| Description |
The honeybee "waggle dance," a distinct form of interaction and communication, reveals the social organization of a hive. Honeybees perform this dance by vibrating and shaking their abdomen during a "run phase" before circling back to repeat the valuable information and continuing to create a figure eight pattern. Researchers discovered over the last two decades that the intricate dance conveys precise locations of pollen sources, the necessity for more pollen, or information about new nest sites. Commonly referenced as a political, economic, or social model, the functioning of a honeybee hive inspires a myriad of disciplines. Through observing social interactions found in honeybee hives, I ask "how can research into the social structure of bees inform, influence, and inspire effective creative processes for dancers and choreographers?" As an educator and choreographer, I question how bees conduct democratic decision-making processes to discover how the collaborative process amongst dancers can improve. In response to my classical ballet training, I investigate democratic-style creative processes as a way to offer a sense of agency to students. Therefore, I explore methods of building students' critical thinking skills that transcend studio environs by stimulating intellectual curiosity and fostering a sense of community. After beginning the work with the students, my project evolved into investigating group dynamics: observations included individuals, pairs, small groups, and the entire class as a whole. I discovered utilizing such a variety of exploration opportunities benefits all learners and the teacher alike. |
