Dancing.

Picture credit: Pixabay.com We had two incredible writing classes the past  few weeks with Peter Thomas and Sam Murray. I enjoyed them beyond what I could have expected, as they truly made me think of writing in a complete different manner. I've always seen writing as a functional or creative tool, but I never really considered it as a means of learning. This is quite a 'revolutionising' shift in perspective for me, as I believe it will change a lot in my personal practice. I decided to give a go to the 'free flow' writing exercise we were introduced to in our first class, to figure out what I really wanted to share here on my blog. I was surprised by the result, as when we allow our brain to wander on the blank page, things we couldn't foresee do start to surface.  One thing I could have never anticipated, is how free flow writing can help reveal diverse perspectives on things one has within oneself. Yes...I know this sounds bizarre, but I actually think that I...

I've been out of university for almost 10 years now... and what a privilege it feels to be able to go back to school. I am studying because I WANT to study... not because I HAVE to, or because I have something to prove... . What a shift in perspective... . And how internally revolutionising this feels.  I am incredibly grateful for all the intellectually stimulating exchanges this course is offering me. For the questions it is raising in me, the structure for reflection it is providing me, and for showing me new directions in which to watch . I feel like I am uncovering every day a new layer of understanding of the question: ' Who am I as a learner ?'. I hadn't questioned this for a while... and just by doing that I feel like I have unlocked a new chapter  of my journey, and I have a new pair of goggles with which to explore the world.  Although my daily life has pretty much stayed the same... the way in which I approach things has completely changed. I have a refound s...

Tuesday's lecture got me thinking on the potential Areas of Learning  I've encountered over the past five years... Needless to say that one of the first things that popped in my mind, thinking about recent past events, was Covid-19, the Lockdown & the Pandemic. Now, as not aspirational as this may be, I simply couldn't deny the fact that Corona has completely affected and revolutionised, in a way or another, the majority of people's lives and many of our certainties.  Like it or not, willingly or unwillingly, this virus has impacted human kind profoundly, and I personally think that when something shakes us so deeply, space is created for us to learn something new about ourselves. The question is now, what? What have I personally learnt about myself during the Pandemic? What side of me has it revealed? What skills and tools have I acquired to face these challenges, that could potentially be transferable to my pedagogic awareness and knowledge? Scrolling through my I...

Our Module 1 Handbook invites us to interrogate ourselves on: Who are we as learners? A tricky question, to say the least, especially because I personally never really reflected on this before... Little did I know that my little 'quest' to answer this, would serve me the response on a silver platter. I started my Google search, as I normally would...and ELT popped up. In case you never heard of it (just like me a couple of hours ago), ELT  stands for EXPERIENTAL LEARNING THEORY. In a few words... learning by doing . But of course, there is way much more to it than that. Experiental learning focuses on the idea that the best way to learn is by actually having experiences, however experience alone does NOT produce a lot of learning. Experiential learning  requires deliberate effort to create new knowledge, and a conscious and aware intention to learn from our experience. John Dewey, one of the founding fathers of experiential learning , argues that experience alone does not prod...

Our Module 1 Handbook got me thinking on one thing... What is knowledge to me? And how have I gained it? As I asked myself this question, a multitude of thought threads started tangling up in my brain, so I thought a mind map would be the best way for me to seek some clarity. I am no mind map expert, nor the best visual artist, but this was an extremely elucidative exercise for me.  I am going to share it here on my blog, in the hope that it can initiate conversations.  After doing that, I thought I'd make some research into the topic. As I was looking on the Internet for the meaning of knowledge , this word kept coming up: EPISTEMOLOGY. Extremely simplified, epistemology  is the study of knowledge. It is the branch of philosophy that questions what are the necessary and sufficient conditions for knowing something.  Amongst a variety of tasks, epistemologists work on determining the nature  of knowledge. They divide knowledge  into two main categories: proc...

Yesterday I attended my very first MA lecture. It was a class inviting us to reflect on our own professional practice. Nothing I couldn’t expect, nothing I couldn’t foresee. Nothing I could anticipate would elicit an overwhelming emotional reaction in me. But it did. I felt a sense of validation I hadn’t experienced before. An awareness of being on the right path. A sense of belonging.  A place in which my journey had potential to be nourished, acknowledged, challenged and cultivated. A space of growth.   I feel like the first seed was planted. Questions. Picture credits: Quote Fancy

Hello! My name is Elly and welcome to my blog: Dancing. I'm a professional dancer with Ballet Pforzheim, and I am currently embarking on my next academic challenge undertaking a master's degree in Dance Technique Pedagogy. Alongside my dance career, commencing in 2011, I have developed a very strong passion for mentoring, tutoring, and education. I have teaching experience in a variety of contexts, including providing support to those applying to study dance in colleges and universities. Over the course of these years, I have been a youth company rehearsal director, led refugee integration community projects and taught ballet & contemporary dance classes internationally. These have all been incredibly rewarding experiences to say the least. Although I am still quite young, and still learning and growing myself, I have a strong desire to do my best to facilitate others in their personal dance journeys and explorations.  For many years I have dedicated myself body and soul to...