Inclusive Arts Course Dance Workshop @ Epic Arts - Observation

Today I observed the students from the Inclusive Arts Course at Epic Arts. The Inclusive Arts Course started in April 2013 and was the main reason I came to Epic Arts.

Inclusive Arts Course (IAC)

Students from the disabled and non-disabled communities are studying an Arts based education program in Dance, Theatre, Art and Literacy at the Epic Arts Centre in Kampot, Cambodia. Epic hopes the Inclusive Arts students will become advocates for a more inclusive society in the future.

The students in the Inclusive Arts course have been studying the arts together for the past 18 months and exploring inclusive arts practice.

Inclusive Arts Course – Dance Workshop @ Epic Arts

Observation Thoughts and Comments

This workshop was a dance and movement based session and the students were working to create a new educational theatre performance piece for the local community. The section they were working on was depicting the passage of time between friends in a community. The students worked in groups of fours and were asked to create a sequence of greeting movements, leaving movements, counterbalances and archways. As I joined the students to observe the session, I was asking myself these questions:

• What am I witnessing that shows successful inclusive arts practice?
• What activities are taking place?
• What interactions am I seeing between people?
• What reactions am I seeing?
• What makes me think the practice is successful?

Inclusive Arts Course - Dance @ Epic Arts. June 2014

What activities took place?

Each group worked together to creating movement in response to the task given. Each group consisted of a mixture of students with and without disabilities, such as physically disabled, non-disabled, visually impaired, hearing impaired and deaf

In this video you can see three different groups working together during the workshop. I will discuss elements in this video throughout this blog

• Group 1 (from 0.20 secs) = 1 hearing impaired student, 1 deaf student, 1 non-disabled student, 1 visually impaired student

• Group 2 (from 1.33 mins)= 1 physically disabled student, 1 non-disabled student, 2 hearing impaired students

• Group 3 (from 3.21) = 3 hearing impaired students, 1 physically disabled student.

During the workshop, words that were used by the teacher to explain tasks were inclusive. For example the words 'travel' instead of 'walk' were used and the Cambodian Sign Language sign for 'travel' was used rather than the Cambodian Sign Language sign for 'walk'.

There was good team work and communication between the groups and it was interesting to see that in each group there didn't seem to be a clear leader, but rather the group shared ideas and tackled the task with a sense of equality and shared responsibility.

Each group found solutions to creative problems together, trying out ideas and adapting them to enable all the members of the groups to be able to do the movement in some form.

What interactions did I see between people?

All people in the activities had an equal role and were are able to share their opinion in the process and they were all active participants. If a movement was suggested by a non-disabled person, those with disabilities took personal responsibility to adapt the movement to their bodies. The non-disabled students did not specifically focus on changing their suggestions to adapt to the bodies of those around them, just the same as the students with disabilities did not expect the non-disabled students to do exactly what they did with their bodies either. There was an understanding of personal responsibility to find a way to make movements adaptable and work on an individual basis.

Inclusive Arts Course - Dance @ Epic Arts. June 2014

The Inclusive Arts Course students have worked together for a long time and those who are not deaf have a basic knowledge of sign language, which they are able to use to aid inclusive arts practice. The result of which is a unique inclusive language that happened in all the groups that involve  speaking Khmer and using simple sign so that everyone could participate in the discussions. Sometimes the hearing students did not know the ‘right’ sign to use, but I could see the use of mime, facial expression and physical examples to ensure communication and understanding. With everyone being able to understand what was happening, everyone could join in the activity.

This open and inclusive method of communication meant that the students could give feedback to each other and ask questions to clarify the work and everyone in the group could follow the conversation. In the video above you can see that at 2.39mins, the students are discussing the movements created and feedback to each other, the hearing students use their voices and sign at the same time using basic signs and gestures so that everyone understands in the group and everyone can participate.

Inclusive Arts Course - Dance @ Epic Arts. June 2014

In each group that is working together, it is clear to see all the students working on an equal level, no one is being helped or assisted and they are all involved with the movements and have equal input and responsibility. You can see this in all three groups in the video above. Regardless of ability each person is pushed and challenged and each person performs to the best of their ability. In Group 1 on the video you can see one student in the grey t-shirt at 1.17mins being lifted and swung around, this student has a strong visual impairment. The choice is not made to do the movement with one of the non-disabled student or one of the deaf students as its ‘easier’ or ‘safer’, its done with the student with the visual impairment as that is who is there and that is his idea.

There is care and sensitivity between the performers, which comes from respect, and also knowledge of each others abilities. In the video above at 2.07mins you can see dancers from Group 2 working on a lift. The dancer lifting knows what the student in the wheelchair can do, he is aware of his abilities and works with him to create the movement, but it is not a case of ‘helping’ him but working with him. He sensitively lifts him and lowers him down to complete the movement.

