Dance Techniques 2010

84
Teaching: Principles and Methodology
Gerald Siegmund, Anouk van Dijk
Teaching: Principles
and Methodology
Conceptual Basis
Countertechnique is taught to help dancers’ bodies become
stronger and freer, and to enable more risk–taking
while dancing. At the same time, Countertechnique enables
dancers to use their bodies more safely by engaging
the mind. Students are trained to become aware of what is
happening technically inside their dancing bodies. Simultaneously
they engage with the space surrounding them,
refining awareness of how their dancing relates to and influences
the environment—whether it be the studio, stage,
or in everyday life. Once consciously engaged with their
surroundings, a student’s physical state and way of moving
will change in turn.
Countertechnique has been developed by Anouk van
Dijk for professional dancers who are trained in contemporary
techniques and / or ballet, for members of her company,
and for dancers all over the world. The technique
was developed to serve professionals who need a balanced
muscular training, and who need to release tension in
order to prevent injuries in training, creating, rehearsing,
performing, and touring. “The aim,” as Anouk van Dijk
says, “is to become an open vessel when you are performing
on stage.”
In 2009, Codarts in Rotterdam put Countertechnique
into the curriculum for a four–year test phase, so students
of all levels now have classes. What students need to understand,
above all, is the difference between mimetic
function as in traditional dance classes (wherein their images
are corrected with help of a mirror) and applying a
principle. In Countertechnique, students are not expected
to simply repeat what they are being told by teachers,
instead they should actively engage with Countertechnique
information and integrate it into their own practice.
Countertechnique only begins to work when the dancer is
dialoguing between body and mind. Since it is not a style
but a system of movement theory, the information should
help a student in ballet classes as well as in modern or
contemporary classes.
Countertechnique classes are group classes. Personal
needs, however, will be incorporated into the group work
by providing various intellectual or physical exercises that
can cater to the needs of a particular student.
The underlying principles of Countertechnique can be
understood quickly. The timeframe, however, needed until
professional dancers can successfully apply these principles
is considerably longer. Dancers of Anouk van Dijk’s
company speak of three years needed to incorporate the
principles and employ them naturally.
Dancers who study Countertechnique need not have
learned a specific technique or have taken a specific type
of class prior. Certain basic skills that are common to most
dancers, however, can be helpful in the learning process.
Students should have analytical skills for studying the organization
of the body. They need a good sense of coordination
and a certain amount of strength and flexibility.
Experience in Alexander Technique is helpful in understanding
the influence the mind has on the body and, more
specifically, for grasping the principle of directing. On a
more practical level, Anouk van Dijk answers the question
about the conceptual basis for teaching by saying: “Wanting
to figure out what makes your life as a dancer easier is
helpful as well!”
Since Countertechnique implies mental work and is
process–oriented, results are highly individual. First–
year students at Codarts, with no previous experience in
Countertechnique, were not taught a regular Countertechnique
class. Instead Anouk van Dijk and her artistic
assistant, Nina Wollny, gave a Practical Tools Workshop.
This workshop was held for two weeks, five days a week,
three hours a day, and aimed at introducing the students
to the basic Countertechnique principles. 6 In the various
phases of the awareness exercise 7 no corrections were
given; instead, suggestions were made. “Look around,”
or, “Try not to search for what you see but simply register
it.” After the exercise, the purpose was explained to the
students: “It helps you to open your mind for one particular
piece of information at a time. It also helps you to
consciously shift your attention to another piece of information.”
Feeling the floor underneath the feet, walking,
and running–through–space exercises were followed by
lying on the floor and trying so send body parts into space
using the Nine Point Technique. After having engaged the
students physically, Anouk van Dijk continued to talk to
them about specific anatomical features. “Where is the
shoulder girdle attached to the skeleton?” Answer: “Only
at the sternum, which means that the shoulder blades can
move over the rib cage and are not attached to it.” Knowing
how this functions changes the use of the arms and
shoulders. Only towards the end of the workshop did
Van Dijk and Wollny engage students in small move-
6 See chapter “Context and Ideology”, “Intent”.
7 See Extra Material on DVD 2.