Improvising With The Great Flow of Qi: Innovative Applications of Tai Ji Quan To Contemporary Performer Training

Tai Ji Quan (TJQ) is generally viewed as an effective means of achieving the spiritual unity of the body. This article aims to discuss how TJQ as a mindfulness-based practice can be innovatively applied to contemporary performer training, especially in the form of improvisation. This unique way of movement training is based on the motion principle of TJQ: consciousness guiding the qi, the qi guiding the body, then the body forming the shape. Practitioners are expected to improvise with being aware of qi, and are therefore able to stimulate spontaneity in improvisation, and to achieve the moment of integration of the body and mind: doing and being. 

Contemplating Arts Education: An Interview with Lee Worley by Daniel Plá

An interview with Lee Worley, conducted in 2016, discussing the history of contemplative arts at Naropa University, and the relationship between contemplative practices and performer training.

Processes of academisation in higher music education: the case of Sweden

Higher music education (HME) in Europe is multifaceted due to the great variety of legal frameworks, conservatory histories and practices. However, following the Bologna declaration in 1999, traditional conservatories are gradually transforming into research-based institutions, which means combining advanced performer training with artistic research. After a background on academisation in the higher education of classical, professional musicians, this article reports on a Swedish case study of meanings assigned to academisation in HME. Findings show that it is defined and justified as a quality development project, which requires adaptation and also gives opportunities for further development. Issues of agency in HME are discussed.

Immersive telepresence in theatre: performing arts education in digital spaces

This case study examines a joint project in performer training and rehearsal conducted between Coventry University (UK) and Tampere University (Finland) using a variety of telepresence and app-based technologies. In this project, two identical spaces, equipped with rear projection screens and linked by videoconferencing technology, were created in both institutions. This study reports on the adaptation of the pedagogical practices to a digital setting.