I. Abstract

The "MOVE – Theatre of Music and Movement" is an educational project run by the theatre group at the special school in Hardt, a school for mentally handicapped children. A roughly hour-long multimedia show is put together and performed using a three-phase educational and methodological procedure consisting of "improvisation and experimentation / rehearsal / performance". In this show, music, movement, lighting, space, make-up/masks, costumes and the stage set all form a unified whole. The mentally handicapped pupils have a chance to show their ability. In the final performance their handicap is no longer evident. The music chosen for the show ranges from classical pieces to hits from the pop charts.

Coordination

Jürgen Scheiff is deputy head of the special school in Hardt. He is also involved in further education for teachers in North Rhine-Westphalia and has been a member of the jury at school theatre festivals in North Rhine-Westphalia for many years.

Director and choreographer: Jürgen Scheiff

Co-choreographer: Petra Franke

II. Introduction

MOVE – a theatre of music and movement presents a sequence of eight scenes that incorporate elements of dance, physical theatre and performance. MOVE is an original school production directed and choreographed by the special school's deputy head Jürgen Scheiff, and was put together as an educational project over a period of two years in the theatre group at the special school in Hardt. The cast consists of thirteen mentally handicapped pupils and four teachers.

Each scene is built up around an example of movement. Depending on the performer's individual capabilities this can be an everyday movement or a technically challenging one. This broad perception of the concept of movement makes it possible for children of every level of ability to take part in the performance and opens up a wide range of teaching and learning opportunities. In the process potential roles are discovered, explored and developed with ever-increasing levels of conscious input until a complete choreography has been created. The music chosen evokes the mood and enhances the action on stage, with one girl revealing hidden talent as a solo singer.

III. The Example

Improvisation and experimentation

MOVE – everything is moving. That was the starting point of the performance described here. To move and to experience oneself as moving: firstly, a process of improvisation and experimentation is organised to stimulate ideas for the performance which then form the core of the choreography. Movement can be stimulated by objects such as balls, elastic ropes, poles and pieces of elastic cloth as well as by commonplace gestures and movements that are incorporated into the performance as theatrical elements, modified, synchronised or arranged in sequence and structured with the music and by the music. From this initial phase of free and independent experimentation imaginative images and scenes emerge that the director arranges into a choreographed routine.

Rehearsal

This phase marks the evolution of the piece to a version suitable for the stage and to its performance. The individual sequences evolve into scenes that can be further worked on and take shape in a choreographed routine: the result is something that everyone has made a contribution to. The rehearsal phase is a period of rigorous work towards a common goal, towards the prospective performance. It is a working process in which everything is clarified and space, time, music and ideas for scenes are precisely coordinated – always bearing in mind the capabilities and learning potential of each individual mentally handicapped pupil in the theatre group. The teachers who appear on stage with the pupils serve as prompts and help them to maintain the show's structure. In addition they give the children a sense of security.

Performance

The finishing touches are given to the show in intensive rehearsals with and without masks and costumes, in rehearsals of individual scenes and complete run-throughs, in rehearsals in the rehearsal studio and on stage with a full set. All this requires the pupils to display numerous emotional and social virtues that, at the same time, highlight the transfer learning practised in this theatre group: attitude to work, perseverance, patience, accuracy, stamina, willingness to make an effort, self-perception, self-efficacy etc. are promoted and required by the common goal of staging a performance.

The theatre project challenges the pupils and promotes their development in every aspect. It stimulates them at a pragmatic-active, cognitive, emotional and social level. The potential offered by this aesthetic project lies particularly in the intriguing progression from process-oriented work to product-oriented work. The phases of free experimentation and improvisation enable the individuality of each of the pupils to come to the fore. Because so much of the activity centres on play the pupils discover their own creative potential and the extent to which they can creatively influence their fellow cast members and the material. The rehearsals and performance show them that results can only be achieved by intensive, assiduous work.

IV. Commentary

MOVE has been performed many times, initially at the school itself and later as the closing item of the schools’ theatre festival (“Schultheatertage”) in Mönchengladbach. In 2006 an independent jury chose the theatre group from among several entries by schools of every type to represent the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with this production at the festival “Theater im Fluss - Schultheater der Länder 2006“ in Bremen. A DVD was made during the festival, which can be ordered. In recognition of this achievement, the Minister of Schools and Further Education of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ms. Sommer, presented the theatre group with a certificate of commendation.

Articles on the work being done by the theatre group at the special school in Hardt, Mönchengladbach have been published in the journal Lernen konkret (16/1997) and the Zeitschrift für Motopädagogik und Mototherapie (12/2005). A description of our aesthetic profile can be found in the internet and in the final report of the conference “Kunst-Musik-Bildung-Schule”, Soest 2006.

The participants are people with a mental handicap. The view persists in our society that such people are lacking in some way and less competent. Thanks to the choice of media and the methodology that challenges and promotes development, the theatre production described here succeeds in making an artistic statement that is in itself fascinating. In this way work in the realm of aesthetics can contribute to a steady reduction of the risk of isolation faced by different members of society.

The methodology and didactics of the work presented here need not be limited to the group of people described. In a previous performance, titled “stabil-mobil”, comprehensive schoolchildren performed together with mentally handicapped pupils.

References

· DVD at www.sdl2006.de

· Franke, Petra (2005): “Move – Bewegungstheater mit Schülerinnen und Schülern einer Schule für Geistigbehinderte (ein Projektbericht)“. In: Zeitschrift für Motopädagogik und Mototherapie, 28^th year, 12/2005, pp. 189-195.

· Laufer, Daniela (1997): “Eine Schule hebt ab – Das Schulprojekt Galaxie an der Städtischen Schule für Geistigbehinderte Mönchengladbach-Hardt“. In: Lernen konkret, 16, pp. 20-23.

· “Bundesweite Anerkennung für Theaterprojekt”. In: www.bildungsportal.nrw.de/BP/Schulsystem/Schulformen/Foerderschulen/Theaterprojekt/index.html

· Chap. 4.3 “Förderschule Hardt, Förderschule Geistige Entwicklung, der Stadt Mönchengladbach”. In: Documentation from the specialist conference “Kunst-Musik-Bildung-Schule” on 27/28 March 2006 at the Landesinstitut für Schule/Qualitätsagentur, Soest, published by the Landesinstitut für Schule/Qualitätsagentur and the Ministry of Schools and Further Education in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, 2006. pp. 69-71.

V. Contact

Jürgen Scheiff, Dr. Daniela Laufer, Förderschule Hardt, Winkelner Str. 28, 41169 Mönchengladbach, fos-hardt@arcor.de, www.foerderschule-hardt.de,Tel.: 02161-955301

or inside the meNet partnership:

Top