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  Last night we had a really nice session about how young and prosperous dance artist can shape the cultural change. Despite really unstable internet connection I could intuitively manage linked pieces together to understand what Becky Namgauds, dance artist and choreographer wanted to say regarding the subject "Communicating ideas". I am very grateful for her honesty and so open minded sharing experience. Sometimes is really hard to words or trying to articulate relationship between the art and life, between power, control, sexuality, negativity, femininity, freedom, hierarchy, ...What actually involving us actively as an artists? how we can communicate, define, understand? what language to use? yesterday we had a chance to see how powerful images can be, but how powerful words (rupi kaur's poem) can be and how this can work on our body and mind! we definitely need space for the dialogue, create new narratives, new places, being present and brave or like in the end of se...

 ...... must admit I am a bit overwhelmed...but the good thing is my current situation is not permanent destination:) currently i am in the mood of writing every thought that came to my mind regarding research project, even while i am cooking, watching TV, taking a rest...i am walking with my little note book around the flat and catching the right moment to clarify how will i frame my inquiry... so here are my thoughts...moved by Sondra Fraleigh's books, Dewey's thoughts, Husserl, Ciane Fernandez, Bartenieff movement patterns...and others.. f luidity flowing change why stillness is still moving?  we need fluidity to get better and functional, need for re-patterning, change, braking habits.. in order to have better fluidity we  need to maintain breath, we need to be rooted, to have knowledge about stability and mobility, kinesthetic awareness.. according to different emotions, feelings, knowledge experience we change our floating body, breath, tempo, quality, making decisi...

  If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word. (MARGARET ATWOOD)     Yesterday morning we had another very useful and helpful workshop on writing skills. We focused this time more on academic writings but also on reading too.  We went through an experiment how to actually read the academic text, article, what strategies to make while reading and how how engage with the text. I have learned that actually we can know more about the text and make a selection after reading first sentence. First sentence is a summary sentence.  We need a good reading strategy otherwise we are lost in the battle with the time and amount of texts we need to digest. So one of the main question we brought to the workshops is what are we looking for? what is the topic? why is relevant? how is the text organized? like i said we need a good strategy, reading technique. Regarding that, Peter offered us a MIND MAPP in 5 steps: 1. survey;2. questions; 3.read; 4 recite; 5. one of ...

 Last night we had a very useful and stimulating session on Module 2 and we open the discussion on what we are doing? what we are looking at? and how we are applying into the undergoing research on our practice. Helen explained well how we need in module 2 build an understanding of different frameworks, make scratches, not trying to do a big research, not trying to define anything. What is related to critical thinking, and what is important for our research, ought to be meaningful to us and related to our practice. So we need to find out what we are proposing, what kind of theoretical approach, how we are going to get some answers about our inquiry? what framework we are using so far? to find theories that goes with the topic of research, with the core of practice... what is the best approach? we must look deeper into the own practice. Confusion at this point is great, gives multiple perspective, keeping us in the process, we expect to be messy, it should not be all linear...We mu...

Theories and Frameworks/ Sunday Discussion group/March 7, 2021 Yesterday we had a very profound conversation led by Angela Woodhouse and she opened some pathways and understanding to seeing my practice and framework differently, from female, artist either movement researcher perspective. As an visual artist, choreographer, researcher she scratched the surface of interesting themes such as dialogue on the lights, obligation/decision making, questions about simplicity, emptiness, sharing experience through the different materials, testing the patience of time, bodily-spatial relationship through a framework of collaborative making, ...We were also talking about democracy, inclusivity, participation...and again brought me to my thought about the way how i am understanding the world, environment as a creative artist and movement researcher and how i embody those things in my practice and research inquiry.  I have noticed that Angela spoke about Covid situation and how she was interest...

