Design
An Imperative
for Odissi
Dance
Teachers
Dr. Rohini Dandavate
Dance educators often use the teaching methods of their own Gurus.
The focus of students was more on acquiring skills to perform than on learning
and internalizing the art form over an extended period of time. The teaching and
learning approach largely leaned towards producing performers rather than
dancers with a deep knowledge of the dance form.
The findings of this research motivated me to address the topic of curriculum
design for systemic instruction of Odissi dance by institutions and dance schools
run by individual dancers. While a focus on developing performance skills is
crucial and can continue to be one of the facets of the learning process, it is
necessary to develop a curriculum with methodical instructional design that
covers all the important aspects of Odissi dance. This will enhance the students
potential to learn, express, and create through movement, while understanding
and preserving the core content and form.
Odissi dance teachers often overlook the fact that a curriculum enables
instructors to teach in an organized, logical and incremental manner. It also
provides students an understanding of what they will be learning and what they
must do to achieve their goal in the learning process. Therefore a well-designed
curriculum is essential for both the teacher and the student for effective teaching
and learning.
Curriculum Design
Curriculum design entails planning and structuring a framework of study, which
includes all the important aspects of theory and practice. David Pratt in his book,
Curriculum design and development, defines curriculum design as,
A deliberate process of devising, planning, and selecting
the elements, techniques, and procedures that constitute an
organized learning endeavor. Embedded in the notion of
designing, according to Pratt, is a deeper set of
understandings that imply the production of something that is
conceptual as well as material (p. 5). "The curriculum
dance study program as Ana Paula suggests should include these important
strands in the curriculum.
Drawing from my dance education experience in KVK, and in Guru Kelucharan
Mohapatras home, my graduate and doctoral study in Art Education and Cultural
Policy in the U.S., and reviewing dance education curriculum designs proposed
by experts from other dance genres, I have put together the following steps for
planning a broad curriculum for Odissi dance education.
Planning the Framework
Diagram 1: Steps of planning a framework for a dance curriculum
Goals
As suggested in the Diagram 1, the first step in planning a framework for a
curriculum is identifying the goals of the curriculum. Goals are statements that
communicate the desired results in a program of study and are useful in keeping
the learner on the planned path of learning. They can be time targeted and every
activity and lesson in the curriculum is set with an objective that assists in
achieving the main goal.
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The process model was prevalent in Odissi dance education in the dance
institutions in Odisha. Training was spread through an extended period. Young
girls and boys learned the dance form following an expansive curriculum. Though
the goal of the program of study was to help students become proficient dancers,
the training experience also helped students in nurturing artistic abilities in
general.
The Product Model
The product model is the performance model. In this model the teacher is
expected to have a high level proficiency in the dance style and the expected
outcome in the students training is to acquire the standard in performance skills
required of professional dancers. Here the authors write, The product model
may lack the essential process steps of learning the content if the teacher is
inexperienced and lacks the ability in determining the age and level
appropriateness of the dance form and the progressions to teach. The emphasis
in this model is on the proficiency of the teacher and ability of the student to
emulate a single dance style.
Since the Odissi dance tradition originated as a part of the temple services, it is
common to include dance presentations in religious festivals. The local
community groups often commissioned new works, specifically during festivals.
In essence, the product model of curriculum was used in an informal format in
Odissi dance training. Instructors would select proficient dancers to learn and
participate in the new presentations.
The Combination Model
This model brings together elements from both the process and product
curriculum models. The units of study and lessons are in both theory and practice
of the dance form. In the words of the Dr Kassing and Dr Jay, this model
encompasses the cultural, artistic and the aesthetic aspects of the dance form.
The cultural aspect covers knowing the context in which the dance form
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evolved, the artistic aspect includes learning and building proficiency in the
dance technique, and exploring dance making, the aesthetic aspect would be
learning to observe, assess, analyze and appreciate the dance style. This
curriculum design provides a very comprehensive model of study and is inquiry
based.
