daCi in Print May 2011 Issue 12 - daCi

Issue 12.1
In this issue we bring you more information
about the next daCi conference and continue
our special feature of invited stories from past
chairs of daCi.
In this issue we have a superb retrospective
from Sue Stinson who recounts her experiences
and life in daCi with the addition of some
wonderful photos that capture a time from 1985
to 2009.
There is also special news from many of the
countries involved in daCi including Canada,
Croatia, Germany, Jamaica, New Zealand, The
Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland.
daCi in print also continues to provide
information about new publications and
research , including research initiatives for
funding as well as information about other
funding possibilities. As always, you will find a
list of the daCi Executive and Advisory Board
members at the end of this newsletter.
Adrienne Sansom
Editor
Chair’s message
Dear daCi friends,
daCi is, indeed, about friends and friendship.
During these turbulent times it is very
May 2011
comforting to know that friends exist all over
the world. daCi friendship, to me, seems to be a
very special kind of friendship. It is about
sharing something very special, a love for dance
and for children. It is like a little treasure, this
experience of joy and vitality that we have all
witnessed when being involved with dancing
children. This treasure brings joy and vitality to
us, dancing adults, when we feel like getting
lost in the troubles about this world and our
times. It keeps us going, and gives us faith.
daCi has brought together people from all over
the world and created space for lasting
friendships and mutual understanding. daCi
continues to be a meeting point, allowing for
even more diversity than ever before. The 2012
joint conference with World Dance Alliance
allows us, daCi members, to share our treasure,
our love for dance and for children, with the
members of WDA. This treasure, after all, is not
ours to keep. The more we share, the more
there will be to share. What a wonderful
treasure!
Please enjoy this issue of daCi in Print – read it
thoroughly, and be inspired!
With warm regards,
Eeva Anttila
Chair
Special Feature
A life in daCi: A personal retrospective by Sue Stinson
In 1978, I saw an announcement about an exciting international conference Joyce Boorman was
organizing in Canada: Dance and the Child. The subtitle of the conference emphasized the child as
performer, spectator, and creator. At that point I had been teaching dance to children for about ten
years, and I admired Boorman’s books, so was determined to attend. The conference was thrilling,
offering an opportunity to hear from outstanding figures in the field, including Boorman as well as
Joan Russell and Virginia Tanner. I took workshops, attended lecture-demonstrations, listened to
scholarly addresses, and saw performances by professional groups for child audiences as well as work
created and performed by children. At the end of this conference, I attended a session described in
the program as a “Founding Meeting of International Dance Educators/ion Association,” chaired by
Dorothy Harris and Rose Hill. I was so energized by this experience that I agreed to serve as
“alternate USA delegate” to the group planning the new organization, which came to be called daCi.
When the original USA representatives were unable to participate, I stepped in to communicate with
other founding USA daCi members and to become one of the midwives assisting in the birth of daCi
four years later, at the conference in Stockholm.
Thirty-three years after the first conference in Edmonton, 29 years after the official founding of daCi, I
look at my bookshelf and see the programs and Proceedings of every daCi conference. Some of the
pages are falling out, but each volume reminds me of inspiring presentations, wonderful colleagues,
and …how daCi has helped shape my own career in dance education and enriched my personal life as
well.
I began my current position in dance education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in
1979, and soon learned about the requirements for tenure. Publishing and presenting my work were
clearly expected, and international opportunities were especially important. The 1982 conference in
Stockholm was my first international presentation, on “The Implications and Limitations of Piagetian
Theory for the Teaching of Dance.” Using feedback from the conference, I was able to revise the paper
for publication in Dance Research Journal.
Three years later I was at the conference in New Zealand, this time presenting two papers which
again served as “trial run” for eventual publications, this time in the British journal, Drama/Dance.
The connection to the editor had come from daCi as well. Also at this conference I met Karen Bond,
then from Australia; we began comparing notes about the similarities in our research, which led to
many more collaborations and a long lasting friendship. We of course didn’t know at the time that
both Karen and I would eventually serve as Chairs of daCi—but at this time I was first elected to the
daCi Board as Member-at-Large, and began searching for a way to contribute.
By the time of the UK conference in 1988, I had become daCi’s first Research Officer ; I organized a
session for researchers at the conference, as well as presenting my own paper. During Board
meetings at that time, I also agreed to be program chair of the next daCi conference, scheduled for
1991 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and to edit the 1991 conference proceedings.
The 1991 conference brought me into contact with another colleague with whom I have maintained
an ongoing friendship, Isabel Marques. I attended her presentation (one of few I managed to attend
at that busy time!) and encouraged her to become the Brazilian national representative for daCi. It
was thrilling to see Isabel go on to found what became at the time the largest national chapter of
daCi. It was also enriching for me to follow her work connecting Laban theory with social justice,
through reading her papers and attending her workshops and other presentations at other
conferences. I still appreciate watching videos of her educational dance company, as well as seeing
photographs of her daughter, the same age as my grandson!
In 1994, I attended the daCi conference in Sydney. Karen Bond and I had maintained communication
about our research interests, and were able to offer a session on “Researching meaning making among
young dancers.” Expecting just a few people to be in attendance, we were surprised by the large
number of people in attendance, and the great interest in the topic. Karen and I realized how
fortunate we had been to be encouraged to use qualitative methodologies in our own research. One
of the people in attendance at that session was Eeva Anttila from Finland, who was to become the
program chair for the next daCi conference in 1997 (and is the current daCi Chair). At the Sydney
conference, I also organized a panel on “Critical and Feminist Pedagogies in Children’s Dance,” with
Isabel Marques and Sherry Shapiro joining me. That panel later grew into a book edited by Sherry,
Dance, Power, and Difference.
Another person I met at the Sydney conference was Adrienne Sansom (currently daCi Chair-elect and
newsletter editor). Adrienne sat next to me on a bus transporting us to a conference event, and that
conversation initiated another long term relationship. I found that Adrienne’s expertise was dance
for young children, and she was exploring possibilities for graduate school. A few years later she
came to my university and worked with me on her masters degree. UNCG and the Greensboro
community were such a good fit that she returned to earn her PhD. I can’t wait to read her new
book, Movement and Dance in Young Children's Lives, published by Peter Lang.
Going backwards a bit to stay with the conference timeline, the 1997 conference in Kuopio, Finland
marked new, as well as, deepening relationships. After two years as Chair-Elect, I began a three year
term as daCi chair at the end of the conference—definitely a humbling experience. Eeva had asked
me to be on a keynote panel at the conference, and arranged for Karen and me to teach a week-long
research course at the Theater Academy in Helsinki (TEAK) after the conference. The course was an
amazing experience—hopefully for the international group who participated, but also for me. I
learned so much from Karen through co-teaching with her, and learned so much from the way the
diverse international group of students responded. That course brought more professional
opportunities, including invitations to teach and present in a number of countries; the demands of my
own position at UNCG have unfortunately meant that I have been unable to accept very many of
them. I have, however, maintained an ongoing relationship with TEAK, directing Eeva’s doctoral
dissertation, A Dream Journey to the Unknown (2003), and participating in a number of subsequent
th
research projects and conferences there. A highlight was the event celebrating the 10 anniversary
of the doctoral program in 2007, which had been initiated by the course Karen and I co-taught.
A few weeks after the 1997 course ended, I headed to Melbourne, Australia, to begin a research
collaboration with Karen, combining and analyzing our own data on young people’s descriptions of
their experiences in dance, along with data from other daCi colleagues. This work eventually
culminated with a co-authored publication in Dance Research Journal in 2000/2001 and a subsequent
one in Research in Dance Education in 2007, as well as keynote events at the daCi conferences in
Brazil (2003) and Jamaica (2009). Karen and I assembled teams to present some of our findings at
each conference, using a Reader’s Theater style. In between I attended and presented at the 2000
conference in Regina and the 2003 conference in the Netherlands, continuing to renew long-term
friendships as well as create new ones.
In writing this brief retrospective, I am aware of the many daCi colleagues whom I have not named—
including former daCi chair Leonore Ickstadt, who offered my family her home for our stay in Berlin in
December 1999 and then sent me a copy of her delightful 2007 book, Dancing Heads; Sharon
Friedman hosted me in South Africa, assisted in setting up a continuing exchange program between
our universities, and sent me the book she co-authored, Teaching Creative Dance (1997). There are
so many more, and so many moments I have shared with colleagues that have enriched my
professional life. I now look forward to daCi 2012 in Taiwan, to new friendships and new adventures
with those I have known so long that they feel like family.
