part in an improvisation exercise under my command; key to this exercise
was the investigation of the dancer’s spontaneity in process. In this exercise I told the dancers
to move around the space following my command if I told them to run, walk slow or pause
they did as I say. This practise was inspired by Hagendoorn (2002, p.4) who states that
“dancers need a motivation to go from A to B and to do one thing rather another” thus I
needed the dancer motive their creative facets through the random energy use. Whilst they
were moving around the space, I would tell them to dance to show a specific emotional state
or mood in that instant moment I told them to do so. I chose to make the dancers express
emotional states because” … primary emotionality [firstness], related to the category of pre-
conscious or unconscious feeling, can be exteriorized by way of spontaneous, [quasi-
]involuntary gestures [secondness or factual action]. (Blanariu 2013; p.2)” For instance, in
the first image below, I had commanded the dancers to “dance showing that you are happy!”
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In the second image I had commanded the dancers to “dance showing that you are sad!” As I
observed during this exercise, improvisation is an immediate and animate practice which
requires the dancer to use his inner artistic, physical and socio-cultural capacities as the body
also considers its limitations. Boal, (2006, p.69) regards improvisation as “instantaneous
creation”, thus it is the body’s reactive ability to synthesize information use and use
expressive means to respond to the stimuli. Dance improvisation in its pure form “… fuses
creation with execution… movement without pre-planning… emerges as an inner-directed
movement response to an image or idea, or a sensory stimulus (Blom and Chaplin 1989; p.6).
Interestingly the dancers’ responses had similarities and differences, when asked why they
expressed the emotional states in the way they did; Alouis answered “that’s the way I grew
up expressing those emotions, even though it is quite a new experience to express them
through dance.” Thus one can observe that response are informed by the socio-cultural codes
that are embodied in the dancer, these codes become the communicative indices that the
dancing body utilises in a dance drama performance.
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B. KINESTHETIC IMAGERY AND EMBODIED COGNITION
Kinesthetic imagery entails the treatment of movements as a series of pictures unfolding to
tell a story (Hagendoorn, 2010). Gestures are the primitive forms in kinesthetic imagery.
Informed by this maxim, the dancers embarked on an exercise in which I told them to craft
short scenarios were conflicting situations are addressed through dance culminating to a still
image without any verbalizations or acting. The first group consisting of Isheanesu, Natalie
and Vongai performed a short scenario which showed a girl who gets robbed by two ladies
just after walking out of an elevator. Two of the dancers in this group became symbolic
representatives of the elevator and later transform to represent the robbers. The dancers’
bodies were possibly cognitively informed through is embodied cognition which allows a ‘set
of rule-based transformations’ (Anderson, 2003; p.93) as seen when they changed roles
from symbolizing the elevator to symbolizing robbers. The other dancers who were watching
the scenario could get the symbolic meaning behind the movements. Another group which
consisted of Stella, Alouis and Farirai performed an interestingly in which two boys were
fighting for a girl; the movements culminated to a point where the girl stops the fight. It was a
clear form of non-verbal communication informed by the dancers’ socio-cultural experiences
that they witnessed growing up. Blanariu (2013) mentions that dance derive its symbolic
features from socio-cultural codes. These socio-cultural codes are embodied in the dancer,
and they only become visible when the body tries to communicate. In the same light the
viewer also visually decode these codes, and through their experience they may get the idea
on what the dancers were trying to express.
40
C. BODILY EXPRESSION- (FREESTYLE SESSIONS)
I also explored the dancers’ individual expressive qualities by holding short freestyle sessions in which they were supposed to dance a song of their choice. Through watching the dancers’ freestyles and asking them about their backgrounds one can observe that socio-cultural codes
also have an impact on how an individual expresses themselves through dance. For instance,
Isheanesu said “As I grew up I always believed that even though I am big I can do anything I set myself to do”. With this in my mind I could observe through Isheanesu’s freestyle the she was trying to say “I am big, so what! I can dance”. Thus the body through dance can
41
communicate particular messages that are decoded through our kinesthetic sense, which
informs the viewer’s visual perception of the dancer’s movements. Without disregarding creativity and flexibility, socio-cultural experiences which are embodied in the dancer can
also influence a dancer’s expressive qualities.
D. THE SOMATIC IMPULSE AND THE CHOREOGRAPHIC PROCESS
In one particular rehearsal I told the dancers to improvise some movements which relate the
characters they are playing in the dance drama piece ‘We Used Live to Here’. For instance,
using their own creative input the dancers representing the male birds create a dance phrase
were they move forwards lowering their bodies at the same time stretching their arms to
represent the wings as shown in the above image. This dance phrase was created after I asked
the dancers “if you were a bird, how would you dance?”, thus it can be argued that their
somatic impulse which assisted the body in their imitation of a bird was derived from the
visual memory that the dancers had of the natural instincts of a bird. Therefore as I was
choreographing the dance drama piece I kept on refreshing their visual memories by asking
them questions that help them grasp what each movement was trying to communicate. These
questions motivated their movements.