Scholars and Gurus designed a comprehensive model of curriculum for Odissi
dance education in the 1950s. However, due to reasons of time constraints, lack
of easily available reference resources and regular access to Gurus this model of
curriculum is not used widely.
The Discipline- Based Dance Education Model
This curriculum design model is used in schools where dance is taught as an
essential component of the general education and as a foundation for specialized
study. It covers areas of dancing and choreographing, critical analysis,
observation, response and writing, and the artistic perception and value of dance.
Besides focusing on aesthetic skills, lessons are organized sequentially to enable
students develop higher order critical thinking skills, reasoning, and creativity.
Overall, the goals of this model have broader educational goals. And the design
is cross-curricular, emphasizing the interrelatedness of all disciplines.
Dance, music and theater have been included in most educational institutions as
an extracurricular activity and not specifically linked to reading, writing, or
mathematics or any other subject of study. According to a recent print media
report In December 2012, the National Council of Educational Research and
training did introduce an Arts Integrated Learning pilot project which was
supposed to be launched at the primary level in 20 schools of the Municipal
Corporation of Delhi in the State. There is no information on the project until now.
(IANS, New Delhi | Published: 15th March 2015)
However, a recent report in the Times of India (March 16, 2015) mentions the
collaborative effort in arts education between Kendriya Vidyala Sanghatan (KVS)
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and The British Council. Workshops will be hosted by The British Council in
Mumbai to promote art integrated learning and will be attended by 50 teachers
from KVS and another 10 independent teachers and trainers. Though these
workshops aim to present arts integrated learning using music and theatre we
hope there will be efforts in integrating dance and Odissi dance in particular in
school curriculums.
The essence of these four models of curriculum is seen in various settings of
Odissi dance education. However, to ensure quality dance education more needs
to be done in areas of content selection, planning the progression of study,
structure of lessons and method of instruction.
Lesson Plans and Units of Study
The scope of a curriculum defines the breadth and depth of the content in the
program of study and sequence is the logical order of the units in the curriculum.
The content in a curriculum is divided into sections or units of study and each unit
is designed to build upon the previous in a prescribed time frame to achieve the
goals in the program. Every unit comprises sessions, each with a lesson plan
wherein the instructor develops a strategy for teaching based on the following
questions:
1. Who (the age and level of the students)
2. How (use of resources, work in groups, guest lecture)
3. What (the main topic or theme)
4. Where (in the classroom versus field study or through a performance
experience)
5. How do I assess the outcome achieved
Overall, the scope of the curriculum takes into account the expected outcomes
and goals, time frame and the level of the students.
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maintain superior dance education a one-size fits all approach might not be
successful, especially when students come from different cultural backgrounds.
Cultural differences manifest in communication and behavioral patterns and only
mutual respect and understanding can encourage open discussion, selfmotivation and learning. A methodical approach in developing Odissi dance
curriculum is the key for maintaining a standard in Odissi dance education.
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REFERENCES
Kothari, Sunil & Parischa A. (1990). Odissi: Indian Classical Dance Art, Mumbai:
Marg Publications.
Kassing, Gayle & Jay, Danielle M. (2003). Dance Teaching Methods and
Curriculum Design. Champaign: Human Kinetics.
Pratt, D. (1980). Curriculum Design and Development. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich.
Websites
Lunenburg Fred C. (2011). Key Components of a Curriculum Plan: Objectives,
Content, and Learning Experiences. Schooling Volume 2, Number 1, Retrieved
from
http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Lunenburg,%2
0Fred%20C.%20Components%20of%20a%20Curriculum%20Plan%20Schooling
%20V2%20N1%202011.pdf
Curriculum Research: History and Evolution of Discipline Arts Education.
Retrieved from
http://danielludvigson.efoliomn.com/CurrResearch/DBAE
Norman Jackson & Malcolm Shaw (1994) PART I Visual Representations and
Conceptual Imagery in Curriculum Making). ITSN Generic Center. Retrieved from
http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/genericcentre
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