Thank you, daCi, for the opportunities that have been essential in building my career, and the
memories that have meant so much in my life. I look at the strong leadership in the organization and
realize that this “child” we birthed so many years ago is now a mature adult, and will continue to
enrich careers and lives for years to come.
A Retrospective in Photographs submitted by Sue Stinson
Dance and the Child Conference, ‘Dance, the New Zealand Experience’, NZ 1985: From left to
right—two delegates from Japan, Joan Russell (UK) (Past Chair), Jennifer Wall (Canada) (Vice Chair),
Jan Wilmans (The Netherlands) (Chair), Kit Wilmans (The Netherlands), Hilary Hunt (Canada)
(Treasurer), Sue Stinson (USA), delegate from Japan
daCi Board Meeting, Utah, 1990: Sue Stinson, Peggy Schwartz (USA representative), Kit Wilmans,
and former Chair Jan Wilmans (The Netherlands)
th
Sue receiving a gift at the 6 Triennial Dance and the Child Conference, ‘Kindle the Fire’, Sydney,
Australia, 1994
Dance and the Child Conference, Kuopio, Finland, 1997: Left to right—Sue Stinson (USA) (Chair
Elect); Isabel Marques (Brazil) and Karen Bond (Australia)
Research course at the Theatre Academy, Finland, 1997: Back row: Linda Gold (USA), …, Sue
Stinson (USA), Kai Lehikoinen (Finland), Karen Bond (Australia), Suzanne Renner (NZ), …, Barbara
Bashaw (USA), Sharon Friedman (South Africa), Leena Rouhiainen (Finland), Soili Hämäläinen
(Finland).
Front row: Left to right—Clare Battersby (NZ), Isabel Marques (Brazil), Eeva Anttila (Finland), Teija
Löytönen (Finland)
daCi Board meeting in Canada, 1998: Back row from left to right—Sharon Friedman (South Africa),
Lucia Matos (Brazil), Sheryle Bergmann Drewe (Canada) (Co-Research Officer), Ann Kipling Brown
(Canada) (Treasurer), Leanore Ickstadt (Germany) (Chair Elect), Leila Sillantaka (Finland), Jill Reid
(Canada), Isabel Marques (Brazil), Elisabet Edelholm (partly obscured) (Sweden), Gery Morel (The
Netherlands)
Front row: Left to right—Barbara Requa (Jamaica), Peggy Downey (Canada) (Secretary), Sue Stinson
(USA) (Chair)
Sue Stinson giving a keynote address at the 11th Triennial daCi conference ‘Cultures Flex:
Unearthing Expressions of the Dancing Child’, Kingston, Jamaica, 2009 with Karen Bond
(USA), using a reader’s theatre research approach assisted by Ann Kipling Brown (Canada)
and Christopher Walker (Jamaica)
New Publications from Dance and the Child Members
Books
Sansom, A. N. (2011). Movement and dance in young children’s
lives: Crossing the divide. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
In the pedagogical landscape of early childhood, physical
movement is central to the holistic development of young
children. Yet, movement-related experiences and other
bodily activities such as play and dance often present
contradictions and conundrums for early childhood
educators.
Movement and Dance in Young Children’s Lives looks at
the place of movement in young children’s lives and
addresses how movement as a form of expression can
become dance, thus displacing a reliance on linguistic
modes of expression and honouring the agency of the
body. The book also discusses a variety of concerns and
confusions that accompany dance in education, and
interprets what this means to students and teachers in
teacher education programs and early childhood settings.
Two delightful accounts of dance relationships across borders from our Canadian
members
Forwarded by Mary Elizabeth Manley, daCi Canada
March 7, 2011
March 7th, 2011
Written by Bailey Davis
New Year, New Projects, New Reasons to
Smile, Dance, and Spread Joy!
BIG NEWS!
The Empowered African Child
Conference
There are so many exciting happenings this
year for Sarina and the Big Little Caravan of Joy
that it’s almost hard to keep up! First up is a trip to
Swaziland and South Africa to host two national
conferences
The Empowered
African Child Conference,
and The Empowered Noah
Child Conference respectively.
entitled
Sarina is organizing and directing both of these
conferences, with the help of Noah South Africa,
Friends of Noah Canada, and People's Educational
Theatre Swaziland, scheduled for June of this
year. The conference will be a national gathering
of performing artists, educators, NGO’s, and child
care workers/givers, with the purpose of
empowering the vulnerable and orphaned children
of Africa through the magic of the arts! Sarina,
along with other African workshop leaders will
be leading a series of workshops for the artists and
educators, ranging from “The Performing Arts and
HIV Education” to “Restorative and Stress
Reducing Techniques for the Child Care Worker”
and everything in between. These conferences are
created and designed specifically to educate and
support childcare workers with a child-centric
curriculum and creative play so that the young
vulnerable/orphaned child can develop and grow
with confidence and joy.
Performing Arts Camps in
Africa
In addition to the conference workshops, there
will also be phenomenal dance and music events
for all involved, including special performances
with world renowned artists and speakers. The Big
Little Caravan of Joy’s performing arts camps for
children are scheduled to hit four countries this
year: Swaziland, South Africa, Zimbabwe and
Ghana! Once again the remarkable Damarise St.
Marie will be Sarina's assistant for this journey.
Sarina’s Going to Africa (again)!
As usual, in preparation for these great conferences and camps, it is full steam ahead for Sarina and
the BLCJ. In fact, Sarina will be bidding you all a temporary adieu, as she heads to Africa this
Wednesday the 9th of March for 12 days in order to lay the necessary groundwork. Enroute with Sarina
will be Nicky Potter, founder of Friends of Noah Canada. This year, FoNC and The BLCJ amalgamated
with the help and guidance of Nicky and legal support of Trudy White and George Dzuro. Thanks to all
three amazing individuals; The BLCJ is now has charitable status.
Go Ghana!
In yet more exciting news for The Big Little Caravan of Joy, for the first time ever Sarina will be
taking 6 volunteers to a small village in Ghana called Dagbamete to volunteer with the local children. In
addition, the volunteers will have the very special opportunity to learn African drumming and dance
from master drummer (and Dagbamete native) Kwasi and his niece Aku. The trip will last from July
30th to August 21st, and the volunteers are already giddy with excitement. If you have any old lap tops
sitting around that you no longer use, but is in good working condition, why not send it our way and help
those who could use it most!
Vintage Variations 2011
Learning by Heart Studios is very happy to announce another fantastic performance. This time it
comes to us from Sarina’s amazing senior shakers, The Vintage Dancers with special guests including
belly dance Goddess- Maria Garcia. All of the dancers involved are between 60 and 85 years young! The
performance is a celebration of the vitality and creativity of our senior community, and is sure to be an
afternoon to remember. It will be held on Sunday, April 3rd @ 2:00 PM at the Betty Oliphant Theatre.
Tickets are $20 each, and can be purchased from the dancers, or from Sarina herself.
When Giuseppe met Jaro
Sarina’s phenomenally talented uncle Giuseppe Condello, is working on a new mime piece for The Vintage Variations Cabaret 2011, accompanied by Ukrainian
accordian player Jaro Czerwinec (of Cowboy Junkies fame). It will be directed by Sarina herself, and as with all of Giuseppe’s artistic works it is bound to be a remarkable
and moving example of the art of the mime. More details of the performance, including venue and pricing, will be coming along shortly. As for right now, we can tell you it
starts with Uncle Giuseppe in a trash can...what more do you need to know?
Thank You Bedford Park & Summerhill Players!
Sarina is thrilled to announce that her amazing troupe of community actors The Summerhill Players, raised an astonishing $18,000 for the Big Little Caravan
of Joy! Their performance of the Lion King played to 3 sold-out crowds, and garnered rave reviews from all who were lucky enough to be in attendance.
