A community that I am a part of here at Cornell is Shadows Dance Troupe. We are a small, jazz, modern, and hip-hop performance group on campus. From a Social Network Perspective, Shadows incorporates common ground, reciprocity, and a unique combination of strong and weak ties. There are certainly online/offline synergies too.
To begin with, the group is based on a common love and appreciation for dance, and all members possess a certain skill and technique level as well (this is ensured through rigorous tryouts). Thus, just by being in the group each member automatically shares something significant in common with all other members. Reciprocity is another major aspect of the group – particularly when it comes to respect and openness in learning choreography. Since all members are permitted to choreograph, there is a mutual understanding that respect, full attention, and effort in learning one member’s dance, garners the same from that person in learning yours. But this reciprocity extends beyond choreography – adjusting rehearsal times when necessary, helping “newbies”, assisting with costume issues, and volunteering for various administrative tasks are all common, well distributed among members, and beneficial for the group as a whole. Members later readjust rehearsal schedules again, newbies help the newer newbies, and so on.
We rehearse about 7 hours a week (though not all members rehearse this full amount), and as a result the community establishes pretty strong ties based on the aforementioned common ground, reciprocity, and significant time spent together to accomplish common goals. In terms of dance, we have access to the same information and resources, and we tend to be similar based on standard technical training. On the other hand, Shadows incorporates many weak tie characteristics between its members too. Since we come from different majors, groups of friends, Greek houses, and/or years, we have access to a variety of unique resources – a valuable feature in terms of securing performances around campus. In this sense, Shadows has allowed me to be part of a community of strong tie relationships with weak tie benefits such as unique resources and contacts (beyond my usual friends) throughout campus. The group, from a Social Network Perspective, has expanded my social capital.
Finally, Shadows also uses much CMC communication – specifically email – in orchestrating rehearsal times/changes, planning performances, asking/answering questions, music exchange, planning, and general facilitation of the flow of information. Although most issues are also discussed in person at rehearsals, this synergy of online/offline communication allows for clarity and assurance that everyone knows what is going on within the group. Our communication through the group list-serve is vital to organization. We also use Facebook to advertise upcoming events and performances. And now for the shameless plug: Fall Step is November 16th !!
Links:
http://cornell.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5067398765
Videos:
http://youtube.com/user/coconcaramel2
http://youtube.com/user/starlitska
Comments:
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3 comments:
As a dancer myself, I was interested to read about your experience with Shadows. You mentioned the similarity of technical skill among the members, and it really brought to my attention how important common ground really is in a dancing community. While training is obviously important, in my experience it is just as important to adjust all members to a similar style of rehearsal. Dance studios range from "loosey goosey" rehearsals that meet for two hours each week, to studios and companies that open at 5 AM for dancers who would like to begin before school or work. I would be interested to know which types of training backgrounds the members come from overall and how it affects the flow of rehearsing.
I enjoyed the video links that you posted, and think that your dance troupe has a lot of talent. Interestingly enough, I am from Washington DC and know some students in a Shadows Dance Troupe there, so obviously your community is very expansive and beneficial in terms of both strong and weak ties. I also think that you make an interesting observation in pointing out that the variety of other communities that the members of your troupe are part of, adds to YOUR social capital. I think that it is often overlooked how we benefit from our friend's separate lives, but you provide a good explanation for how they add to your social capital by providing resources that you might not otherwise have access to.
I enjoyed reading your blog post about your dance group as a community. It was interesting to learn how intricate and complex this particular community is. At first glance, it would be likely that outsiders would assume that the common ground in your community is the interest and ability to dance. After reading your post, however, it is clear that this is merely a superficial assumption. The common ground described among the members of your group is more specific in that all the dancers are at a certain level in their technique and skills. These specific requirements along with the demanding rehearsal schedule, both combine to create exceptionally strong ties within your community. In addition, I think that since everyone is viewed as equal, an inference made on the condition that anyone can choreograph, ties between the group’s members are even further strengthened.
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