From September 2 to 9, a dozen of PhD students had the opportunity to follow a workshop to prepare them to the “Dance your PhD” contest, but also to reflect upon their research. The “Dance Your PhD” contest is sponsored by AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) and Science. It challenges scientists to explain their research without PowerPoint slides or jargon—in fact with no talking at all. (see more by following this link).
But what did the participants think? Let's hear what they had to say!
This workshop is a unique educational project that fosters creativity, helps researchers think about their work from a new perspective, and above all, gives the sense of fulfillment so necessary during PhD studies. Every day for a week, you find yourself in a supportive atmosphere with fantastic teachers where you can explore yourself and your research through movement. You dance, run, jump, fall, make videos, choregraph, relax, laugh, and share moments with people.
The planning of this workshop was just right. It was a mix of online and real classes and a mix of different exercises that helped us learn some dance techniques, improvisation with objects, stage and video design basics. At the end of the workshop, each of us created a small piece of dance that represents some aspects of our research, and everyone could try and make a video out of this piece. This is already a solid preparation for the contest. Everyone was happy with the (unexpectedly cool) results and it gave us motivation to continue exploring.
Nadezda Shchinova, PhD student at the IL&C research institute
Beyond the concept of the competition, which I think is great and which I did not know until recently, I was delighted to participate in the UCLouvain "preparatory" workshop. We had the chance to benefit from the expertise of real professionals and their practical advice in terms of creation, translation of theoretical concepts (sometimes very abstract..) into dance, management of a group of dancers, filming, video editing, etc. I really appreciated the importance given to the natural expression of the body, improvisation, an approach different from the "imposed choreographies" of a more "classical" dance class that one may find difficult to appropriate. From then on, we were able to experiment with multiple ways of using our bodies through dance under very benevolent eyes. Moreover, the workshop is accessible to all levels of dance experience. In the end, we left with concrete ideas for the creation of our video and even if some of us might not compete (this year), the experience was worth it.
Chloé Parmentier, PhD student at the IPSY research institute
At first, I signed up for the workshop out of curiosity, wondering how I could possibly 'dance my PhD' without even knowing how to dance. But the workshop was amazing, very inspiring, creative, rich and diversified. I learned a lot, not only about dance movements, but also about choreography and the cinematic art of lighting, filming, shooting and playing with lights. More importantly, I discovered that I could dance :D. The most interesting thing about this workshop was the outcome (the result), I came without a clue on how to dance my PhD and by the end of the seminar I had a whole choreography with many other ideas. I absolutely recommend this seminar to everyone. I have only one advice: Never miss an opportunity/a chance to dance ;)
Anne Thérèse Méno Tamno, PhD student at the LouRIM research institute
For me, the 'Dance your PhD 2022' workshop was a very enriching experience. First of all, it was not just a dance class. In fact, you don't have to know how to dance to participate. I learned how to express myself with my body, how to use objects, light and film language to communicate, how to explore spaces, etc. One of the strongest points of this workshop was, in my opinion, the benevolent atmosphere that allowed me to feel free to dance without being afraid of the gaze of others. Then I was able to think about my thesis project and take a step back. In conclusion, I had an incredible week, I met great people, I developed tools to disseminate my thesis project through the art of dance and I can't wait to create my video dance to participate in the Dance your PhD competition!
Justine Jacquemart, from IPSY research institute
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The workshop was taught by Prof. Sheila G. Rojas & Gea Zazil and coordinated by Prof. N. Kervyn Prof. S. Rojas is teaching contemporary dance at the University of Chiapas. She holds a Master Degree in Development and Promotion of Culture by the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Research of the Autonomous University of Coahuila. Pr. S. Rojas was selected as one of the top 10 dancers in Mexico by the newspaper El Universal in 2012. She has performed in over 60 productions ranging from dance to opera, theater and performance. G. Hernandez Castro: Artist, dancer and choreographer from Brussels, G. Hernandez Castro was trained as a contemporary and folklore dancer at Academia de la Danza Mexicana INBA (Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes). She has a Master in choreography from Escuela Nacional de Danza Clasica y Contemporanea INBA-CENART (Centro Nacional de las Artes). N. Kervyn: Trained as a psychologist, Prof. N. Kervyn is Professor of Marketing at LSM (UCLouvain) and member of the LouRIM. |