Fortune Teller and Midwife: A Reflective View on Pedagogical-Artistic Management in a Reality of Multiple Crises

Abstract

The academic year of 2020-2021 was characterized by multiple crises, which affected the pedagogical-artistic management of the Department of Dance at the Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts – one of the leading colleges in Israel for training teachers of dance. These crises occurred on three levels: the global, the national, and the local. On a global level, the Covid-19 outbreak brought about limitations imposed upon the public, from which emerged extreme social tensions, coupled with a political chasm that led to four election cycles, and finally a controversial military operation on the national level. On a local level, additional challenges included the department's shift to a new location in the city center, integration into a new "Faculty" organizational framework, a six-week lecturers' strike, and the replacement of two of the five administrative-staff members. These extreme conditions increased the number of secondary roles as an integral part of the Head of the Department's function described as fortune-teller, ombudswoman, clerk, real-estate agent, stunt artist, and midwife. The article focuses on presenting each of these roles and the transition from VUCA 1 (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity/Chaos, Ambiguity) to VUCA 2 (Vision, Understanding, Courage, Adaptability).