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.