Give an example of one piece of feedback you received in technique sessions and how you responded to this in order to improve your performance.

19^th November 2019

One of my most interesting discoveries whilst engaging in this module, is learning how my legs move when engaging in a plie. In this class, we were looking at the physical specifics of the plie. We broke apart the technique with regards to alignment: track the knees over the toes, engage the glutes, and look at the rotation in the leg. Following my tutor’s observation of my plie, she gave me feedback that I appear to be right side dominant. I was engaging the right leg quicker, causing a slight delay in the left leg. Over time, this could be problematic and cause strain in my left leg. Plies (plier meaning to bend or fold) are the foundation of most movements in classical dance. (Bussell, 2000) Therefore, it is important that I practice the technique and perform it accurately. As a result of this feedback, I was able to consciously engage my left leg earlier and work on balancing out both sides to avoid a continued right-side dominance. I observed myself in the mirror whilst doing a plie, so I could visually understand what my legs were doing. My plie has now improved, and I continue to consciously keep this feedback in mind, returning to the mirror when needed for a visual check.

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Description:

Today we had our formative assessment for this module. We all performed and watched each other’s introductory talks and solo pieces and then gave feedback to each-other.

Feelings:

I felt nervous, as I have never performed a solo dance piece before.  However, after I finished the piece, I felt relieved and I gained encouragement from the feedback I received.

Evaluation:

Positive Feedback:

• Clear presentation, well explained and calm delivery.
• Great rationalisation of choice and excellent explanation of my process.
• Good range of movement, choreography and technique. The heavy, solid and more controlled movements accurately portrayed the character.
• Great reference to character and how to communicate this with Laban movement analysis.
• Effective characterisation and facial expressions.
• The song complemented the movements.
• The prop accentuated the piece.

Developmental Feedback:

• Be more confident in what I am saying
• Play with slowing it down more, adding in more pauses.
• Make parts of the piece more jagged.
• Add in some softer movements, as a contrast to the stronger movements.
• Describe the prop more in my introductory talk.

Conclusions:

The feedback I have received has enabled me to clearly identify my strengths and areas for development. Now that we have performed a solo in front of our peers, the formative assessment should be less daunting.  From observing my peer’s solos, I noticed they used repetition of certain movements at different points in their pieces. Jonathan Burrows, a dancer and choreographer, describes repetition as ‘a moment of recognition for the audience in a sea of change.’ (Burrows, 2010, P.8) Based on this, I believe adding in some repetition to my solo will enhance my piece and make it more relatable to an audience.

Actions:

Practice speaking more confidently and rehearse my talk in front of my peers.

Decide where I can add in some effective pauses and softer movements in my piece.

Add in some repetition to my piece, e.g. a movement performed softly, then repeated later more dynamically.

Make additional notes about my prop, including why I have decided to use the prop, what the purpose of the prop is, and add this into my talk.

15th October 2019

Description:

In today’s session, we participated in a preparatory workshop for our upcoming formative assessment. The motif I am developing is to play the character of the Evil Queen from Snow White.

Feelings:

I was feeling tired and drained and struggled to keep a dialogue going with some of my partners in the workshop.

Evaluation:

The positive part of the session is that every time I swapped to a different partner for feedback, I was able to relay more and more, as I explained my original idea and the feedback that I had gained from my previous workshop partners.  The workshop gave me some intriguing ideas, such as how I might conclude my solo piece and various emotions that I can inject into specific movements to make it more powerful.  However, there was a lack of focus within the session, that I did contribute to and I found it difficult to fully engage.

Conclusions:

I think this could have been a more positive experience if I spent more time dancing and improvising, rather than talking about the motif with my partners. This would have helped to overcome the lack of energy in the room and potentially lead to more innovative ideas.

Actions:

If there is a lull period in a session, take the lead and get moving.

Use improvisation more to explore an idea with a partner.

