Sense of achievement!

For the results of my questionnaire I used excel to load all the data I collected, which enabled me to the add formulas and create percentages and graphs. May sound silly but this was one of my biggest achievements technically through BAPP! Through my own research and patiences I completed it. Inquiry Questionnaire Data  ID# Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q6 A P T T N H B P S P N H C P T P N H D P P D Y C E P P P Y C F M P D Y H G P T P N H H P P P Y C I P P P N H J P P P Y N K T T P N H L P P D Y H M T T P N H Frequency tables for Questionnaire
Q1	What is the most important part of dancing to you?
Code	Response	Frequency	Percent
T	Technique	2	15%
S	Stamina	0	0%
P	Performance	10	77%
F	Flexability	0	0%
M	Musicality	1	8%
	Total	13	100%
Q2	What do you think most about when dancing?
Code	Response	Frequency	Percent
S	Steps	1	8%
C	Counts	0	0%
T	Technique	5	38%
P	Performance	7	54%
	Total	13	100%
Q3	When watching someone dance, what makes an individual stand out?
Code	Response	Frequency	Percent
F	Flexibility	0	0%
P	Performance	9	69%
T	Technique	1	8%
M	Musicality	0	0%
D	Dynamics	3	23%
	Total	13	100%
Q4	When dancing do you create a character/story to match or express the movements?
Code	Response	Frequency	Percent
N	No	7	54%
Y	Yes	6	46%
	Total	13	100%
Q6	Would you consider dance a hobby or career?
Code	Response	Frequency	Percent
H	Hoddy	9	69%
C	Career	3	23%
N	No answer	1	8%
	Total	13	100%

Blast from the past............and finally making a connection!

My inquiry led me to dig up all my old exam sheets. I wanted to see what I was graded from 5 years old. It was every interesting looking back. I never reflected then, for me it was all about just getting the highest mark I could, not looking back at the comments and improving from them.

Now I have gone back to my original dance school I have finally at the grand age of 24 put a lot of things into place:

• The importance of syllabus work for core strength, technique etc. 

At the time I thought it was a chore, I just wanted to learn routines! I wanted to listen to the latest music and dance to it. I wanted to be funky!

• In exams you are given feedback.

I literally wanted to get honours in every exam and if I didn't I got grumpy! I never read the comments the examiner had personally given me, I looked at the mark. If I had took the comments on board I would have been more likely to get honours next time. 

• Mime! 

From the age of 3-5 you are not given grades, you get a certificate. With in the exam you have to do a mine, a fairy tale or nursery mine! Acting out the story so the examiner can guess the fairy tale is genus! I never looked back and realised I formed a character while performing. If I had carried this on through out my training as a young adult would my performing skills be better?

• The importance of the music

I always wanted to dance to the latest music however we had set music to every exercise. Now I see how important this was, the music is set for a reason. The rhythms, timing and phrases are all there for a reason and more modern music does not give this stability. It is nice to have a change once in a while but the set music is good grounding.

When I began this inquiry I wondered why syllabus work was so important. I never did it while I was in full time training why do it when your younger. However now I realise what a good structure it is and the reasons behind it. I think it is good to have a break from it once in a while and this is the reason I am planning a performance based class/workshop. I feel this will help with not only syllabus work but also performances and everyday life for young adults.

I am planning a class in which I can entice, encourage and help students with their performance skills. I am using my findings with in my professional practice, literature and current studies to plan this class. I think the above findings are also very important. If I can tell the students what I wish I knew at their age maybe they will benefit from this. Now I need to explore the ways in which I can tell them, verbally, with in an exercise etc. I want them to know how important it is to have the structure of a syllabus and how my class will help them use there feeling, emotions, experiences with in this work.

Linking Literature to finding!

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0197455612000020?np=y

When reading the above article not only did I discover an amazingly well planned inquiry and anaylse but also great information and bases for planning my artifact and backing up my findings.

The inquiry is based on a small group of psychiatric patients (psychotic or depressive disorders). The group has primitive expression (PE) form of dance therapy for 6 weeks with 2 sessions a week. Though the children and young adults I will be teaching do not suffer from either I feel the structure for the classes are good bases for all classes.

“The force of rhythm”

In my observation I noticed a dramatic difference between the classes that used syllabus set music and the classes that used chart music. The students showed on there faces that they enjoyed the rhythms and lyrics and were able to express their emotions however with the set music it was a mere beat form then to follow and keep in time too.

“The use of voice”

“Through his voice, he expresses his own personal feelings, consciously or subconsciously”

Not only does the voice express how some one is feeling but I also think it can help when describing something. When observing the classes I thought that I would hear a lot of dynamics in the voice to help verbalise movements and feelings however I didn’t. For instance a ballet teacher at college would describe a fondu (bending on one leg) literally “to melt” into the floor, as she said this her voice melted and slowed down. Her voice said it all. Talking through the movements always helped me grasp the feeling behind the actions and what a choreographer wanted.

“The repetition process”

Through this tool, the patient is made to “give a bit more” with each repetition of a given movement.

It’s very useful to repeat a movement and experiment with the feeling behind it. If you are going to be doing the same movement/syllabus/performance/show over and over again this keeps the feeling fresh.

“It’s nice to venture away from syllabus work and become more free, using the exercises and the movements from the syllabus but adapting those with a different style, strength or music” Quote from interview 1.

This is something that is already trialed with in the school however not that often.

“The importance of the group”

One thing that has held me back from “performing” is the thought of others with in the same profession judging me. I think it is so important that all the students feel comfortable with in a class. In all the interviews with the teachers I asked what the main aspect of dancing was to them and they all answered the same; the students being happy. Which reflects in the number of students that come back, observing body language and facial expressions.

