Rebecca Nordstrom: Sparking New Discoveries

Rebecca Nordstrom knows movement. In theory and practice, the professor of dance has pushed the boundaries of what the human body can do. Many times, it's student work that has sparked her new discoveries. That was the case when Nordstrom served as co-chair, with cognitive science professor Jane Couperus, on Victoria Quine 06F's Div III project, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Circus":

"I loved working with Victoria. She's very bright, tremendously well organized, passionate, and a fabulous mover," says Nordstrom. "Victoria looked into the ways in which people learn through movement, how it affects cognition, and its effect on educational practices. For me, it was very exciting to be on a Div III committee that was connecting these worlds."

As part of her project, Quine developed a theory of "interpersonal learning" built on studies of multiple intelligences, general psychology, and the ideas of numerous educational theorists. She sees it as a form of social learning that addresses peer-to-peer interaction. Most importantly, it emphasizes working together over having a single leader. Much of this theory came from her involvement in the Hampshire student circus group Circus Folk Unite.

"There's no hierarchy. No one is in charge. When it comes to playtimes and meetings, it's a free-for-all. And it works; people learn a lot. It doesn't matter what year or how old you are, it matters what you know and share," says Quine.

Working with Quine as she fine-tuned her Div. III over a year, says Nordstrom, was an exciting and educating process during which professor and student gained new perspectives.

"I learned through her research about areas of cognitive development that I didn't really know about. I've always had an interest in the body/mind connection, and in recent years developed a course in somatics called Thinking Body/Moving Mind," she says. "It's about investigating the body/mind connection and its relevance to learning, creativity, health and well-being, and injury prevention."

Now that she has become more familiar with the work Couperus and others in Hampshire's School of Cognitive Science are involved in, the dance professor feels that their input would be as valuable for her students as it has been for Quine.

"As I continue to develop the course, I would be interested in bringing in the cognitive science folks to share their knowledge," says Nordstrom. "The cognitive scientists probably have something to learn from the practitioners of movement, and I know I learned, through Victoria's research, about areas of cognitive development that I hadn't really known about."

"In all of this, I'm trying not to lose sight of the implications in creative and choreographic exploration."

Nordstrom also realizes the importance of the Hampshire Fund in allowing interdisciplinary collaborations such as the one Quine pursued. The dance professor has been a contributor herself for the past ten years, and hopes to see everyone involved with Hampshire lending a similar hand.

"I contribute to the Hampshire Fund because it seems like the right thing to do," says Nordstrom. "Fundraising for the College is obviously a challenge. Every dollar counts and the more people there are who are willing to contribute, the better."