Dance, Literacy and Meaning Making

A response to Eisner, E (2003). The arts and the creation of mind. Language Arts, 80(5), 340-344

Over the past month, I've been watching both the American and Canadian versions of So You Think You Can Dance, a television show where dancers compete in many different genres to be the top dancer and win both a car and a dance contract worth over $100 000. Dancers immerse themselves and occasionally even injure themselves as they sweat and share their passion and love of movement with thousands of viewers each week. Audience members without a dance background may appreciate the show differently than those who have been dancing since the age of three like myself. Nevertheless when viewing one of those extraordinary routines, those routines that genuinely tell a story or evoke an emotion so raw that even the dancers themselves tear up or laugh or scream once they finish performing, I would argue that anyone watching, regardless of experience, could experience the same sense of empathy and feeling. This, Eisner would argue, is the importance of meaning making.

In discussing language, Eisner defines language as a term that "can be conceptualized to refer to the use of any form of representation in which meaning is conveyed or construed" (1994). David Booth similarly preaches that there are many different kinds of literacy. One is not merely literate or not literate, one is literate in certain areas. I may be more dance literate than my husband because I have taken more dance lessons from an earlier age. To Eisner, the qualitative nature of art is not difficult to express once it takes a concrete form of meaning making. This he calls "aesthetic" (2003, 10). Dance allows those students who may be more kinaesthetic to use a different type of language to express themselves creatively just as the choreographers on the show draw from within their own experiences to share to the world their own imagination and aesthetic.

Eisner ends his article with a hope that the arts does not have to remain its own entity. He longs for cross-curricular education where math classes use music and science classes infuse drama to engage more students. To me, this is not only logical, it is imperative. Shows like So You Think You Can Dance prove that any message can be conveyed through art. Why can't this be true with teaching multiplication tables or the periodic table of elements? Thankfully, I do not worry to much. Perhaps I have more faith in our system than Eisner because I have seen so many wonderful teachers infusing curriculum already. Maybe we should make a reality show so these teachers can shine too! Wouldn't you love a brand new car and $100 000??

Here is a clip from one of the episodes from the show. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C18rL6kGPM