“The use of play”

“He plays and dances roles from his own life and expresses them effortlessly without the criticism of anyone, because he is in a play”

Enabling yourself to create a character as you dance, expressing that person and letting go of you.

“The aim is to alert the participants to act and express themselves, while orienting their drives in a positive way”

Channeling your stresses, worries or anxieties from you own body in an acceptable way. Alter ego?

In summary each of the above tools from the inquiry can be used to create a meaningful and creative performance.

However, through the combination of all these tools, the dancer may feel freer to overcome the super-ego, possible limits and insecurities expressed in restricted movements, and may experience sublimation, enabling the feeling of enthusiasm.

The Eyes Have It

When observing classes I thought the reason for the lack of performance may be due to the fact that every studio that is used has no mirrors. The children are unable to see how they look or focus on their facial expressions however when reading ‘The Eyes Have It” by Allegra Kent I realised that mirrors are not necessary when you have the right guidance.

“There are no mirrors in our studio, so right away we go with how it feels, not how it looks. When Paul starts a work, he’ll leave me alone and let me play and find my own way before he fills in exact eye usage. As the piece progresses, he starts to edit and zero in on specific eye advice. I follow the mood and the music and let them lead me. If I’m looking at the audience, it’s directly at them; if Paul feels that it’s too confrontational, his solution is to use the downcast gaze. I pick a spot on a diagonal in front of me. It’s an inward gaze.” Annmaria Mazzini

Working with mirrors is not essential however if a professional needs guidance then a group of young students are going to need it too. What’s the best way to explore this with the students?

“Poets, artists, and children look into the eyes for emotional meaning. Babies stare into their mothers’ eyes. It’s one of their first major connections after the umbilical cord- their mirror into the world. Of course, the eyes don’t exist in isolation. In dance, they complete the line, the gesture, the tilt of the head, and the beauty of the musical phrase” By Allegra Kent

From the results of the questionnaire it showed that the majority of students thought that performance was the main aspect of a dancer and that performance was what made a dancer stand out on stage, I didn’t feel that this came across with in the class. I watched the majority of syllabus classes which I found focused mainly on technique. I discovered that in free classes in which the teacher did not do syllabus, did a warm up, across the floor and routine the students relaxed and performed a lot more. Could this have been due to the spontaneity of the moves? The change in music? Or just a coincidence?

The school that I am working for does a showcase for the students every two years, for just over a year they study a syllabus solidly. I would like to do a little more research before I interview the principle of the school. I want to know her views on adding a free class for the students once a month to enhance their performance skills.

Changes to my inquiry....

When finalising the questions for my survey I decided to write down the questions I want answering first. This helped me immensely when deciding on the final questions. It has also lead to me changing parts of my inquiry.

I want to know how important performance is to the students I will be teaching. How they use performance as part of dancing even if it is subconsciously. By doing this will help me find if there is anything missing in there classes to benefit them expressing themselves.

From research I have made I made my own definition of performance. It includes five aspects;

Facial Expressions, Musicality, Energy, Character and Eyes. I have chosen to refine this to four due to one of the questions in my survey:

3	When watching someone dance what makes an individual stand out?
	(Please tick one)
	1. Flexibility			2. Performance			3.Technique
	4. Musicality			5. Dynamics

This made me think that musicality should not be one of my aspects of a good performance. I feel as if musicality is an aspect of its own, it’s extremely broad and could lead to so many more avenues.

My consent forms are printed and I am scheduled to observe 4 classes on the week commencing 11^th March. I have chosen not to observe the principles class. I have made this decision as the Principle is aware of the topic of my inquiry. I don’t want to observe a class and her feel influenced to make changes to her normal teaching habits based on my inquiry. I feel she may now be more conscious of the subject. The questionnaires will be filled in by the pupils that I observe.

Module 3!!

The fun begins..................From reading blogs I can see everyone is pretty much in the same position as myself. After reading Luke Bohanns Blog http://lukebohanna.blogspot.co.uk I felt so much better. I feel like I am going to repeat everything he has blogged.

I am currently working on land in a gym (shift work) also fitting in Promotional work as well as any auditions. Coming home from the cruise and starting life on land after two years has been mayhem however I now feel like I am getting settled and getting into as much of a routine as I possibly can. This is the first time since graduating that I have not got a dance job lined up. It's scary! I am teaching but I am feeling the pressure and expectations around me to get my next break hence Module 3 unfortunately  taking the back seat.

Where I am with Module 3

I have printed parent/guardian consent forms for any students that are under 16 with in the class I observe. Which will begin to take place next week.

I am still working on my questionnaire. A questionnaire is not as easy as it looks, I am struggling to find the most beneficial questions. Not to get the answers I want but to get the data I need to benefit my inquiry.

I have arranged to interview three teachers, which will take place after my observations are complete. I do not want the interview to influence that classes that I observe.

I have decided to focus on the four following;

1. Questionnaire Questions - I need to finalise my questions by next week. I need to keep moving forward with this inquiry and this is holding me back. 

2. Gathering Data - This needs to be done ASAP, I need to go in head first and full out!

2. Structure my analyse (This thought panics me) - Start preparing for analyse, I feel like I am going to collect data and not know what to do with it. I need to plan and prepare myself so when I have received all the data I know how I am going to organise it. Especially my excel spreadsheet for the data from my questionnaire.

4. Literature - I need to research further into my chosen topic, Performance. I have found websites that supports teachers and also a university that has tutorials in performance. However I need to deepen my search and find readings relevant to my inquiry.

From everyone that has blogged about the first campus session I saw that Paula's slide show was a big help. I am currently working my way through as you can see from above. Kolbs cycle now becomes even more relevant to our current work. The timeline is a great way of keeping on top of things and showing myself that I am moving forward. I intend on moving steadily in the right direction.