Participants at the Dance Kinesiology Teachers Meeting
Seattle, WA
June 2010
Carla Corrado, Cornish College
Kim Holt, Valdosta State, Georgia
Tom Welsh, Florida State University
Marita Cardinal, Western Oregon University
Eva Powers, Wayne State University
Sonia Cronmiller, George Mason University & Body Dynamics
Margaret Wilson, University of Wyoming
Frankie Ward, Msc Laban
Annika Spampinato, MsC Laban and Sand Point, Idaho
Laura Petersen, Msc Laban, independent dancer teacher
Becky Parsons, Feldenkrais, Cornish School of Arts

9:00-10:30 am Session 1: Integrating new information from the field – e.g. motor control, biomechanics, exercise physiology, somatics
Sonia Cronmiller: Irene Dowd teacher training.  Irene always starts with movement, and then she goes to the anatomy.  “Can you fail with your body and then succeed – to explain what you know.”   Irene teaches at Julliard and NYU and works with National Ballet School in Toronto in the summers
Overview of Eva’s Program at Wayne State:  Integration of Pilates with dance training – ask the dancers to translate information into their bodies – can change their mechanics in a focused way.  Freshman take Pilates, BFA students take a reformer class, Kinesiology in sophomore year with lab, movement analysis.  The students journal on BlackBoard and log diet information.  Have a monthly summation of their journals (this is worth points to their grade). Have students devise their own summer program.   Research nutrition on the internet.  Has an Issues and Trends class introduces them to these topics. 
Sonia:  Something similar at George Mason University – create a Health-Wellness Dancer packet – asks students, “What are their goals for next 4 years?” The packet gives the students a lot of detail—“We know where we want the student to be in 4 years – how do we get them there?”
Regarding Nutrition:                      
Frankie: CompEAT – web program, where you enter information and get reports.  Also MYPyramid. Gov. http://www.mypyramid.gov/
Marita: uses campus resources – brings a dietitian (a former dancer!) into classes and helps them choose healthier options.  Incorporates Eating Attitudes Survey, meets with students individually or in small groups.
Becky: Are there concerns about coffee (caffeine) consumption? (e.g. Rockstar – extra calories in Starbucks specialty drinks).
Eva: Purchased water bottles and had the students decorate them.  She also tells the students she expects to see them drinking water.
Frankie: Concern with Energy shots—We may not see the students consuming these.

Other concerns – how to keep the dancers healthy during performance week or when participating in dance team. 
Perhaps we are addressing this in our pedagogy and curriculum, e.g.
Sonia: teaching the younger teachers (e.g. MFA students) – give them the information and then             it becomes embedded in the dance training.   EG.  Information on periodization.
Tom: Conditioning first year, then Kines, then reformer and research methods.  But we are working with individuals.  The nature of his new book (Conditioning for Dancers) reflects this – provides opportunities and information for people to access when they are ready.  Work with individuals is perhaps the key.  Science of Dance Training Course (graduate course) Grad students take anatomy course, take conditioning class.  Do research (eg. supination in relevé) – work with undergrads with conditioning in small groups.  This evolves over time – utilize a problem solving approach. 
Laban MSC : does analysis of one dancer, but there is not an intervention. Screening or postural analysis – information from kinesiology class applied in teaching.  Using students to screen other students to help them as mentors. One way to look at this as “role of coach.”  Teaching the students how to see.  There is a continuum from teaching to information dissemination to analysis.
Laura: Currently doing a version of the Healthy Dancer Screening One on one screening.  Biomechanical (structural), strength, flexibility – brings awareness.   Learn a lot from the information.  Also includes psychological questionnaire – physical and mental exhaustion.  Mental skills questionnaire – concentration, imagery, goals setting.  Make information available to them, along with resources.   Pre-mid and post testing. 
See also Becky Dalby (MSc Laban) She has created a website for screening.  Was a professional trainer and brings this expertise to becdalby@hotmail.co.uk  =447961003425. Uses psychological instruments – developed by Eleanor Quested, Jane Duda.    Frankie has provided these documents, and you can contact him for copies at: fjward@gmail.com
Marita: Could we find a place to place updated sample assessments, DVD recommendations, and protocols.  Perhaps linking this to Jane Baas’s website – providing individual options. 
Integrating with colleagues where you work.

10:45-12:15 pm Session 2: Re-integration of experiential/somatic work in kinesiology
Becky: Feldenkrais experience – where is your weight today?
Sonia:  Irene Dowd foot Exercises

How do you integrate somatics and anatomy in your teaching?
Carla: Integrate it early and frequently
Frankie: Somatic experience really helpful for your young boys.  Use as a pre-warm up, use of contact improv to feel own weight by contacting another body.

