Pathway, a structural metaphor, combines with the process of journeying to form an active context for learning about spirit. Pathway is an appropriate metaphor since, in every learning process, we metaphorically travel an internal, and many times external, landscape. In traveling a Pathway, we make stops; encounter and overcome obstacles, recognize and interpret signs, seek answers, and follow the tracks of those entities that have something to teach us. We create ourselves anew. Path denotes a structure; Way implies a process. (Cajete 1994: 55)
I commenced my doctoral research in the autumn of 2019. My intention was to pursue a practice-led approach involving in-person exchanges with other performing artists interested in transdisciplinarity as well as case studies on arts integration connected to my performing and teaching. Needless to say, the COVID-19 pandemic presented several obstacles along my ‘PhD pathway’ as most opportunities for doing my envisioned research disappeared. While the prolonged pause in my practice severely disrupted the plans for both my artistic and academic work, it also provided radical new perspectives through which I could grapple theoretically and practically with HOW to do an artistic doctorate.
Despite the major detour on my PhD pathway that restricted my primary interest at that time — namely, investigating and developing collaborative practices with other artists interested in transdisciplinarity — my underlying goals of doing transdisciplinary artistic work remained central. For me, this work focuses on the integration of classical singing and contemporary dance. Before commencing my PhD, I participated in a pilot programme at the Performing Arts and Research Training Studios (P.A.R.T.S.) in Brussels (2015–2016), a course that has subsequently evolved into their MA course. The central focus of my research at P.A.R.T.S. was the development of a pedagogy designed to support inter- and transdisciplinary work in the performing arts. What became Integrative Performing Training is rooted in a somatic practice that highlights the interdependence of breathing, moving, and voicing and provides practical tools and strategies that facilitate artistic collaboration between, across, and beyond the disciplines of music, dance, and theatre (Middendorf 1985; Skelton 2019).
I have embedded two videos on this page that not only offer more insights into my teaching and creative work but also offer live images of the Abruzzo region (and my garden) to which I frequently make reference. Scattered throughout the exposition, I will also share short videos documenting the ongoing evolution of my teaching practice, ideas sparked during the course of my PhD. It is not necessary to watch the videos to make sense of the pathway carved out in this exposition. However, in order to not get lost en route, it is useful to know that integrating breathing, dancing, and singing was not only the impetus for my doctoral project but also its ultimate goal.
Defining how or why certain research is ‘artistic’ or ‘arts-based’ is rarely straightforward … [next page]
