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Arts & Communication Using multiple languages within an improvised fairytale

drama therapy-based collaborative improvisation in arts- for engagement and meaning; (iv) diversifies language-
based inquiry to gain a more comprehensive understanding specific supports; (v) couples enactments with inquiry and
of complex emotional situations, and dance improvisation reflection; and (vi) develops opportunities and challenges
as a form of cross-cultural communication. as multilingual learners to engage with drama.
Haught has reported on a project in which dramatic Laera has reviewed her experiences with contemporary
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improvisation was used in teaching English as a second experiments in dramatic performances and workshops
language within a university program for immigrant that use multiple languages. One of the questions that
students. This author describes using the process of arose from these experiments was what happens when a
dramatic activities, such as playful interaction in small language is used that others do not understand. The author
groups and pairs, to facilitate learning. In this context, the reported that when this lack of verbal understanding
dramatic process is differentiated from dramatic action developed, a sharing of responsibility and direction of the
that is designed to produce a result such as a performance. expression developed among all participants. During the
Instead, the activity in this project was based on expressive ongoing improvisational actions, group members found
dramatic interactions designed to be improvised such moments to be useful in creatively exploring the
among the participants to engage them in more playful themes of misapprehension of culture and social hierarchy.
communication among their learning group members. One resolution that emerged was that the improvisers
In the project, groups of students were provided semi- began to use nonverbal communication, such as facial and
structured initial scenes to begin improvised dramatic other bodily actions. They also reported that they began
expression, such as the use of playful gestures, other to understand what was happening on stage without the
physical interactions, and role-playing designed to engage exclusive use of verbalization.
them in using verbal exchanges in the target language. Sajnani, a drama therapist, reviewed her experiences
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This was mostly, although not exclusively, done in English. using improvisational action from the field of drama
These young adults also used freely improvised interactions therapy as a way to create an understanding of emotionally
within pairs and/or small groups. The activities were complex situations in arts-based research regarding
designed to create unexpected moments within the therapists’ vicarious trauma reaction while treating victims
dramatic actions that would be resolved through the of genocide and displacement. This author called this form
dramatic/play processes to encourage creative problem- of research, living inquiry. Living inquiry uses dramatic
solving action. These participants reported that they improvisation to express subjective experiences that are
became more engaged, self-confident in their learning, and too difficult and complex to verbalize and fit within prior
more open to self-expression within this social setting. The verbal theoretical understanding. During initial sessions,
learning was also less hierarchical and more self-directed. the therapists were asked to create physical expressions,
The activities contributed to cross-cultural discussions called “body brainstorming,” about the feelings they
around the social scenes co-created in the improvised experienced after hearing the stories from groups of refugee
episodes. clients recounting extreme victimization. Following this
Sanchez and Athanases have reported on projects “body brainstorming,” therapists then used improvised
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with multilingual school-aged students from early dramatic enactments of these physical expressions that
childhood through high school years. Most of these included creating characters, setting, and storying-making
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programs were conducted in the USA, Argentina, and using the form of Playback Theatre. These dramas were
the United Kingdom (UK). The central activity of these used as a basis for creating meaning and understanding by
projects was also based on dramatic processes such as creating the more narrative-coherent expression of drama
collaborative play, role enactments, the use of props, and story episodes based on the previous physically based
physical expressions to assist in reducing anxiety, building expressions. Sajnani described the principles that guide
self-confidence, and fostering engagement within the living inquiry as involving (i) opening to uncertainty,
learning of several subject areas, in addition to English (ii) attuning to difference, and (iii) esthetic intelligence.
instruction, with multilanguage learners. These authors Merekina has reported on a case study involving the
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describe principles that guide this learning style and the development of a dance form, Qi, which has the potential
use of the drama process. These principles include the to facilitate cross-cultural communication. This form
use of dramatic action that (i) builds a safe, collective, was developed by Chenault and Ke Wen and is practiced
playful classroom culture for drama; (ii) engages students both in China and Europe. In Qi dance, dancers develop
in co-constructing and performing diverse stories worth their movement using an initial awareness of their inner
enacting; (iii) uses multimodal, paralinguistic resources impulses, their attunement to other movers, and then using

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 3 doi: 10.36922/ac.2079