Good work guys and gals! Not to be outdone, Sarina’s other troupe The Bedford Park Players, will be staging a production of the hilarious and colourful
musical Hairspray. Rehearsals are going smashingly, and the cast is ready to knock it out of the park (pun intended). Hairspray will be held on April 27th 30th. A show not to be missed indeed! Volunteers abound, these events would not be possible without the support of hundreds of people! A big thank you
to Kristi Herold for producing the shows, Gail Leger for designing all the costumes and Kevin Sullivan for making the Empowered African Child Conferences
possible. Sarina also thanks all The BLCJ’s donors and sponsors too. Without their support TBLCJ would not have zip!
Sarina Gets Help!
Finally, the woman who spends her time helping everyone else has finally made the decision to get some help herself. And no, although we all know she’s
a little crazy, we’re not talking about therapy! In fact, for the first time in 13 years, Sarina has hired a personal assistant! Joining the BLCJ/LBHS team is
Bailey Davis, a 24 year old grad student at U of T. Bailey was Sarina’s first student in Toronto some 15 years ago, and is so excited that things have come
full-circle, and that she now has the chance to work with Sarina, which has been a life-long dream for her. Bailey brings her passion for theatre, dance, and
art (she is currently finishing her MA in Art History) to the amazing work that Sarina does, and is looking forward to getting to know you all better as time
goes on. You’ll be seeing a lot of her around-- just look out for the red hair and big smile!
LBHS Still in Operation!
Learning By Heart Studio (founded by Sarina in 1997) is still active with dance and drama classes, as well as many musical productions for kids and adults.
Musicals and Improv classes at John Fisher, Whitney Public School and Bedford Park are rocking out with big voices and great showmanship. The
extraordinary Sheila Philcox, musical director for all of Sarina’s musical theatre endeavors, keeps the fleet of ships sailing on calm waters with her pianist
mastery! To celebrate Bedford Park’s 100th Birthday, the school commissioned Sarina and Darren Shearer (rock star drummer of The New Deal) to produce
a school-wide creative dance program and performance titled “Equilibrio” that featured an unprecedented 625 children in one performance! Darren and
Sarina were also guest artists at Branksome where they produced the show “The Dance of Art “ for grade two students. Sarina also continues teaching her
dance classes to gorgeous, happy women, 5 times a week!
CBC Champions of Change
Thanks to your support and encouragement, Sarina was chosen as one of the Top 50 Champions of Change by the CBC. Although she did not make the
Top 10, it was still a wonderful acknowledgement of all the remarkable work she has done and will continue to do to bring joyful change to the world!
The BLCJ in 2013
In the biggest news yet for Sarina and The BLCJ, Sarina will be taking an 18-month sabbatical starting in 2013, to embark on an Africa-wide tour, which will
bring the power and message of the BLCJ to its widest audience yet. She will be visiting over 8 different countries, and bringing her unique message of
empowerment through the arts to orphaned and vulnerable children throughout Africa. Stay tuned for upcoming fundraising events (such as February 14th,
2012), in which you will have the opportunity to help Sarina on her journey.
The Big Little Caravan
of Joy – 2010 African
Tour
Post-trip thoughts and reflection
Damarise Ste. Marie
The Trip –basic itinerary & main events:
This June and July I worked as a volunteer with Sarina Condello and her newly registered charity,
The Big Little Car avan of Joy. The two of us travelled to Mbabane, the capital city of the
Kingdom of Swaziland; as well as Durban, a South African port city on the Indian Ocean; and
Cape Town, the most South-Western point on the African continent.
In Swaziland we collaborated with a national theatre company, the People’s Educational
Theatre (PET) directed by Nicholas Mamba, to host a two day workshop for artists and
educators. We also worked with PET and several local artists to deliver a week of intense work
and play at Sigangeni Primary, a
rural elementary school, where we
taught songs and dances to over
600 children in preparation for a
theatrical performance at the end
of the week. The show was one
hour long and included each and
every one of the students attending
the school. We invited the entire
community, as well as government
officials, NGO representatives, and
school curriculum developers to
come watch the Friday afternoon
performance and eat lunch together
1 Participants of Swaziland's two day training workshop
afterwards, as a celebration of the
for artists.
Internatio nal Day of the African
Child (June 16). The short two weeks we spent in Swaziland were so effective and productive
that a national conference dealing with Empowering the African Child is now in the works for
next June. This conference will bring together artists, educators, NGOs, social workers, and
local and national government representatives, with the goal of educating them on ways to view
the child, work with the child, honour the child, and empower the child using the performing and
creative arts.
This was the first time Sarina has worked in Swaziland,
and we were both amazed by the ease with which
everything we attempted became such a complete
success. Things did not always go as planned, but in the
end, everything worked out perfectly during the entire
two weeks we were there. Things flowed in a way you
just don’t see very often here in North America. I felt
exceedingly fortunate to have witnessed such an
inspired and inspiring collection of events,
collaborations, and relationships for my initiation to the
work Sarina does.
2 Peoples Educational Theatre: community
performance and discussion
Our next stop was Durban, where we
teamed up with local charitable
organisation,
NOAH
(Nurturing
Orphans of AIDS for Humanity), to
provide three weeks of camps to
orphaned and vulnerable children. Our
main contact at NOAH was Joslyn
Walker,
who
organised
our
accommodations and transportation, and
communicated with the orphanages and
the senior staff. Here we were able to
deliver Sarina’s full program since we had
3 Participants of Durban’s two day training
less than 200 children in each camp (as
workshop for artists and childcare workers
opposed to over 600 in Swaziland). In
addition to creating an hour-long music and dance performance with each group of children, we
offered daily arts & crafts projects, karate and juggling lessons, and tag & parachute games. We
travelled to three orphanages in different townships surrounding Durban – Shongweni, Umlazi,
and Kwa Mashu - each one with a very unique feel, energy, and personality. On this leg of our
journey we worked with Durban based artists we found through Clowns Witho ut Border s
South Africa, a non-profit organisation directed by Jamie McLaren Lachman. Its headquarters
are in the BAT Centre (Bartel Arts Trust), a community cultural centre in downtown Durban.
In Durban as well, Sarina conducted a two-day workshop for artists and child care workers
before we began working with the children.
One of the artists we worked with, Sabee
Shozi, is also a mixed martial arts sensei who
runs a Dojo in a YMCA centre in his
township. When Sarina learned that his
students have nothing but an empty space in
which to practice, she contacted a local
business-man who manufactures martial arts
equipment from his home, and ordered
punching bags, track suits, and other basic
equipment for Sabee and his students. This
donation is intended to help the Dojo grow,
and inspire the students to continue in their
discipline.
4 Dojo Donation: Sabee and his students receive their firstever set of equipment
Another donation given in Durban was the brand new set of kitchen supplies Sarina bought for
one of the orphanages we worked at. This centre had only 100 plates, and feeds 400 children
each day, as an example of how little they have in terms of materials and supplies. The centres
are also short-staffed and have no programming for the children; and many of the workers and
volunteers experience burnout, or don’t have training on how to deal with many children at once,
especially for long periods of time.
5 Kitchen help: the NOAH
Sarina’s charity is working in partnership with NOAH, and
next June NOAH will be giving a conference for all the
childcare workers, social support workers, and volunteers
working at the orphanages, as well as artists who work with
children. This conference will give NOAH workers tools
and ideas to use in their daily interactions with children, as
well as communicating a child-centric philosophy of
understanding and working with the child. It intends to
inspire and energise child-care workers, and show them
ways of integrating the arts in the daily lives of the children
NOAH reaches. Another goal of the conference is to
show the importance of honouring and recognising artists
who work with children, and demonstrate the positive
power the arts can have in a child’s life.
centres provide a hot meal
every day to each child in their
care. The green bowls and new
knives are part of Sarina’s
donation
Our final stop of the summer was Cape Town. This was
meant to be a quiet four-day holiday to relax and unwind
before heading home to our busy lives, but we made
connections with several people there whose work was
inspiring, and who were also inspired by what we had been doing. We stayed at The Backpack
and Africa Travel Centr e, a youth hostel run by Toni Shina, which supports several local
community projects. We watched a documentary screened at the hostel about an ex-gangster,
Mario Van Niekerk, who is now running a soccer program called The Great Commission
United!, for boys in his township of Heideveld. We met with him to discuss his triumphs and
challenges. We also met a tour guide and business student, Chippa Mngangwa, who runs a
children’s gumboot dance troupe called Happy Feet in Langa, his township. Sarina donated a
full wardrobe of new costumes for all his dancers, as well as a camera to document and promote
their performances and competitions.
