Misiconi Inclusion Pack

INCLUSION PACK

NOT YOUR ORDINARY COMPANY

Welcome to the Inclusion Pack and Teaching Approach of Misiconi. Within this document we share our basic knowledge on how to work inclusively with mixed groups Inclusion matters because of many reasons Not only for the individual but also on a social level For everyone it means something different in different settings, however it is always important that everyone gets the same opportunity Then we enter the equality debate This also means different things to different people and is sometimes confused with added business burdens and positive discrimination Yet at its heart, equality is fundamentally about making sure that everyone has the same opportunities to achieve in life without being held back by factors such as their ethnicity, age, or gender or whether they have a disability

Within Misiconi we work with an inclusive mindset With this we mean it is driven by idealistic ideas and approaches to life This is visible in your creative practice For example in your approach to create, approach to communication and or approach to teach We as teachers, choreographers and or carers are the key to make change and be the change For us as a company it is important to create awareness of what it means to have an inclusive mindset

Whether you're teaching or choreographing it is important to find a balance in your approach.

There is one way to look at things until someone shows us how to look at them with different eyes.

OBJECTIVES

Practice what you preach or change your speech.

Misiconi provides training in the form of classes for beginners and more professional level. Within this time dancers can work on their creative and physical skills in any possible way. In order to reach their fullest potential.

At Misiconi we nurture and coach this growth via movement classes and mutual collaboration so everyone grows alongside/ together with the company The company has an open door policy which means we open up our way of working and share it as much as possible Important components of this are stimulating mutual understanding, encouraging creative exchange and increasing self-reliance

The starting point is to offer people with disabilities a perspective on greater participation in society and in the performing arts Because also a dancer with a disability can be a professional dancer Misiconi transfers its expertise to all organizations and individuals interested in inclusion The Misiconi Foundation does not only look at the end product, but also wants to make the insights that the work process provides accessible to third parties

VISION & GOALS

The things we believe in that help make this company extraordinary.

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED

In the long term the company grows and works on professionalism. The Shift project has shown that it works very well for the group to provide structure, work on skills and repeat this very systematically so that vocabulary is expanded and the bodies are more trained for the work we end up doing This has resulted in skills that have proven to work for both the dancers and teachers At the end of several researches like Unload to Upload, Shift and Design Thinking = Design Doing

PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

As a company we saw the benefits and established that we want to continue with this and see the future in a more inclusive methodology that stands for quality and a serious professional approach For everyone that dances at Misiconi it is important to feel autonomy, work towards their potential physically as mentally and to provide insight into their own personal growth with the help of an educational line

GOALS

training professional dancers always look at the individual an open class so everyone can join in more autonomous dancers approach different techniques so dancer create a bigger vocabulaire a place where inclusive dance can accelerate self reflecting and aware dancers openness to work flexible and think in solutions

TEACHING APPROACH

CREATING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT

01.

Developing and maintaining a supportive environment is essential for learners to flourish Making expectations clear of how we work together in the studio and what professionalism is can help to develop a good working attitude and respect and consideration amongst the group.

IDENTIFY THE LEVEL OF YOUR GROUP

02.

Within this identify individual needs in the group and try to adapt activities to their needs Find exercises that could be beneficial to each student

OBSERVATION

03.

Observe how the dancers are responding to the activity. This concerns how individual dancers are coping emotionally as well as physically, any changes in the group dynamic and spotting any cues in behaviors that might escalate.

BE RESPONSIVE

04.

Respond to what is happening in the studio at that moment. If an activity is failing, stop and find a different way to communicate the idea Adapt content, if appropriate, allow the emphasis or idea to be pulled in a different direction or increase challenge as needed Respond to behavioral cues quickly to minimize their impact on the individual and group Simply changing your or a dancer’s position in the room, gaining eye contact etc can reengage or avoid an escalation in behavior If issues are not dealt with at that moment, dancer’s may find it difficult to connect an action with the

consequence and therefore will be less likely to develop the ability to control their responses and emotions

STATE THE PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE

05.

Reveal what skills you are working on and the process you are using to achieve them.

HELP DANCERS TO MAKE CONNECTIONS

08.

Even if the movement or exercise is familiar you may need to break things down when in a new context Eg when the orientation is changed such as from lying to standing,

USE SEVERAL APPROACHES FOR DELIVERING EACH ACTIVITY

06.

