Things to Consider

 It's been a little while since I last blogged on here, due to the past couple of weeks being pretty hectic for me. My thoughts have also been joining in with the hectic theme, so when I sat down to write this blog I didn't really have a direction if I'm honest. One moment which has brought me some clarity however, was a call with Sam to discuss my AoLs (24/03/21). It was an extremely helpful discussion, and he mentioned some things to consider which related to the ideas I'd had. This blog will be about two of those in particular, so they may not be massively relevant to your studies at the moment, but I'd definitely say that they are interesting topics regardless. 

Art for Art's Sake

Art for Art's Sake, otherwise known as its French translation "L'art pour l'art" is a movement coined by Victor Cousin (a French philosopher). It entails the theory that art needs no justification, no motivation, no monetary value, and no need to serve a political, didactic or other purpose. So put simply, art can exist as art just for the sake of being art! It also links with the concept of Aestheticism, which suggests that art can exist for its beauty alone, again not needing to serve any other purpose.

 The reason Sam suggested I looked into this is because I suggested an AoL of Dance for the sake of enjoying Dance, not realising that there was a whole established movement which looked into almost exactly that! I have discussed in a previous blog my interest in what prevents people from wholly enjoying dancing, even in a professional environment. In my essay I really hope to use some of the ideas from the Art for Art's sake movement to help the reader understand how I think dance should be appreciated and enjoyed by the dancer, without any need for judgement regarding cultural, aesthetic, traditional or other aspects. 

This movement isn't met with 100% approval, with many people questioning the value of art if it is completely divorced from matters such as morality. This also interests me, as I tend to find it difficult to separate the art from the artist if I disagree with certain things the artist has done (as a simple example, I would never choose to listen to Chris Brown, as I would not want to support someone who has been charged with domestic abuse). In this way, I can't definitely say that I believe in Art for Art's sake in every situation, so it will be interesting to look further into if this translates into the world of dance as an art form.

Fixed vs Growth Mindsets

I'm sure many of you have come across Carol Dweck's concept of fixed and growth mindsets, and the difference in people's underlying beliefs about success and achievement. If not, a brief explanation would be that people with growth mindsets believe intelligence and talent can be constantly developed through learning and practice. People with fixed mindsets however believe that intelligence and talent are traits we are born with, so practice and learning can only strengthen natural abilities up to a certain point. 

I'm sure you can think of examples of people in your life who's attitudes are affected by which mindset they have, and perhaps you can figure out which you have. Sam encouraged me to look into this, as when I described the Jazz teacher I wish to focus on as an AoL it really stuck out to him that he encouraged a growth mindset in us. This is because he would always reward hard work, technicality, independent thinking and genuine passion over tricks, facility and body type. You had to earn his pride through pushing yourself to be the best version of yourself that you could, and he would always value that best version over someone else who might be more 'naturally talented' but didn't push themself. After discussing teaching theory with my mum (a languages teacher) I started to see how big of a difference his attitude can make, and did make to me personally.


I'm sure that each of these concepts can be applied to many areas of our industry, so I'd be interested to hear if this has any relevance to you and your AoLs. If it doesn't, I hope you found them interesting to find out about- I know I certainly did! Just some things to consider :)


Comments

  1. Niamh Eccleston-Tuohy5 April 2021 at 01:57

    Hi Rebecca, these AOL's are really interesting and I honestly hadn't thought about doing Art for the sake of enjoyment before. Dance is my passion so of course I do it for enjoyment but I also wouldn't consider myself successful if I didn't achieve within the industry. After reading your blog it has really made me reflect because I shouldn't be thinking in this way. For many artist's our art is our greatest joy in life therefore if we are doing our art then we have clearly succeeded in life and everything else is surely a bonus!
    I also think a growth mindset in this industry is so important as you could really get stuck and not improve at all if you believe your limits have been met and can only be sustained and not developed x

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  2. Jessica Lee9 April 2021 at 03:29

    I've actually never heard of the concept about mindsets and it has really intrigued me! One of my AOL's is to do with the factors surrounding mental strength and I think mindset is defintely something I should be looking into! There must be parallels surrounding a growth mindset - good mental strength and resilliance, fixed mindest - poorer mental strength and resilliance. Thanks for helping me out xx

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  3. Ellie Owen10 April 2021 at 01:08

    Hi Rebecca,

    Victor Cousin's movement 'Art for Arts Sake' was SO interesting to read. This is really unique and kudos for researching this. 'It does not need to serve a purpose' is something you can definitely explore. As performers we perform as it is our passion and gives us the feeling of fulfilment. Should we be reminded of this movement and to not put so much pressure on ourselves to succeed and sustain what is such an unpredictable career. As a freelance performer your career can divert in various directions, from cruise ships to events to teaching to pantomimes. Acknowledging the pressure we feel to attend auditions, network and secure work. It would be so beneficial to take a step back and remind ourselves that 'art can exist for its beauty alone' and to have freedom in our movement and choices.

    Ellie x

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