‘I like dancing, but especially to share it with people’

'Inspired by my father, who made a career move to actor and theatre maker at the age of 50 , I decided after my gap year to do what I really want too. I've been dancing since I was six: from jazz to modern to pointe. Being a teacher runs in my family. One of my grandmothers was a swimming teacher. My other grandmother was a yoga teacher and did folk dance and sacred dance (dance meditation). She also taught these subjects. My mother was a teacher.'

“I don't know for sure if I would have come up with this idea without the lockdown.”

“Naast de TikTok-filmpjes maakten we samen een definitie van ‘cultuur’. Bij cultuur kun je aan verschillende dingen denken: normen, waarden, gewoontes, tradities en de manier van leven van een groep. Het kan ook een dansgroep, hockeyclub of gezin zijn. Dat zijn ook groepen en culturen an sich.”

Social-artistic work

'Especially in the final year, I focused on the social aspect in dance class. I conducted research on the influence of dance on intercultural sensitivity: how do you look at another person's culture from your own frame of reference? I carried out my research at Olympus College in Arnhem. There I looked into the influence of a dance class in secondary education. I gave a series of lessons on the theme of Culture to senior general secondary education and pre-university education students who had chosen Dance as their subject. I chose jazz and hip-hop because of their rich cultural history. Together we looked at how you express culture through dance.' 

A new exchange site

'Initially, the classroom was the exchange site, but because of the lockdown, I had to teach online. Students sat at home, in their own environment, allowing me to see a different side of them. I asked them to make dance videos with TikTok. There are so many trends (challenges) there that have to do with culture, so you can learn a lot from someone in a 15-second video. People show where their parents are from, or what colour eyes or skin they have, what their genes are and how that makes them who they are.'

• An example of such a TikTok-video

'In addition to the TikTok videos, we made a definition of "culture" together’. When you think of culture, you can think of different things: norms, values, customs, traditions and the way of life of a group. It could also be a dance group, hockey club or family. Those are also groups and cultures in themselves.'

A successful study

'The results and responses were valuable. Even though students were at home, they got to know each other. One student said: ‘I spend a lot of time at home because of corona. In that bubble I am only concerned with myself and my own cultures. However, these classes have taught me more about other cultures.’ Another student said that she would be more careful about what she said at times because she understands that some things can hurt someone with a particular faith. Everyone said that they got to know each other better and that they liked that for the atmosphere. They'd be more likely to strike up a conversation with someone in the class.'

The course

'I really liked the course. I was doing dance, the best fun there is! I also like theory and that is part of this course. I love that combination. What you learn in theory you can immediately apply in practice. I also found pedagogy and didactics very interesting, especially how you can incorporate that into teaching. In our class there are also people who lean more towards the maker side and work choreographically, but the teaching part always remains.'

Atmosphere

'The atmosphere in the theatrium (the building of the Academy of Theatre & Dance) is open and accessible. I immediately felt that I could be myself. When you're in secondary school and you can't find your group of friends, you have moment of panic. Here it doesn't matter if you are sitting alone, walking barefoot, have bad hair day or are walking in your pyjamas. You can be yourself. The small classes make it feel very personal. ArtEZ is not a mass school. There are seventeen of us graduating and I like the fact that I know almost everyone. Contact with and guidance from lecturers is also personal. Every year you have a different academic career advisor, who is also a teacher, so you already know them and see them every week. That's very valuable.'

Furthur studies

'I would like to study sociology, first the premaster and then the master. I have to be admitted for that, though. That's my dream. I find it interesting how you bring people closer together through art and dance. That social domain is what I want to explore more.'

Future

'After the courses, I want to do a combo of dance and sociology. I don't know yet what that will look like. For example, I could combine social studies and dance at a school, or teach both subjects. And because I've found that I enjoy research so much, I can also imagine doing another piece of research on where sociology and art meet. There are so many ideas!'

Follow Lena

Instagram: @lenadanstdoor
Website: lenadanstdoor.nl