Conclusion

In Dance, we have been studying dance skills; this has improved my understanding of my own dance ability, and overall I have made progress and developed as a dancer. This is because I now know what areas of my dancing I need to focus on to improve, and I also know what I am good at in dancing. When I watch myself in the mirrors I know how to correct myself and can see what I am doing well. By focusing on specific dance elements for example posture, I know how to improve it as I have done this by researching my focus trainings. By researching and learning in class I have learnt many ways to improve posture, for example my weight should be on the balls of my feet and I need to improve my core to be able to engage it. I can then apply this in my dance classes in and outside of school.

This term I have made a lot of progress in dance theory and Jazz/contemporary, because I have got stronger and improved my fitness levels. I have done this by putting my full amount of energy into each lesson and pushing myself to do better. Whereas before I could barely manage any press ups, and now I can now do them more easily. My core has also improved, by doing the plank and crunches, and overall I am learning to remember to engage my core to improve my posture. With so many amazing dancers around me, I feel inspired to try harder and this helps me to keep my energy levels up even when I am tired and muscles ache.

Dance Settling in Evening 16/10/13

Wednesday the 16^th of October was settling in evening, this was the first time my parents saw me dance at The Brit School. In Dance we have been having Jazz and Contemporary lessons. Everything we have learnt in term one was building up to settling in evening, to show our parents how much we had already improved and learnt about our self. We have been working on a number of exercises including Pliés, jumps, leaps, and sequences, which will help improve out technique as dancers. We showed both styles of dance to our parents, and performed exercises like pliés, and small sequences which included step ball changes at different heights and turns, as well as dance routines, to show what we had learnt during this first term.

The things I think I could have improved on in the performance were; that I didn’t fully extend my leg in the contemporary turn and I didn’t start on time on the step hop exercise, but overall I think I did well and I feel my timing has got a lot better over the last term. I think practising in smaller groups has been one of the reasons my timing has improved.

My targets for the next term were:

1. To improve my core so I can engage my abdominals when dancing.

2. Not to hold any tension in my arms or lift shoulders up.

3. To hold my turn out and Glut muscles for a stronger more stable body.

Using my targets while performing

I have learnt a lot about myself in dance this term, and I tried to apply my targets to the performance to show my understanding. To try and improve my posture when doing all the routines I stood with my weight on the balls of my feet and stomach tightened, this also helped me when finishing the step ball change sequence in a jazz fourth because I didn’t wobble. Tightening my core allowed me to jump and land easily and to move more elegantly.

I tried to relax my arms while dancing and make sure no tension was held there or in my shoulders. This made my dancing look better and more effortless. Also when performing the arm movement in the swing exercise, it helped make my fluidity better.

I held my turn out in the swing exercise, and pulled up my glut muscles, this meant I could feel the turn out and stretches. I pulled my stomach in to make it tighter and this helped me not to lose my balance.

Performing

When we were performing I kept the same amount of energy the whole way through and used all the energy I had. I tried so hard to extend every movement, using my kinesphere and using my facial expressions to the best of my ability. Having an audience kept me and the rest of dance strand motivated and energetic to carry on even though we had had a long day and rehearsal beforehand which had made us tired.

What have I done this week? 7/10/13

 This week I went to my dance school Grayes, for 2 Ballet Lessons (Inter-foundation and Level 5), 3 Jazz Lessons (Including 2 at Brit),  Contemporary (at Brit), Grade 4 Tap, and Grade 5 Modern. In Ballet this week, I learnt that I was changing my feet on the Pose turns which meant I was on the wrong foot. In Jazz I need to keep my pelvis neutral in the jazz fourth, as I lean forward. In Contemporary, I need to practise the Ron de jambe turn in the dance for settling in evening. In my Tap lesson I need to get more lift on my pickup to be able to make the beats clearer. For Modern this week, I practised choreographing and learning a routine quickly. This will help me when I am older and go for auditions to be able to pick up steps quickly. Next week at Brit we have settling in evening and will be showing our Jazz and contemporary routines and exercises.

This is a short clip from the dance in my Bronze Jazz lesson.

My Strengths in Dance

Dancers not only need to focus on what they need to improve on, but what they are doing well. This is because knowing that you are a good dancer builds self esteem, motivation and confidence. My strength in Dance is my flexibility. This is because I can get flat down in splits on both legs. I can also balance while doing a bow and arrow. Also being able to do splits helps me to be able to get a good split leap. I can also Plie well, as I am flexible.

My favourite Dance style that I also feel I am best at, is Jazz. This is because I like the variety of moves, and using different dynamics. Also Jazz dancers use a lot of leaps, kicks and jumps and these are the sorts of moves I enjoy dancing the most. This is a short clip from the Bronze Jazz dance.

Area of Development- Port De Bras

Dancers need to have good arm strength and mobility in their arms to be able to use their kinesphere to their potential. I can improve my arm strength by doing press ups and weights. I need to maintain proper placement throughout my entire body, to be able to make my arms look effortless. To develop my port de bras, I need to make sure my shoulders are in my sockets, and my shoulder blades are spread and not pinched. To never lead my arm movement from my wrist and let my arms have fluidity, which will make my dancing more pleasing to watch. I need to remember to hold no tension in my shoulders, and to extend my arms by moving my shoulders, but not out of my sockets. To improve Port de bras I should practice the sequence with just the arms before adding feet. Especially in ballet, I need to make my arms nicely curved to the point that the elbows are hardly noticeable. Correct and flowing port de bras is essential.