What is receptivity to somatic work? 
Becky: Students who have been injured.  Students connect to material at different time.   Tom:  What is the point at which students come to the information?  How do you make it meaningful?   Annika-  is it age? 
Becky/Carla:  How somatics is a tool, what is the hook for bringing them to the information.  Will somatic work make their dancing better?  One way this might happen is through the concreteness of experience.
 Frankie: Introduce them to many methods – find what works for you.
Marita: Sometimes somatics easier than the science.
Eva: Teach improvisation to freshman – sneaks somatics into that class.  Laura – use improvisation to get them moving.   
Sonia: MFA student working in a studio. Improvisation on loss.  Focus on pelvis—Pilates, touch, Feldenkrais – technique—rehearsal – performance.  How this went into research.
Carla: Think of having a hook – lift leg higher, injury rehabilitation, internal reference for success, quality of performance.  
Tom: Could have photos or videos of ideal performance.   Carla – Have students complete a survey finding out where they are and move forward from there, then could be specific on how to move that skill forward. 
Sonia: Rubrics for class assessment helped her structure what she was doing – that becomes manifest for growth of colleagues, and students. 
Carla: Mapping for success – where do you want to go.  See how they organize themselves.
Tom:  Artist faculty member – frustrated by students going into automatic mode (dancer face).  How can dancers tap into passion?  Bring in music that moves them.  Had a phrase and then asked them to adapt the phrase to the music they chose.  Use this as a cue – how we go from the dancers passion to asking them to think about using forward.  
Carla:  3 minute improvisation – people watching without judgment.  Gives you an idea of what it feels like to be watched in dance class.  Also have ‘dance offs’ where the dancers perform for each other.  Remind them to dance without thinking about alignment. 
Tom: How to avoid the separation between doing it technically right and ‘performing’ (allowing themselves to be expressive).

How to bring somatic work into technique, to minimize the difference between experiential and performance states?
Eva: Movement analysis – how to come up with language to help them integrate the movement.  Becky:  Length of performance time being so short—perhaps there needs to be more time when the students have the performance material in their bodies. 
Margaret: Like the idea of performing dance offs, because there is time performing
12:15-1:45 pm Lunch—a great walk to Walk to Volunteer Park, and Bruce Lee’s grave
Tom’s question to Carla: how do student pay for PT services?  Carla is PT in residence – student pay into a PT fund, and then can set up a time to work with her.  Carla on call at performances.

1:45-3:15 pm Session 3: Use of technology by students and teachers
Laban: Working with researchers in Neurology looking at different states for raising Theta and Lowering Alpha brain waves.   Foot scan, force plate, Software, WII, power plate/vibration training Dance Aerobic Fitness Test – appropriate technology for our research.
Functional anatomy DVD Primal Pictures
Internet – Eva gives an assignment to find articles, research, websites and u-tube.   All students have to find 3, post and attach summary.  Then choose the best ones for them to study.  Keeps them on Blackboard for other references.  Has found success with students who don’t like the information in books – helps them study for tests.  Develops tests by passing out small cards asking them to write a question and answer about the most important information from the lecture.  Test every week.   You Tube videos – short, 3 dimensional.  Uses the students to screen the information.  Test sites are also good.  (University of Minnesota).
Alternates between Pilates Studio and computer/lecture.  2 semester course.  Always comes back to injuries.  Have a mid-term project and end of year project which is media based.  8-10 minute DVD – “best of” shown at end of year celebration.   Requires students to go to Harkness center website – loads web pages, videos on blackboard for them.  Collectively she and her students develop resources – and a place to locate them.  www.Danceinjuries.org  -- pain and injury in a cultural context
Online resources:  Deborah Vogel and Lisa Howell
Tom:  Filtering – Eve has students screen the materials which is one level of screening.
Margaret & Sonia: Use Google and YouTube as a gateway then have to follow up with more traditional primary research sources.   How to help them understand that credibility of information is important.   What interpretation is important?
Carla: Has students go to popular press – critique the article or method based on what they know
What is a good skeleton? Denoyer-Gepert – Kinesiological spine 
‘Low tech’ Carla uses play-dough for origin and insertions, tape on skeleton.  Paint muscles on shirts and socks.  Send out information to colleagues letting them know what you are discussing that week. 
Good discussion about the amount of material covered: 
Eva: Assume they know what skeleton is – has expectation that students will spend 12 hours a week studying.  Has a student assistant who is available for questions and tutoring.  How to balance time/detail and application in a one semester course?  Many are trying to bring in the information for the students in other classes.   Sonia –organizes the students into groups with a topic, pair students’ strengths.
Tom: teaching kinesiology similar to teaching a language: vocabulary first, then grammar and style.  Need more time to master the vocabulary?   Having students come back to serve as teaching assistants.  Overlap with Pilates or yoga training.  Take movement classes outside course.  Teaching Anatomy class for Dance Science students at Wyoming.