The team of artists Sarina employed in Swaziland:
Nicholas M amba – artistic director of Peoples’
Educational T heatre
Andrew Moyo – event organiser and aid worker
Sandile Ndzimandze – social worker and PET
member
Stan – high school teacher and PET member
Musa Zikalala – theatre builder and PET member
Wandile - musician
Phumzile – clown and theatre artist
Phumzile – art-education facilitator
Mensi – PET member
6 Clockwise from Left: Nicholas, Andrew, Musa,
Mensi, Wandile, Phumzile, Sarina, Phumzile,
Damarise
The team of artists Sarina employed in South Africa:
Sthembiso Hlela – film-maker and drummer
Sabee Sho zi – clown and mixed martial artist
Sussie M jwar a – clown and children’s program facilitator
Busi – clown and juggler
Sipho Mdletshe – clown and soccer player
7 Left to Right: Sabee, Sthembiso, Damarise,
Sussie, Sarina, Busi, Sipho, Duncan
Volunteers:
Tully McLoug hlin – Yale University undergraduate student and social/educational theatre
researcher
Duncan Maccallum – local high school student in Durban.
Damarise Ste. Marie – BA in Dance, York University, and current student at L'Éco le de
danse de Québec
Swaziland & South Africa - some first impressions from an outsider:
The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small and poor country, but very peaceful and with a population
that values education. So why has it not been able to get the HIV/AIDS issue under control?
This is the worst-hit country in the world per capita (South Africa has the highest number of
people affected). Why has Uganda, a poverty-stricken and conflict-ridden nation somehow
managed to completely reverse its AIDS crisis, while Swaziland is somehow stuck in a rut? What
is it that needs to change in the consciousness of its people? Are they all petrified of getting
tested because of the shame associated with a positive result? Are they ignoring the problem,
hoping that if they do not address it, it will eventually go away? The people we worked with in
Swaziland are constantly dealing with AIDS issues and other social issues in their theatre work,
and they are just tired of it. They want to hear something else for a change. They want to make
theatre about other subjects. Life isn’t just about desperate social problems, and they are tired of
constantly having to portray them; but that is the only way they can get funding to continue
working. So is it an information overload? Have people just stopped hearing? I don’t know, but
I would like to go back and spend more time there talking to people about what they would like
to see happen in their country.
Children - art and empowerment:
How does a child learn about the world? She observes, experiences, experiments, and imitates.
Children are scientists – they discover and create. Children are artists – they discover and create.
At one time, these two ways of learning about the world were not considered separate or
incompatible. We now value science above art, as evidenced in school curricula.
How does a child learn how to deal with difficult situations in life? He draws on his past
experiences and knowledge. If a child knows only abuse, loneliness, hunger, pain, disrespect, and
neglect, is it realistic to expect him to develop into a functional and empowered adult? Sarina
speaks of children as the planet’s greatest natural resource. If we spend time investing in children
and making sure they understand how to act responsibly, ethically, morally, and compassionately,
we will be rewarded with a world that is more responsible, ethical, moral, and compassionate.
An investment has returns, and a positive investment in children has exponential returns for the
future of the community and society in which that child lives. Conversely, if we ignore the needs
of the child, and do not treat him with dignity, we are sowing the seeds of a selfish society in
which we ourselves will have to live as elders. We can build a legacy of love, respect, and
compassion, or one of self-preservation, greed, and corruption. It seems like such a simple
choice.
A child is not a miniature adult. We cannot expect children to understand the world the way
adults do. We cannot expect them to grasp issues that are beyond their age. Even if a child has
to live in difficult situations that include abuse, HIV/AIDS, and child trafficking, she needs to
first learn the life skills to be able to deal with these situations. She can be coached as a child to
avoid touching open wounds, to practice safe sex, to wait longer before becoming sexually active;
or she can also be taught to be proud, respectful, honourable, honest, and empowered. Teaching
human values and qualities independently from dealing with specific difficult situations is a
holistic way of handling life issues. Instead of trying to treat the symptoms of a problem, deal
with the potential causes of the problem before it appears, and if it does still appear, then treat
the symptoms, find the cause and change the situation. Of course, this is difficult, timeconsuming, maybe in some cases impossible; but ultimately it is more efficient and complete than
trying to stop a flood after the dam has broken. We can’t wait until children become adults to
teach them how to be people, or to be surprised when they make poor choices.
People have a need to understand the world. Children fill this need through play. If they do not
fulfil this need as children they will fulfil it as adults. But as adults they will not use the same
avenues that they would have used as children. Instead of creating make-believe worlds for
themselves, or using found objects to make up games, or performing songs and dances for their
friends and family, they will experiment with drugs, sexual promiscuity, alcohol, and crime. They
will see these activities as an escape into exciting and uncharted territory, because they never had
experiences of discovery as children.
What other method empowers children more effectively, completely and efficiently than the
performing arts? Food and clothing fill the belly and warm the body. Medicine and shelter
ensure safety and health. Psychosocial support gives them a way to cope with difficult situations.
Sports build teamwork and respect, give a sense of achievement and skill, and direct energy. Free
play allows children to create for themselves and discover the world around them. But the
performing arts have a way of combining the best aspects of psychosocial treatment, sport, and
play, and adding up to more than the sum of their parts. Acting, dancing, singing - all aspects of
performing arts - allow children to escape from daily life. And if daily life is bleak, difficult and
lonely, this escape is a crucial space for children to experience something positive in their lives,
and give them an outlet for their own emotions in a safe and constructive way. Like sports,
performing arts offer children a way of channelling energy and collaborating towards a common
goal. Unlike sports, though, where boys eventually become physically stronger than girls, the
performing arts promote equality of the sexes by allowing collaboration between boys and girls
of any age. Everyone can fully participate and contribute regardless of their gender, or how big
or small they are.
Concerning art therapy in povertystricken communities: How is a child
realistically expected to express herself,
her emotions, and her inner turmoil
through art if she doesn’t even know how
to use a crayon? She is much more likely
to try to figure out what this stick of
coloured wax that she has been given is
capable of doing. This means she may
not use it to draw a picture. She may put
it in her mouth to taste it. She may try to
break it. She may put it inside something
8 Children learning to use watercolours and
else. But if she happens to use it on a
crayons.
piece of paper, whatever she produces is
highly unlikely to represent any of her locked up pain. This is true of children of any age. If they
have not experienced visual art before, they won’t know how to use crayons, paint, glue, or any
other craft supplies. They need to be taught what they can do with these materials. Fifteen year
old children, who go to school, are literate and can use pens and pencils, are still lost when it
comes to using paintbrushes and pastels, because these tools have never entered their
consciousness before. This means that before we ask children to express themselves or reveal
their feelings, we need to give them the language to do so.
The mission of the Big Little Caravan of Joy is specifically to bring joy to children through the arts.
There is no other goal. The point is not to use art as a tool to teach children about AIDS or
child trafficking or how to deal with loss and grief, or any other issues that children should not
have to deal with. It is not to use art as propaganda. It is not to use art to appear more childfriendly, and in so doing appeal for more donations. The point of this project is to give children
a purely joyful experience that is child-centric, and that actually has no relation at all to the trials
of their daily lives. If every part of a child’s life makes reference in some way to the difficulties
they are facing, they are given no choice of knowing any other reality. Giving a child an
experience that focuses not on dealing with or overcoming difficult situations, but simply on
play, community, and cooperation, is an entirely different approach to dealing with vulnerable
children. The positive effect of this kind of work on a child’s life may actually be greater than the
same amount of time spent trying to creatively educate him on the importance of safe sex or
knowing his legal rights in various situations. This does not mean that art-education programs
are not useful. They are a brilliant way of bringing information to people of all ages, especially
people who are illiterate or have little or no access to education or truthful and accurate
information. But if a child is given no time to explore, play, and create just for the sake of it,
there is a piece missing in the puzzle of his development.
Following are more photographic examples of
the work we did:
9 A gallery-style display of personally relevant
artwork – each child got to take home a
decorated picture of him or herself.
10 Over 600 school children preparing for their show-
opening parade.
12 Rehearsing a dance with the senior school
11 The teachers get involved – Swazi school
children.
teachers were incorporated into the performance.
