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Community Dance for All (September.2002)

When hearing the word, "community dance", few Japanese would be able to imagine what it is actually like. This is quite understandable because it was introduced to Japan three years ago only after a Japanese woman had studied it in England.

Chisato Minamimura, who is now very active as a dancer and a choreographer, lost her hearing when she was seven months old following a streptomycin injection to treat meningitis. As a deaf person she thought that dancing was off limits to her. However at university, she attended a workshop of community dance held by people from England and found it an enjoyable and enlightening experience. In 1998 she attended the Laban Centre London in England to study community dance extensively, practicing in various places in England, as well as in Austria and Poland.

The Aim of Community Art and Dance

The objective of community art is to enable artistic activities such as dramas and dancing to be enjoyed and shared between a broad number of ordinary citizens not just for certain people. Anyone, of any age, gender, nationality, and with or without a disability, should be able to participate and enjoy it. One of such examples of community art is "community dance".

In the United Kingdom, community dance was first introduced during World War II, and now it is taken into training programs at companies or even used in rehabilitation programs for convicts.

Community Dance in Japan

Young people practicing community dance

One of the programs that Minamimura provides is as follows:
There are approximately 15 participants (most of whom are students majoring in speech therapy and nonverbal communication) who work in pairs from the beginning to the end of a two-hour program. During this time they change partners several times. For the first 40 minutes, the two people in a pair massage each other's body concentrating mainly on backs, shoulders and arms.

Initially relaxation may be a little difficult, but gradually stiffness and tension is alleviated. After this 'warm up' activity dancing starts.

There is no music; 0ne of the pair closes their eyes, putting their hands lightly on the partner's arm and moving with complete reliance on the others movements.

Minamimura say the aim is to, "Listen to your partner through your hands touching each other." After finishing each movement, she always asks everyone to discuss "what they felt". The participants are encouraged to give honest impressions of their partner and the experience:

"I moved like this because I wanted my partner to do this way but my partner did not move as I had expected." "I could feel that my partner was totally relying on me. It encouraged me a lot and I did my best."

Minamimura herself never teaches or gives advice, but encourages everyone "to talk to each other" and she tries hard to find out what everyone is feeling. During the two-hour program, emphasis is placed on returning to a simpler and more primitive form of communication between human beings. In other words, the participants learn to communicate earnestly with a partner without using language. Thus they sympathize with each other and begin to trust each other. They also learn to respect this trust. One of the participants studying speech therapy said, "I realized that when we communicate with other people in our real life, it is very important to fully express ourselves. I learned from this program how to express myself in a very natural way."

This approach is called "communication program", which improves one's relationship with others and society by using one's body as means of communication. Besides this program, Minamimura also provides various programs such as "dance education program" and "dance performance". The purpose of the "dance education program" is to make learning activities more effective, where dancing and art are used as means of expression, which is one of the important elements of education. The "dance performance" is activity where art of work is created while participants improve their dancing techniques. Since each program of community dance is created carefully to meet the needs of each group of participants, even elderly people and children can participate.

In 2001 a collaborative dance was performed by a poet, Shuntaro Tanigawa and local children. In this work, children chose their favorite poems from Tanigawa's piece, and created a dance, which they performed to a reading by the poet.

Communication as a base

At present Minamimura makes programs to meet the needs of participants and holds workshops in various places in Japan. Because Minamimura cannot hear, a sign language interpreter accompanies her. She talks using spoken language and the interpreter translates for her though sign.

People who experience this kind of communication for the first time feel confused at first. However, it is this distance among the participants that actively encourages them to improve their communication abilities to convey and share thoughts and desires.

Future

Minamimura wants to introduce community dance to more Japanese people who may suffer from stress in complicated human relationships and find it hard to express themselves. Instead of making a fragile relationship, people can start establishing better relationships with others using their bodies as a means of communication. In addition, a partner's limitations can be addressed and understanding reached, help sought and gained.

Minamimura wants to introduce community dance to companies and schools. She is even thinking of visiting Asian countries where community dance is not well known, and developing an opportunity of cultural exchanges.

Minamimura says: "What we think and how we move are completely different things. Through communication using our bodies, we become more eager to understand others, and also to be understood"


Compiled and translated by the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities (JSRPD)