42
3.5--- Conclusion
This chapter managed to give an reflective, explorative and semiotic analysis of the major
processes that led to the creation of the Applied Dance Technique and the dance drama piece
‘We Used to Live Here’ respectively. The first section explored and discussed the devising of
the applied theatre technique and also discussed the choreographic approaches that are crucial
aspects of the methodology which were essential in the choreographic process that created
the dance drama piece. The second section managed to give a semiotic account of how the
dancers and the movement phrases attempted to communicate the literal content and the
thematic concerns in the story ‘We Used to Live Here’. The process uplifted my hope as the
movements had ‘potential meaning’, the creative outcomes were pleasing since we managed
to create movements that imitate the birds and signify human degradation regardless of the
challenges we faced. The outcome of such attempts is in the confines of the following chapter
which analyses the final workshop. The last section of this chapter studied the embodied
somatic impulse in light of the rehearsal processes, which is crucial in understanding how the
‘dancing body’ communicates. I derived one interesting insight from this enquiry, dancers are
not aware of the processes that give them their impulse, the bodied is a sufficient motor
processor of information.
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CHAPTER FOUR
APPLIED DANCE IN PRACTISE – A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE
FINAL WORKSHOP We Used to Live Here
This chapter gives a retrospective analysis of the Five Birds of the Vlei project’s workshop
“We Used to live Here” which happened on the 17th of April 2014 at the Beit Hall which is
located in University of Zimbabwe’s premises. It looks at how the University of Zimbabwe’s
student community received the workshop as a whole by giving a critical analysis of how the
audience decoded the dance-drama piece ‘We Used to Live Here’ and the dynamics of
participation during the workshop. In as much as the workshop attempted to raise awareness
to the students about the plight of Grey Crowned Crane it also attempted to prompt responses
from the audience members. Therefore critical issues that were raised about Birdlife
conservation and wetland management in the workshop are discussed in this chapter. Other
than my personal observations; the analysis has been concretized by reviewing the detail
gathered in the questionnaires and from the interviews that I carried out after the events. The
last section is based on the comments raised by the audience members, facilitator and the
performers about the nature of the Applied Theatre Technique.
4.1.2 --- NOTE ON THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS
At this point it is important to make specific facts about the type of audience that attended
this workshop. Broadly, the university student community attended this workshop and to the
best of my knowledge the following points need to be raised concerning the audience
members that attended the workshop:
The majority of the students who attended this workshop study theatre arts either at
honours degree level or as part of their courses in the B.A general degree. Thus most
of them have attended applied theatre workshops before so they were very conscious
about the general nature of applied theatre workshop which influenced their ‘horizon
of expectations’. However, they were also students from other faculties that attended
the workshop with some from social studies and geography studies. These students
also had their own ‘horizon of expectation’ since they wanted to witness a workshop
concerning endangered birds.
Demographically I roughly estimate that 65 per cent of the audience members were
females which I assume had an effect on the nature of the workshop. The students
44
belong to the youthful age group of 18 to 28 years thus the hip hop contemporary
genre was a popular cultural text that they could relate to.
Being university students they are critically engaged when presented with problematic
situations that need to be discussed.
It was the first time a dance based applied theatre workshop was held at the Beit Hall.
The student community were used to attending image theatre, playback theatre and
forum theatre workshops together theatre performances. Having noted that the
majority of the students were studying theatre arts, it was then at my advantage as
they provided the framework of test the hypothesis of the Applied Dance Technique
{ADT} basing on their knowledge and experience of applied theatre workshops.
4.2--- PRAGMATICS: THE DECODING OF THE DANCE DRAMA PIECE.
In chapter three, the semantic and syntactic study of the dance drama piece was carried out.
In this section, the pragmatics of the dance drama piece are discussed. Pragmatics is a branch
in semiotics concerned with the relationship between the symbol and the reader; in other
words it concerns the viewer’s interpretation of the performance text (www.filmpha.org). The
performance text in this research was the dance drama piece ‘We Used to live here’; hence
the spectators’ responses are crucial in this pragmatic study. The following survey is based on
the viewers’ responses taken from the questionnaires they filled.
Central to the pragmatic study, are the following three questions which were part of the
enquiries in the questionnaire form (arranged in no particular order):
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE DANCE PIECE?
2. DID THE DANCE PIECE MANAGED TO COMMUNICATE SOMETHING TO YOU
5. DID YOU FAIL TO UNDERSTAND ANY PART OF THE DANCE PIECE? IF SO
EXPLAIN…
The following details are the some of the viewers’ responses to the questions, my deductions from the answers are also given below:
1. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE DANCE PIECE?
