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A process not a destination Nicola Rayner talks to ISTD teachers and consultants who share their advice on teaching dancers with physical or learning disabilities.
Right An icandance student dancing with his dance partners 4
The relationship is key to success What are the biggest lessons she’s learned in the two decades since? “The relationship is key to success,” she begins. “If families, dancers and team members feel understood and heard, this will build trust. This trust will enable you to reach beyond expectations and work with challenges as they arise. Believe that anything is possible,” she continues. “Value every dancer equally. Never stop learning – be open and inviting of ideas and opportunities – and remember inclusive practice is a
process not a destination. Allow the dance to unfold and be patient. Be open to change and respond creatively. Re-evaluate what you may view as a teacher as success and reassess expectations.” Everyone I speak to emphasises the importance of relationships. “It’s crucial to get to know your students as much as possible, before you even start teaching them if that’s an option,” says Imogen Aujla, a freelance dance psychology researcher, lecturer and coach at Dance in Mind, who worked on the ISTD’s inclusive dance project. “Find out about their needs – physical, emotional and communication – so that you can prepare your classes appropriately. This will allow you to prepare relevant visual, auditory or kinaesthetic resources that will help your students access the material. Involve your students, their parents or carers in this process and encourage them to feel confident to articulate their needs. Remember that you are the expert about dance, and your students are the experts about their bodies, needs and experiences.” Avoid making assumptions about expectations One theme that comes up a lot, says Imogen, is that of expectations. “Try not to make assumptions about what your disabled students may or may not be able to do,” she advises. “When we have expectations of people, our actions often end up helping people to fulfil them. So, for example, if we have low expectations of a student, we may not challenge them enough or give them constructive feedback, and as a result they fulfil our low expectations of them. This can be quite common when teachers are worried about challenging disabled students too much and potentially hurting them, or sometimes teachers avoid giving constructive feedback and may only ever praise a disabled student because they are worried about upsetting them. If teachers
NICKY KELVIN
Nicola Rayner Dance journalist and novelist
“The benefits of dance are universal, but they are especially powerful for young people with disabilities,” says Juliet Diener, CEO of icandance. “Dance offers opportunities to experience the wonder of creativity, the freedom of expression and the joy of social connection. It improves physical fitness, develops gross motor skills, relieves stress and anxiety, and encourages imagination. Dance offers those with disabilities an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings without words, and helps them to build friendships, grow in confidence and gain new skills.” A registered ISTD member since 1998 when she qualified as a Cecchetti Ballet teacher, Juliet now works with the ISTD as an inclusive dance specialist. In 2006 she founded icandance, a creative, therapeutic community that caters for the needs of children, young people and their families with lived experience of disabilities, and she has been creating opportunities and performances for dancers with various needs ever since. Juliet first started working with movement with children with disabilities when she did her master’s degree in Dance Movement Psychotherapy 20 years ago. “This was when I first realised how powerful movement was, especially for individuals without language,” she says.
Dance | Issue 496
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28/07/2022 17:55
