Habi Hour S3 Episode 5: Dancing Beyond the Screen

Overview

4 February 2022 | 24 min and 56s

How did educators deal with the shift to online in subjects where physical presence is a lot more critical to the learning experience? In episode 5, PJ Rebullida of Galaw.Co Dance Theater shares what they’ve learned and how they choreographed their learning experiences beyond the screen.

Transcript

Opening

PJ: It’s about striving to transform minds, to open up eyes, to open up hearts, to spur people to action. And that’s by not competing. It’s by being yourself. It’s by being true to what you want to say.

MUSIC: [Habi Hour Intro]

MUSIC: [Opening of Op. 66, Aurora’s Wedding: Act III, No. 25, The Sleeping Beauty]

Gerson (voice over): The pandemic transformed how we experience learning, from mostly in-person gatherings to remote interactions. Schools and trainings relied on video conferencing apps like Zoom, Google Meet, or MS Teams. It was difficult, and it still is. But I wonder about how other educators dealt with the shift where physical presence was a lot more critical in the experience. 

In this episode, we invited PJ Rebullida, a performing artist, choreographer, dancer, and a dance teacher who leads Galaw Co., to chat about what they’ve learned and how they choreographed their learning experiences beyond the screen.

PJ is the head of Galaw Co. Dance theater that aims to create stories through dance. Pakinggan natin si PJ, kasama ko, si Gerson na mula sa Habi, as we talked about how the group of dance teachers has shifted from physical dance class to online/remote classes. Let’s start with knowing more about PJ.

Gerson: So, PJ, Welcome to Habi Hour, So in this series of our podcasts, what we’re really investigating are how educators and teachers of different learning experiences not necessarily classroom experiences have been adjusting to the pandemic. Ano ang natutunan nila from the past, I guess, 2 years of moving online? What does interaction look like? What does this teaching look like? How do people learn? You’re here because of your unique perspective, unique experiences teaching dance, teaching movement, and we know there are specific challenges and specific needs when it comes to teaching people. So maybe you can start, PJ, by just doing introductions, if you can introduce yourself.

[Upbeat music]

PJ: Hi Gerson! Hi Habi Hour listeners. I am PJ Rebullida. I’m really honored to be here. I am a performing artist, choreographer, and teacher. I’ve been in the industry for about 18 years now. I stumbled into it accidentally because I did not want to stay in an office. I took a workshop, and the rest is history. I fell in love, and now I’m here. In 2019, I started a group Galaw Co. Dance Theater. It was a burgeoning desire for me to create work without the pressures of the industry, because I’ve been working with a lot of the major players in the theater and dance industry and we were about to celebrate our first year when the pandemic happened.

Gerson: It’s interesting, PJ, that you mentioned your introduction into the field of dance and theaters through a workshop. So I’d like to actually start by asking you about that. Maybe, puwede nating ikuwento. Ano ang workshop na iyon? What was that workshop that sort of opened your world into dance and theater performing arts?

PJ: Well, I took a workshop in 2002. Bagong graduate lang ako no’n, and I wanted to not work first because I tried an office job and I didn’t like it. I would be counting the minutes. It would be break time or lunchtime or the time to go home and I did not feel inspired. So I asked my parents if I could take a sabbatical and they said, “Okay. Sige. We’ll support you for one more year and you do what you want to do.” So I took a musical theater workshop. It was a musical theater workshop where we did improvisation and I never felt so exhilarated. 

[Theater music]

The search for the unknown within an hour and a half is exciting for me, and then we would be finding nuggets of interesting things, funny things, dramatic things through improvisation. And at that point, after the six-week workshop, I told myself, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” And because of that interesting foray into the unknown, I’ve been jumping into more unknowns with each workshop until I became professional. And that’s why I’m in theater, because it’s about creating from nothing until you find something tangible to present to other people and hoping that it speaks to them.

Gerson: Ang ganda! How did that first workshop? Ang ganda rin kasi ng pagkuwento mo ng experience mo on that first workshop, you know, foray into the unknown into the discovery. So I am just curious How that initial experience shaped your philosophy of teaching or your method of teaching?

PJ: I was really fortunate because at that first workshop my teacher was Chari Arespacochaga. She was a very senior teacher already and quite experienced. She would moderate the class in a manner that she gave us prompts and gave us the space to discover on our own. She was very good at cueing and giving us specific instructions and these instructions opened the doors for us.

Gerson: Can you give a specific example of cueing for those who are not familiar with the term or have not familiar with how cueing is being done in a dance class?

PJ: Let’s say, for example, cueing alignment. So I have to articulate where the student has to put their body to be in proper alignment. So I would demonstrate. “This is my toe. This is my foot. This is my heel.” So I would really point and then I’d say, “The arch is in the middle of the foot. So whenever I say, ‘Raise your arch,’ I want you to activate these parts of your feet to achieve a particular goal.” So I teach them that, and then every time I say, “Oh, raise your arches,” that’s my cue. And because they have an understanding of what the cue is, they can give me what I’m asking for with their body. 

