Putting myself on the MAPP

Hello everyone! Firstly I feel I should begin by saying I do realise I may come across rather keen getting this post up so early, I assure you it’s mostly fear that got it here so soon and not the eagerness and confidence I wish it was. With my almost non existent blogging, link-ing and twitting abilities, I figured I might as well bite the techno bullet and get on with it, just incase it took me a month to work out how! 

I haven’t yet had the chance to get stuck into the reading material, so instead of pondering I thought why not introduce myself by simply sharing a recent experience. 

At the end of last week I returned from participating in a four day workshop in Normandie, France. This was instructed by Amélie Bénard, a current member of the Martha Graham School Faculty and one of my lovely and hugely talented friends from my time studying in NYC. ‘Stage de Danse’ is an annual workshop for dancers and teachers of all ages and abilities to get a taste of the Martha Graham technique and to learn and explore some of the key principals of the movement vocabulary. I was instantly struck not just by the enjoyment and enthusiasm shared by all those attending but also by the amount that Amélie achieved throughout the course of the week. Considering that for the large majority of the students this is the only Graham technique they do each year I was amazed. The 8-10 year olds for whom some of it was their first time came in every day already rehearsing what they had learnt the day before culminating in them performing a 3 minute fully staged combination at the end of the week and the older teenagers and adults who had been coming for several years began to show a much deeper understanding of the movement and exude a real sense of eloquence and drama in their execution of some of the material. Most prominent of all was the drive and determination shared by all those taking part.

So, where am I going with this…Well the whole experience really supported my belief in the validity of teaching pioneering contemporary techniques and surmounted everything I know to be true about teaching Graham to the next generation when done the correct way. It also demonstrated how the technique could be kept true to form yet also cultivate excitement and creativity in a wide range of dance practitioners. So much of this positive experience is undisputedly down to Amelie and her natural ability to engage with the students across all age ranges and also the safe and positive environment she creates, not always synonymous with what is perceived to be a  ‘typical’ Graham class. I left on such a high and the experience instilled in me a new confidence with regards to many areas of my teaching practice whilst also giving me so much food for thought.

Thank you so much for reading my first blog post ever! Just in case you’re in the same position as I was and are a little terrified by the whole prospect of this I say Just go for it, You’ll find something to say :) Over and out, speak soon!