10 Performing an animal dance with 4-6 year olds.
14 Learning karate – children from age 2-16
participated in a week-long white belt
program. Childcare workers also joined in
and earned their white belts.
Websites - organisations we worked with & learned about:
1. http://www.sarinacondello.com/
•
Sarina Condello’s personal website.
2. http://www.noahorphans.org.za/
•
NOAH, the South African community-based charity organisation for orphaned and
vulnerable children.
3. http://www.noahorphans.ca/
•
Friends of NOAH Canada, NOAH’s partner organisation based in Toronto, which
fundraises for the charity.
4. http://cwbsa.org/
•
Clowns Without Borders South Africa, a humanitarian organisation providing
psychosocial support to children through laughter and play.
5. http://www.batcentre.co.za/
•
BAT Centre, the community cultural centre in Durban, where we conducted our
artist/childcare worker workshop.
6. http://www.backpackers.co.za/
•
The Backpack and Africa Travel Centre – the hostel we stayed at in Cape Town, which
runs or supports several community projects.
7. http://www.myggsa.co.za/connect/receivers/great_commission_united/more/
•
The Great Commission United!, the soccer program for boys in Heideveld, Cape Town.
8. http://www.imivuyo.co.za/social.html
•
Happy Feet gumboot dance group, in Langa, Cape Town.
Udruga Ples i dijete - daCi Hrvatska
Laginjina 13
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
Dear daCi friends,
This time, The Franjo Lucic Art School, which is one among thirteen daCi Croatia group members,
would like to be introduced to the international audience.
“The Franjo Lucic Art School has been an active daCi member since 2007. Its activities are particularly
focused on the area of the town of Velika Gorica, where the school is situated. Each spring our
teachers give workshops for children with the goal of promoting creative dance and dance art in
general, which subsequently results in registering for the dance department in our school that was
founded nine years ago. The teaching process is based on children’s creativity and freedom of
expressing themselves through dance that we find congruent with the goals of daCi.
Our students participate regularly in numerous dance recitals and competitions. Besides their regular
dance education, they are able to work with recent Croatian choreographers. Younger students also
take an active part in diverse dance manifestations and in daCi Croatia Festival of Dance Miniatures as
well.
We are of the opinion that daCi’s activities both at home and abroad have a strong influence on our
teachers with consequent effect on our students.
Therefore, as one of daCi Croatia members we are very pleased that we are part of the daCi family
and participate in dance education of younger generations.”
Tanja Stipcevic
Head of Dance Department of the Franjo Lucic Art School, Velika Gorica, Croatia
On behalf of daCi Croatia, with kind regards
Ivancica Jankovic, National Representative
Children from the Dance Department of the Franjo Lucic Art School, Velika Gorica, Croatia
Children from the Dance Department of the Franjo Lucic Art School, Velika Gorica, Croatia
International Dance Day in Germany
Submitted by Cornelia Baumgart
On the occasion of International Dance Day daCi Germany, in cooperation with the International
Theatre Institute, initiated a dance (flash) mob choreographed by Berlin-based dance artist Bevan
Vark. The dance mob took place in different German cities and was a great success, which hopefully
continues next year together with daCi members internationally. If you are interested in a cooperation with daCi Germany please contact them at [email protected]
daCi Jamaica
By Carolyn Russell-Smith
Local Representative Chair
Here are some exciting happenings in Jamaica that are worth noting for the daCi newsletter. Khulcha
will be celebrating International Dance Day in Mandeville on Thursday April 28, 2011 on the lawn of
the school grounds and is open to the public. We chose to celebrate a day early due to other
unrelated major activities taking place in Mandeville on April 29 which may distract from our
activities. We will be having the Custos of Manchester, Dr. Gilbert Allen, reading the official message
for World Dance Day, along with performances from invited school groups. I had taken the initiative
to inform the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, the Primary organization for arts and
culture activities in Jamaica and they will be celebrating in Kingston with someone from the UNESCO
local office reading the official message. I have also sent a message as the daCi National
Representative, to be read and I will be reading the same message in Mandeville, using this wonderful
opportunity to appeal to interested persons to join our organization, thus embracing the window of
opportunity for growth in a non – competitive way.
The children’s Christmas production went well with students as young as 3 years old through to adults
taking part. This is a time of year when all students get the opportunity to do something on stage no
matter how insignificant it may seem. Our role at Khulcha is to educate our young in an environment
of love and care letting each one feel special, particularly in these times when the world is in turmoil.
Chipmonks
Junior 1 Beginner 1
Students performing at Ridgemount United Church annual
Sing-phony doing a dance entitled ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’
The following is an article submitted by the guidance counsellor of a rural high school in Manchester,
who had sought my help with some students who were being disruptive in class. I rendered my
assistance out of the desire to help these young people develop a new avenue for self expression
which went down well with them. Unfortunately the program was discontinued due to lack of
funding.
The Performing Arts - Dance and its impact on adolescents' behaviour
Research on the effectiveness of the performing arts in changing conduct disorder in preadolescence, highlights the performing arts as an effective tool which can be used to
change unacceptable behaviour in children and adolescents, without the need to
investigate the causes of such behaviour. A performing arts dance programme was
introduced by the Guidance and Counselling Department of Cross Keys High School, to help
improve the behaviour of students who were disruptive and disrespectful, as well as to help
build students' self esteem. The programme was conducted from October to December
2010 for an hour each week by Carolyn Russell- Smith, Artistic Director of Khulcha Theatre
School of Dance.
From observation, the students who were reluctant at first about participating in the
programme, became very excited and constantly requested extra dance sessions. After the
second week, the students needed no reminder to take their dance gear to the sessions.
The students, who hid themselves in the back of the class out of fear of being ridiculed,
later moved to the front of the class. At times, they were used to demonstrate the
movements to the other students. Their willingness showed that they started believing in
themselves.
The students expressed that participating in the performing arts dance programme, gave
them a chance to relieve themselves. In their own words, they felt "free" to express
themselves. The students had fun while showing off their amazing talents.
Kereda Bryan
Guidance Counselor
TH
THE 11 DANCE AND THE CHILD CONFERENCE – daCi
HELD IN KINGSTON, JAMAICA; AUGUST 2 – 8, 2009
“Cultures Flex: Unearthing Expressions of the Dancing Child”
th
It has been almost two years since Jamaica hosted the 11 Conference of Dance and the Child
International (daCi). And the memories are etched in my mind, many of which put a smile on my
face. Chairing the Conference was an amazing task for me and would fit into what some may describe
as an ‘impossible expectation’ for both Jamaica and me. But God!
I believe my journey to have Jamaica host a daCi Conference began in my mind many, many years
ago. I have attended every daCi conference since 1997 and I suppose there was always a desire to
bring daCi home. Not just in the form of souvenirs from far off places or memories of children
embracing cultural differences through dance, foods, and new experiences, which transformed their
lives in ways they never thought possible, but I wanted to bring daCi to meet my home country,
Jamaica – of merging cultures, Reggae music, jerk chicken, sand, sea, blue skies, and Jamaican
th
children dancing. In August 2006 at the conclusion of the 10 Conference in The Netherlands, it was
th
confirmed; Jamaica had been chosen to host the 11 Conference under my chairmanship as the
National Representative for daCi Jamaica.
Our work towards the 2009 daCi Conference started immediately in Jamaica. Eleven working
committees were identified with the Chair of each being the representative on the Steering
Committee: Communications, Exhibits & Sales, Facilities, Finance, Fundraising, Hospitality (including
Transportation), Performance, Proceedings, Programme, Registration, and Technology. As time
passed however, some of these committees merged or changed as did the personnel in each, and
each group was able to co-opt other members as the actual work of the committees was identified.
For many, three years was a long way off. In July 2007, an Event Manager had been retained in a
consultancy capacity and the services of a Webmaster were acquired in September of the same year.
We were truly on our way.
As is their custom, members of the Advisory Board visited the host country two years prior to the
event to assess the progress of the preparations and to get a firsthand look at all the facilities. The
Board visited Jamaica in August of 2007 and was satisfied with the level of preparation which had
already been achieved. We were pleased, to say the least. The Advisory Board posited many
questions, which provided insight and much needed guidance and support. We never felt alone in
the process.
