Motive for motion

Motive for Motion Hong Kong, it’s a chapter of a book, literally and metaphorically.

During my master degree in Fine Arts at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, I was overwhelmed with a whole new world of knowledge in dance education, creativity, children development…. I was excited to learn new things and longing to put them into practice. 

In Maria Speth, Dutch Dance Educator’s book “Spetters”, there is a chapter called Motive for Motion, where she calls attention to giving the children ideas, themes, stimulus … .not easy to follow tasks or steps. The idea is to explore finding the motive for the movement exploration.

 I love the idea of motive….a reason, a trigger… something to awaken curiosity. A motive leading to improvisation and movement exploration will be an answer.

In this chapter of my life, the motive was simple: I can’t write a thesis in Dance Education, Creative Dance for Children, sitting at my desk only. I need to get hands-on, get moving together with them. 

I started the classes as part of my professional practice for the master studies, literally in my living room, with my own kids and their friends from our neighborhood. One year later MotiveforMotion was officially registered in HK,  at Stewart Terrace, The Peak.

From there we moved the classes to Strawberry Hills Club House, where I teach until 2016. 

I also start to develop tailored dance workshops, approaching school subjects and teaching primary school children at Peak School, Canadian International School and also Classical Ballet for Carol Bateman School of Dancing.

Later we moved to Bamboo Grove, Wan Chai in 2014. and I stayed there for the next 8 years.

 It was a very supportive community of parents, who trusted my work and gave me the freedom to explore and approach Ballet creatively, without the pressure of an exam-oriented methodology very common in Hong Kong already at an early age.

Through dance education, the children are learning Dance as an Art Form. They are learning in a creative, supportive and educational environment, skills for life, through dance. My hope is that they can enjoy dance and ballet forever, not as a career or hobby but more as a creative and artistic living style.

Today MotiveforMotion represents not a chapter of a book or a chapter of my file only, but the motive for me to continue doing what I love.