DUCKPOND

Ideas must be worked through, and out they come, concrete or otherwise. I suppose it takes time to process over three hours of presentation, and I guess it is not everyone’s idea of fun. It is true that I missed some of the arguments, and some of the statistical material was for me information overload. Still I tried to make some sense of each presentation, and the writing out took me some time. Some things puzzled me, such as the reason for the lack of qualification completion in the mining industry. The underlying issue here, it seems to me, is the intrinsic value of knowledge, which I will argue on another post is utilitarian but not as it is usually thought of.

While accepting that the creative arts were the reason for civilization, in conversation I was cynical rather than sceptical. I suggested that the creative arts were elitist and that they had little practical value. Then it was pointed out to me that all the world’s a stage and we are all playing our roles, which sometimes may be more alienating than they are useful to inner self. I know nothing about dance ever since eight or nine years of age I was told I did not have a sense of rhythm.

Not I have changed my mind. I had not realized that it can be a form of communication. I do not fully understand that aspect, despite or because of my comments about whirling dervishers. With the thought in mind that dancers are pretty fit, it occurs to me that there is a practical reason for it promotion. Such promotion would promote physical well being in the community. As we were reminded yesterday physical fitness is as important for young people as it is for old people. Dancing has the merit it something that people, but especially females like. It seems to me it is one to address the problem of childhood obesity and concerns about body image. It is also fun for elderly people but it does not too strenuous, so it it healthy for them as well. Dancing is a social activity so it works on another level.

I am aware of the problem of chronic pain. Footballers for example, even when they get serious injuries are not as susceptible as people people who have never exercised at all. They do not have the muscle development from lack of exercise, which even nutritional knowledge and a good diet cannot counteract. I suspect with age, the lack of muscle development becomes more of a problem. Dancing can be seen as an idea exercise since it can fit all ages and shapes.

Postscript:

Then there are the cross cultural possibilities of dance, as per this example (via Random Thoughts on Life):

ELSEWHERE:

At Blogocracy, Tim Dunlop suggests:

While I mightn’t go so far as to say arts training—particularly performing arts—should replace sport on the school curriculum, I’d like to see it given more attention. Training in drama and dance is ultimately more beneficial to students than sport, with better long-term practical applications. Dance and the associated training provides at least the equal to sport in physical exercise, building stamina, fitness and coordination, while drama helps kids become confident in speaking in front of an audience. That alone—building confident public speakers—is enough to make such programs worthwhile, and it is a skill that is going to have long-term practical benefits for individuals no matter what work they end up doing. Much more useful than sport in the long run.

Physical Education its seems to me is more like parade ground training, with the idea of subsuming the individual in the mass, whereas dance can be about individual expression. We all need to be included in physical exercise, and those people who otherwise would be turned away may be attracted by music and dance. The lifelong possibility for participation and value should make the creative arts a higher priority in schools, not to mention the immediate problems that the young face in terms of diet and social pressure to conform to absurd body images. There is always the possibility that dance and physical education could be combined in a multidisciplinary way to the advantage of students and teachers.

We all perform roles, but acting may teach us to separate our selves from the role so that we do not become the roles we perform. From my discussions on Saturday, it seems to me, that is invaluable to cast a role aside, and not be captured by it, and at the same time give thought and experience feedback on what the role requires. Then, as Tim mentions, there is the public speaking aspect of acting, an experience that is denied too many people, so that we are too often inhibited in community politics, or lack experience in speaking when we are sometimes required at, for example, funerals.