Inclusive Arts Course - Dance @ Epic Arts. June 2014

What reactions did I see?

As I moved around the room I could see and hear laughter, there was clear enjoyment and humor and a sense of relaxed working that was productive and friendly. Everyone was communicating and openly using the languages of those around so that people were involved and could share the jokes.

It was evident that the students were challenging themselves and not going for the easy options or using their disability as an excuse not to do something. They were challenging their own boundaries and those of the people around them. They encouraged each other to try movements such as lifting out of a wheelchair in to a lift or being lifted and spun around when the student didn't have clear vision.

Inclusive Arts Course - Dance @ Epic Arts. June 2014

There was humor amongst the students during the session and even a freedom to joke about disabilities and to make light-hearted fun of people. Maybe this is because the students know each other so well, maybe it is something that is unique here in Cambodia, but I feel that it is very important that this is not lost or destroyed with political correctness or fear. The students with disabilities joke about and make fun of the non-disabled students and then I could see true equality when the non-disabled students return the jokes. No one is offended, but no one is out to offend, there is humor and an understanding as well as strong friendships….and when it comes to joking around, everyone is 'fair game'!

During the observation I could see that the teacher working with the students pushed for high quality work from the performers, she did not ‘tip toe’ around but gave honest feedback and challenged people when she thought that they could do more or she would show them how they could do something. She did not allow for excuses from anyone and instead of accepting the word ‘can’t’ she encouraged the students to find a way to adapt an idea or develop it so they could do it. The attitude of the teacher was very much along the lines of this quote:

What makes me think the practice is successful?

Use of good communication regardless of those in the room, means that all students can contribute and be involved in the creative process. In the first half of the following video you can see simple and effective communication between one deaf student and one physically disabled student as they remember a duet. The students have good understanding of each others disabilities and the use of simple communication skills means they can work together, interact and laugh when it goes wrong. In the second half of this videos (from 0.55secs) you can see a discussion at the end of the session where a task is clarified. Because sign and spoken word are used, you can see that all the people in the room can understand, be involved in the conversation and give their input.

During the observation I could see that knowledge and understanding played a big part in enabling the inclusive arts practice to be successful. The students have knowledge of how to interact, knowledge of each other’s abilities, knowledge of communication skills and an understanding of equality as artists and as creative individuals.

What am I learning about the inclusive arts practice within this activity at Epic Arts?

Care
Students were caring and sensitive to each other, aware of individual abilities but not 'helping' or doing something for someone that they could do themselves

Inclusive Communication
Students worked together with the use of Khmer, Sign, gesture, body language, facial expression and physical examples to communicate. Hearing students used speech and basic sign to enable everyone to be included in communication in group discussions.

Adaptability
Students were adaptable as individuals, taking tasks and adapting them to their own bodies and the group as a whole. If a movement was presented by a non-disabled student, they did not show the disabled students how to change or adapt it, but they gave them the choice to creatively adapt the movement to their own bodies.  

Equality
There was equality in the way in which the students worked, everyone was treated equality, but there was also equality in how the groups worked to solve the creative problem. Everyone had equal input into problem solving experience and no one was excluded  

Knowledge
There was knowledge of each other and what each person needed or did not need. The knowledge of basic sign was very helpful to aid communication and a knowledge of what other students were able to do and how they could move. There was also knowledge and understanding, gained through experience, of how to engage in and encourage inclusive arts practise 

Respect
There was a overriding sense of respect of each other both physically and emotionally during the workshop. Each person was a respected and valued member of the group

No Excuses


No one was allowed to use excuses for not doing something, they tried to adapt and find a solution. None of the people with physical disabilities said they could not do something because of their disability, they found a way to do it. At the same time no one used another person as an excuse or a way to push someone or make them feel guilty e.g no one said to a non-disabled person 'if he can do it and he is in a wheelchair, then you can too.'

Humour 
The students used humour throughout the workshop, joking about each other and their abilities, bodies and movements with a sense of freedom and friendship and without fear of offending.

Am I witnessing anything that may be hindering successful inclusive arts practice?

Sometimes during the session there was confusion between translators, not surprisingly as there are three different languages being used in the room. There was sometimes a mix up in who speaks first and when the sign language happens. This caused some mis-communication and confusion for students and sometimes isolated those who couldn’t hear (or see) the translation they needed.

Inclusive Arts Course - Dance @ Epic Arts. June 2014

Suggestions for Improvement/Development

In order to help the translation process to be clear in the workshops, I worked with my team to create a simple order for the translators. This means that the system will be clearer and more efficient in the future when all three languages are in use.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, please feel free to add comments or to email me at laura@epicarts.org.uk