Anonymous: “interesting and informative”
Anonymous: “a good blend of music and dance”
45
Misheck Mabika: “it was captivating, educative and too practical. It was well crafted and the moves were a bit too easy to identify and relate to.”
Gideon Wabvuta: “quite revelatory”
Lisa: “it was great, I loved the choice of your sound and the movements that could clearly show the birds’ life and how the humans came and interfered. However I think it lacked the part on how it is affecting the people and why we should protect the environment and the birds as well. So your piece
should have shown the importance the land….”
DEDUCTION: The greater part of the student community managed to interpret the intended
message behind the dance drama piece. Most of them commented that the dance was
educative, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary (www.merriam-webster.com) to
educate is “to give (someone) information about something” another way of saying to raise
awareness about something. Thus it can be inferred that the intentionality of the dance drama
piece was addressed. On the other hand, some of the viewers managed to indicate gaps that
created voids in the dance drama piece. For some viewers like Lisa; they felt that they should
been informed more about the importance of the wetlands through the dance piece. On an
aesthetic note, the dancers managed to synchronise their movements smoothly with the music
to an extent that the rhythm created accentuated the audience’s engagement especially on the
transition which were clearly articulated. However, the dancers lacked confidence in what
they were doing at some stages of the dance as observed by one of the viewers. This was due
to lack of ample time for preparation on their part since they only prepared for the workshop
in an hour, we were supposed to meet at 12:00 am but the dancers had a lecture during that
time so we ended up meeting at 1:00 pm which is the lunch hour. In my opinion the limited
time for rehearsal affected the performers’ confidence levels.
2. DID THE DANCE PIECE MANAGE TO COMMUNICATE SOMETHING TO YOU
Mauline Chitongo: “yes it did, at some points especially on the birds’ side than the people who were destroying, some of the messages I got them from the discussions”
Cosmas: “yes, they were trying to portray how the destruction of land has affected the breeding of the
birds…”
Lisa: “yes it did, I could see the difference between humans and the birds and how it was affecting them. But I think you left out the part on how or what benefit the land and the birds has to the people.
Rather than Phyllis {the facilitator} telling us you could have shown it in your dance piece”
Gideon Wabvuta: “yes it did, the plight of the birds was highlighted”
46
Naison: “yes, the use of hands shows that they are imitating a bird. At first they are enjoying their
own company. The black glasses guys were destroying the wetlands”
Misheck Mabika: “the dance was closely connected to the issues being brought about. For example one of the moves showed how the humans destroy the grey crown crane birds’ wetlands.”
Anonymous: “Yes it communicated the life of certain birds”
Anonymous “at first hand it was difficult but when the explanation segment came it all made sense.”
Anonymous: “I learnt about the danger the birds are in”
Bridget: “yes it did, it showed birds in their habitat.”
DEDUCTION: basing on the above answers, one can observe that the dance drama piece
managed to ‘highlight’ the plight of the Grey Crowned crane. Three areas of the story were
grasped by the majority of the audience members. These areas were-
a) The basic lifestyle of the Grey Crowned Crane.
b) The breeding and its relation to the habitat which is the suitable environment for
mating and the protection of eggs.
c) The intrusion by humans and how they degrade the wetlands.
Some of the comments could show that the audience were aware of the representational and
suggestive nature of dance drama, given the lack of verbalizations; motion became a
suggestive reflection on the plight of the Grey Crowned Crane. The socio-cultural codes
derived from the students’ experiences assisted them in visually synthesizing meaning from
the dance moves. Through their everyday experiences, the images of a bird’s natural instincts
and mannerism and of human activities in environments were stored in the viewers’ visual
memories and they were refreshed as the students were watching the dance drama piece.
5. DID YOU FAIL TO UNDERSTAND ANY PART OF THE DANCE PIECE? IF SO EXPLAIN…
Bridget: “some dances were hard to understand because there was no stage design to support the dance”
Anonymous: “When explained in the segments I could understand”
Anonymous: “after the explanation by the dancers, all the hazy parts became clear and I got to put
the whole dance piece together.”
Anonymous: “I had assumptions on the human intrusion part of the dance and these were clarified during the question and answer segments”
Misheck: “no, I managed to relate the dance piece to the message portrayed”
47
Gideon Wabvuta: “no, I understood all of it”
Anonymous: “Yes I failed to understand Farai and Shelby’s movements.”
