My new docudance is an interplay on ideas of "matter" - weaving "matter" as in the scientific term, and "matter" as in things that have meaning. The resonant question is about the work we do - mattering.
My premise. Art-making makes things matter. Art-making, and using creative process as a tool for learning. In our case, using dance-making as a tool for learning. It makes things matter. Creative process helps us to get to: It matters. Which makes me think about the kids (especially in high school) who ask “Why do we have to learn this? It doesn’t matter. I’m never going to need this in my life!”
I felt like that in High School - the science and math classes. I was going to be a dancer - why would I need science and math? Now I am a science geek - why? Because it gives me a sense of joy, delight, wonder. I connect to the world through dance and science. When our students connect to the dance-making they connect to the science and suddenly say “It matters”. Matter can be neither created or destroyed. On the last day of the teacher’s workshop at HotSchools Summer Institute we made Math dances for the essence of math, for the unsolved problem. They resonated in the air. Everyone felt it. We made things that mattered. We got to the heart of Math - not a series of numerical facts and equations, but the beauty and eloquence of mathematical language through our bodes in time and space - because invested with the creative energy of their creators, they became emotionally powerful along with the "math facts" of our source material. They were also very funny. (Humor.... one of my favorite emotions)
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