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Vocational College Live Professional Dance Education turns 20 this year. This milestone was one of the sparks that made the dance department personnel to reach out and start the INCLUD project and its collaborations with Danskompaniet Spinn and Fine5 Dance Theatre. As part of the journey towards the Seminar in October Vocational College Live is publishing a couple of articles that take us readers closer the Vocational Dance Education in Special Education context. The articles have been published in Finnish and AI translations has been used to create the versions for the international public. You can find the link to the original in the beginning of the Article.
Is it so that only people of a certain appearance can be skilled because they are the ones chosen for the stage?
– Promoting the inclusivity of dance in working life and educational institutions
Dance artists Aino Laine and Kadar Khristan and professional special dance teacher Jasmiina Sipilä talk about the meaning and challenges of dance inclusivity in working life and educational institutions. Inclusivity is not just a buzzword; it requires concrete measures so that the field of dance can truly be open to everyone.
Aino Laine graduated as a dancer from Vocational College Live in 2021 and has been involved in many projects since then.
– Last fall, I performed in piece Dancer by choreographer Janina Rajakangas, which premiered at the contemporary art museum Kiasma. Next fall we are going to Norway to perform at the Coda Oslo International Dance Festival. Before this, I was also involved in another work by Rajakangas, which was a children’s piece called Mutu, which was performed at Dance House Helsinki.
Laine is also working on a long project called Stimmi, which is related to the stimming body.
– In addition, in connection with the Stimmi project, I was in the Dance and Performing Arts Association Ehkä, which operates a contemporary art space in Kutomo in Turku.
Kadar Khristan is halfway through his dance studies at Vocational College Live.
– Before applying to dance studies, I had already worked as a dancer. I heard about Vocational College Live from choreographer Janina Rajakangas and Danskompaniet Spinn’s Veera Suvalo-Grimberg. I was very excited because I knew I needed special support, says Khristan.
She is now also studying choreography as an elective and has learned a lot about the bureaucracy of the dance industry.
– In addition, I have gained information about the history of dance and learned more about the use of wheelchair dance technique in performances. I also get support here if I don’t understand all the words in Finnish or if I don’t understand what is being said. For example, jargon uses terms that can be very difficult to understand, especially slang words. It is important to know the language well, especially when preparing work and art grant applications, otherwise the applications will come back rejected. The accessibility of the language supports inclusiveness, says Khristan.
What is inclusiveness in the dance industry?
– In many situations, I ask myself who is not in the space and how the missing persons could be there. This is a matter of choice that affects inclusiveness and well-being in the group. Inclusiveness is also the fact that the space must be physically accessible to a person who uses a wheelchair or is visually or hearing impaired, says Laine.
– In terms of inclusivity, the clarity of the instructions is also important: do people know what is expected of them, when and where they must be there, and what it means to be there? Does it mean walking in the door, shoeless, wearing workout clothes, calming down, warming up, going to the bathroom, and getting ready for the day’s program?
– Inclusion is largely also about clarifying expectations. If someone can’t get into the space, it’s important to ask why. It is often thought that you can’t ask, but by asking and listening we get the answers to why someone doesn’t feel they can participate.
– In structures where some persons are in an established position and decide on events, and others are not, the answers are not clear-cut. As an employee with an employer, I may not be able to share everything I think because there are risks involved, no matter how good the employer is. Historically and structurally, the situation is not such that you can say everything without risk. By enabling people’s opportunities to influence, we promote inclusion regardless of the field, Laine analyses.
Inclusivity means that everyone can participate and feel part of the community, regardless of background or physical limitations.
– Inclusion means that the space is open to everyone, and everyone can feel welcome, Kadar Khristan clarifies. The schedule is also important because I work slower than others in many things. It takes me longer to warm up than others, and my body can’t handle nine to five days. If the working day exceeds four hours, I get so tired that I cannot continue with the physical dance work. In dance performances, it is important that there are people of different ages from different backgrounds and social classes in the audience, so that all participants are not just dancers from the same field, says Khristan.
– The inclusion of dance concerns both dancers and who dance reaches in society and as an audience. Individual needs, as Kadar mentioned regarding the example schedules, must be considered. In inclusiveness, it is also important to consider the need for differentiated groups, where participants can share their experiences in a peer group. For example, a wheelchair dancer can practice wheelchair dance technique in separate technique classes with other wheelchair dancers and occasionally participate in inclusive dance classes where everyone practices together, says Jasmiina Sipilä.
