Back in Van

Well, what can I say? Another entry or two has been due for a long time coming, and I'm one of the world's greatest procrastinators, even of activities that bring me joy.
I've now returned home to Vancouver, thus looking back on my experiences with a removed perspective. I believe I left off as we were stepping into the Teen Institute...

What a week! The teens were fantastic. I began the week feeling quite discouraged, I'd forgotten what it's like to be a teen and hadn't computed the fact that far from being just another institute to further explore the methodologies of the Dance Exchange, there was a much higher degree of emotion, fledging confidence, confusion, and stubourness that came along with. Surprisingly, I found being a part of their lives for that short time eyeopening to my own disposition: I saw myself as a teen, and what I might have been dealing with then and what perhaps I've been able to let go of (or not) came flooding at me. Needless to say, it was an emotional but hugely fulfilling week for all. I've heard other participants from past institutes at the Dance Exchange refer to their time there as an experience that; changed their life, left them filled with inspiration and excitement, or dramatically changed their perspective, but I am certain that the experiences the teens shared might even compete with such dramatic statements.
As I said, the week seemed to begin very slowly. I feared we might never be able to bring the teens out of their shells. It seemed difficult to get them to engage in or actively participate in the activities in a way that might truly broaden their experience. But none the less, the philosophic approach of Liz Lerman's proved true, and by the end of the week, the teens were so actively participating and enjoying themselves, it almost seemed as if an entirely different group of kids had entered the room.

The philosophy? Well, as the Dance Exchange asks, "who gets to dance?" (eg: why the vertical spectrum?) The idea is that everyone can get to the same place. Or as Liz puts it, everyone can get across the river, different people just need different sized stones. Resistance, is information. Resistance, tells you usually (as teacher, leader, or choreographer) that you missed a step, you've gone too far, too fast. People's experience is always the truth. Asking why when a statement is made may lead you to find out that the expereince is about more then you realized. Figuring out what steps and skills are required for what may seem the simplest of tools (to you) can go a long way in figuring out what steps you need to take first before jumping into an exercise. While also keeping in mind that a: there are different kinds of participation, and b: your well beign is not predicated by the participation of everyone.

For example: How do you get a group of non dancers, and probably strangers, to dance to music together in a room?
We started with 1-10...