There were many challenges in preparing for the Conference. One that sticks out in my mind most
vividly was that of the registration process. On-line registration was eventually made available in
October 2008, but the process was tedious, not only for persons wishing to register, but also for the
Secretariat. As a result, soon after it was announced registration had to be withdrawn from the
website for changes to be made. Despite this being done it was still a challenge and resulted in
persons registering several times. Scream! Despite the many obstacles, the team was always poised
to continue. We were bringing daCi home to Jamaica. The Jamaica Conference was now a shared
dream.
In the last week of July 2009, hundreds of young people from 21 countries, ages 7 – 18, flew into
Kingston to participate as delegates in Jamaica’s interpretation of a daCi Conference. Accompanied
by parents, teachers, choreographers, and chaperones, they represented groups from Europe, Asia,
India, Australia, New Zealand, North and South America, and the Caribbean, cultures were ready to
‘flex’.
The Opening Ceremony at the Emancipation Park went extremely well. All I can think of now is the
many colours, and lots of beautiful peoples. The ceremony was followed by a reception at the
Jamaica Pegasus Hotel for the delegates. It was interesting to see how quickly the youngsters and
their group leaders and or chaperones gravitated towards each other during this event and all were
soon learning the current popular Jamaican dances. The vibes felt good from the start.
The keynote speakers were well received. The daily activities went well despite a few glitches, but
nothing that was of major concern to the delegates or so it seemed. All the sessions were well
attended, and as expected there were some favourites. The days were long, and in some instances
the night performances were longer than scheduled due to the length of some pieces. Nonetheless,
we were unearthing expressions of the dancing child.
The delegates planned their time so that they were not only able to attend sessions, but also to
participate in some local activities, including tours that were originally planned for the children but
were also taken on by the adults. Some of the older participants, on their own, attended some of the
popular street dances, for example, “Bembe”. The entire group was also able to attend the Grand
Gala at the National Stadium — a part of Jamaica’s Independence Day Celebrations — which they all
seemed to enjoy (space and spirit).
The Closing Ceremony performance allowed the youngsters to mix once more in an air of revelry.
They took this opportunity to display all the various Caribbean and Jamaican dance idioms that they
had learnt during the days of the Conference. I was yet again amazed – rhythms, movement, and
relaxed connections …
I learnt several lessons throughout this experience. However, four stand out most, but are not in any
particular order:
1. I learnt the importance of teamwork, and the art of effective communication.
2. There were many issues that had to be resolved daily, but to achieve this to the extent that
the delegates, or most of them were unaware …
3. The human spirit is able to withstand far more than the mind communicates in the moment.
4. People have the same basic needs.
Nuff Respeck (Thank You)
To say thank you seems so ordinary when compared to extraordinary feats performed by ordinary
people. I would like to express a huge thank you to the daCi Advisory Board, especially to Karen Bond
and Ann Kipling Brown for their support, and constant guidance. THANK YOU to my dear friend and
sister, Kathy Bond whom I believe could read my mind all the way from Canada and was an invaluable
help during this major operation. My Jamaica team, which included members of the Edna Manley
College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), performed marvellously. Because of the global
financial meltdown it was not easy to get the support of companies and organizations. However,
special mention must be made of:
•
The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel which was early on board and sponsored the media launch, the
reception following the Opening Ceremony, and provided complimentary accommodation
for the keynote speakers.
•
The CHASE Fund for printing all programme and proceedings materials.
•
The Grace Kennedy Foundation that donated scholarships for 21 participants from Jamaica.
•
Air Jamaica and British Airways who discounted air fares for persons coming out of their
gateways.
It was a good feeling at the end of the seven days when so many delegates stated (and in subsequent
correspondence) how much they had enjoyed the conference and the warmth, not just from the heat,
but also from the planners and the local persons with whom they had interacted. Some have even left
the island with the local lingo in their lexicon, “Ya, mon! Irie! “
DaCi came to my home, Jamaica. It was truly a reflection of ‘Cultures Flex’.
Nicholeen DeGrasse-Johnson
Conference Chair 2009
Kingston, Jamaica
Name: Tiffany Anderson
Age: 16
School: Junior Department, School of Dance (Edna Manley College)
Country: Jamaica
Dance is truly an instrument of communication. Having gone to three daCi Conferences in three
different regions- Brazil (South America), Holland (Europe) and Jamaica (the Caribbean); the cultural
difference was not a barrier in expressing our feelings, being entertained or gaining physical and
emotional development. Dance is an effective means of getting young people from all areas of life to
unite. I wish to continue supporting the organisation as it plays its role in the development of young
minds through dance.
Dance has a tremendous effect on my well-being. Through dance I have learnt to become very good
at learning things quickly and methodically. I have built self-confidence and become a more
responsible teenager. I love the feeling you get when you nail a pirouette. Dance calls for extreme
discipline and never-ending corrections. Dance is an experience that should be enjoyed.
Back centre: Tiffany Anderson
Dancing Is My Paradise
Dancing is the power of embracing my talent,
and my gift to the people of the world.
I dance with my mind, my body, my heart,
and my soul. I feel free like a bird in the sky,
That flies beyond my expectations.
Whenever I dance I enter a world of freedom and peace,
All I see is a plain, smooth, blank white surface surrounding me,
Where it’s just ME, the words of the song and the rhythm of the beat.
A sudden rush takes over my body connecting with the music and becomes one.
Suddenly my hips start moving side to side,
My body goes up and down,
My hands slowly moves thru the positions of the arms,
My legs begin to battement,
And I start doing jetes across the room.
The music connects with my soul in a way,
That I have no control.
I feel like a puppet where my strings are being pulled by the music.
I close my eyes inhale then exhale, point then flex.
I feel at ease,
I feel at peace,
And I feel free.
I call this place “MY PARADISE OF LIFE”.
This is my zone where it’s just me alone
Where my soul can be free and let out all the emotions within me.
D – is for Dynamic
A – is for Advanced
N – is for Nature
C – is for Commitment
E – is for Energetic
Dancing is the power that embraces a different person within me,
Dancing is the power that embraces my soul to be free,
Dancing is the power that embraces me,
And “DANCING IS ME”.
By: Safiya Johnson
Name: Safiya Johnson
Age: 18
School: Junior Department, School of Dance (Edna Manley College)
Country: Jamaica
Name: Ayanna Nesbeth
Age: 16
School: Junior Department, School of Dance (Edna Manley College)
Country: Jamaica
Dancing is very important to me. For me, after a long stressful week I go to dance class, enjoy myself,
release my stress and let my body take over. Dance class is always a learning process, a process much
easier and enticing than academics. Every week there is something new that I am willing to improve
on, whether it is basic moves or complicated ones. Doing a variety of dances allows me to express my
different emotions and show my true personality.
Although majority of the times dancing seems all positive and no negatives, sometimes it can become
a lot tiring. At times, you feel like you’re not being challenged enough or not enough attention is
given to you, especially when you definitely know you’re not doing the move correctly. Sometimes
motivation isn’t presented by others and the only motivation that’s left is your own.
Dance in the Parish of St. Ann, Jamaica W.I
Dance has been unstable in St. Ann because of various reasons. The primary and prep schools have been
exposed to dance on an average scale but the art of dance is not really growing because of the culture of the St.
Ann community . The classroom subjects are considered the only important thing to the life of the children and
this is evident in the emphasis placed on extra lesson for classroom subjects which are done after the regular
school hours. It is also evident when the children begin a dance class and in the middle of the term they quit
the class and never continue. This has been a trend in most of the schools who have dance as an extra curricula
activity.
Students will be exposed to dance at an early age but at the age of eleven , they are taken out of the creative
arena and focus is paid on preparing for the (GSAT) which is an examination that will take them to High School.
After taking the examination most students leave the parish for other High Schools because there are not
enough High Schools in St. Ann.
As dance teachers, we continue to keep the" fire burning" in reaching the young ones and hoping that the seed
sown will take root in their future. In most of the Prep schools, dance in introduced as an extra-curricula
activity or a group formed in the Primary schools to allow them to enter the annually held dance festival
competition (JCDC). After the competition there is no dancing until another competition comes up.
We continue to be faced with the challenges of migration of students after training them for the possibility of a
future dance company in St. Ann, and the challenge of appropriate space for classes to be held. We also have
to deal with insensitivity of the heads of the educational institutions of the importance of dance to the holistic
development of each child.
