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Chorus Community of Practice

'Communities of Practice' describes an emerging research field that studies how groups share their knowledge intensively to improve their work. Members use face-to-face as well as Web-based communication as a basis for sharing, keeping and developing their knowledge and 'social capital'.

In 2004, a group of women singer called A Chorus of Women or 'Chorus' were chosen for a study of knowledge-sharing. Its purpose was to document the ways women worked to create, Websong, a new work to be performed in Bulgaria five months later. The researcher, a member of the group, analysed interviews, rehearsal tapes and email communications to discover distinctive patterns of interaction. Video of Chorus in rehearsal illustrates some of the findings reported so far in project publications.

Video Clips of Chorus in rehearsal

  1. Oracle of Laws
    This song is sung near the beginning of Websong to tell of the cycle of destruction that is the consequence of ignoring care of the earth and peaceful ways of being. Women's lament after devastation leads to renewal and new life.
  2. Working in the circle
    Chorus members work without hierarchy. A circle formation with two women leading in co-operation was identified as a major pattern and others would also contribute ideas from the periphery. Major interventions were signalled by a woman walking into the circle. This process enabled different, even divergent views to be considered and incorporated into the performance.
  3. Creating the baby
    In this transformation moment, bones from a burial ritual are passed from woman to woman, and then new life is created in the hands of the oldest woman. In this rehearsal, the participative group processes assist in adapting the performance to a new space. Most of the women ask or answer questions during this short session.
  4. Circle dancing
    Women physically move in and out of the centre of the circle in this dance, acknowledging and touching each other. The dance is also a physical enactment of the complex patterns of interaction that move constantly between members. This finding extends theories of 'peripheral' to 'core' participation that appear in other studies.
  5. Rehearsal on the bus
    Chorus members travel on a bus in Bulgaria with other conference attendees. They rehearse 'You got a right, I got a right, we all got a right to the tree of life' composed by Judith Clingan who we see standing and assisting with the rehearsal. The space did not allow a circle but the awareness of others and the pattern of two women leading were still seen.
  6. Conflict resolved outside the circle
    When conflict occurred, it was not usually discussed within the circle or with the whole group. Instead, those concerned moved outside the circle. A few women would move to help, talking together in a small group. In this excerpt one singer, anxious to check her own props are in the correct position, ignores a request to continue because time is short.

Researcher Profiles

Project Publications

  1. 'Building a Chorus, engaging citizens: the creation of Websong through participative decision making and production' with Catherine Laudine. International Conference on Engaging Communities, Brisbane, August 2005.
    http://www.engagingcommunities2005.org/abstracts/Gillard-Patricia-final.pdf
  2. 'Sustaining community and environment using democratic group processes: Chorus creates Websong' with Catherine Laudine. International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, Hanoi, 2006.
    http://ijs.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.41/prod.193