– Inclusion is the opposite of exclusivity. I think of inclusion as belonging, which is the opposite of exclusion. Inclusion is not something extra or voluntary that only happens if someone is particularly good or thoughtful. It’s simply not leaving anyone out. It’s a choice you make regardless of whether you think you’re inclusive or not. Whether you practice an inclusive practice in dance or elsewhere depends on whether you exclude some people or not, Aino Laine clarifies.
Laine emphasizes that inclusiveness is not only about removing physical barriers.
– Inclusion is also a lot about making it clear to people what is expected of them, he says.
– Sipilä adds that small structural changes, such as the use of a support person or moderator in productions, can significantly promote inclusion.
Teachers should be aware of different needs and adapt teaching accordingly.
– I appreciate that the training instructors already have knowledge and experience on how to dance with wheelchair users, Khristan emphasizes.
– If the others have no experience with wheelchair dancers, I always suggest doing it together. I will also mention that if I fall out of the wheelchair, it is completely normal and nothing to be afraid of. Dancers in Finland do not yet have much experience with wheelchair dancers, so it may take time to get close. It is often thought that wheelchair dancing is far from a profession and that you can do it, but I think these perspectives should be combined and we should think about how we can expand the perception that you can also work as a professional dancer using a wheelchair, says Khristan.
Sipilä reminds that structural changes play a key role in promoting inclusiveness.
– You also ought to be careful about the dark side of inclusiveness. It can be used, for example, for marketing purposes without it being realized in practice, he warns.
International INCLUD seminar in October
Vocational College Live’s undergraduate education in dance turns 20 years old this year, and as part of the anniversary year, an international INCLUD seminar will be organized on October 7-10, 2024.
– The program of the seminar is the responsibility of Vocational College Live’s dance department with its partners Danskompaniet Spinn from Sweden and Fine5 Dance Theatre from Estonia, in addition to which the program includes several professionals from Finland and abroad. We hope that there will be plenty of industry players who are interested in discussing inclusivity and accessibility, as well as exchanging know-how, participating in workshops, and hearing keynote speeches, says Sipilä.
The challenges and opportunities of inclusiveness
– Inclusivity and accessibility have been topics of discussion for a long time, and they are not new issues. However, why are they not implemented in practice? The process is too slow.
– Why is this still being talked about when everyone is aware of the problem, but no change is happening? Groups are formed among the dancers, where only the main group works. There are many skilled dancers who may have poor networking skills. For example, it may be difficult for a disabled dancer to join without contacts. Often, only those dancers who match the stereotypes are chosen for the performances. Could expanding the diversity seen on stage change perceptions of what is considered beautiful or appropriate, such as different sized bodies, different functionalities, and skin colors? Khristan ponders.
– Laine continues, this also creates the image that only people with a certain appearance can be skilled, because they are chosen for the stage. They are given resources, trained, and included in productions. For example, the traditional idea of a good dancer is thin and tall, at the same time there are large dancers who are very skilled, but if you never see them on stage, you think that anyone other than a slim dancer can’t be skilled. This reinforces the delusion that only a certain kind of body can be skilled because it is done, not because it is.
Promoting inclusivity on the dance field requires not only the removal of physical barriers, but also cultural and structural changes. An open and accessible environment enables everyone to participate and enriches the dance community in many ways.
– On the other hand, I see that attitudes have started to change, but it is important to remember the financial structures. Often, the realization of inclusion comes down to the fact that productivity goals and financial structures are not flexible enough. Everyone must live within the limitations of these structures, says Sipilä.
– Here, one must be careful not to demand inclusiveness from individual employees in situations where the structures do not allow it. Instead, flexibility and room for maneuver should be created in the structures and sufficient financial support should be ensured. If we want to create an accessible and equal society, the structures must enable this flexibility.
– It is important that people are aware of services for the partially abled and the fully abled, such as wage support and subsidized employment. In society, common tasks are emphasized and everyone is employed, therefore we should also be able to employ those who are able to work on their own terms. They can produce good results when provided with the necessary arrangements. At the end of the day, this is both more telling in terms of the content of the art and socially more affordable and more useful than the fact that some are completely marginalized, sums up Sipilä.
INCLUD 