Mauline: “yes, the destroying part especially that of Farie and Shelby”
DEDUCTION: Due to the “pre-reflective” and symbolic nature of dance (Blanariu 2013;
p.1) some movements became complex imageries which only made sense after they were
deconstructed into segments, and the dancers’ explanation managed to clarify most of the
complex movement phrases. Some of the movements were ambiguous especially those done
by two of the dancers representing the humans Farirai and Shelby, in this particular dance
phrase the moves were attempting to show that the humans were chasing away birds at the
same time continuing their disruptive activities. The ambiguity was possibly due failure to
connect their emotions with the movement sequence, they were smiling when they supposed
to look serious. However, the discussion of the dance segments managed to clarify all the
complex and ambiguous dance movements.
An interesting observation is that although most of the spectator had a basic idea what the
dances were trying to communicate, their interpretations of the movements also differed. For
instance, one spectator interpreted a movement phrase done by Isheanesu and Natalie as
“destroying the land while building their homes” when the movement phrase was basically
trying to show grass cutting activities like the use of geckos and shovels. Therefore
interpretation of a dance drama piece may differ in the eyes of the audience but the basic idea
that the dance is trying to communicate can be decoded by the spectators.
4.3--- RECEPTION: THE UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE STUDENT COMMUNITY
AND THE DYANMICS OF PARTICIPATION
4.3.1-- THE INTRODUCTORY PHASE
The introductory phase comprised of the entrance process and the warm up games Shiri
Yakanaka and Ngati Bhaunsee Bhaunsee. The dancers entered the space with Mbakumba
dance which captivated the audience’s attention. The entrance process by the dancers was
highly aesthetic especially the introductory ‘name and dance’ performance. The audience
could be seen laughing, reacting and clapping their hands to the dances done by the
performers showing their reaction to the performance. This engaged the audience senses, they
looked forward to the next segment of the workshop.
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The participants entered into the games and exercises segment which aimed at reducing
tensions and moving the participants from a personal-marginalized container to collective
container were the aura of participation is created in preparation of the dance drama
presentation-storytelling. Interestingly I could observe some reluctance to participate in the
games; I heard one of the audience members asking a fellow friend “we are not good dancers,
what if they make us dance?” Retention and mobilization are one of the dichotomies in the
applied theatre praxis “the theatre space is also characterized by the challenge of attendance
and audience retention (Mangeni 2013; 7).” To mitigate this problem the dancers urged the
participants to stand up by going to where they were sitting and using physical means of
encouraging them to join the circle. The dancers ended up singing “let’s make a circle, a big
big circle” to encourage the audience to participate in the exercises. I felt that if the workshop
started with audience standing already maybe the effect could have been different and the
retention problem could have been mitigated, the participants enjoyed both the two exercises
‘Shiri Yakanaka’ and ‘Ngati Bhaunsee Bhaunsee’ as they could be seen dancing, singing and
smiling while the exercises were taking place. The song ‘Shiri Yakanaka’ rejuvenated the
child-like naivety in the participants as it reminded them of their childhood experiences but
the “Huya, huya titambe!/ come, come let us dance” part took them by surprise as most of the
participants were not expecting the dancers to actually invite them to dance inside circle. The
exercises managed to release pedagogic friction and tensions; pedagogic friction results from
tensions created when a participant is “… thrown into a passive, receptive, or absorbing
attitude…; the result is friction and waste (Dewey 1897; p.79)”. Therefore the exercises
removed these tensions as the audience members became more active and participatory.
Audience members were more alive and they could be seen excitedly talking as they were
going back to their sits.
4.3.2— CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT AND THE DANCE DRAMA WE USED TO LIVE HERE . In the next stage the facilitator gave a brief background about the Five Birds of the Vlei
project and the objectives of the workshop. She also introduced the basic nature of the grey
crowned crane, its habits and why the wetland is a suitable habitat for the endangered birds.
She also noted the distribution of the indigenous birds across Africa and highlighted the
decline in the numbers of the birds in Zimbabwe. However, from my observations the
audience began slacking in their sits even though they were attentive. Thus the pedagogic
friction and ‘audience fatigue’ could have returned to their bodies, the students may have
been reminded of the ‘lecture set up’ which lacks performative qualities that engage the
49
students’ attention. ‘The lecture set up’ or banking concept (Freire, 1970) is a situation where
students are passively given information by a lecturer. Thus this presented a unique challenge
to the facilitator as she tried various strategies to captivate the audience. Mangeni (2013;
p.19) states that “this challenge is not only as a result of strategic limitations in planning but
partly due to audience fatigue… and the sensitization focus of communication.” Thus in the
praxis of applied theatre the aesthetic qualities should be maintained even during the dialogic
phases of the workshop. This aesthetic dimension can be achieved if the facilitator becomes a
‘strategic performer’ who facilitates the workshop in a performative manner. For instance, the
use of jokes or provocative gestures while facilitating can engage the audience. On another
perspective; if the facilitator gave the brief background just after the dance drama was
presented I assume the effect could have been different. However, basing from the comments
in the questionnaires and the interviews I carried; the audience were informed regardless of
this pedagogic friction, this can be due to the fact that since they are students they are used to
the pedagogic environment.