So the first is making them understand the vocabulary, showing where it is and then giving a term or a word that activates it. So that’s my cue now. So even if we’re doing a different exercise and I need them to work on that part of the dance, I just say, “Activate your arch. Raise your arch.” They already know what the cue is. So that’s a specific example and that’s how we’ve been able to teach that. So if you go to a teacher in Galaw, you will understand the vocabulary over time, and the cues become faster to take.

I was very fortunate because she got me to be her assistant. She would shape her modules based on objectives. So what she wanted the students to do and she would disguise all the exercises as games, as things we would not even think had objectives. And in the end, unknowingly, the students would be finding and learning new things through these exercises and she would achieve her objectives without actually saying what she wants. So now when I create my classes also, I try to find ways to create modules that even if the dancers or the actors don’t know where I’m going, I take them somewhere, and then when the discovery happens I’m like, “So you see why we were doing that.” And then they value the exercises, the learnings a little bit more. Because it was unpremeditated, that it’s not planned. As an educator and as an artist, I feel like, if you always set goals there’s undue pressure. And then for actors and students they try to fabricate things to achieve the goals as opposed to arriving at the goals organically.

Changes in Dance Classes during this pandemic

Gerson: I find that really beautiful when you said that you let students arrive at learning organically, learning at their own pace, not having that pressure of having goals. It seems like being a teacher, ang nakikita ko, marami siyang preparations: on your part, on picking activities, on getting to know your learners. How do you prepare now before a workshop or before a class? Especially now in the pandemic, mayroon ka bang specific steps that you undertake or thought process that you go through?

PJ: It’s really interesting for me because I teach a varied number of subjects. It’s not like I just teach ballet, or I just teach Jazz, or I just teach contemporary. So to prepare for one class takes so much emotional and physical and mental energy because I have to gear myself up to change per class. So, the nice thing about it is that I have a wealth of information. So what I do now is to train people in cycles. So it’s not like they just come to one class and then they learn something already. No. I take a progressive approach. So students have to enroll with me for at least four sessions and then I set minor goals within those four sessions and I gear a program that immerses them in the objectives. So it’s about immersion. And then they discover through practice. I also like using feedback. Most dance teachers will just teach, let the student do, give corrections, and then move forward. What I like is hearing from the students and learning their thought process also. So in the end, they have to articulate what they’ve been learning. And when they articulate, the mind-body connection becomes stronger, and this is a philosophy that I’ve been working on especially since we’re on Zoom, that the mind is connected to the body. As compared to when we were in the studio, you can just let the body move and then copy and then let the body do what it’s supposed to do. But now, since there’s no tactile presence, you’re alone in your home watching other people through Zoom, the mind has to be so much stronger to access where the body should go. So this for me is the harder part of planning: how to make a program that accesses the mind-body connection through Zoom.

Gerson: Ang gandang mapakinggan ’yung thinking process mo. Can you tell us more about ’yung change process and the amount of challenges that you encountered in the 2 years that you’ve been adapting so far? Mayroon na ba kayong nakuhang lessons that you think can be shared to, perhaps, other educators whether they’re dance or art teachers or educators in general?

PJ: Well the nice thing about Galaw is I was working with a team that’s very open. When we started the online intensives we were struggling because it’s so hard to teach people to follow you when they’re watching a screen. And you’d think it’s easy because we’re so used to Tiktok videos and Youtube tutorials. So we think it’s easy, but it’s not. How to pitch teach people to go to their right, to their left, especially when cameras can be mirrored, and people can have two left feet. I mean, to be blunt, you know, and some people have two left feet so you have to teach them right versus the left. And what we did as a team was we would meet regularly to discuss how we would learn, how to share sound, how to be on time with the music, how to deal with internet connectivity issues, how to give instruction better.

The most important things we learn, I’ll give three. The first was cueing. We discovered that it’s very critical that the teacher knows how to articulate what they want, and the students have different fields of reference. So to create a good system of cueing, a teacher has to create their vocabulary and help the student understand that vocabulary. So the more the student comes into class and the more they have an understanding of the vocabulary, it’s easier for them to apply what’s being asked. 

Gerson: Ang ganda no’n, ano? Ngayon may make sense ’yung nabanggit mo rin kanina about progression, or about how you train them in small groups because you need them to pick up certain scaffolded ideas in order to develop further in terms of their movement or more complicated instructions. Ganda!

PJ: Yeah, which goes to my second point which is progressive training. So in Galaw, we ask the students to commit. And we noticed that four weeks is a short amount of time for many people to commit but long enough to learn something. So what we do in Galaw is it’s progression. So like for me, if I come into a cycle, I have a goal for this class. This class, by the end of four sessions they have to be able to do something. Say, for example, it’s my improv class. After four sessions they should understand the principle of moving in a circular manner and a linear manner. So in the first session, that’s where I introduced the cues, and then we discover it. And then the second session I try to make them explore it more. I add layers into the parameters that I’ve been giving. By the third session, I add layers. By the fourth session, they have a grasp of what I ask them from the first day, and because there’s practice, by the fourth session, there’s retention, and this is what I believe works best. As compared to other dance classes or dance schools now, some students just come for choreography for one day and then the next week they come for choreography again, it becomes a choreography class. But what I want to do is technique building so that over a series of cycles, by the end of, for sample four cycles, they’ll recognize, they’re in a better place in terms of their technique, their artistry as compared to when they started. So that works for Galaw, and we attract students that want it, so that I think works for us.