  Sandra   March 3, 2021 at 11:36 PM Last three weeks i am really preoccupied with thoughts about my plan proposal research. My brain and mind are overwhelmed a bit, cause searching means charging the energy but also exhausting a mental sources. Since i have completed all my duties to MODULE 1 , proposal for the next stage brought to the wall, to the dead end cause i was asking myself on daily basis, ok, what will be your research project, what is of your best interest, for what are you longing for to search... Somatic work is so enormous, huge as ocean and i am in the middle of the ocean in my tiny boat and sailing somewhere ( i still do not know..) but then, i started to think, ok, let's check aol areas, key words from your work and start from there, from the facts i wrote about it, from the simple things, and i started from the conscious and why conscious matters...Firstly, we reflect various things. We proceed from the first movement and breath point of view....

Sandra   February 22, 2021 at 2:34 AM I am very grateful for Peter Thomas writing workshop, ideas and tips about free and academic writing. Since I was not able to participate during my Module 1, i am really content i could hear some new and useful thoughts about writing. So, Peter gave us in the beginning of the workshop a little task to write about WHAT IS WRITING? I wanted to feel that free-writing flow, i did not want to think a lot, and to implement only the impulse of the moment...so i wrote.... every experience starts with an impulse. find an impulse in you own hand and just start ... throughout that impulse we expressing ourselves, sharing embodied thoughts through the words we are connected in a very intrinsic way with the experience, paper and pan at the given moment. Somebody mentioned that writing is a capturing a moment... agree, and than we are framing that moment into something meaningful, valuable, with satisfaction..This is a process, a constant process o...

  Sandra   February 17, 2021 at 10:58 PM It was lovely to meet Module 1 students and to see new faces and hear about their practice, articulation of practice and some areas of learning emerged from different speakers.I realized i was the only one from other modules but anyway it was lovely night full of fresh ideas and thoughts. Interesting Alan Watts quote Helen put on her last blog “Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.” that is so ironic and true, cause i had the same feeling when i enrolled on Module 1, i was struggling how to define myself, i came from different background, i was a dancer, teacher, performer, somatic explorer, i was acting, working in the Embassy, in communication..ohh so many jobs and still it was hard to find a real identity...but slowly with the tutors help, with a lot of thinking, reflecting, talking and sharing thoughts with some nice people from the blog, i started put my AOL-s in a right frame. As I move thr...

  Sandra   February 14, 2021 at 11:37 PM I did not have intention writing about this subject. But this morning i checked Helens blog, like i did every Monday Module ago, and i saw really impressive speech of Brené Brown about the vulnerability. So today, like i already write on Helens blogh, i eill say something about our vulnerability is actually our strength, but most of us never see ourselves in that way. It is much easier to struggle with it, scream, expect for someones call and look miserable, having everything under certainty (which is also so sad and exhausted) than start listening ourselves, being worthy, stop to be perfect, rather start to be brave to be seen deeply, vulnerably and worthy of love and belonging. I think most of us were been there and when we admit to ourselves that reality than we can move on in our relationships, work, creativity, joy, sadness,... Vulnerability is part of creative people, especially people in arts,writing, dance, moveme...

  😎 Sandra February 8, 2021 at 4:44 AM Hi there, finally we are all back:) It was great to see old faces from different Modules and new one at our Welcome/welcome back session over the weekend. It is nice to be here, even virtually on Faculty. Makes me alive. It was also good to know and hear other Heads of Departments, and Director of Faculty. Thank you Helen for the thorough information regarding our studying and for the encouragement for the next steps. So, this is all for now...get slowly into the rhythm, read, write, think, create, reflect and trust the process...

  Sandra   December 8, 2020 at 3:43 AM   Thinking requires a visible facts which is brought to mind. Thoughts that results in strongly grounded evidences have an importance which can lead to reflective thoughts, or do a smooth touch on conscious. “Reflective thought is active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the ground that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends” (Dewey, 1910, 6). Reflective thinking search for requiring, for the solution of perplexity, for the state of hesitation, make one dare to think. This confusion can be answered by “one’s own previous experience and prior knowledge” (Ibid, 12). If the activity goes smoothly and if the event once happened is easily accepted, without looking for the evidence and if recognised automatically then we can not talk about reflectivity. Reflective thinking should give us a worry, a shock, disturbance, but also involves readines...

