TIE Improvisational Performance Combined with Self-Aware and Body'n'Mind-Conscious PE Training
The way of our functioning as individual human beings is reflected in our movements, the solutions we choose, which can teach us about ourselves and our fellow human beings. It is an intense learning and self-reflective process, which gives us the opportunity to change our habits and open up to the world in an honest way. The liberating power of improvisation contributes to creating new and productive forms of the dialogue between body and mind. These statements are our starting point.
Regional
Hungary
N/A
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Willany Leo Cultural Non-profit Ltd. Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Zoltán Szabolcs Last name of representative: Grecsó Gender: Male Nationality: Hungary Function: managing director, artistic director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Rozsa str. 47/A 1/3. Town: Budapest Postal code: H-1077 Country: Hungary Direct Tel:+36 30 833 7732 E-mail:info@willany.com Website:https://willany.com/
In our globalizing world, and especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, it is extremely important to find our way back to ourselves, (re)connect with each other by touch, (re)DISCOVER HOW TO LIVE COMFORTABLY IN OUR OWN BODIES. We started to develop a methodology that provides a new kind of SUSTAINABLE PHYSICAL EDUCATION EXPERIENCE for students and teachers, using free dance, improvisation, integrated anatomy, autogenic training and meditation, with a great emphasis on mental health as well.
Willany Leó has been RESEARCHING IMPROVISATION METHODOLOGY for 15 years. Improvisation is the most fundamental form of artistic freedom, and we are committed to CREATE SPACES FOR FREE EXPLORATION. In recent years we have been paying much more attention not only to stay open to other forms of art in our field, but also to ACTIVELY ENGAGE AND INITIATE THE AUDIENCE as well. We have already created several performances with the specific aim of introducing improvisation processes and developing self-awareness - we regularly take these programmes to schools, community centers and public spaces.
We have been holding workshops and trainings for children, youngsters and also for the wider audience for years. We have received a lot of feedback about the liberating power of attending one of our alternative physical education classes, workshops or lectures. Our long term goal is to DEVELOP THE METHODOLOGY OF EXISTING LECTURES/TRAININGS WITH THE INVOLVEMENT OF EXPERTS FROM OTHER FIELDS (e.g. psychology, pedagogy, therapeutic pedagogy etc.) further and, in addition to MAKING THE METHODOLOGY AS WIDELY KNOWN AS POSSIBLE, to CREATE AN ACCREDITED TRAINING COURSE where we can share our knowledge with teachers who can incorporate it into their everyday PE lessons. In the framework of this educational project our mission is to BRING CHILDREN CLOSER TO UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT AND IMPORTANCE OF BODY-MIND- AWARENESS.
TIE (Theatre in Education)
participative
improvisation
fact-driven attitude
creative development
Our sustainability can be seen in the simplicity and puritanism of our programs, but more importantly, our long-term goal is to PROVIDE a PREDICTABLE AND SAFE LIFE for those who work in this field. The MENTAL HEALTH AND FINANCIAL SECURITY of people are important part of a sustainable world. Constant insecurity, stress and unpredictability can be the cause of many mental and physical disorders and illnesses.
The sustainability of our organisation is strengthened by our sensitive reactions to the Covid epidemic (we started to work on connectivity and openness), and our initiatives eventually grew into a whole new methodology. ORGANISATIONAL FLEXIBILITY AND RESILIENCE also ensure sustainability.
Daily physical education was introduced in Hungarian schools from 2012, which increased the 2-3 PE lessons per week to 5. Over the past 10 years many benefits of daily exercise have been proven, however many schools are still struggling because they do not have the necessary infrastructure to cope with the increased number of lessons, i.e. enough classrooms, equipment and PE teachers. Daily PE lessons in itself only serves a fitness and performance-oriented purpose, and does nothing to address one of the most serious problems of our time: our mental health. This deficit is reinforced by the fact that the number of PE classes has increased at the expense of art classes (e.g. drawing, singing, drama) which could develop self-awareness and self-expression.
