Open AccessMerging the arts of song and dance
Author(s) -
Johanne Karen Hagen,
Anne Cecilie Røsjø Kvammen,
Richard Lessey
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
nordic journal of art and research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2535-7328
DOI - 10.7577/information.v6i1.2885
Subject(s) - dance , embodied cognition , singing , musical , context (archaeology) , the arts , psychology , confusion , performing arts , choreography , cognition , cognitive science , cognitive psychology , visual arts , computer science , art , history , artificial intelligence , management , archaeology , neuroscience , psychoanalysis , economics
To learn, acquire knowledge, and develop skills is an embodied process. In this article, the authors argue that merging the fields of song and dance is dependent on a deeper understanding of how the mind and the body interact, and they utilize the concept of enactive cognition to explain these processes. The authors maintain that students need insight into these processes in order to improve their learning and, consequently, their performance. Retrospective examples taken from three educational situations within the musical theatre context elucidate the discussion of the concepts of alignment and breathing. These frequently used concepts are often a source of confusion and misunderstanding for the student. To alleviate this, a stronger, interdisciplinary dialogue among the singing and dance teachers who are involved in the genre of musical theatre needs to be developed. The authors suggest collaborative teaching as a means to develop the teaching methods and as the pathway to attaining a common base when integrating the skills of singing and dancing.