  Sandra   December 2, 2020 at 2:37 AM Lately I have been reading S. Cottrell's (Critical Thinking Skills) and S. Fraleigh's (Moving Consciously) amazing books (I warmly recommend them) and since I am last 2,3 months very much into different kind of reflections I would like to share few sentences about critical thinking and dancing. It is obvious that thinking and dancing matching. "Dancing is thinking in movement" (Fraleigh, 2015, 155). When we merge into images full of life and forget ourselves in the moment then reflect again through the steps our past experiences and concentrate on area of our body than we know that we are, that are who we are, that we exist. All this experience is related to critical thinking and resonating which direct us to go through mental processes such as attention, categorization, selection or judgement (Cottrell, 2005, 1). "Using skepticism in critical thinking means bringing an element of polite doubt (Ibid, 2). When w...

  Reply Delete Sandra   November 30, 2020 at 3:15 AM STRONG CURRENTS I am writing this essay after almost 12 weeks of my learning and reviewing. I, myself have been stimulated to go through research of my professional practice and gained knowledge and must admit this is a powerful thing, but also a challenged work. My personal reflection (on) was very much linked with the fact who am I, especially sensitive work on my four areas of Learning. It seems so easy to demonstrate worth of reflecting, but at the moment it seems there is no material to upgrade, to represent or reflect. Just a headache and wall between me and my thoughts. That was a sign for a deeper mind searching. Isn’t it something ironic in that part? It is obvious that we as humans have some kind of internal and external experience (there is no real experience without the external one) but anyway if we want to understand more we need to stimulate deeper thoughts and provoke deeper memories, observ...

  Sandra November 25, 2020 at 1:49 PM Hi there:) I would like to reflect tonight's interesting discussion about above mentioned subject. Since I live for some time in Azerbaijan, and considering all mess regarding covid-19 and war I have witnessed last two months, I could say that all this played a big role in changing my life, thinking, moving, reflecting...Lately I was dealing with lack of electricity, internet, finding books and I could just add that all my effort I put in was a little miracle for me, cause I wrote and edit all 4aols and reflective essay is on my way to submit. Through all my aols and even this reflective essay I was engaged with a few theorists, such as Schön, Kolb, Zull, P. Tarrant, Piaget, Dewey...who really changed my way of thinking in a positive way, cause I could finally put in a academic frame what I am actually writing about in my reflective essay. Since I do not unfortunately, ( because of above mentioned issues) dance, perform, or teach...

Sandra   November 17, 2020 at 6:40 AM MAPP SUNDAY DISCUSSION GROUP/ Communicating your ideas I would like shortly reflect Sunday's night very strong and engaged debate and I was really happy I was part of that discussion. We were talking about communicative ideas, trust, patterns, using languages to understand better each others, using tools and other useful communicators which help us to enter into deeper communications in our case in dance, performing, doing art, working with kids, adults, etc. I agree with Lucian when he said that during this approach we need to be flexible and open and we need to find a way to communicate and through diversity is the best way to reach out to the others and find according to Peter Thomas our own voice, through exploring our thoughts and generating new ideas. I would add, that we need to find our own tool or patterns how to make a valuable step and give yourself to the others, no matter what you are doing. This is how I see how we ca...

  Sandra   November 17, 2020 at 4:45 AM Hi there:) I am finally here after almost three weeks of non stop reading, exploring, learning, searching, headaches, writing.... and I must admit I was enjoying a lot. I wrote something in academic manner 7 years ago and we know what is happening if you do not practice on daily basis, it is the same with physical practice, writing, thinking... its just do not work if you do not practice, so I was really motivated to write again and surprised when I entered again into the world of free writing which I succeed in a very short time, to collect all valuable information, learn something new and convert everything into a good experience and hopefully valuable academic writings. I want to thank Sue librarian for the help with the books and tips how to find good books for my aols and Helen, my supervisor, for the constant communication, encouraging and directing my writings. All that would sound more beautiful if I was really succ...