We could help schools to give students the opportunity to DEVELOP their PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY (PE without equipment, in smaller spaces, with external trainers) in the limited circumstances By further developing, refining and accrediting our methodology, our project will be sustainable in the long term. We could also invite emerging young artists to teach PE on a permanent basis after appropriate training, which PROVIDES A MORE STABLE AND PREDICTABLE FINANCIAL INCOME for them.
Our introductory performances are accompanied by live improvisational music, usually performed by one or two musicians. MUSICAL IMPROVISATION is closely linked to all of our performances - we work with a total of nearly 40 emerging or established musicians, known for their experimental, open and diverse work in their own fields. Our dancers, although mostly young or emerging performers, have a high level of performative and improvisative qualities.
While our primary goal is to COMMUNICATE THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF IMPROVISATION/FREE DANCE to our audiences, we also focus on the quality of the experience. Even though our art is not literally mainstream, we try to FIND A COMMON GROUND WHERE OUR EDUCATIONAL GOALS, HIGH ARTISTIC QUALITY AND ENTERTAINMENT MEET. Designing our projects, we pay less attention to external aspects (e.g. costumes, sets...), in the respect of sustainability. However, this does not mean a lower quality - in fact, our lack of tools is only meant to convey the true nature of improvisation.
Feedback suggests that audiences, who at some point become active participants in our performances, are enriched with an experience that they can hardly get anywhere else. Not only do they feel spoken to, but by exploring unknown territories, they also EXPERIENCE POSITIVE ENERGIES AND FEELINGS that they have little chance to experience in everyday situations. And that's what improvisation is all about: getting to know yourself, and using what you learn here to face distressing situations in your everyday life.
Our performances take place in a variety of locations and situations: in our public performances we REINTERPRET THE IDEA OF THAT SPACE TOGETHER, GIVING THE VENUE A NEW AESTHETIC VALUE; the involvement of the audience becomes a priority in our performances in community spaces; and in our school lessons, the most important thing is to reach out to students and TURN THEIR ENVIRONMENT INTO A FREE AND SAFE DANCE SPACE.
No prior qualifications are required to attend any of our public workshops or introductory lessons. We have designed our programs so that EVERYONE CAN EASILY PARTICIPATE according to their own physical abilities and intro/extroversion. For us, ACCESSIBILITY is more than a principle, it is a direct goal to reach as many people as possible with our mission, which is based on the freedom of improvisation and the body and self-awareness that can be learned from it - regardless of the social, financial and life situation of our audience.
We performed ‘The risk of playing chess with ourselves’ programme (with its sibling titled The Space Keeps the Score) almost 30 times, for more than 1200 people (audiences’ age 11-50) in the last two years. Our trainings were held more than 50 times in 2022. Our financial situation is limited, but we aim to make our programmes OPEN AND AFFORDABLE for everyone. We would like to use this prize and other supports to launch an open call for primary schools to participate in our programme FREE OF CHARGE - initially for a demonstration of the alternative PE class. We plan to bring the program mainly to INTEGRATING SCHOOLS where children with different abilities (e.g. autism, hearing and sight disorder, mental retardation, behaviour problems, etc.) learn together.
The current economic situation places an unimaginable burden on the independent artistic community as well. Under these circumstances - and keeping in mind one of the principle of our mission, TALENT MANAGEMENT - our company decided to open its doors: with our #newcomers series, launched in October 2022, we tried to help young dancers, even within our limited budget, to have the opportunity to perform, meet and talk at our events instead of the many cancelled performances. Within the educational project we would like to continue this aspiration and OPEN OUR PROJECT TO GIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG EMERGING ARTISTS with pedagogical ambitions to actively participate in our program.
Lack of self-awareness and resilience poisons our daily lives to an abnormal degree, and in the long run sickens our whole society. A mentally exhausted and disturbed society becomes closed, seeks out enemy images, reinforces the idea of us versus them, and thus deepens social inequalities.
Our aim is to teach (especially) children how to look after themselves and their own needs - whether physical or mental. More balanced children become more balanced adults, which means a MORE RESILIENT SOCIETY. We know that this is an extremely long-term process of development, complicated by economic and political circumstances (both in Hungary and worldwide), but we believe that it is our duty to take the first step.
