ABSTRACT

This second edition of Making an Entrance is a practical and thought-provoking introduction to teaching dance with disabled and non-disabled students, updated with expanded coverage, new and revised exercises, and chapters that cover post-pandemic and online practice, diversity and inclusivity.

With improvisation as his central concern Benjamin covers an extensive range of topics, including new autoethnographic writing, mental health, performance, feedback, and The Dancers’ Forest, and interrogates what we mean when we talk about ‘inclusive’ and ‘integrated dance.’ There are over 50 stimulating and challenging exercises purposefully designed for dance students of all levels accompanied by teaching notes, and examples drawn from the author’s experience as a teacher, performer, and dance maker. Useful hints are provided on the practicalities of setting up workshops covering issues such as class sizes, the safety aspects of wheelchairs and accessibility.

An essential read for both students and teachers of improvisation who are seeking ways to engage with issues of diversity, written to be accessible whilst offering areas of increasing complexity and challenge for more experienced practitioners.

part I|64 pages

Thoughts

chapter 21|8 pages

Finding It When You Get There1

chapter 2|6 pages

Improv, Access and Training

chapter 3|6 pages

Just Movement: Ethical Considerations

chapter 4|3 pages

An Evolution in Practice1

chapter 5|3 pages

The Dancers' Forest

From ‘Dirty Dancing’ Towards Environmental Responsibility

chapter 7|6 pages

The Simpson Board and Lisa's Journey

chapter 11|3 pages

Life on the Edge: Dance and Mental Health

chapter 12|10 pages

Is It Therapy?

part II|140 pages

Practice

chapter 6613|7 pages

An Unruly Location1

chapter 14|3 pages

An Introduction to the Improvisations

chapter 16|16 pages

Getting Started

chapter 17|18 pages

Listening Through Touch

chapter 18|12 pages

Making an Entrance in Time and Space

chapter 19|11 pages

Space, Time, Resting, and Centre

chapter 20|8 pages

A to B Scores

chapter 22|8 pages

Speed and Timing

chapter 25|9 pages

Frames, Eyes, Escaping the Screen

chapter 26|5 pages

Live Music

chapter 27|8 pages

Art and Dance

chapter 28|6 pages

Improvisation, Choreography, Performance

part III|21 pages

Outside (The Box)

chapter 20629|5 pages

Building Connections

chapter 30|5 pages

Excerpts From an African Diary

In memory of Tom St. Louis, 1946–2022.