Student Experience in World Dance Program

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Student Experience in

World Dance Program



Student Experience in World Dance Program

Rohini Dandavate, Ph.DSeptember 15, 2001

Universities in the United States of America (U.S.) are increasingly seeking to

help students develop cultural sensitivities by offering courses that allow students

to understand diverse cultures through the arts. It is observed that the ability to

grasp meaning and interpret diverse cultural beliefs and practices can be initiated

through the experience of dance movement and the other streams of the arts.

World dance Programs in departments of dance in universities like the Ohio

State University (OSU), Denison University, University of California Los Angeles

(UCLA), the Wesleyan University in Connecticut to name a few, provide courses

that combine theory and practice of diverse cultural artistic expressions, offering

opportunities for performance, movement studies, dance theory and arts

pedagogy. Practicing artists and scholars from nonwestern countries are invited

to teach. The world arts and cultures concentration emphasize cultural studies

through visual and performance arts and the dynamics of creativity in globalperspective. This paper presents and discusses the observations of a study

conducted to understand the student experience of learning Odissi dance, an

Indian classical dance form in one of the colleges in the U.S.



Background

The Association of American Colleges and Universities has drawn initiatives to

ensure that every undergraduate student experiences a relevant and challenging

general education curriculum. The General Education Curriculum (GEC) is a set

of requirements for all students pursuing undergraduate studies. It is an integral

part of the undergraduate curriculum that both complements and supports the

students’ preparation in their field of specialization and helps students maximize

their individual potential. Students develop understanding, appreciation, and

acceptance of multiple “ways of knowing” (i.e., artistic, literary, philosophical,

historical, scientific) through the acquisition, organization, and analysis of specific

bodies of knowledge. They are encouraged to acquire aesthetic and appreciative

faculties, to explore and test their own values and ethical frameworks, and to

demonstrate sensitivity to diverse perspectives and cultures.

Under the purview of the GEC initiative, a college in Ohio offered two courses in

Odissi dance to undergraduate students as a part of the World Dance Program,

in the Department of Dance for a period of 15 weeks. The parameter of the World

Dance Program is “to expose students forms beyond American Modern dance

and Ballet Students. Because knowledge is culturally contextualized, we believe

the body and its physical practices serve as indicators of cultural identity. To this

end it is vital to study not only the physical practice (which is described as

technique class), but also to study the analytical practice which is represented in

academic lectures, discussions and adherence to mainstream theories and

methodologies”. In sync with this objective, one of the courses offered students

the experience of the Odissi technique. The second course led students to

investigate the historical, aesthetic, religious, social, political, economic and

ecological foundations and accomplishments of Indian culture through its dance

forms, both classical and folk. The investigation occurred alongside the study and

experience of the Odissi dance technique.



Participant Information

There were 14 students in the Technique Course and 8 in the Honors Course. All

the 14 students from the technique class and 5 students from the honors class

participated in the assessment. From the group of nineteen students, two were

dance majors while three had dance as a minor. The non-dance majors chose to

enroll for these courses to fulfill the General Education Curriculum requirement.

The students who had enrolled for these courses had varied hobbies and

interests like playing both outdoors & in-doors games, practicing music, learning

other dance forms, participating in community involvement activities & helping in

after school activities for school children, travel, photography, reading and

writing. The non-Indian students opted to take the Odissi courses to learn about

India and its other dance styles, to try something different and unique, for fitness

purposes and to broaden their horizons of information and to understand their

own physical abilities and limitations. The Indian students wanted to learn more

about India and its dance forms.

Method of Research: Each student was given a scrapbook to record feelings

and thoughts at different times during the course of fifteen weeks of training. The

idea was to observe the progression of the student experience of learning Odissi

and analyze its impact on their thinking, feelings, and change they observed in

themselves at the end of the 15 weeks, on the completion of the course.

Findings

Curiosity about a different culture was a primary driver in students for selecting

this course. According to Dr. Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., an internationally

recognized authority on brain development, curiosity is the fuel for development.

The process of development as he describes begins by being curious and

progresses in the following manner:



This diagram illustrates how curiosity motivates exploration, which in turn leads

to discovery. Discovering something new gives pleasure and so the human mind

aspires to repeat the experience. Repetition aids in gaining mastery of new skills,

raising confidence, and self esteem. High self esteem of oneself provides a

sense of security and this propels further exploration. I chose to use Dr Perry’s

model to explain the findings of the study because the responses of the students

fell in line with this process.

Responses in the scrapbook indicated that majority of the students enrolled in

these courses because they were curious to learn about a different culture. This

trait can be attributed to the changing demographics of America. American

communities are becoming more and more multicultural. In classrooms,

neighborhoods, workplaces we find a wide variety of cultural representation and

people are curious to know about different cultural practices. It was alsoobserved that though these courses were offered in the department of dance,

majority of the students who enrolled were non-dance students. They came from

varied fields of study namely Social Sciences, Humanities, Formal Sciences,

Profession and Applied Sciences. The students were curious about another

culture, its philosophy and the psychology. Most of the students reported that

curiosity

exploration

discovery

pleasure

repetition

masterynewskills

con5idence

selfesteem

security

moreexploration



they did not see a direct connection with their major/minor program of study but

were looking for broadening their cultural understanding through the study of

Odissi dance. The desire to know something different inspired students to

participate.

The other commonly cited reason for taking this course was to fulfill their General

Education/Honors/Elective requirement. The GEC provides a foundation for

professional success. Courses offered under GEC are designed to aid students

in learning to think critically, make rational decisions, and communicate

effectively. These skills support their ability to acquire, evaluate, and use the

specific knowledge in their field of specialization and also ensure that they will be

adaptable and flexible in changing circumstances in their careers. In the process

of learning Odissi students got the opportunity to think about their own values

and perspectives while comparing it to the Indian values and practices. They

learned to use their bodies differently, which also revealed their limitations and

abilities. The desire to explore led to developing appreciation for the Indian

culture.

Most of the students noted in their scrapbooks that they were overwhelmed and

confused at the end of the first class and yet decided to continue learning. By the

seventh week, students felt challenged and frustrated by the complexity of

learning the new style yet they tried hard to keep up. By the end of the course

almost all felt pretty good about themselves and about what they learned. This

comfort level towards the end of the class showed that repetitive lessons helped

them master the skill. Like Dr Perry suggests regular rehearsals led to mastery.

Acquiring proficiency in the novel skill of Odissi dance raised their confidence

level and self esteem. Students wrote that “Overall the value derived from this

experience was the ability to understand and accept the unfamiliar”. Most

students said they would be less hesitant in seeking unfamiliar experiences from

other cultures in future. While students experienced the technique of Odissi and

learned to recognize and interpret cultural meanings and symbolism, the



instructor received the opportunity to understand the needs of the students in the

western world and teach while being sensitive to their curiosities and learning

styles. This response briefly and aptly describes the experience of learning

Odissi. She wrote:

“ The Odissi course experience has influenced me on several levels. First, it gave

me a window into another culture. Secondly, it taught me to be more in tune with

my body and attentive to my movements with a focus on being graceful. Third, I

will be more empathetic toward people who are struggling to learn something

new because I struggled. I will try to think out varying my teaching style when I

instruct people on any subject matter”.

17 of the 19 students felt their personal objectives were met and offering these

courses at regular intervals will help build upon this experience. They also

expressed that fifteen weeks, the time allotted was not enough.

References:

Source:http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/curiosity.htm#bio

Documents

Student Experience in World Dance Program