During the first performance of the dance drama piece the audience were quite engaged as
they could be seen discussing it to each other while watching the performance. I actually
heard someone saying “ishiri here iyo? / is that a bird?” However they were expecting
performance to be longer than it was, thus their anticipation or ‘horizon of expectation’ to
some extent affected the level of participation in the initial stages of the second performance
of the dance drama piece were the deconstructed segments were discussed. Jauss (1982) cited
in Selden et al. (2005; p. 51) postulate that “The original horizon of expectations only tells us
how the work was valued and interpreted when it appeared, but does not establish its meaning
finally.” However during the discussion of the display of the kinesthetic imagery in segments
the audiences’ level of participation heightened as they were in a liminal space which
Shepherd and Wallis (2004, p. 110) describes as a space “between consciousness and
unconsciousness”. During the discussion of the scenario segments the facilitator commented
on the discussion saying “this is getting interesting”, since the audience interpretations of the
kinesthetic imagery were intriguing thus sparking off further debate before the dancers
explained what they were trying to portray in the segments. However, there was a general
fear of the failure to interpret the kinesthetic imagery correctly from some participants. The
facilitator had to convince the participants that there were no right or wrong answers since
interpretation differs. Their interpretations were crucial aspects of the meaning making
process in which the implied meaning from the dancers was negotiated with the interpreted
50
meaning from the audience. As Selden et al. (2005, p. 51) argue, a text “… is not an object
which stands by itself and which offers the same face to each reader in each period. It is not a
monument which reveals its timeless essence in a monologue.” Therefore, through the
dialogic participation the meaning of the dance drama piece was created. For instance, in the
dance piece, the sequence were humans entered the space was interpreted differently by the
audience, one participant thought they were tourists while another thought that they were
poachers, the dancers told the spectators they were just humans from different walks of life
who were going into the wetlands to carry their normal activities. The negotiated meaning
could have been that some spectators basically saw the intrusion of the humans into the
wetlands but in addition others different characters in the humans like poachers and tourists.
As discussed earlier there were some ambiguous dance phrases in the movement sequences
but their implied meaning was understood through the discussion process. For instance, most
of the audience did not understand the dance phrase performed by Farie and Shelby. Part of
the movement sequence is shown in the image below.
The movement sequence attempted to show humans chasing birds away, in my opinion the
ambiguity was due to fact the dancers did not engage their emotions since both of them were
smiling instead of getting into character. As one participant wrote in the questionnaire “after
the explanation by the dancers, all the hazy parts became clear and I got to put the whole
dance piece together” and another one wrote “I had assumptions on the human intrusion part
of the dance and these were clarified during the question and answer segments” thus the
deconstructed segments and the discussions arising from them proved to be one of the
important stages of the Applied Dance Technique {ADT}.
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4.3.3--- POST PERFORMANCE DISCUSSIONS.
After the performance the facilitator then opened a debate by asking the participants “what do
you think should be done to help these threatened birds and their habitat.” Interesting issues
about bird conservation and wetland management were raised from these debates which are
given in the next section. It is my assumption that the issues that arose were the outcomes of
the performance, in as much as the workshop raised awareness to the students about
conservation other critical issues arose from the post-performance discussions . However,
there was a general conception that the facilitator wanted the students to give practical
solutions to the problem leading to their active involvement in the fight for conservation. As
observed by Mangeni (2013; p.27) “… communities have been brought to believe that
applied theatre has the power to find solutions to challenges faced by individuals and
communities.” One participant actually opted that the project should be extended to
communities were such disruptive activities were being witnessed. While other participants
held that people’s interests on the land and those of the birds clashed and that the problem is
embedded in our own cultures. Most of the issues raised are given in the following section.
4.4---OUTCOMES ARISING FROM THE WORKSHOP ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF
THE GREY CROWNED CRANE
4.4.1---HUMAN DEGRADATION OF THE WETLAND ECOSYSTEM
One of the audience members that I interviewed after the workshop commented that it is not
always the case that people are not aware of their disruptive activities but they need to be
informed more on the importance of the wetland ecosystem and what benefits are in store for
the human population. As one participant said “what may be degradation to me, may not be
degradation to the other person. He or she may believe that it is the useful utilisation of
isolated land”. Another participant actually asked the question “of what benefit is the
protection of these wetlands and birds for us humans?” Therefore the issue of human
degradation of wetland environments can be said to be a result of lack of adequate knowledge
about the importance of conserving the wetland ecosystems.
