Workshop 6 Fostering Genuine Communication

Getting Ready (15 minutes)

The Language of Collaboration

Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker" is a well-known symbol of inquiry. The lone stoic figure depicts thinking as a solitary creative process. But many artistic and scientific creations emerge from the joint thinking, emotional connections, shared struggles, and passionate conversations common in collaborative relationships.

What special communication challenges arise in each discipline — dance, music, theatre, and visual art? 

Read the question below that corresponds to your discipline, and try to formulate an answer for the group.  As you do so, share some ways you help students acquire the communication skills they need.

Dance
Dancers and choreographers move and talk while rehearsing. But during a performance, the dancers interact and adjust to each other without speaking. 

• What are some ways they communicate while onstage?

Music
During an orchestral concert, the musicians individually create sounds that blend into music.

• How do they communicate in order to play as an ensemble?

Theatre
The development and performance of a play requires the combined efforts of a director, actors, designers, and technicians.

• How do all these people meld into a company that shares a common vision of the playwright’s intent?

Visual Art
Several artists work together designing and painting a mural.

• How do they agree on a style and employ their varying skills to create the unified picture?

 

NEXT: Watching the Program