20 August 2021 9:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT

Furthering Attention and Focus Training for Dance: Part II (Webinar)

This interactive webinar builds upon An Introduction to Attention and Focus Training for Dance: Part I with the aim of deepening participants’ knowledge, understanding and skills in applying attention and focus strategies in the learning and teaching of dance. The webinar considers a selection of dance training principles such as posture, turn out, balance and port de bras and how using an external focus of attention (EFA) can promote fluidity, stability and strength in the performance of these movement principles. From this webinar, participants will take away learning and teaching approaches and strategies, and the confidence and knowledge base to begin to creatively implement attention and focus strategies immediately in their own dance practice contexts.

Aims

• Extend knowledge, understanding and skills in applying internal focus of attention (IFA) and external focus of attention (EFA) to the learning and teaching of dance training
• Reflect upon attention and focus styles of self and others

Learning Outcomes

• Be able to identify the two different attentional approaches to movement control promoting either an internal (IFA) or an external focus of attention (EFA) and understand the associated physical, mental and cognitive benefits to movement performance
• Have an awareness of the different categories of potential external attentional focus (EFA) available to use in teaching
• Have an understanding of how an external focus of attention (EFA) might be effectively used to consolidate posture, turn out, port de bras and balance, and to support more complex movements such as secure and fluid adage and the speed and explosive power components of allegro
• Have identified and explored direct practice experience in the implementation of attentional focus strategies in their own dance contexts

Webinar Presenter

Clare Guss-West MA, is an RAD PTS, former professional dancer, choreographer, holistic health practitioner and author. She currently presents attention and focus training for professional companies such as The Royal Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Houston Ballet and has contributed training for RAD PDPTC and BABE courses, CPD for RAD USA and Canada and featured at the RAD En Avant Conference 2016.

Clare teaches regularly for the Pôle National Superieure de Danse, Rosella Hightower and the University of Nice, France, Bern University, MAS Dance Science, Switzerland and UQAM, Canada.

She is chair of Dance for Health for IADMS (The International Association of Dance, Medicine and Science) and co-founder of the European Dance & Creative Wellness Foundation raising public awareness of the health and wellbeing benefits of dance.

Resources

The following are required to attend the webinar:

• A computer with internet connection
• Speakers
• ‘At home’ participants will need a clear space of no less than approximately 21 ft² 

Suggested Reading

Guss-West, Clare. 2021. Attention and focus in dance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books
Available for purchase here.

CPD Hours

3 hours Time-Valued CPD

Fees

Registration is now closed.

Members of the Royal Academy of Dance receive discounts on all CPD activities.

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The webinar will be hosted on Zoom. Zoom’s privacy notice is available here.

Who can attend?

Participants must have registered for An Introduction to Attention and Focus Training for Dance: Part I  in order to register for Part II.