4.4.2--- GREY CROWNED CRANE AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE WETLAND ECOSYSTEM
The participants could understand that the wetland environment is an important habitat for
the Grey Crowned Crane; however they needed to know about the importance of these birds
in the wetland ecosystem. Onai mentioned that the absence of birds in their usual habitats can
point out that the environment is under threat, she also gave other advantages that the
existence of the birds had to human life, and most of these advantages that she highlighted
52
are given in chapter 2 such as their contribution in pest and rodent control. Interestingly, one
participant mentioned to me after the workshop that the birds also eat crops which may be
one of the reasons why some people dislike the bird leading to the destruction of their habitat.
4.4.2---CONFLICT OF INTERESTS BETWEEN THE HUMANS AND THE BIRDS
One participant pointed out that humans also need the land for their survival, even though
other disruptive behaviours are due to carelessness such as rubbish dumping, others are
conscious acts that people engage in order for them to survive. The crops planted in these
wetland areas provide people with food. Thus there seems to be a clash of interests between
the humans and the birds. This becomes a power complexity where the people have more
means to control the environment over the birds. It becomes a conflict where human interests
are valued more than the birds’ interests.
4.4.3--- POLITICAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES THAT AFFECT CONSERVATION AIMS
When Bikishoni stated that the Grey Crowned Cranes were given the wetlands as a habitat by
God and that humans should guardians over the animals’ habitats; different political and
cultural viewpoints arose from this perspective. In the Zimbabwean political domain, most
governmental campaigns advocate for ‘Ivhu ku vanhu/ land to the people’ thus people may
justify their actions as exercising their right to the land. “Conflict between land use…and
land tenure practises do not favour environmental protection (Chabwela, 1994; p.158)” On a
cultural perspective, one participant I interviewed argued that some of the people with strong
traditional backgrounds believe that animals are inferior to humans thus they prioritize their
needs more than the animals. Bikishoni on the other hand argued that even in our tradition the
mutupo/totem system could have been developed in order for people to understand the
importance of animals in our life. One can observe that there are political and cultural
underpinnings that influence the degrading activities.
4.4.3----POLICY MAKING – GOVERNMENTAL ACTION TO THE PROTECTION OF WETLANDS
During the post-performance discussions, a participant opted for a more aggressive method of
raising awareness at an institutional and governmental level; he also said that these isolated
wetlands should be located and that strict laws and policies that prohibit disruptive activities
from taking place in wetlands should be enforced. His wish was for the project to be also
done with members of the city council, the ministry of environment and natural resources and
other institutions in attendance. According to Chabwela (1994; p.158) “poor management,
caused by institutional weakness and deficient legislation, has accelerated the destruction of
53
resources”. Thus this participant’s viewpoint of involving governmental and non-
governmental issues could be a valid suggestion that may lead to a policy making process.
4.5--- THE APPLIED DANCE TECHINIQUE (ATD) - COMMENTS FROM THE
AUDIENCE MEMBERS AND THE PERFORMERS.
I also received comments from the audience members about the nature of the workshop. As
mentioned earlier, the majority of the audience members were students studying theatre arts
thus basing on their theatre experiences they were able to make suggestions on how best the
Applied Dance Technique {ADT} can be improved. The last question in the questionnaire
form catered for this enquiry, it read:
7. WHAT DO YOU THINK CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE APPLIED DANCE
WORKSHOPS?
The following are some of the answers to the question:
Lisa “I think costume is relevant to your dance production, it makes the dances easier to understand.”
Anonymous: “make it a bit longer and lively”
Anonymous: “there is need for improvisation”
Gideon: “It’s a new area and I think making it clearer by having a forum like activity rather than just a stop and start segment. In the forum they will be replacement of the performer by the spectators.”
Misheck: “costume should be related to the dance in connection with the message portrayed”
Anonymous: “it needs more rehearsals”
Bridget: “put stage designs as well as costumes that communicate the message”
Anonymous: “bring refreshments”
I admit on my part that during this research I became too focused on the body as the artistic
tool for communication to the extent that I overlooked the role of other aesthetic tools for
communication such as costumes and set designs. True to the participants’ observations; use
of appropriate costumes for the dancers representing the birds and the use of set designs that
can suggest the wetland environment could have been useful for the workshop. The dancers
representing the birds were wearing white t-shirts and black tracksuits, and the humans were
all wearing black t-shirts and black tracksuits. Onai Bikishoni’s budget for the costumes,
make-up and set designs were based on the performance that was supposed to be staged on
54
the 24th
of May 2014 so I had to take into cognizance the situation that was at hand for us.
The performers were very much aware of the limited time and resources we had to carry out
this project so we agreed on those costumes. However, in the planning process, I considered
the nature of the Beit Hall space and presumed that putting set designs may introduce
obstacles to the practical aspects of participation during the workshop. The audience’s
comments on costume and set designs are important insights that are pivotal to the research.