A new type of PE class could be an important step to help children understand that the possibilities for fulfilling their self-image are endless, both mentally and physically. Our project is a value-adding project that not only promotes the positive effects of contemporary dance and movement improvisation, but also explores the possibilities of the human body. And it does it in the way that modern psychology does: by ACCURATELY OBSERVING OUR ENVIRONMENT, OUR BEHAVIOUR, OUR HABITS, and in an inward looking, inward focusing process.
Some of the programmes we have implemented so far have also been carried out with the help of NGOs, which have a better understanding of the problems and needs of their own environment. We plan to continue to actively involve them in the process, which is a win-win situation: they can help us in the precise development of the curriculum methodology (with their expertise, their own network, their own experience), and we can use our own resources to support them to BROADEN THEIR SCOPE and ACCESS NEW CREATIVE AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES through further collaborations.
At this stage of our initiative, we are working with stakeholders mainly at local and regional level.
At local level, our partners are artistic institutions (e.g. Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, Workshop Foundation, MU Theatre), civic initiatives, institutions involved in the reimagination of public spaces (e.g. Rév8 - Józsefváros Urban Rehabilitation and Development Company), cultural institutions of the Budapest districts, museums (e.g. Hungarian National Museum, Museum of Ethnography), other artistic associations and initiatives (e.g. SubLabPro, Flying Bodies). These partners play an important role in the delivery and development of our introductory presentations and training.
Our company works with 17 independent young and emerging dance artists on a regular basis (not counting the newcomers in our newcomer series), we have almost 40 musicians associated with us at various levels, and we enjoy working with outside professionals (choreographers who train our dancers in various improvisational techniques) - all of whom contribute to the creation of our introductory performances and training sessions.
At the regional level, we cooperate with cultural institutions and festivals in the countryside, which give us the opportunity to promote our initiation sessions and trainings. In Hungary, schools are run by school districts, which bring together schools in counties and several districts - we also work with them in our programme. We have close direct connections with several schools in Budapest and in the countryside, and we would like to expand this type of cooperation in the future. In Hungary, schools are run by school districts, which bring together schools in counties and several districts.
In the further phases of our initiative, we would like to work together with professional experts and institutions in the following fields, first at national level and later at international level: psychology, pedagogy, therapeutic pedagogy, dance, movement and
During the creation process of our programme titled 'The Risk of Playing Chess with Ourselves' we have been working closely with TIE professionals Eszter Dobos and Emese Nagy (leaders of the Gondolat Generátor TIE group of Trafó House of Contemporary Arts) to create a programme suitable for different audience groups. Their knowledge in PEDAGOGY and AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT had been a key asset to our success all around the country. The process also had a strong focus on implementing the IDEAS OF MUSICIANS on improvisation: how can the rules and motives of music be implemented into an improvisation dance performance? CONTEMPORARY DANCE TECHNIQUES AND IMPROVISATION was the main research base, of course.
Karl Bühler's concept, the ‘Aha! experience’, is the unexpected, intuitive emergence of a solution during a problem-solving process (thinking), or the sudden understanding of a problem that was not previously understood. This experience helps the audience to identify and follow the improvisation process. During the discussions, the children are involved in the discourse by bringing up their own points of view, ideas, accounts of their experiences and by asking leading questions. Their reflections set the direction of the conversation about improvisation and dance, and the performers are responsible for keeping the conversation on track and for the conceptual clarity of the talk about art. The awareness of one's own Aha! experience, the liberating power of improvisation, and the elementary initiation into the performing process all contribute to creating a new and productive form of dialogicity between the artists and their audience.
In the further development of the methodology of the alternative physical education classes, in addition to collaborating with representatives of the arts of dance, movement and improvisation, WE ARE COMMITTED TO INVOLVING PROFESSIONALS FROM PSYCHOLOGY, PEDAGOGY, PHYSIOTHERAPY, NEUROLOGY AND RELEVANT NGOS.
