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June 1, 2023
A toolbox full of dance
Back in high school, Fintan O'Hara was a bit rebellious. He usually found the classes quite boring and the teachers unapproachable. After school, he had a better time. Especially at Boys Action, where he took dance classes three times a week. "The teachers offered us challenging dance classes and I got on well with the other boys", he recalls.
The ignorant schoolmaster
Now Fintan is developing as an Artisteducator at ArtEZ in Arnhem. He is particularly drawn to the lessons on pedagogy and didactics. "How do I stand in front of a group? How do I share information? That’s what I find interesting."
Fintan’s own experiences from his school days help him to become the teacher he wants to be. "My teachers only succeeded in getting my attention when they told me good stories, putting the lesson material in context. That’s what I want to do as well.”
Fintan also likes engaging in conversation with students. “But I don't like hierarchy. I believe in the concept of 'the ignorant schoolmaster', as the philosopher Rancière called it. In my opinion, teacher and pupils always learn together."
He gives an example. "Let’s say I show a dance piece. Then I ask students: what does this piece mean to you? If a pupil answers: 'Nothing at all', I think that is also relevant. I will then ask questions to find out why the pupil finds the piece not interesting. In this way, I help advance the thought process. Of both of us."
To Northern Ireland
In the fourth year of his studies, Fintan, who has family in Ireland, went to Belfast for two months with students of the bachelor Artisteducator in Theatre and International Master Artist Educator (iMAE). There, they worked with and for the local community. Fintan says: "We stayed in a poor neighbourhood, with many vulnerable residents. The impact of last century's violent conflicts is still very much felt there. Many people walk the streets with depressed faces."
Fintan got to work with a group of young people who had been expelled from school. "I found that challenging", he says. "My assumption was that they would not be open to dance classes."
Analysing movements
So Fintan took a different approach. He started by asking the youngsters to throw a ball. Then he asked them to observe how their feet were positioned while throwing the ball, and while standing still. "Step by step, we expanded the movements. For example, the participants also started experiencing and articulating what it's like when you walk with your face down, or when you are hopping in the streets. My hypothesis, which I want to develop further, is that our physical posture affects our environment. And vice versa."
Fintan made a video of the process he experienced with his group. At the end of the project, some youngsters told Fintan they were grateful to him. "That gave me so much energy!"
A photo from the joint presentation of the project in Belfast
Handyman
The means Fintan used to reach out to the young people were given to him at ArtEZ. "They train us there to become artist educators in dance. That means that there is a focus on different roles. I see myself as a kind of handyman. I enter the group with a box full of tools, including dance materials and information. Then I tell the participants that I would like to make an object, such as a performance on a specific theme. We work on it together and learn from each other. For example, I learned from the young people in Belfast to see things from their perspective. That is very enriching."
Dance, artist, audience, and space are always playing with each other (including during the Belfast presentation), photo by Neal Campbell
Thesis
The module in Belfast was actually only intended for students from the courses Theatre in Education and International Master Artist Educator. "Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to participate as well," says Fintan. "Although this did mean that I was delayed in my studies. Next year, I still have to write my thesis. It will probably be about art as 'un-science'. In my thesis I want to argue that the value of dance is difficult to capture in words. The meaning lies in the relationship one forms with a dance, and that is different for everyone.”
Adventure
What advice does Fintan give to high school pupils who are considering the Dance Education program at ArtEZ? "Follow your heart. That is what I did too, and it has brought me a lot. At ArtEZ, I gained lots of knowledge and experience. I had the chance to learn from inspiring lecturers and fellow students - also from other courses. And I have been able to build a network."
After graduation, Fintan wants to do community work. He is confident that he is well-prepared for whatever may come his way. "I see my next step as a beautiful adventure," he says.