Sandra   November 2, 2020 at 11:31 PM What we are aware of in the experience of a particular movement process? EXPERIENCE and ACTION has an importance in my life as a teacher. It is very clear that we have to be able to reconnect with our own bodies through the movement, but that also gives a hint that student needs first connect not only with the teacher, I would rather say with his own body and mind, his patterns, habits, emotions,… Agree, this part is slow and hard but as a teachers we ought to find a tool how to teach them to follow us, than how to overcome it, how to stop imitating teacher/student movement, how to re-pattern and recognize their own, except it, how to listen, become intimate with some parts of the body, creative and then start imitating again with own qualities, originality, vocabulary, imagination, acceptation of their own being using the voice as a rhythm, clapping with hands, using an instrument as a leader, using laughter as a catharsis element...

  Reply Delete Sandra October 29, 2020 at 12:11 AM Yesterday I was reading and comparing Dewey and Piaget's contribution to experiential learning and found some interesting information regarding my 1st and 2nd AOL which talking about teaching and learning and thinking in movement. Dewey is talking about DUAL KNOWLEDGE where learning involves transactions between the person and environment. They are interconnected and mutually transformed between rational controlled doing and receptive undergoing which constitutes the work of intelligence. Learning transforms impulses, emotions and desires of concrete experience into higher goals. The critical educational problem is when one of this causes take immediate action before observation and received knowledge. Postponement of immediate action is essential for observation and judgement to intervene and action is main goal for achievement of purpose. The interesting thing is (which I can related to my AOLs too) that Piaget'...

  October 27, 2020 at 11:29 PM   Hi! I have opened some interesting chapters of KOLB very interesting book Experiential learning and found on the first page fascinating poem about the pleasure of learning in Song of Joy, by Wang Ken. Learning is the process of entering into the experience alone or together, we share what we learn to ourselves or to the other. We reflect this meaning and think about the consequences for us and the group and what this learning brought to us. From this understanding, which can be sometimes very long, exhausted but satisfied process, we can ACT to create experience of this kind of pleasure. No pleasure, no learning/ no learning, no pleasure. Kolb developed experiential learning theory in which the learner is directly in touch with the surrounded realities. This one who only talks about, write about, reads about can not share an experience. Experiential learning theory is naturalistic ongoing process of direct learning from the experi...

  Sandra October 27, 2020 at 12:40 AM hi guys! how are you doing? Last week I finished my 1AOL about importance of learning and teaching and I will just add some thoughts from the first draft. Teaching and Learning are inevitably connected and interrelated. One does not exist without the other. We are all learners but we are receiving experience and understanding on different levels. As a learners we are endlessly challenged by the materials of learning in order to make some new step, progress and better relationship with the teaching process. “I myself am a researcher by inclination. I feel the entire thirst for cognition and the eager restlessness to proceed further in it, as well as the satisfaction at every acquisition” (Kant, 96). As teachers we are going through humble way of embracing reality and facts of how we are actually so modest and have recognition about non stop self-investment. Sometimes this interaction between teaching and learning is more like Kafkes...

Sandra October 21, 2020 at 7:28 AM Last days I am very occupied with writing my first AOL and today I noticed something regarding my teaching and recognised that being a teacher is wonderful things, sharing knowledge with the students is a bless but most important things for us teachers, educators, coaches, instructors IS that we are all the time learners and we must not forget this truth. Reading one chapter today from Schon/Educating the reflective practitioner brought me to clarification (i think i had that all the time in myself but i did not have that cognition) that we as a teachers serving to eager students as self-discovery guides and provoking in his conversationalist strong will for discovering, searching, questioning for the Truth. Socrates Dialogues are the best example how to search for the real knowledge.  

  October 20, 2020 at 5:17 AM Hi:) I just wanted to share today's quote about reflective conversation. I am in the middle of reading "Reflective practice and professional development" by Peter Tarrant which is really helpful regarding understanding reflective practice and among so many good advice and quotes I found this one for today " reflective conversations that are empowering enable the teachers to name, define and construct their own "realities"; they enable the teacher to sustain themselves. They nourish their sense of professional dignity" (taken from Ghaye and Ghaye, 1998., 23) what are your thoughts about that? What other benefits/challenges you see as a "product" of reflection, inner conversation? What is important to acknowledge in this kind of conversation?