We hope that in the future dance will no longer be seen as a "side thing" but be integrated into the curriculum
of all levels of our Education system thereby creating creative minds at an early age and building a foundation
for the arts so they will not die. As dance teachers, we continue to press on because we believe in what we
do and we know the difference it can make and has made in the lives of those we teach.
Charlene Hylton-Plummer
International Dance Day Celebration in Jamaica by Lisa Wilson (daCi Jamaica)
International Dance Day, April 29, 2011, was celebrated in Kingston, Jamaica with a public concert at the Ranny
Williams Center. The concert featured an array of dancers from across the corporate area and was the first of
its kind in Kingston on this global day of celebration. One of the objectives of the event according to the
organiser, The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, was to showcase the versatility and inclusive nature
of dance in Jamaica and globally and this was achieved in several ways. First the dancers were diverse in
physical appearance (ectomorphs to endomorphs), age (5-adult), and abilities (novices to professional) and
included both males and females. Second, the dances represented different genres of dance, Jamaican
dancehall fused with hip hop, modern dance, quadrille and African traditional dance. The participants were
Portmore Missionary Preparatory, St. Theresa Preparatory, Dance Xpressionz, Vaz Preparatory, Untouchable
Community Dance group and Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts School of Dance. Finally,
the celebration of dance involved audience participation. This took the form of a group of senior audience
members who called themselves ‘Recycled Youths’ being invited onstage to dance spontaneously to the
rhythms of live drumming. Despite their aging physical capacities they certainly displayed the vitality of young
souls; such is the power of dance!
Young dancers from Portmore Missionary Preparatory backstage at the inaugural 2011 International Dance
Day Concert in Kingston, Jamaica.
daCi 2012
Hi, My name is Osezim Ukala. I attend Khulcha Theatre School of Dance. In July 2012 a special Saturday class
will travel to Taipei in Taiwan for the daCi International Conference 2012. I am very lucky to be in this group. I
can’t wait to see the cities and experience the culture of Taipei. I am anxious to see dances performed by the
natives of Taipei and I am looking forward to visit places of interest.
By: Osezim Ukala
daCi News from the Netherlands
daCi-nl presently focuses effort on the following points:
•
•
•
Twinning project, which is now receiving support from the Fontys Dance University
Attention for dance and education for the young child, involvement in teachers’ training colleges.
The development of a (digital) network among Dutch dance teachers
In order to achieve this last aim we promoted daCi’s national and international activities at several
dance events.
One of the events we visited was a network day, on December 18th, which was held in close collaboration with
Dance Company Holland Express and Folkdance Eindhoven.
Holland Express is the organiser of a yearly sponsor dance event with the focus on folkdance for young people.
This time the styles were Hungarian and Flemish.
During this event daCi-nl planned to give a presentation about what daCi stands for and to hereby invite young
dancers to become daCi members.
However, on that particular day the Netherlands experienced a rare phenomenon: we had more than 30 cm of
snow in just a couple of hours! As the Dutch are not used to snow and especially not such an amount, there
were some major traffic problems and even a national weather alarm.
Result: many people couldn’t make it!!
Still about 80 enthusiastic young dancers participated.
daCi-Nl presented a short promotional video with images of the daCi conference in Jamaica and we conveyed
our aims.
The reactions were quite positive, one of the young dancers spontaneously shouted: “daCi, that is me!” “daCi,
that’s me!”
And thus despite the cold winter temperature daCi was warmly welcomed and a few new members joined!
On April 2nd we joined a Dutch dance meeting organised by Kunstfactor.
We met many small dance organisations that were not familiar with daCi.
nd
After April 2 that at least has changed.
For the fall daCi-nl is planning to organize its own network day in collaboration with the Dutch Union for
Dancers and Dance Teachers.
We noticed that many dance school owners feel the need for exchange and to share their works. There are not
many possibilities for this in the Netherlands.
To live up to that need daCi-nl has planned a special network day for this target group. Also dance students
who are interested in this item will be welcome to join in. It will be a day with special workshops and
information given about dancing entrepreneurship!
To be continued…..
Maria Speth
National representative daCi-nl
International Dance Day 2011
By Jenny Cossey (New Zealand)
International Dance Day celebrations have been held around the world since 1982 when UNESCO dedicated
th
29 April World Dance Day. The aim of the day is to attract the wider public’s attention to the art of dance and
to bring people together in peace through the art of dance. In keeping with the ethos, International Dance Day
Wellington, is a free public event, open to all that has been organsied by Youthdance Education Trust (YET) for
the last ten years. It is one of the longest running, continuous, community dance events in New Zealand.
Youthdance Education Trust is a small charitable trust that has two aims: to support young people in dance and
those who work with young people in dance. This has been achieved by organising International Dance Day,
which acknowledges the diversity of dance styles in the city and brings the dance communities of Wellington
together under one roof for one day, to share their dances. The intent is to offer performance opportunities to
small and large dance groups, and to encourage public and private sector providers of dance to network,
including schools, community groups, professional dance training establishment and the Royal New Zealand
Ballet company.
The Wellington International Dance Day 2011 was a highly successful event. Over 278 people participated in
the 14 free dance workshops; dance styles for the workshops included Contemporary for the over 35 ‘s,
contemporary for all, English Morris Dancing, International Folk Dance, Pre-school Creative Dance, Rock’n’roll,
Salsa, Samba and Zumba .
Nineteen dance groups performed in a two hour show (with no interval) 21 dance items, involving 173 dancers
on stage. New groups in 2011 included Candy Heels Dance Studio, Instep Dance Company, JKD Mixed ability
dance group, Kelburn Normal School kapa haka group and Upper Hutt High School. New dance styles debuting
at International Dance Day 2011 including Pop Burlesque and Zumba. Over 47 dance groups have participated
in IDD in the last ten years and 37 dance styles have been presented. The free to the public performance was
held in the large open Plaza of Te Whaea, and as in previous years, all performers were able to watch all other
groups perform.
The success of International Dance Day is due to the efforts of a small group of dedicated Youthdance
Education Trust (YET) trustees working hard behind the scenes and the International Dance Day Coordinator
who undertakes over 160 hours of work to make the event a success.
Amanda Skoog (General Manger of the Royal New Zealand Ballet company) opened the day, particularly as
Amanda was one of the original trustees of Youthdance Education Trust when the trust started 11 years ago.
Another original trustee Liz Melchior, performed on stage with Crows Feet Dance Collective, with Jenny Cossey
who has organised nine of the last the International Dance Day events in Wellington, and who retired from the
trust this year. Tania Kopytko , executive director of Danz (Dance New Zealand), Faye and Linda Lim, also of
Danz were MC, stage manager and stage assistants who were able to advocate for the role of Danz to a wider
audience as well as demonstrating the multi-faceted talents of dance professionals in New Zealand.
Above: Kelburn Normal School Kapa haka at the welcome (International Dance Day, 2011, Wellington, NZ)
Royal New Zealand Ballet master class (celebrating International Dance Day, 2011, Wellington, New
Zealand)
Ceildh workshop (celebrating International Dance Day, 2011, Wellington, New Zealand)
Jenny Cossey teaching preschool and extras creative dance ( celebrating International Dance Day,
2011, Wellington, New Zealand)
Ceildh dance workshop (celebrating International Dance Day, 2011, Wellington, New Zealand)
Announcement:
Welcome!!!
To the INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR DISCOVER DANCE / DISCOVERING THROUGH DANCE (SIDD)
and 1st Meeting Daci Portugal
November 2011, 10 -13
The CEAP – Study Center for the Performing Arts, Department of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities,
Faculty of Human Kinetics – Technical University of Lisbon, has the pleasure to invite you to participate in
SIDD2011 – International Seminar Discovering Dance / Discovering through Dance and a National Meeting of
the daCi Portugal, dedicated to research and to the experiential component of Dance for Children and Youth.
This is an event held by FMH – Technical University of Lisbon in partnership with the Institute of
Ethnomusicology – Center for Music and Dance INET-MD
The Seminar is intended to be as a contribution to awaken sensibilities, curiosity, knowledge and attractiveness
to the role that dance should play in artistic education in population in general, and children and youth in
particular.
Some important Dates
Abstract Submission | DeadLine 26.06.2011
Acceptance Notification | DeadLine 15.07.2011
Registration for Autors | DeadLine 15.09.2011
Registration| DeadLine 10.11.2011
Themes



Dance and Education;

Dance in Curriculum;
Expressive/Creative Movement;
Dance and Communitarian Projects.