What do Kinesiology teachers need in IADMS resource papers? 
Sonia: Dance floors – why we need space type of floor.  Cueing and teaching. 
Tom:  asked what kinds of review papers could be written (say by graduate students) that could lead to the resource papers.  Dealing with specific physical anomalies e.g. Scoliosis.
Sonia: In work at Clinic, draw journal articles together with bottom line summation (physical therapy, ATC, conditioning specialist.  Each practitioner takes information into their discipline. Tries to understand and integrate the research that brings disciplines together.

 Is it time to offer graduate level courses in dance kinesiology for new professionals in the field?  Cornish as a sponsor?  Tom offer workshop in Salt Lake?
E.g. dance science coaching (Laura Petersen’s model)– working with the students who will become the teachers of tomorrow.  Develop a protocol similar to what physical therapy does in a fitness assessment.  Is entrepreneurial but also looks at a fitness trainer model.

Movement Interlude - Tom & Margaret taught Irene Dowd's Elaborate Hand Dance.
Future planning: Where we are/ where are we going from here?
Sharing of resources:
Yoga Anatomy Leslie Kamikoff
Dance Anatomy: Jacqui Greene Haas
Neurocogintion Mind, Movement and Motor skills
Textbooks:  Most people using Fitt or Clippinger, but some feel Clippinger book better for older (graduate students).  Anatomy Coloring book.  Tom’s recommendation to approach publisher to reproduce the 31 plates from KAPIT/KAPIT book.  Might be less expensive.
Tom talked about the Dance Kinesiology Demonstrations, video clips and answer key.  Teachers can contact him if interested in purchasing at cost (currently on VHS $15.00).  Jane Baas has several on the website. 

Where to go from here?
Linking with IADMS – Workshop – or expand lunchtime session?  Should there be a proposal from this group for changing the date of IADMS meeting to a time of the year that fits better around most academic calendars?   Special interest groups in IADMS – Margaret Wilson will be asking for input for recommendation for the board on the future of special interest groups and workshops at IADMS conferences.  Integration v. specialization—what has worked with SIG day, what to do in the future? What topics should we offer to steer discussion, individuals contribute to the conversation.  Assign topic leader to have points for discussion bring resources.  If presentation is necessary for funding from University – what possibilities? 

Other ideas on conferences
Carla – organizes a weekend for educators – filters information out to the community – weekend to two week summer session.  Ririe-Woodbury teachers’ workshop in Salt Lake,  National Ballet School of Canada teachers’ workshop.  Another model: Allegra Dance (Kent, WA) brings Carla to work with students in the performing group.
Meeting via Skype – Webex.com  Cisco Systems $50.00/month  Video –online. 
Possible rotation of venues: Anne Burnidge has offered to host in Buffalo next summer; Jane Baas has offered to host at WMU on several occasions.
SIG recommendations:  Sonia and Margaret will come up with a list of what the SIG group needs to provide for IADMS and the needs that SIG group has for the organization. 
Look at internet options:  Laura, Frankie
Carla: keep the small meetings as well

Universities that offer dance science/kinesiology emphasis:
Laban, Wolverhampton, MS, PhD, Australia,
Ohio State(?) , Harkness – NYU, UCI – California, FSU MA in Studio Studies, University of Oregon, MS
Marketing of what dance kinesiologists do
                “Constant contact”
Integrate dance science and somatics in teacher training.
Laura: screening – make it have legs.  Substantiate, limited course information (for a master’s program)  marketing.  Tom recommended that a 2 week workshop could be developed.  Certificate program, personal coach for dancers.  Develop a franchise from there.
Tom: How to market – should it be like the safe and effective dance program?
 Where to store resources for DKT?  Possible bi-directional links on the IADMS website
IADMS – is that who we want to link with?  IADMS wants to keep the interdisciplinarity and connect the small groups.   Provide benefits for everyone – how to make information on the SIG appropriate to people not necessarily in the field.  Integration v. specialization—what has worked with SIG day, what to do in the future? What topics should we offer to steer discussion, individuals contribute to the conversation.  Assign topic leader to have points for discussion bring resources.  If presentation is necessary for funding from University – what are the possibilities?  
What worked well at this meeting?  Food – movement session, lots of time for discussion.  What could be added? 
Marita: Each present their screening tool – questionnaires, how to adapt the materials.  What to do with the information.  Start with questionnaire – low tech, high tech.  Come with resources.
Everyone shares, multi-disciplinary approach for looking at teaching.  Organize around a topic. One person talks about all the components of their program.  Other locations – Western Michigan at Kalamazoo, Florida State, American Dance Festival, University of California at Irvine,  Harkness, Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha.
Send out to membership Information about upcoming conferences – possible meeting of DKT when  attending those conferences, send summaries on to the membership on what you are learning. 
What to do with the survey?
Develop a DKT Website – posting program profiles – what books we use, tools, websites, exemplars.  If we link with IADMS, this needs to be in Infiniscape. Send parameters for website to Laura
Student committee looking for mentors.  How that can benefit both parties – e.g. Jennifer Deckert & Tom

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