Galaxy's 3rd (and final) Workshop at Grinnell

Galaxy’s third time at Grinnell proved a completely different experience from the ones we had had prior and from what anyone was expecting. While we were expecting the same 30 odd students to walk through the door of the dance studio, only about 7 came (turns out there was no school that Monday). We had the same number of kids as we did Ensemble dancers, so we paired them up – one dancer to every Galaxy student.

For this workshop, I was planning that the kids would do the workshop that I had done with the Dance Ensemble regarding mitosis. We started, in the same way, with the video of mitosis in real-time. I played the video as the kids watched for a few minutes and then dived into improvisational movement with their partners. From there, I continued with the photographs of mitosis in 5 stages. So, we started with the first image.
A low murmur pervaded the studio throughout the afternoon as the kids and their partners conversed and came up with some really unique movement ideas. They were timid at first. I would be too! Having all the attention of a college student focused entirely on you and your ideas?! But as the workshop progressed they got more and more comfortable, as did the dancers from Ensemble as they figured out the right questions to ask: Can you perform that movement on a different level? Can you do it in a different part of your body?

It was so wonderful to hear some of the kids gasp in awe as they were presented with the different photographs of mitosis in its various stages. The beauty of the scientific concept was, literally, breathtaking!

It was a great experience for both parties. Some Ensemble members were inspired by how imaginative the kids were, by finding ways to move they would never have thought of, like incorporating movement in their hips, or by finding similarities to Batman in the some of the photographs! But it was a treat, nonetheless to be able to work on a 1:1 level with the kids. It allowed everyone to become more familiar with each other, to focus, and to be challenged in a way we had never been challenged before.