Rome (Italy). Music, dance, and theater are the focus of the reflection of the 5th CommTalkS, the initiative of the Communication Sector of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. It’s aim is to create a shared vision of the culture of communication, within the diversity of expressions.
“The expression that facilitates dreaming”. Sister Catherine Cangià, Daughter of Mary Help of Christians, Professor of Social Communication Pedagogy at the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) and pedagogical coordinator of the school “La Bottega dei Giovani Talenti” (BGT) (The Workshop of Young Talents) of Rome:
“Three beautiful activities to do with the children and young people for their growth, and not only for their growth, but to make them dream, to show them a future or even a reflection that leads them to grow. Well, it is about dance, music, and theater, three typically Salesian activities, typically charismatic. (…) Yes, we have the dreams of these young people in our hands and we can cherish them by cultivating them.”
Dance, as a motor experience, is the basis of cognitive processes that helps to inhabit one’s body and to get in touch with the lesser-known levels of oneself. “The body has an extraordinary communicative capacity and uses non-verbal language. (…) There are profound studies of neuroscience that talk about how dance expression helps to communicate, helps to socialize. Therefore, from the psychomotor aspect of the little ones to educative dance, through ‘corporal expression’, and finally arriving at choreographic group dance.”
Music, In addition to accompanying dance, can be enjoyed in groups, can be produced. From a very young age, “it is a language that does not need translation, a language that through rhythm, melody, and joint work in small youth orchestras, helps, makes grow, rehearses together.” It is therefore useful in socializing, “because it makes us feel good together, both at the time when it is practiced and at the time when it is enjoyed.” Singing complements the music, is fun, and is also “a highly effective educative tool” that facilitates learning.
Theater “is a game; it is magic; it excites children, young people, young adults. It is an opportunity for recreation, celebration, growth, and even listening to the word. It is to forge oneself, to become strong.” Sister Catherine brings the experience of the Japanese kamishibai theatre, where “children are seated in front of the narrator, great illustrations pass one after another” and of the shadow theatre “that gives birth to creativity, because the script must be written. It gives birth to practical skills in drawing, in cropping.” She also talks about theater dance and musicals, more complex and engaging educative modalities, because then you get to the final staging, “to the opening of the show after hours and hours of collective rehearsing, sharing, mutual understanding.”
Sister Catherine Cangià’s intervention offers concrete pedagogical and communicative indications to help children and young people, following the example of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello, to give expressive fullness to their dreams through the theater, music, and “the wonder of body movement”.
The full video of the talk is available with subtitles in Italian, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish (from the YouTube settings):
The webinars are aimed at all the Educating Communities and those who are interested, especially young people, and can be used for meetings and also for animation in the communities.
The previous videos are still available: the 1st CommTalkS Introduction with the words of Mother Chiara Cazzuola; the 2nd with “The questions of the young on the Synod”, in which the Mother Emerita of the FMA Institute, Sister Yvonne Reungoat, who participated in the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod in October 2023, responds to the questions of the young people of the Provinces of the world; the 3rd with the intervention of Prof. Ignacio Aguaded, Professor at the University of Huelva, Spain, on Education to the media and to information, the 4th Comm Talks of Prof. Alexandre le Voice Sayad on Artificial Intelligence.