Structure
Communications (experiential and scientific / Testimonials) with keynote speakers and guests of Reference;
(Professor Eeva Anttila is one of our Keynote speakers!!!)
Lectures Demonstrations; Discussion Boards / thematic Roundtables / interviews; Panel display ideas;
Exhibition of Posters and / or videos; Workshops; Show / Exhibition and work followed by discussion
It is also expected that the cooperation of students / schools / institutions will be participating.
Presentation of works: ‘Dance for me is …’ to be implemented in schools.
We wait for you in Portugal!!!! Please come and spread the news!!!!
For more information see http://siddanca2011.wordpress.com
More news: Since 2011 we have 3 new members in daCi Portugal. Now we are 8:
Portuguese Members
Elisabete Monteiro [email protected]
Maria João Alves [email protected]
Margarida Moura [email protected]
Ana Macara [email protected]
Luisa Rocio [email protected]
Sónia Lucena [email protected]
Diana Soares [email protected]
Cristina Leandro [email protected]
The National Representative
Elisabete Monteiro
daCi Switzerland
daCi Switzerland has currently 54 members.
For the third time this year the daCi dance week will take place in Bevaix, Neuchâtel.
Between 60 and 70 children and teenagers from 10 to 16 years can try out different dance styles such as break
dance, modern jazz and afrodance. Now there will also be a course in percussion linked with afrodance. At the
eend of the week the children will show the results in a perfomance open to the public as it was last year.
For more information about the dance week 2011 visit www.daci.ch.
For the daCi Switzerland members there will be a workshop about dance improvisation facilitated by daCi
member Marina Gantert, MAS ZFH in Dance Education in August. For more information you can write directly to
Marina Gantert: [email protected]
Greetings from Switzerland and have a nice summer (for those in the Northern Hemisphere)
Ursula Wark
Secretary daCi Switzerland
Pictures below by Christian Glaus from the 2. daCi dance week in Gwatt, Switzerland 2010
Dance—bringing the world together
ANNOUNCEMENT: 2012 Global daCi/WDA Dance Summit!
Dear Colleagues
We are pleased to launch the 2012 Global Dance Summit: Dance, Young People and Change,
organised by Dance and the Child International (daCi) and World Dance Alliance (WDA) to be hosted
by Taipei National University for the Arts.
THE DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS HAS NOW BEEN EXTENDED TO JULY 1 2011 SO THIS IS A REMINDER TO
SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACTS FOR PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS, PANELS, POSTERS AND PERFORMANCES
Please go the website for further details:
www.daCiWDAinTaiwan.org
Dance, Young People and Change
daCi/WDA Global Summit
Dance and the Child International (daCi) and the World Dance Alliance (WDA) have joined forces with
Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) to create a global dance summit, 14-20 July, 2012. With
the theme Dance, Young People and Change this summit draws attention to the power of young
people, the voices of young people and the change that young people may navigate in the future. We
ask: as the world rapidly changes, how do young people see the role of dance in their life? Are
educators proactively critiquing and/or maintaining the relevance of dance within education and
community contexts?
Dance, Young People and Change is a dance summit that brings together world leading advocates for
dance education. WDA, daCi and TNUA are all bringing unique histories and expertise to this event in
Taiwan. daCi, well practiced in advocating for children and their dance, bring vast networks of
educators and a history of featuring children’s dance. WDA, who has a deep and rich presence in
Asia, is awakening the role of children in dance education practice, helping many dance educators
throughout Asia to attend this event. TNUA, with an eye to fostering artistic excellence at tertiary
pre-professional levels, provides a venue for fostering excellence in process and product. Together
daCi, WDA and TNUA are creating a new kind of event that will stretch each into new understandings
but most importantly provide an event that will stretch participants of all ages.
Unique features of this global summit include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
an opening weekend of children’s performances from around the globe
evening performances of young people aspiring to the highest levels of professional practice
daily choreographic process workshops that combine the energy and skill of children from
diverse cultures to make new work that will be shown at the closing ceremony
daily morning dance classes for young people and adults that feature indigenous / cultural
dance from Asia and Pacific
daily opportunities to connect the summit with the world through on site technology
pre and post summit opportunities to build partnerships with and tour to dance schools and
institutions in Taipei and/or around Taiwan
the first time daCi have held a conference in Asia.
Taipei is the place to be 14-20 July, 2012. Go to www.daCiWDAinTaiwan.org and find out how to
register, present a paper, and where to visit. Keep up to date with who will present keynote
addresses and offers for pre/post summit visits to schools in Taiwan.
The global summit themes include:
•
Dance and Social Justice
•
Teaching and learning dance
•
Curriculum and hegemony
•
Dance in formal and informal learning contexts
These themes provide scope for individual speakers, panels and poster presentations to explore
current issues shaping the future of dance education.
The organising committee is working to make this unique daCi/WDA global dance summit the best
dance event for 2012. We look forward to hearing from you and better still seeing you in Taipei 14-20
July, 2012.
Ralph Buck, Jeff Meiners, Ann Kipling Brown
daCi Funding Initiatives
1.
New Country Scholarships: Deadline: January 31 2012
The purpose of the New Country Scholarships is to support countries to join daCi and to
make the conference more inclusive. New Country Scholarships are aimed at giving financial
support for representatives of countries attending a daCi conference for the first time.
2.
daCi Development Projects: Deadline: January 31 2012
The aim of Dance and the Child International is to recognize and develop dance for young
people, with respect for the ethnic, gender and cultural identities of each young person
within a spirit of international understanding.
3.
Across Borders Research Initiative: Ongoing application process
The purpose of this research initiative is to address the following aims:
To promote research on children’s dance among daCi members
To promote exchange over national and cultural borders
To support daCi members’ acknowledgement of research promoting daCi aims
To facilitate understanding of cultural and paradigmatic differences in methodology
and procedures
 To build a cross-cultural knowledge base on children’s dance




ANNOUNCEMENT: Panel Across Borders at daCi/WDA global summit in Taiwan 2012
DaCi members are urged to express their interest in participating as a presenter in a panel
that will focus on projects going on ‘across borders’ in a broad sense and discuss
philosophies behind such approaches. Projects could be practical exchanges/twinning
projects/research with different scientific / artistic areas or countries involved. The projects
can be on-going or in first stages of development. With this panel daCi wishes to highlight
that the organization supports Across Borders projects and financial support can be applied
for through the Across Borders Fund. Please contact research officer Charlotte Svendler
Nielsen with ideas, questions or expressions of interest before June 20th [email protected]
National Representatives
daCi Executive and Advisory
Committee (2009 – 2012)
Executive Committee
Chair: Eeva Anttila (Finland)
Chair Elect: Adrienne Sansom (New
Zealand)
Past Chair: Ann Kipling Brown (Canada)
Secretary: Susan Koff (USA)
Treasurer: Kathy Bond (Canada)
Research Officer: Charlotte Svendler
Nielsen (Denmark)
Members-at-Large:
Maxine DeBruyn (USA)
Mary-Elizabeth Manley (Canada)
Maria Speth (The Netherlands)
Kathy Vlassopoulos & Jeff Meiners
(Australia)
Marc Richard (Canada)
Ivancica Jancovic (Croatia)
Anna Katrine Korning (Denmark)
Jane Miller-Parnamagi (Estonia)
Minna Palokangas (Finland)
Cornelia Baumgart (Germany)
Carolyn Russell-Smith (Jamaica)
Kathleen Kampa Vilina / Junko Nakatsuka
(Japan)
Liz Melchior (New Zealand)
Elizabete Monteiro (Portugal)
Marjory Helstone (Suriname)
Robin Haggar (Sweden)
Ruth Häusermann (Switzerland)
Maria Speth (The Netherlands)
Marilyn Berrett (USA)
2010 International Membership Fees
Due January 1, 2012
Individual: CDN$40.00 per year (suggested)
(Pay what you can; minimum of CDN$15.00 per year)
Full time students: CDN$15.00 (per year)
Children/youth groups: CDN$50 (per year); CDN$125 (for three years)
(All young children/youth and two adult personnel are eligible to participate in daCi activities
at member rates)