Walk to work: Recent Episodes
Greg Dyke
Musings on the art of not doing anything, rather than doing nothing or doing something meaningless.
Describing someone as "racist" in a racist society is a bit meaningless. What can we do instead? (I don't actually have an answer to this one)
Anyone can figure out how to solve a Rubik's cube. It only takes 3 key insights to develop your own solution!
Blues dancers can probably learn to like (and even enjoy) live music sets with a low dynamic and rhythmic range
An extended metaphor to illustrate some of the difficulties of changing while being oneself. Featuring cats!
Jess and I taught at Lil' Taste of Fusion : 3h each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with blues on the first day and fusion the other two. We tried to give the weekend a focus, while also creating a story arc for each afternoon.
What purpose do codes of conduct serve, what should they include, how do they for into your organisation's wider safety strategy?
1) It doesn't matter much 2) it's simpler than you may think 3) why do we ask the question?
Tara and Michael treat their daughter Aroha like a person (because she is one). We discuss the language they prefer to use to discribe Aroha, the first time Michael met Aroha, elimination communication (also known as natural hygiene), and the pressure or lack thereof that Tara and Michael put themselves under as parents.
Tara and Michael treat their daughter Aroha like a person (because she is one). We discuss how they encourage people to seek Aroha's consent before interacting with her, how they respond to Aroha's feelings if she is hurt or upset, the extent to which they allow the needs of a baby to impact their lives, the importance of co-parenting, and some of the strategies they use to understand and respond to Aroha's wants and needs.
CW: white dude discussing his white fragility - answering the questions asked by Ally Henny to reflect on one's white fragility. https://www.facebook.com/allyhennypage/posts/1087705494713093
Why do we need to make our safer spaces intersectional? Why do dance spaces in particular need work to make spaces safer? What are the means by which we can go about making spaces safer?
Stefanie is an Alexander Technique teacher who works with regular folk, but also elite athletes. We discuss how working with athletes is different from regular folk and how to make movement yummy! https://www.facebook.com/movementtruth/
Stefanie is an Alexander Technique teacher who works with regular folk, but also elite athletes. We discuss her approach to Alexander Technique and how she came to work with world class rowers. https://www.facebook.com/movementtruth/
Catherine Palmier teaches at/organises various events including Dancemode Immersions and Mountain Blues Camp. She is based in Puerto Rico, where she invites dancers to join her for a "private escape". We discuss how and why this is a great opportunity for change. http://racinedumouvement.com/catherine-palmier
I sit down at Mountain Blues Camp to talk with Jenny Sowden about her experience teaching at Be-Bluesed (which I previously discussed in episodes 27-29 and 31)
I sit down at Mountain Blues Camp to talk with Jenny Sowden about her experience teaching at Be-Bluesed (which I previously discussed in episodes 27-29 and 31)
Discussion of different teacher activities borrowed from Kira Emslie and SwingStep, with a little extra in depth on the kinds of talking we do
More myths about cultural appropriation: a) sourcelanders and diaspora have different perceptions of racism and cultural appropriation b) the question is not "is lindy hop cultural appropriation?" (it is), but "how can we reduce the harm we are causing" and c) it's not about getting a "free pass". It's not about you
Semi-rant about how Western musical notation shapes our assumptions about what music "is".
Let's get physical! Explore how different approaches to posture have functional impact on your body.
We revisit my weak muscle chain fallacy episode to discuss how training muscles for strength and flexibility across their whole range of motion is key to postural improvement
The shoulder is very multifunctional and has surprisingly complex movement to help move the arms.
Juneteenth is a holiday to celebrate the end of slavery in the USA and commemorates the announcement of freedom of slaves in Texas on June 19th 1865.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Article on PBS “What is Juneteenth” https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/
What my father and juneteenth taught me about having Expectaitoins (Danielle C Belton) https://www.theroot.com/what-my-father-and-juneteenth-taught-me-about-having-e-1790855737
Juneteenth: Why Celebrate (Racism Review) by Jessie Daniels http://www.racismreview.com/blog/2017/06/19/juneteenth/
When Black Joy Has White Witnessesby Dominique Matti https://medium.com/@DominiqueMatti/when-black-joy-has-white-witnesses-23ba8e5a8e17
Juneteenth: A RedSpot Day on the Texas Calendar in Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African-American Folklore by William H Wiggins Jr https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yurNxrACxjQC&pg=PA251&lpg=PA251&dq=Juneteenth:+A+RedSpot+Day+on+the+Texas+Calendar&source=bl&ots=EUWbq1M6jU&sig=ACfU3U3LOynOUV_0wwDz2_qUqevPiGIRRA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwioxoa69vLiAhWEYsAKHeAhATIQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=Juneteenth%3A%20A%20RedSpot%20Day%20on%20the%20Texas%20Calendar&f=false
Juneteenth – It’s always right to celebrate freedom Dr Charles Taylor (speech from 2004) http://drcharlestaylor.com/JuneteenthCelebrateFreedom.pdf
https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/juneteenth-celebration-meaning-explainer What Is Juneteenth, How Is It Celebrated, and Why Does It Matter? Jameelah Nasheed
In part 3 I cover a) "you can choose to be offended" b) "mixing of cultures is enrichment" and c) "This one Black person says it's OK" and "You're not black, so why should I listen to you?"
Musings about my experience with Alexander Technique and how the goal is not to find a new, better way, but get comfortable with always finding new ways.
Part 4 of a multi-part series about the book "Black and White Styles in Conflict" by Thomas Kochman. This episode covers the third part of describing classroom modalities of participation in Black American culture - specifically how turn taking rules differ in black culture and how that relates to both self expression and self control.
