On Tuesday, August 27th, I had the opportunity to experience a classroom environment that reminds me so much of the dance studio culture that I was part of in my hometown, Kuching. MK resonates so much passion, thoughtfulness and also firmness in setting up the class ground rules. That hit home; the moment when we talked about respect, kindness and how much dedication we should put into as dancers/performers or as human beings. This familiarity with the whole situation I was in, affected me in ways that brought me peace and a sense of belonging.
In terms of the movement exercises, I think that those exercises helped in watering down the gravity of this course. Prior to the class, I had this anxiety of not being able to blend in with other dancers born from dance academies. Thanks to MK’s exercises, everyone was able to let their body move without any judgements thrown. I, for instance, started to embrace differences in terms of dance background, and I feel comfortable in my own body. MK further asked us to impersonate someone who inspired us to her dance class and that made our movements more personal and meaningful. I don’t know why I chose Michael, but it was so literal that he was the one who introduced me to Prof. Alicia. Deep down in my heart, I was thinking of my dance teacher, Serina. She reminds me so much of Prof. Alicia and MK; teachers who emit kindness, empathy and who embed these values in their movements. These values are one of the reasons why I want to do more than just dance. Maybe I hope it can bring healings and connection between dancers and their spectators too.
I expect to grow as a person and absorb all the good values from this environment. There are some challenges that I assume would appear soon, but I do believe with this kind of conducive class with MK, I would definitely get much needed assistance. I just have to be upfront about everything.
Kayla Schiltz
I love the idea of bringing healing and connection between dancers and their spectators. People tend to think of dancers performing for the audience but we do not put as much attention to how the audience can aid the dancers. For instance, when were at the burial ground, they choreographers told us to clap our hands or mimic the dancing person’s movements to show encouragement. It provides energy and support for the dancers and involves the audience more with the dancers.