Integrated Dance has been a passion of mine since I started my professional training. I initially chose this topic as my line of enquiry in the first module of the BAAP course, and touched upon its lack of support and advertisement in the dance industry and training.
Since I have entered my field of professional practice (teaching), it has become significantly apparent to me that there is no scheme or advertisement in schools or in dance programs to involve young children with disabilities into Dance. It has been medically proven that creative activities such as dance and drama, help engage children with all types of mental and physical impediments such as Autism, Asperger’s. Statistics researched by http://www.cafamily.org.uk/professionals/research/statistics.html show that “In the UK, there are 770,000 disabled children under the age of 16. That equates to one child in 20”. So why are these children not encouraged to explore the performing arts.
In my line of inquiry I Aim to look into the world of integrated dance and explore the path a young disabled dancer may take the opportunities that may arise and the sigma attached to integrated Dance.
Some questions I Aim to research and hope to answer are;
1. Are there programs available in schools and communities for integrated performing arts?
From this question I aim to explore the curriculum, and research into community projects which aim to promote integrated dance and give a positive base for these children grow creatively. By researching this question my long term aim is to build an integrated project in the establishments that I am currently working in.
2. What benefits can a integrated dance program have on the people directly involved?
From researching this question I hope to look into integrated dance programs and see the positive effects it can have on certain individuals from the non-able to the able dancer and compare the overall effects. I also aim to use this research to enhance the development of my own integrated dance youth project.
3. Is there a negative stigma surrounding integrated dance, if so why?
By researching into this question I aim to enhance my own professional knowledge of integrated dance. This question opens a wide spectrum of thoughts which integrates many more questions that could be counter parts into answering this question.
a. Is there a lack of knowledge surrounding integrated dance?
b. Is a physical disfigurement “acceptable in the performance industry”.
(for this part of the question I will research into the BBC presenter Cerri Burnell and research her story )
http://www.daa.org.uk/index.php?mact=Blogs,cntnt01,showentry,0&cntnt01entryid=23&cntnt01returnid=98.
I am extremely intrigued to critically reflect on these initial questions. I hope to extend my knowledge in the areas surrounding integrated dance and utilse what I have learned into my own professional practice.
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