Part 3 of a multi-part series about the book "Black and White Styles in Conflict" by Thomas Kochman. This episode covers the second part of describing classroom modalities of participation in Black American culture - specifically how struggle is an important component in a good discussion and carries expectations of how to be a responsible discussion participant.
Grounding is a physical and mental state that can be used for practical and aesthetic purposes. I talk more specifically about what (psycho-)physical grounding is.
Fueled by recent events, I discuss why cultural appropriation is a thing and how it relates to racism and colonialism.
Bringing together the idea of flow, male leads being intimidated by women follows (and black american gender roles)
Part 2 of a multi-part series about the book "Black and White Styles in Conflict" by Thomas Kochman. This episode covers the first part of describing classroom modalities of participation in Black American culture - specifically how argument for persuasion and argument for venting of hostility are considered different by Black people but not recognised by White people.
Part 1 of a multi-part series about the book "Black and White Styles in Conflict" by Thomas Kochman. This episode covers the introduction and the recognition of Black american culture as a African-derived culture in its own right, not merely an inferior version of White culture.
Why I no longer want to teach partnering technique in isolation/out of context. A podcast version of http://gregdyke.github.io/2017/12/08/combining-idiom-dance-technique.html
I borrow the idea of psychographic profiles from Magic The Gathering design, where Tammy/Timmy, Jenny/Johnny and Spike describe the player who likes to win big, the player who likes to win quirky and the player who likes to win often. MTG card designers often checklist that they have cards that appeal to each profile, and I think dance classes could be checklisted in a similar way (assuming we could come up with a good set of psycographics for dancer learners)
Leading is moving our body. Following is tracking our lead's body and moving our body in a way that matches somehow. This breaks down into weight/axis shifts, steps and pivots, and shaping (and giving resilience to a shape)
"How do I know if I'm on my femur heads?". I was asked this question in a private and have some answers, including what femur heads are and why we would want to be on them.
Postural issues are often diagnosed as "x muscle chain is too weak/loose and y muscle chain is too strong/tight". But this is typically the symptom, not the root cause. We also shouldn't try to fix postural issues by "holding" a given posture as it's not feasible and will hinder breathing, balance and movement.
... they are interested in having dances where they are seen as awesome! This explains why followers get less popular as they improve whereas leaders get more popular. (It's also both clickbait, and the ego shadow of who we fear to be)
Blues dance is an umbrella term covering a multitude of blues idiom dances. What are they, and how are they relevant?
Although dance roles don't have to be related to gender, in mainstream culture they are. Seeing how men (those who are also primary leads) perform "following" may tell us what they think it means to be feminine (and vice versa).
1) Because black people tell us it is! 2) Because there are reasons these dances are no longer popular with black people. 3) Because without understanding black values and their ties to oppression, these dances don't make sense.
The first set of lessons learned from be-bluesed is that the format works, especially if you have a great teaching team
My approach to fusion is that intrinsic musicality and cultural musicality define a range of appropriate movement to a given music. This is the approach I take with fusion music/dance, but it's also the same approach I take with all dances.
BE-BLUESED is an annual blues workshop weekend held in Bern (Switzerland). The past three years, the organisers have hired teachers to teach in an immersion based style: all 4 teachers dance at the same time, with minimal verbal instruction, so that students can take from everybody's movement.
The foot cycles between lever mode and raft mode at every step. It's super important to allow it to do that to protect your knees and to allow the rest of the leg spiral to work. Barefoot shoes!
The dances and musics I do are all cultural practices that exist outside of their culture of origin. How can cultural practices find respect and meaning in such situations?
Revivalist and diasporic dance communities have in common the attempt to try to recreate cultural practices outside of and in limited/proxy contact with their cultures of origin
The pelvis plays a major role in force absorption and restitution. Learn how to use it to protect your back and your knees!
Franklin Method is a posture/alignment/body mechanics modality that focuses on changing the mind in order to change the body
Revivalism from WWI to the present day and some key takeaway points for revivalist and diasporic practices
From circle dances through chain dances to partner dances, quadrilles and the end of peasant society in Europe.
Navigating and driving a car? Drawing and colouring in? Having a conversation? How do these metaphors affect our perception of leading and following?
This one time, in dance class... Narrative Equity is a term borrowed from game design. It's the capacity of a game to generate stories that you can later tell. In this episode I discuss it's applicability to social dance and dance class
Learning is not just about knowledge and skills, but also about values and identity. Together they make up an "epistemic frame". [I incorrectly refer to this as "epistemological frame"] (Towards the end of this episode I mention going to Berlin for training "next week" - I usually record a week ahead of publishing - this time I'm two weeks ahead)
African-American dance is often described as "unlike European dance, which is upright and with a strong downbeat...". This is description that is othering and plays into poorly understood stereotypes of European dance
My Alexander Technique teacher makes the difference between attention and awareness. This distinction ties in to some ideas about consent and agency.
Three learning-related concepts that have in common the improvisation/execution demands that they place upon teachers
French folk dancing is not oriented around conservatism vs progressivism but around culture vs social cohesion
I describe some of the principles of Alexander Technique and how I feel I've benefitted from it
In which I talk about learning (including "what does it mean to have learned something"), the importance of prior knowledge, both to avoid cognitive load and to create the cognitive conflict that allows knowledge to stick
I talk about a formation common in West African dance classes that many people are not familiar with. Although my "swiss" interpretation of it is a bit too rigid, it makes class very hard for me when people don't use the supportive elements it provides.
A mostly controlled mini rant about the differences between connection, counterbalance and stretch. These three concepts often go together but they don't have to!
Magic the Gathering is a card game featuring 5 colours. Each colour has a philosophy. And this relates to dance, somehow.
Why are Dancemode Immersions the best thing to improve your life and your dancing? What expectations should you have if you sign up for one? Next one in Europe is in Berlin, Oct 8th-14th!