Historical Dance for children and adolescents.

Historical Dance Workshops to help develop expressive, relational and citizenship competences

We are living in a society that is changing at an increasingly rapid pace and as a result we may feel disoriented and lose sight of the essential elements that are key for a harmonious and functional growth of body and mind. Consequently, we may fail to give due consideration to some evolutionary physical, psychological, cognitive and cultural characteristics of children and adolescents. This is true also in relation to changes that continually occur in society, culture, knowledge and technology and to the appropriate connections between the past, the present and the future.

In recent years, we have experienced a rapid transformation of different modes of communication with evident repercussions on interpersonal relationships that all too often grow weak to the point of deteriorating into dysfunctional relational situations or even conflictual relationships. Every day we happen to see difficult situations arise among our students. Teachers are increasingly confronted with problem behaviors. The efforts they devote to manage interpersonal conflicts sometimes aren’t successful. This is why promoting a sense of citizenship in the student body has become all the more relevant: the school system has continued to uphold positive values and foster socialization. Today more than ever schools are a place where students can learn and develop those key competences that “respond to the need for inclusive and sustainable growth, social cohesion and further development of the democratic culture.” (key competences for lifelong learning - A European reference framework. Council of the European Union, Recommendation of 22 May 2018).

In this context, we have developed the educational project we are pleased to present.
We believe we can contribute to the development of citizenship competences and to enhance awareness about the unique instrument we have to interact with the world that surrounds us, i.e. our body. To this end, we would like to use the experience we have matured while carrying out CNDS training activities to help creating a common polite language in tune with our best historical culture. A language that would allow us to recognize “beauty" once more and through it recover the "beauty of living in a polite manner respecting one another."
The project is set to develop several competences and skills such as acquiring a more in-depth understanding of the historical period we refer to, i.e. the 19th Century, and the meaning of "rules and etiquette" with a view to putting them in context while acting to introduce them anew into our lives. The project also addresses the development of motor skills along with the ability to organize space and time in relation to our fellow-men. It enhances the cross-cutting attitudes that describe an individual’s disposition and mindset to act or respond to ideas, people or situations.

If we express ourselves with our bodies in the space that surrounds us and we do it in a shared and conscious way, we may be able to build a bridge between thinking and doing, enabling and developing relational and problem-solving skills. When children and adolescents find themselves in a welcoming, inclusive and non-judgmental educational environment under the technical and critical supervision of our teachers and experts in Historical Dance and educational development, they can engage in a cultural, artistic, scientific and expressive research work. To his end they will be using their own bodies and experimenting the way they move in space while interacting with their peers.

If we wish to learn the steps and choreographies of historical dances, we must work as a group and convey personal and interpersonal meanings that reveal our intention to communicate, provided that we "know how to move". Just think of the subtle game of glances and smiles that are exchanged during a promenade. They represent a well-defined code of conduct just like it happens in a quadrille, where the elegant interactions between the four dancing couples are the carriers of a set rather explicit messages.

The techniques and teaching methods based on the artistic language of dance as a means to develop a relationship, promote the growth of an individual’s emotional, affective and relational dimension. They can be instrumental in developing relationships both at school and in different situations in life. Our project also enjoys the contributions of the so-called "Physio-Technique" that facilitate an in-depth knowledge of our own bodies, the way we perceive ourselves in space, how we move and our abilities and limits. This allows us to perform better and prevent injuries, mastering our posture and the way we move when interacting with other people in space. The Physio-Technique methodology, used by our teacher who is certified in teaching the techniques of classical-academic dance, can create a functional, fluid and aesthetically "beautiful" movement. By concentrating on key elements like balance, posture and movement, this methodology prepares students to the study of Historical Dance, but it is also beneficial in improving our relationship with space and our fellow-men while strengthening our self-esteem.

Our Workshop and classes are rich in elements of theory and history of dance and of 19th-century music along with the history of Italian and European traditions. Students are introduced to the world of historical dance and its music as well as its language and style. By constantly referring back to our daily lives, we are able to discover the rules that had to be followed to succeed in society or the rules "for civil conversation" (See 2009, Nino Graziano Luca, The Grand Balls of the 19th Century. From “Gone with the Wind” to the “Leopard”, Curcio Musica Editore). The very rules that today are either too often forgotten or misunderstood. It is evident that bringing back to life a historical and cultural dimension through the most important pages of the manuals of the dance masters from past times, is a way to contributing to the spreading of a heritage that evokes cultured, elegant and refined atmospheres. But, that's not all. Good manners and etiquette also help us reflect on multiculturalism and intercultural mediation by considering communication as both an instrument and an end (communication as a sharing experience).

The activities we propose also focus on the important theme of school inclusion. Dance and music are a universal language, and by using a non-verbal communication code, they can convey emotions and sensations at various levels. People, who find themselves in difficult situations and/or with socio-relational problems, can benefit from practicing choral dances that in some cases can also offer therapeutic help. This is how a historical dance workshop becomes a tool for educational, physical, emotional, cognitive and artistic growth.

Historical Dance attracts and unites people, encourages them to favor politeness, promotes human relationships and pursues a common goal.

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Historical Dance for children and adolescents.

Historical Dance Workshops to help develop expressive, relational and citizenship competences.

Historical Dance workshops with an introduction to Physio-Technique methods and a focus on the development of cross-cutting cognitive, behavioral and affective competences. Theoretical studies on: History of Costume, Good Manners and Etiquette, and an overview of 19th-century music.

Nino Graziano Luca, a DAMS graudate from the Faculty of the Humanities of the University of Bologna; consultant to the University of Bologna and the University of Rome "La Sapienza"; president and artistic director of the Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica (CNDS); master of Historical Dance; professor of History of Fashion, Contemporary Fashion and Fashion Management; RAI radio and television presenter and director. Contact person, coordinator and artistic instructor of the project.

Debora Bianco professional classical dancer graduated from the Split Opera House, teacher of classical-academic technique graduated from Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan, about to complete a specialization in the Technique of Academic Classical Dance at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome; master of Historical Dance. Technical-academic contact person for the project.

Maria Gabriella Scuderi Teacher, psychologist, systemic-relational and family psychotherapist; instrumental in conducting school evaluation; trainer for School Evaluation; Ambassador of CNDS. Psycho-pedagogical and technical-scientific contact person for the project.

Individual and social needs of the student; class management and relational issues; school and social inclusion; didactics, methodologies and laboratory activities.

The training course is designed to provide teachers with the necessary tools to perform Historical Dance choreographies that become a means to explore, analyze and practice citizenship, relational, artistic and body-kinaesthetic skills. Through the study and practice of Historical Dance combined with elements of Physiotechnique, teachers can acquire evaluation methods and strategies for the recognition and enhancement of elements of verbal, paraverbal and non-verbal communication.

The course provides elements to help teachers develop a recreational-educational journey across the artistic and cultural heritage of Historical Dance leading students on a path to achieving inner and group well-being in an inclusive and polite atmosphere. The choral aspects favor active listening and attention, careful planning and execution of steps and figures, coordination and awareness of one's own body and self in space and in relation to others.

Teachers and students of primary, middle and high schools.

For information, please send an email to info@danzastorica.it and make sure you write in the subject field: “REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON EDUCATIONAL PROJECT” or call us at (+39) 392 2 800 800.