Sandra   October 19, 2020 at 5:02 AM Hi there:)) how are you all doing? Unfortunately I could not participated last week in online sessions but I would like to share my thoughts about ethics, ethical procedures and ethical considerations in that what we are creating , thinking, how we researching, how this impact on us and the others, how would be understand,...A lot of questions coming up to my mind during this study such as what we are aware of while creating something? How will what we are doing affect or maybe influence on people who are not us? (i mean here on dance, movement teachers, artists, performers), how they will feel, or what they know in the course of what happens and how we can carry out the people involved , the spaces, the time in order to make sense of experience, ideas...and how to entwine an element of quality there? how we create the truth, the real experience? All about ethics is make sure people do not get hurt, insult (this brings me to Plato(w...

 Hi:)  I am in the middle of process of refreshing AOLs and my head is full of information and new learning. I am so fascinated with the literature and the amount of knowledge about embodiment, movement, experience...Inspired by famous antics philosopher Heraclitus and his quote that there is nothing permanent except change, than Rene Descartes cogito, ergo sum, which oblige us on continuous rethinking and implying that body can be build and developed, not just controlled than that there is something in constant changing of one’s cognition and condition Bartenieff just brought another understanding: “1. Change is fundamental. The essence of movement is change. As we move, we are constantly changing. and this is our REALITY. The body has been associated with change and movement and this change we perceive through our physicality. It is interesting how the body was, from the ancient time till nowadays, subject of furious discussions and inspiration for not just dan...

October 7, 2020 at 3:22 AM Hi:) Soon will be the 4th week of continuous and non stop thinking, receiving information, searching, exploring, studying, reading, re-reading, observing, contemplating my Professional Practice and i could say from this point WHAT AM I DOING? I am moving really slowly (first because i live in part of the world which is going through such turmoil and imbalance and I am really struggling with the internet, lack of electricity from last days, but i do not want this as an excuse) i am just thinking loud and i want to share my thoughts cause this situation becomes severe and somehow affect even my learning, thinking about my Professional Practice and my daily practice as it is. I am in the middle of process of fleshing out the AOLs and my head is in a slight chaos cause I am collecting information, trying to read more, selecting things, making notes and i want to do this in order and with the sense. I re-read the handbook, started to read a Handbook...

Sandra   October 5, 2020 at 12:30 AM Since i was not able to discuss with the group last Sunday regarding learning, knowledge and information, i can not reflect that but i would just add what partly i reply to Kym and what shortly i wanted to say to whole group. Like i said before, i see learning, knowledge and information interconnected and either i teach or just do my self practice i try not to ignore those three things. We are all learners, we all learn differently. The same thing we will explain with own language or we will experience it on different levels. The problem with the learning new things could be the lack of provided information given to the learner in a sub-optimal manner. Using more experience, collected form a different perspectives and using different approaches to explain your thoughts, body language and bring closer the idea of the subject is the best way to connect those three things. Being Diverse and comprehensive, open to a new skills, experie...

Sandra   October 5, 2020 at 12:11 AM Hi! Unfortunately i could not be part of academic writing practice on 28th with P. Thomas but i saw the helpful and useful 5 minutes video which (in this for me difficult time give me hope and good tips and advises for tool thinking, for time limit and what should I ignore during the freewriting. Very interesting and i will try to apply ASAP. As he said writing come in many shapes and the most important thing is to relate to finding our own voice through writing and no to lose ourselves, ideas and not to fit in with other people's expectations. There is a saying that the scariest moment for the writer is always just before he start. This is for the writer the most difficult part, and like Peter said let's thoughts emerge, do not stop and just keep going, and i would add never, never, never, never, never give up:) i hope ill manage to connect on next writing workshop on October 15th.