Lise Hovik is an important figure in TEY research and, in Becoming Small: Concepts and Methods of Interdisciplinary Practice in Theatre for Early Years (2019), she examined the conceptual underpinnings of her practice as a theatre company artistic director as she created several productions for children aged zero to three. Here is a brief example of a performance of De Røde Skoene, or The Red Shoes. This was one of the productions she created during her PhD work in TEY.

(Hovik, 2017)

In Becoming Small, Hovik (2019) looked to other disciplines to inform her conceptual framework of TEY. The concepts she felt were most relevant are:

  • Presence in play
  • Musical Communication
  • Interactivity and affective attunement
  • Participation
  • Interaction

Hovik specifically looked outside of developmental and psychological lenses to create an alternative view of how TEY can benefit very young children. By drawing from other disciplines, she was able to look at TEY from a broader perspective, and indeed, after producing De Røde Skoene, she created two other productions within the overall Red Shoes Project.

“Early experiences of art, based on direct and sensorial encounters, will in this perspective be just as valuable as later experiences. Children might be even more receptive, and art for young children more valuable, because of their innocent and enquiring minds”. – Hovik, 2019, p. 49

The second production was an interactive, playful art/museum installation with artists improvisationally interacting with the children (aged 0-3), called Red Shoe Missing. The third production, as Hovik’s thinking and conceptual framework evolved, was Mum’s Dancing which she described as “dynamic dramaturgical structure moving between choreographic dance segments and free improvisational segments in which the children could play with red shoes and other installation objects” (Hovik, 2019, p. 43).

The way Hovik’s thinking evolved to include concepts drawn from other disciplines, and the evolution of her practice to include a broader definition of TEY has practice implications for Early Childhood Educators. By integrating elements of improvisation, dance, free play, music and movement, children as young as infants can engage in participatory drama experiences. While Hovik describes theatrical performance, some of these less performative elements can be incorporated in to ECE environments.

 

References

Hovik, L. (2017, January 28). De Røde Skoene—Teater for de aller minste (The Red Shoes). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw9KkLAaL_I

Hovik, L. (2019). Becoming small: Concepts and methods of interdisciplinary practice in theatre for early years. Youth Theatre Journal, 33(1), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/08929092.2019.1580647