Description:

Today we have been introduced to a new concept, Laban’s Movement Analysis. Laban movement analysis was created by Rudolph Laban and is a method of describing and documenting human movement.  We looked at the four key components of movement: direction, weight, speed and flow.  Also, we discussed the eight efforts and we each thought of an example of a movement that would fall under each effort (Bernardet et al., 2019). We were then asked to apply the theory to a basic one-minute routine as a baseline, and we were asked to highlight and inject at least two of the eight efforts into the piece.

Feelings:

Previously, I had no understanding of any of the theory behind dance. It’s been interesting to learn about Laban and his techniques and to begin to have a vocabulary to use in dance.

Evaluation:

When we watched each other’s routines, it was intriguing to observe the variations of each one and how incorporating some of the eight efforts within our pieces led to individual, creative performances.

Conclusion:

It has highlighted to me to the benefits of having a theory baseline and a vocabulary to draw from around dance and movement. This is an area I would like to continue to work on developing.

Actions:

Research Rudolph Laban further, including his biography and the eight efforts.

Start considering how I can use the eight efforts within my solo piece.

Description:

In this session, we have begun to learn a jazz routine to a pop song.

Feelings:

I enjoyed the routine, because it was high in energy and fun. I could feel myself getting into character and I could see how this was supporting our development in dancing and musicality. I did struggle with remembering each piece of movement and began to feel frustrated at myself. I noticed at points I was going into panic mode, which further inhibited my movement.

Evaluation:

The dynamic physical movements in the choreography were conducive to the vocal and instrumental dynamics of the song.  I spoke to some of the other students after the class and found many of them were having the same issue with retaining each movement in the routine.

Conclusions:

I need to consider my struggles more rationally and not be overly critical of myself.  The biggest obstacle is often my own mind and limits I set for myself. I feel my dance skills and movement has improved already and now I just want to keep pushing my boundaries.

Actions:

When we rehearse this routine next week, I will try and persist, keep calm and have a positive, internal mantra. I will keep in mind that even if I am just mapping out where I am in the space, then that is a positive step in the rehearsal process.

I will ask to record the routine so that I can look at it and rehearse at home.

To support me in reflecting on my experiences in this journal as effectively as possible, I have used the Gibbs Reflective Cycle, by Professor Graham Gibbs, first published in his 1988 book Learning by Doing (Crowe Associates, 2020).

Description:

Today we have been introduced to improvisation, which is not a movement activity that I have participated in before.  In the book Moment of Movement, Dance Improvisation, the authors state that ‘Dance improvisation fuses creation with execution. The dancer simultaneously originates and performs movement without preplanning. It is thus creative movement of the moment.’ (Blom and Chaplin, 1998, P. x) Simultaneous ‘creation with execution’, as the authors put it, is out of my comfort zone. The dance classes I have attended previously have always involved a set choreography and following a routine. I would describe today’s class as a guided improvisation to music. We were all creating spontaneous movements that were different from each other, with verbal and visual guidance from the tutor.

Feelings:

At the beginning of the class, I felt awkward and anxiously observed the tutor and my peers for direction in relation to what movements to make. I felt slightly embarrassed, not knowing how to move my body, very aware of all the other people in the room potentially looking at me. However, after my initial trepidation, I began to feel myself loosen up, as I listened to the music and allowed my body to move freely to the beats.

Evaluation:

I feel my biggest problem was my conscious mind was too involved, I was struggling to let go and allow my body to take over. At points, I observed as a group we were united in our movements and then at other times we almost divided into subgroups. It was nice to experience the variation and I can understand how improvisation could be used to break down barriers and bond a group of people.

Conclusions:

My conclusion from speaking to my peers, is that everyone was having a similar experience. We all felt relatively awkward at the beginning of the session, but this did ease as the session progressed. As we continue to get more comfortable with our own bodies and with each other, our inhibitions will lessen, and our confidence will grow.

Action:

I need to work on clearing my mind and following the music without pre-empting every movement I make in improvisation.

RELAX!