This will help to appeal to different learning styles (see Delivery Approaches below)

USE EMPOWERING LANGUAGE

09.

Choose positive words and phrases to describe what you want to see from your dancers, rather than telling them what you don’t want

EXCESSIVE COGNITIVE OVERLOAD

07.

Too much information for some dancers can cause anxiety and dissociation Pick the appropriate amount of

stimulus to serve your purpose See Safe Practice for more information on this https://shiftdanceeu/teachingapproach/safe-practice/

USE INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

10.

Choose words that can be interpreted in a wider sense For example not everyone walks

https://wwwdisabilityillinoisedu/academic -support/instructor-information/accessiblelanguage-guide-disability-etiquette

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

11.

Make time to reflect on your own practice and observe others teaching to facilitate this

DEVELOPING SKILLS

Developing skills for the dancers make them grow and become aware of learning.

Observational skills – Develop their ability to see what good movement and alignment is so they can self-correct.

Cognitive skills - Develop their ability to understand the concepts that underpin the skills they are learning

Autonomous learners – develop their ability to motivate themselves and become autonomous learners For example, gradually hand over the responsibility for remembering exercises, correcting themselves and peers, creating and rehearsing independently, letting you know if they are uncomfortable or in pain

This may take some time and finding the balance may be difficult. It is a learning process for the teacher and dancer as:

If the dancer has difficulty linking cause and effect, taking on too much responsibility may cause anxiety or disassociation.

Dancers may not be able to articulate or let you know they are in pain or exhausted. Developing body awareness may help but the teacher must also maintain awareness and responsibility.

Some dancers can be compulsive and not know when they need to stop Again, the teacher must be vigilant

Goal setting – develop their ability to identify areas they need to improve upon and set goals related to them This can help motivate, increase self awareness and develop autonomy

Social skills - Develop in the dancers the ability to interact and work in a cooperative way with all peers creating a supportive and professional working environment.

Adaptability - Develop in the dancers the ability to adapt to changes that may occur in class and in the environment. For example, new teachers, new dancers in the group or being in a different studio.

DELIVERY APPROACHES

We found visual and tactile methods to be particularly important when introducing and re-capping activities. During interviews with the dancers they stated the best ways for them to learn a new movement or concept was through watching a physical demonstration and receiving tactile information. This view was corroborated by the dance practitioners. The physical demonstration and tactile approaches also needed to be revisited every time the activity was repeated until the movement or concept was internalized. This proved to be the same for set exercises and guided improvisations. For guided improvisations, the concept needed to be demonstrated before the dancers explored it, encouraging them to find their own movement patterns rather than copying the teacher’s.

GIVING FEEDBACK

We also used the following methods of feeding back to our dancers:

verbal feedback from peer or teacher

visual feedback from peer or teacher

tactile feedback from peer or teacher

visual feedback & self-correction

In the Teaching Guidelines for each activity we refer to the following methods of delivery:

AUDITORY

verbal instruction

use of voice; intonation, pace use of music/sounds imagery delivered verbally

VISUAL

physical demonstration

visual imagery (picture, object)

TACTILE

tactile cues given by self, peer, or teacher

physical objects

KINESTHETIC experience the movement experience how the movement may feel e.g. resistance

LAYERING APPROACH TO BUILDING A SEQUENCE

When building a sequence of movement, whether set by the teacher or created by the dancers themselves, we found a layering approach to be most effective

Explore the basic positions or concept first, using a range of methods to explain and communicate ideas – If using set movements, practice finding and moving into and out of them with correct alignment If the dancers are creating the movement, give a clear directive and allow time for them to explore and decide how they will achieve it Use a combination of verbal instruction, physical demonstration, visual props/objects, imagery (given verbally and visually), tactile (self, peer, teacher) etc in the delivery

Link sections together to slowly to build a sequence - If creating a set sequence, this may build and develop over a number of sessions

Gradually add complexity – Introduce elements to focus on one at a time to avoid overload eg directions, eye focus, quality of movement, variations in speed, musicality, arranging and performing it with one or more partners Encourage your dancers to set their own level of challenge by adding more or sticking to one or two

Gradually shift responsibility to the dancers – Eg remembering the sequence with fewer and eventually no prompts This develops autonomy and movement memory in the dancers and allows the teacher to observe and correct more effectively It may be appropriate to ensure each dancer knows the sequence by doing it alone without their peers