Reflection

Experiment 1: Dance

Dancing is and always has been my favorite thing to do. First and foremost I love learning dances with my beloved team by my beloved teacher and performing them for people that are important to me. But I also love being the teacher and doing the choreographing. It’s really exciting to see your vision come to life in a group of dancers and to see them enjoying not only the dance you created, but also something you’re so passionate about. It was exciting to do the research about autism, to search for fitting music, to translate the research into movement, and to practice that movement in a studio. It was even exciting to film/perform the sample that I created. Through thorough research, I learned a lot about what it’s like to experience life as someone on the autism spectrum and I gained even more appreciation for how their brains work. It makes me excited to keep creating experiments regarding this mental disorder. Through dance-related research, I studied quality of movement in various dances and I was thrilled to be able to be dancing in the studio (although not as intensely and as well as I wish I could’ve, due to my recovery from a knee injury). To create the dance, I first listened to the music I chose over and over. As I listened to it, I considered aspects of autism that I admire and aspects that make the diagnosis a challenge. Then, I spent time in a studio experimenting with movements that would represent these aspects. Finally, I weaved the movements together to the beat of the music to create the dance.

Although I’m happy with the sample that I created, I did not get the satisfaction that I expected to feel when I uploaded my video and choreography. The dance was fun, but finishing it and watching it back was not all I hoped it would be. At first I thought it may be because I am a perfectionist, and wanted my dancing to be better. However, through reflection, I realized that when I do my own choreography, the satisfaction and adoration comes from my teaching it to others and encouraging others to appreciate dance as much as I do. I love seeing other people’s eyes light up when they master a tricky step or even end a dance and breathe a sigh of relief/exhaustion/bliss. Because I made this experiment on my own, I didn’t get to help others feel the joy of dance, so it wasn’t as satisfying as some of my other creations have been.

Despite the lack of satisfaction I have for this experiment, I feel pretty good. That’s because this realization that (if I can’t be learning from an esteemed choreographer with my awesome teammates) I need to teach others the power of being a dancer to appreciate it the most fits well with my intended career path. It’s what pushed me to create this dance, actually. I want to be a dance/movement therapist, someone that uses dance and movement to heal and “furthers the emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration of the individual.” In particular, I want to work with people cognitive impairments such as autism. This desire I have to teach someone else my choreography reinforces my desire to help others and supports my plan to pursue a career in dance/movement therapy. This dance I created wasn’t a part of dance/movement therapy at all, but it allowed me to think and get excited about my future career in a new way.

If I am to fully realize this experiment into a complete project, I plan to teach it to a different dancer. Doing so is about more than simply finding satisfaction, though. In explaining my vision to another person, I’m forced to make each movement and message clear and easy to be interpreted by others. Even if an audience is lost to the message of the dance, at least that one dancer will feel the power of the choreography I create and perhaps understand the awesomeness of people with autism. From a more logistical stance, I also intend to use a more high-tech video camera and spend more time editing and using various shots to create a real viewing experience for the audience.