The issue of incorporating a forum like activity in the Applied Dance Technique where
spectators replace the dancers could be a revelatory suggestion. This could heighten the level
of participation in the workshop as spectators would be invited to improvise dances that relate
to the story or if they fail to understand any part of dance drama piece they could improvise
to show the dancers how they could have enacted the dance phrases in order to communicate
the intended message. However, this suggestion becomes problematic when the facilitator is
faced audience’s reluctance to perform since some people assume they are not good dancers.
Dance is a highly aesthetic activity and this aesthetic element can affect participation. The
other suggestion was for the performers to improvise stories and situations given by audience
members this would make the workshop livelier.
After the workshop I also asked the performers what they thought could be done to improve
the Applied Dance Technique. Most of them agreed even though we managed to achieve our
objective of raising awareness about the plight of the Grey Crowned Crane through dance;
the story could have been made more aesthetically pleasing and communicative if other
theatrical conventions were fused with dance. For instance; poetry and pantomime were one
of the conventions that the performers agreed could make a greater impact when fused with
dance.
4.6--- Conclusion
This chapter analysed four of the major aspects which are central to the enquiry based on the
final workshop ‘We Used to Live Here’. These four aspects are the:
a) pragmatics of the dance drama piece,
b) the dynamics of reception and participation in the workshop,
c) the critical conservation issues that arose from the workshop
d) comments on the nature of the Applied Dance Technique {ADT}
55
Treating the workshop as a meaning making process, it can be concluded that the implied
meaning from the dance drama piece and the interpreted meaning from the viewers was
negotiated to form a collective meaning in which the plight of the Grey Crowned Crane was
highlighted and discussed. Critical issues concerning the plight of the Grey Crowned Crane
and wetland management emerged from the resulting discussions which may change the way
people look at the practise of wetland conservation. Insights from the spectators and the
performers about the Applied Dance Technique were also discussed with revelatory
possibilities being discovered.
56
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
5.1 SUMMARY
The core investigation in this research was to analyse the feasibility of using dance as a
communicative tool that could raise awareness about the plight of the Grey Crown Crane and
the wetland ecosystem through the workshop ‘We Used to Live Here’. This was made
possible by the devising of the Applied Dance Technique which was a methodology aimed at
realising the objectives of the study. Also central to this research was the enquiry on how the
dancer’s body communicates and where does the impulse originate from. Chapter one
introduced the area of study and justified the discourse that is central to this dissertation.
Chapter 2 was an explorative enquiry based on the conceptual and contextual framework
which laid the groundwork for the structuring of the applied dance methodology {Applied
Dance Technique/ADT}. It started by providing a contextual rationalization of the
application of theatrical communication modes to the environmental management and
wildlife conservation plea. Also crucial to this chapter was the study of the relationship
between dance and communication through discussion of the concepts of non-verbal
communication, semiotics and embodied cognition. The chapter ended by giving a contextual
background of the wetland ecosystem , the plight of the Grey Crowned Crane and the Five
Birds of the Vlei project in which the workshop was based.
Chapter three described and explored the creative process that led to the development of the
ADT methodology with the creation of all its elements such as the workshop structure, script
and scenario development and the dance drama piece being discussed. It also gave a semiotic
analysis of the choreographic process that led to the creation of the dance drama in light of
the themes of the story ‘we used to live here’. The last section was based on understanding
the embodied somatic impulse of the dancer’s body.
Chapter four gave a retrospective and critical evaluation of the final workshop ‘We Used to
Live Here’ which was based on the Applied Dance Technique. Key to this chapter was the
enquiry on how the audience members decoded the dance drama piece and the dynamics of
reception and participation as they transpired in the workshop.
57
5.2 CONCLUSION
From this research, conclusive viewpoints can be derived as a major outcome of the
investigation. These viewpoints are the findings, theoretical implications, further research and
finally an account for the limitations of the study.
5.2.1 FINDINGS
Having explored and evaluated the final workshop ‘We used to Live here’, the ADT
technique used in the workshop and the processes that led to its creation. One can observe
that dance is one of the theatrical conventions that can be appreciated as a structuring element
in applied theatre initiatives as Chinyowa (2005, p.12) argues. This observation is informed
by the realization that the workshop managed to raise awareness about the plight of the Grey
Crowned Crane with an array of critical issues that arose from the project. Although retention
from the audience in the initial stages and the ambiguity of some the dance phrases presented
challenges; the audience got the idea behind the workshop which led to their participation in
the occasion. Mangeni (2013; p.27) upholds “the value of applied theatre should be
emphasized in its capacity to enhance participation and the understanding of issues,
researching and raising awareness.” In light of this view, the workshop provoked
participation and managed to raise awareness to the student community thus the Applied
Dance Technique is a practise that can be adopted in domain of applied theatre.
