Report from the Movement and Dance Committee
By Christa Coogan
We are excited to inform our Orff Schulwerk community that the newly formed Movement and Dance Committee hosted a Roundtable meeting on January 22, 2022.
We invited each Orff association to send a representative to join the meeting and welcomed 24 participants. During the session we discussed ideas and produced recommendations that will now serve to support the needs of teachers who are wishing to strengthen their understanding of movement and dance, and to develop these skills within the pedagogical process of Orff-Schulwerk.
To introduce ourselves beforehand, each participant formulated a short statement (in written, audio, video, or visual format) and posted it on our Padlet page. These beautiful submissions included memorable experiences that ignited a passion for music and dance; they were experiences that redirected a teaching path; they were moments that nourished and contributed to artistic and pedagogical growth.
Impulses for discussion included:
How do we convey the close interweaving between music and dance?
What do you need specifically to become more confident in integrating movement and dance with music in your teaching situation?
An Orff-Schulwerk practice is an artistic-pedagogical one. How can musical artistic practices meld with those of the movement and dance artistic practices as well as other art forms?
What are the needs of your specific country or region in order to strengthen the movement/dance aspect of Orff-Schulwerk?
The most immediate result arising from this invigorating Roundtable meeting is a Resonances event planned for May 7th. The theme is dedicated to research data and related practical explorations that underscore the importance of lived-body experiences - the underpinning of the Orff-Schulwerk approach.
We are also hoping to have further Roundtable discussions, open to all who are interested.
So stay posted!
In the meantime,
What memorable experiences ignited your passion for music and dance?
