The art of integrated dance

20 September 2010
Two poignant experiences from her student days stand out in the memory of Hahna Briggs, who this year became the first person to graduate with a master of dance degree from the University of Otago.

One memory is of a girl in a wheelchair sitting at the side of a hall during high school auditions for the Smokefree Stage Challenge. The other is of the fun Hahna had supporting a blind physical education student during dance classes at the university.

Hahna’s masters thesis looked at how dance companies and choreographers integrate disabled dancers. She traces her interest in the field to the eye-opening impact of those two student experiences.

“The young student in the wheelchair wanted to be in Stage Challenge. I remember her sitting at the side of the room, not knowing what to do. Because of my limited knowledge of what dance was at the time, I didn’t think she’d be able to perform. She felt really left out and ended up leaving. Luckily she talked to a teacher who then talked to us. It opened my eyes, and we found ways to integrate her into the performance.”

While studying for her physical education degree, Hahna was asked by a teacher to support Simon Fogarty who was blind.

Experimenting in the gym

“I really enjoyed working with him, experimenting in the gym and in dance classes, finding ways of describing movement to him.”

After her physical education degree, Hahna completed a post-graduate diploma in rehabilitation as part of a cadetship with the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind in Rotorua and Christchurch.

“I had a few years off from dancing, but missed it. I had done ballet like a lot of young girls, and discovered contemporary dance at university. I missed the energy and enjoyment it gave me, so decided to give it another go.”

A focus of her masters thesis was the work of the Auckland-based Touch Compass integrated dance company.

“They gave me some recordings of their performances, which I analysed, looking at how they incorporated narrative and disabilities within their choreography.”

She also researched theories around disability and performance, disability politics and identity, and the history of dance and disability in New Zealand.

Until this year, dance students received their qualifications as part of physical education or performing arts degrees. Hahna is the first Otago graduate with a specific master of dance qualification.

Since completing her masters, Hahna has been working for the South Island Dance Network as the Dunedin coordinator. She still tutors dance and this semester is a teaching fellow for a distance learning movement paper for the School of Physical Education.

One conclusion of Hahna’s thesis was that New Zealand was likely to see growing numbers of dance companies formed by and for disabled people, as well as more freelance choreographers working in the field.

“Touch Compass has grown and progressed as a company, and is looking at more complex themes. I predict the area will keep growing in a positive and visible direction, which is great.”

She said there is still a perception that integrated dance is therapeutic rather than artistic.

“While dance can be a therapeutic activity for anyone, it can be a lot more than that for people with disabilities.”