Changes in Learning Dance

Gerson: Aside from progressing in technique, do you notice other ways of how they progressed? Do you notice any difference in confidence or attitudes?

PJ: Yes, which goes to my third point. In Galaw, this is something that I personally imposed upon my team, our classes are a response to the mental, emotional, and spiritual states of our students. Our students come to Galaq because they use the body to express, and we need to give them the tools. So the cueing and the progressions are aimed towards accessing things that they need inside. And because our classes have this objective, I mean we’re not psychologists or psychiatrists, but we’ve noticed that people have come back to Galaw because 1) it helps them deal with their anxieties; 2) their artistry has improved; 3) I have students that are now confident with their bodies and how they move; 4) There are people that have actually expressed their desire to finally become artists versus hobbyists. So we are unlocking dreams. These people who take Galaw are mostly adults who have forsaken their dreams of being on stage and performing. And because we’ve given them the tools in a setting that’s nonjudgmental, that’s encouraging, that’s progressive, and always in a positive format, they’re finding that they can actually make their dreams come true. They can actually be dancers. So this for me is the bigger picture of why Galaw has been able to sustain itself, and why I think Galaw has played an important part in people’s lives in these past two years of the pandemic.

Gerson: So beautiful, PJ.

You had an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer where you said, and I quote, “Breathe, don’t compare yourself with anyone, and move forward one step at a time.” 

And I think this sounds pretty simple. It sounds straight forward to adapt with your life, but it’s also very profound. So, I just wanted to know and I’ll want to end our conversation with this question: How did the pandemic influence this philosophy of yours? And how would you like to see people moving after the pandemic or when we go back to a better normal?

PJ: Well, it’s interesting that I don’t think the pandemic has changed me but rather it has strengthened that resolve. And this resolve started when it was early in my dance career. In my dance career, I made this objective with a dear friend who passed away, Mary. We were talking after doing a pas de deux, and we were like, “You know what? I’m a dancer and an artist because I want to move people, to feel, to experience, to think beyond their normal scope of thinking.” And that resolve is stronger now. And I remember giving that answer to the question: What can I give as advice to people? And most people are like, “Oh I want to win this award. I want to be the best. I want to be the lead. I want to be this. I want to be that.” But I think the true artists are the ones who understand that their art is not about being the best. It’s not about striving for an Oscar or gold medals. It’s about striving to transform minds, to open up eyes, to open up hearts, to spur people to action. And that’s by not competing. It’s by being yourself. It’s by being true to what you want to say. And at the end of the day, It’s the best way to live because we won’t have any regrets. We won’t feel jealous. We will be able to live life with purpose. Of course, it’s hard, and I still have to remind myself of that everyday because society, sad to say, teaches us to have the most number of likes, to be the most popular, to get awards, and everything, but that’s all the cherry on the cake. The true truth of the matter is to be a moving force in this world, to live life with purpose.

Synthesis

Gerson: Ang ganda, PJ. Such nice words. I think it’s beautiful how your ideas, which are highly rooted in art and movement and expression are so much relatable for non-artists, non-dancers, non-actors also. When you talk about competition and purpose, expressing yourself, don’t compare yourself with anyone. I think these are words that even students, anyone, would find value in.

PJ: The times are difficult now, and I think times will always be difficult one way or another. So the pivotal thing is to find people, a community that will work with you towards your purpose. 

Gerson: I think dito tayo magtatapos. Before we end, where can we get information about Galaw Co.?

PJ: For anyone who wants to find purpose with Galaw Co., you can find us on Instagram @Galaw.co or on Facebook Galaw Co. Dance Theater. You can also message me on IG or Facebook: PJ Rebullida. I’m very approachable, and I will reply as soon as I can.

Actually people ask me, “Where’s the best place to take dance classes?” What I say is, if you’re an artist, best is to try different groups, and then find the group that works with your personality, with your schedule, with your budget, with your aesthetic kasi iba-iba talaga ‘yan and you just have to find your place.

MUSIC: [Closing of Op. 66, Aurora’s Wedding: Act III, No. 25, The Sleeping Beauty]

MUSIC: [Habi Hour Outro]

Gerson (voice over): What we can learn from PJ and Galaw Co’s experience is that people are different. We learn differently, in various ways, in various paces. Our bodies are different. And so this is an invitation for everyone, to provide spaces to let people adapt and grow from change differently, yet together.

Gerson (voice over): This episode was written, edited, and produced by Habi Education Lab. Original theme music by Howard Luistro. For more Habi Hour episodes, follow us on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, or visit https://habieducationlab.org/habi-hour. Salamat sa pakikinig. Thanks for listening.