While it is undeniable that the entertaining nature of such theatre improvisation shows on television has in many ways fostered the growth of alternative improvisation initiatives, there are relatively few improvisation events where the audience is not only a passive spectator or participant (e.g. answering questions from the actors) but also an active participant in the process. In our programmes, participants are introduced to the art of improvisation without the need to "go on stage" and "act as an actor/actress", but can try themselves at movement improvisation in a safe environment, to a degree that is comfortable for them, thus increasing their self-confidence and helping them to find their own limits or even push them. The innovation of our programme is most evident in the way WE COMBINE DANCE WITH IMPROVISATION AND SELF-AWARENESS. Our programme is not primarily about opening up deep subconscious content, but rather about AWAKENING A SENSE OF BODY AWARENESS AND A WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE.
Contact improvisation first appeared in Hungary in 1984. In the almost 40 years since then, many excellent professionals have been involved in the development and promotion of contact and dance improvisation, but we often feel that it is still in its infancy. “Contact improvisation is present in the domestic dance arts, in institutional dance and theatre education […], but ways of learning it more deeply and teaching it safely are still not available within the framework of educational institutions and schools. (Gál, 2021)
Our company is a leader in the field of dance and movement improvisation in our country. The practice of SUPPORTING AND ENGAGING YOUNG DANCE ARTISTS, our close relationship with MUSICAL IMPROVISATION, the CREATION AND TOURING OF INTRODUCTORY PERFORMANCES AND TRAINING SESSIONS, the vision of INTEGRATING ALTERNATIVE PHYSICAL EDUCATION LESSONS INTO THE CURRICULUM - all these are part of the innovative nature of our 15 years of work and future plans.
One of the long-term goals of our education project is to OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE METHODOLOGY for PE classes in our country. If even one of the 5 physical education classes a week were based on free dance, improvisation, integrated anatomy, autogenic training and meditation, it would be a huge improvement compared with the daily repetition of performance-oriented movement forms that focus only on physical fitness. In addition, the alternative physical education classes also increase stamina while providing a more comprehensive background for learning about our bodies, and contributing to preserve our mental health with a range of simple exercises - which students can practice elsewhere.
We believe that by presenting and disseminating our method, physical education teachers will be able to apply the techniques we present independently of us, so WE ARE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSING ON MAKING OUR METHODOLOGY EASILY REPLICABLE AND TRANSFERABLE. While we also want to give young independent performers the opportunity to participate in education, we are of course aware that the most important thing is that children and young people receive a proper and sustainable movement education so ADAPTABILITY IS A KEY PRINCIPLE OF OUR METHODOLOGY.
Our aim is to present our concepts in as many schools and community spaces as possible and, at the same time, to introduce teachers and other interested parties to the world of improvisation in a more in-depth way through follow-up trainings or summer academies.
In the long term, if we succeed in accrediting our programme as a curriculum, more children in our country will have the opportunity to try and practice the liberating effects of improvisation, which will bring them many benefits at a very important stage in their lives by SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT AND STRENGTHENING OF SELF-AWARENESS, CONFIDENCE, RESILIENCE, EMPATHY AND TRUST and by regaining the ability to open up and connect with each other.
The use of movement-based and improvisational techniques at an early age, and the integration and adaptation of dance education into school pedagogy, are based on a PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, and the EDUCATIONAL ASPECTS OF MOVEMENT AND ANATOMY. Improvisation and visualization, developmental instructions and the definition of the teacher's attitude led to the correct teaching and effective application of this in practice. (More details in the attached document)
Bessel van der Kolk claims that BODY-BASED THERAPIES (not talk-based therapies) COULD MORE EFFICIENTLY HELP TO HEAL TRAUMA. It has been scientifically proven that our cognitive abilities develop during and in close relation to our motor/physical development. For example stimulation of the palms and fingertips develops the part of the prefrontal cortex responsible for prosocial skills (compassion, empathy) or the frequent movement of our eyes and head develops our mental resilience.
The most basic requirement for any development of children is that they participate in the proccesses happily and emotionally motivated. Through movement games, children can develop their movement vocabulary, attention, spatial and temporal awareness, body image and high levels of connectedness with others in a subtle way. DEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS AND BODY AWARENESS THROUGH CREATIVE MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES CAN HELP CHILDREN IN ALL LEARNING PROCESSES.
