The Teaching Artist: a model for university dance teacher training

Abstract

This paper describes a teaching model, The Teaching Artist, developed to address the pedagogical and cultural divide between the traditional dance teacher and the dance artist who teaches: traditionally, one teaching about dance and the other, teaching through dance. The Teaching Artist model was developed through the Q150 Project. The Q150 Project provided an opportunity to meld these cultural idioms. It involved pre-service secondary dance teachers in their second year of teacher training at the Queensland University of Technology. The Project's design involved three components: artistic development, pedagogic development and implementation. The participants researched social and artistic dance histories and practices across Queensland towns. From their research, they created dance works specific to those local communities. The works created formed the basis for primary and secondary school workshops taught by the participants. By their participation in the Project, the pre-service teachers created tangible links with the schools in which they will practise and experienced the nexus between artist and teacher in an authentic teaching and learning environment. IntroductionIn dance, teaching has long been an adjunct profession for professional dancers and choreographers. Many augment their income by teaching in private dance schools, in community cultural development positions or in educational settings as artists-inresidence. Traditionally, this work is carried out regardless of formal teaching qualifications; only those choosing to work as high-school dance teachers are required to navigate the Australian tertiary dance education environment. The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) diverse research and study portfolios are underpinned by its long association with Teacher training.This paper describes a teaching model, The Teaching Artist, developed to address the pedagogic and cultural divide between the traditional dance teacher and the dance artist who teaches: traditionally, one teaching about dance and the other teaching through dance. It discusses the unfolding and ongoing development of a university teaching model for dance teacher training across a one-semester unit of work. The paper was developed in response to student, classroom teacher and

The performance in context model: a 21stcentury tertiary dance teaching pedagogy

“…This model creates links between QUT and the broader community from which it draws students, and where graduates will ultimately practice (Huddy and Stevens 2011). It represents a holistic collaborative approach to dance teacher education: the marrying of 'teacher-as-artist' , 'teacher-as-performer' and 'teacher-as-researcher' .…”

“…Both researchers, as experienced dance teaching artists in multiple contexts, were expertly positioned to guide this research. The development of this dance reflective pedagogy has been underpinned by the findings of research undertaken during a community-based dance education project, Q150, in 2010 (Huddy and Stevens 2011). Q150 involved tertiary dance teaching students in their second year of dance teacher training at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).…”

“…Of significance was the need to create a training framework that allows the tertiary dance teaching students to develop sophisticated research and interpretation skills, and diversify and grow their skill sets: as researchers, choreographers, collaborators, performers, writers and teachers. Furthermore, the Q150 project illuminated the need for the learning to provide these students with experiences that make aesthetic connections between dance and meaning-making, develop collaborative approaches to dance teacher education, provide more guided time to work choreographically to create the synergies between the research, the community and the artistic product; and, mentoring and exposure to a variety of artistic practice (Huddy and Stevens 2011).…”

“…Q150 research (Huddy and Stevens 2011) formed the seed for a model of tertiary dance teacher training that resulted in a further longitudinal action research project that developed the Performance in Context Model (PCM). This model creates links between QUT and the broader community from which it draws students, and where graduates will ultimately practice (Huddy and Stevens 2011).…”

Hybrid lives of teaching and artistry: a study of teaching artists in dance in the USA

“…The qualitative narratives heard, though brief, enable us to better comprehend 184 D. Risner the hybrid lives of participants, their perspectives and challenges -often filling empty spaces and missing gaps in dance arts education -not the space of specialist teachers (Huddy and Stevens 2011) or the space of traditional artists, but as a third space. This lacunae-like position is described by one of the study's participants:…”