Understanding dance as a semiotic system of meaning making may aid the analysis of the
communicative indices that are found in dance. “Kinetic manifestations acquire a symbolic
character as a kind of mediating thought, conscience, law and that includes various codes
such as choreographic ones(Blanariu ,2013)” with dance’s pre-reflective and symbolic nature
a lot of communicative aspects can be deducted from art form. These may aid the creation of
visual stories through dance which can then be used in applied theatre initiatives.
5.2.2 THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS: PERSPECTIVES ON THE APPLIED
DANCE TECHNIQUE
Basing on the evaluation of the Applied Dance Technique {ADT} as given in chapters three
and four, the following repercussions can be deduced with regards to the effectiveness of the
technique:
The possible addition of a forum-like activity to the technique in which the dance-
drama piece becomes a model performance were spectators can be invited to replace
the dancer and improvise the part they feel that they did not understand or feel that the
58
intended message could be communicate better in another which they will attempt to
demonstrate.
The possible addition of an improvisation section where dancers improvise situations
and stories told by spectators. Because of the spontaneous nature of improvisation, the
section may demand intensive improvisatory exercises to be carried out by the
dancers during the rehearsal processes. However this section should not be too long
and should be done in the initial stages of workshop.
Other theatrical conventions like poetry, song, pantomime, and drama can also be
incorporated to the dance drama piece as long they portray the themes and intents of
the story. This makes the technique a hybrid form.
Design elements such as costume, make-up and set designs which enhance the
communicative function of the dance can be incorporated in the practise. However
given the energetic nature of dance the designs should not become present obstacle to
the dancers. For instance the use of soft textures for costume is better than rough
textures as this may affect the dancer’s articulation.
Furthermore, the Applied Dance Technique can be regarded as a hybrid theatre form since its
conception arose from the practise of Applied Theatre. The issue becomes, can it be given a
separate entity as Applied Dance, since it relies more on pure movements to communicate
ideals? One can argue that this hybrid theatre form cannot necessarily be viewed as applied
theatre because the term theatre encompasses a variety of conventions. The Applied Dance
Technique has borrowed some of the elements that are found in image theatre and forum
theatre such as the use of freeze frames/still images, games and exercise. However, the hybrid
nature of the Applied Dance Technique is open to debate.
5.2.3 FURTHER RESEARCH
Having researched on the communicative function of dance, there is need for further research
on how Applied Dance as a practise can enhance audience participation since it is an essential
aspect in applied theatre. As mentioned earlier that there is a possibility of a forum-like
activity centred on participants, this would be an exploratory research that I would be glad to
be involved in. Another area that needs to be further researched is the ability to craft stories
through spontaneous dance improvisation and how best it can be achieved.
5.2.4 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
The major limitation of this study was the experimental nature of the project and the limited
time that was available. However this is not say that I put emphasis on the success of the
endeavour but rather on the process involved.
59
APPENDIX
A. INTERVIEWS
Onai Bikishoni- 10 April 2014
Isheanesu Dzvairo- 13 April 2014
Natalie Chipara- 15 April 2014
Alouis Mangwende- 15 April 2014
Sithabile Maziva- 15 April 2014
Gideon Wabvuta- 17 April 2014
Tafadzwa (surname unknown) - 17 April 2014
60
B. CONSENT FORM
I…………………………………………………………………………………….., hereby
agree to voluntarily participate in the research. I am willing to provide any knowledge and
personal opinion I have pertaining to the project Five Birds of the Vlei and understand that
participation is voluntary. The interview will be recorded and I understand that I can be
directly quoted in the academic paper. I can refuse to answer particular questions and I have
the right to see and approve what other participants say about the project. I have also been
informed by the researcher that all information provided will be used in writing of an
academic paper that will be archived in the library.
Participant’s signature…………………………………………………….
Date……………………………..
Researcher’s signature…………………………………………………….
Date……………………………..
61
C. QUESTIONNAIRE FOR AUDIENCE MEMBERS- (Structure of questions)
1. WAS THIS YOUR FIRST TIME ATTENDING SUCH A THEATRE WORKSHOP,
IF NOT, HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM YOUR OTHER EXPERIENCES?
2. DID THE DANCE PIECE MANAGE TO COMMUNICATE SOMETHING TO
YOU?
3. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE PIECE?
4. WHICH WERE YOUR FAVOURITE MOMENTS OF THE WORKSHOP?
5. DID YOU FAIL TO UNDERSTAND IN PART OF THE DANCE?
6. WHAT DO YOU THINK CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE APPLIED THEATRE
WORKSHOPS.
62
D. PICTURES OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS.
63
64
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