VISUALIZATION, as a general psychological concept, refers to a pictorial representation that can be consciously controlled, but is often activated against our will. Mental visualizations are the mind's visual representations of the environment in the absence of environmental stimuli. Motor visualization is a mental process in which an individual practices or simulates a given action. Visualization is like the mind's eye, a mental process that resembles a real experience without the real experience actually happening.
Our societies has been globally scarred by the events of recent years - pandemics, wars, natural disasters, economic crisis. One striking sign of this is the much higher incidence of anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses, which is linked to a decline in our resilience. One of the groups most affected in this respect is children and youngsters, who have been forced into online education for a long time because of the pandemic. At this age, forming relationships with our peers and sharing moments together play a particularly important role in our lives, and contribute greatly to our mental health and developing our self-image. In addition, due to the use of the internet and smartphones, children in general are moving less and less, and their physical activity culture is shrinking.
The REGULAR PRACTICE OF IMPROVISATIONAL AND CONSCIOUSLY SELF-REFLEXIVE FORMS OF MOVEMENT greatly contributes to the children's ability to find their way back to each other, to experience the freedom of joint composition and creation, to express their needs more courageously and to draw their boundaries more easily.
Our experience shows that improvisation can be a way of helping people to cope in everyday life, which can offer an answer to a particularly relevant and topical problem. Several studies have shown that improvisation as a quick reaction to a new situation can also have an impact on everyday life: it helps to make decisions faster and develops creativity. It is also an art form that can OPEN UP CHANNELS OF SELF-EXPRESSION, dissolve inhibitions and, through its practice, there is no fear of failure, as anything is possible in an improvisation.
With our programme we focus on presenting the key role of improvisation in detail, both in our performances and open workshops. The dance artists working and creating in Willany Leó's company strive to present IMPROVISATION AS A POSSIBLE TOOL FOR SELF-REFLECTION in a broad range of ways.
The project will be developed in 5 steps, as follows:
In the PREPARATION PHASE we assemble a professional team, involve the experts from the fields of psychology, pedagogy, therapeutic pedagogy, dance, movement and improvisation, NGOs, and realise the project's objectives. We start communicating with (mainly integrating) schools, with the aim of making our research visible and accessible from the early stages.
In the RESEARCH PHASE the professional team accurately investigate the topic: in the first stage using interviews, theoretical materials and personal experiences, and attending normal and alternative PE classes. In the second stage we prepare questionnaires to open up the research to a wider audience (teachers, school psychologists, artists etc.), and organize public round table discussions.
In the DEVELOPMENT & PILOT TRAINING PHASE the professional team develop the concrete lessons with a view to the different needs of the different age groups. The pilot trainings will be conducted with focus groups and index groups, with close follow-up. The pilot training sessions will also involve skilled artists who will work alongside the professionals.
In the FINALIZATION PHASE our experts finalise the "curriculum" and prepare the theoretical material of the methodology that we will make public and accessible to everyone. We are launching an open call for schools to apply for lessons led by young artists.
In the PRACTICING PHASE we are planning to bring this new kind of PE class directly to at least 2000 students and their teachers (approximately 80 lessons). We will organise a 2-days public event to conclude the project. During this festival/conference we will present the project phases, the results of the research, organise further workshops for interested parties (including parents of school-age students) and publish the methodology online in a way that is accessible and understandable to all.
Our education project is closely linked to the principles of Envisioning sustainable futures. Adaptability is one of the key features of our project itself, and its aim is to increase adaptability from a very young age. Exploratory thinking, understanding the hows and whys, is also an important part of our methodology. Although our project does not focus directly on the environment, we believe it is very important to teach the younger generation to pay attention to their immediate or wider environment, to the physical and mental health of themselves and their environment. We strongly believe that people who are more self-aware will pay more attention to their environment and be more open to issues such as the future of our planet and how to live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle.
Body awareness, the recognition and satisfaction of our body's needs, increases our empathy and responsibility towards ourselves, which later on has an impact on our responsible and empathetic thinking towards our social environment and ultimately our natural environment.