I developed my Port de Bras by going through the arms without the feet to feel where the movement should be and to feel the fluidity throughout my arms. I will do a few press ups each day in the breaks of watching TV. I will also try and remember to relax my shoulders, so that no tension is held there. 

Area of Development- Turn out

In Dance, turnout is essential and it comes from your hips. It shows the lines of the body and the position is more pleasing to the eye and more presentable when seen turned out. It also increases mobility and you are less likely to trip when dancing turned out. It allows you to move in different directions more easily. When your feet are parallel, moving sideways or backwards is much more difficult than if you were turned out, it increases the height of your extensions and lastly it creates a more stable balance.

I can develop my turn out by going to the gym and using the Hip Abduction/Adduction Machine this will help me to strengthen my hips to be able to hold turnout. To strengthen your hip rotators, stand with your feet parallel and toes and heels together. Tuck your tailbone in, pull your belly button into your spine and position your rib cage over your hips. Lifting the balls of your foot and contracting your glut muscles while you rotate the hips and pull the feet outward, keeping your heels together as you assume a natural first position. Return to parallel. I can also work on holding your turn out by doing Plies every day and imagining my hips wrapping round the backs of my legs. 

To improve my turn out I will work the Hip Abduction/Adduction Machine in the gym for longer on my PE lesson on Thursdays. I will also aim to Plie at least 30 a day, and will do this mostly while brushing my teeth or waiting for the microwave to finish. I will also complete the hip rotator excise when I am bored or waiting for something.

 

Area of Development- Posture

In Dance, I need to develop my posture because I pop my ribs out of place when dancing. This naturally makes me arch my back and I find it harder to engage my core. I also need to make sure my pelvis and ribs need to be aligned all the time. I can do this by squeezing my bum and tightening my core and opening my shoulders. To improve on my posture, I should stand with my feet parallel, body weight mostly on the balls of my feet and have the same amount of weight on each foot. Also, having my shoulders wide and chest open will help my posture and will make me look like a professional dancer and change my body language to make me look more confident. I will need to strengthen my core because having a strong core will allow me to be able to engage it more easily while dancing. This will help me not to wobble and your core is the centre of all contemporary dance moves.  I can do this by doing crutches, lay on my back while raising my legs up and down, and by doing the plank.

Having good posture will help to release shoulder tension, have freedom of movement in the arms, have a lower risk of lower back injury, help me to have more pleasing lines, help to look more confident on stage and off, and lastly, give more efficient breathing.

To improve this, I will do crunches in the breaks of adverts on TV and hold the plank. I will also remember to engage my core, not pop my ribs out (imagining them sewn together) and open my chest to overall give me better posture.

 

Targets

I need to improve my posture when dancing, as good posture means you are less likely to get injured. To improve my posture I firstly need to improve my core, I can do this by doing crutches, plank and press ups. I will develop it daily by doing crutches in the breaks of adverts and this will develop my posture, as I will feel where my abdominals are so I can engage them. I will also remember to engage my core, not pop my ribs out by imagining them sewn together and open my chest to overall give me better posture.

To develop my Port De Bras, I need to by going through the arms without the feet, to feel where the movement should be, and to feel the fluidity throughout my arms. I will do a few press ups each day in the breaks of watching TV. I will also try and remember to relax my shoulders, so that no tension is held there. Dancers need good Port de bra to make them look more elegant and to finish of the line.

 

Lastly I will develop my turn out so the lines of the body and the position is more pleasing to the eye and more presentable when seen turned out. It also increases mobility and you are less likely to trip when dancing turned out. It allows you to move in different directions more easily. When your feet are parallel, moving sideways or backwards is much more difficult than if you were turned out, it increases the height of your extensions and lastly it creates a more stable balance. I will work on the Hip Abduction/Adduction Machine in the gym for longer on my PE lesson on Thursdays. I will also aim to Plie at least 30 a day, and will do this mostly while brushing my teeth or waiting for the microwave to finish. I will also complete the hip rotator excise when I am bored or waiting for something.

By doing all these things every day I will be able to develop my dancing more easily and be able to make more progress.

Next term targets

1. To improve my core so I can engage my abdominals when dancing.

2. Not to hold any tension in my arms or left shoulders up.

3. To hold my turn out and Glut muscles for a stronger more stable body.

What have I done this week? 30/9/13

This week, I have danced at my dance school Grayes and at school. At Grayes I went to Inter-foundation Ballet on Monday, Modern on Wednesday, Jazz on Thursday and level five Ballet and grade 4 Tap on Saturday. At the Brit School I had Jazz and Contemporary on Thursday, and Bronze Jazz on Friday.

From dance this week I have learnt, that I need to tighten my glut muscles and core when dancing. This will give me more strength and I will be less wobbly. I learnt in ballet, that when I do my Port De bra stretch looking at the bar, I need to make my arms more curved, and turn my head to make the alignment nicer. In Bronze Jazz, I learnt that I need to go through my feet on the warm up, and make my dynamics really sharp especially on the stretch up. I also learnt in Tap that I need to lightly put my heels down on the pullbacks. For contemporary I learnt to roll through my body, and then tuck my tailbone under to keep my posture correct. In Jazz, I need to have stronger arms and travel the turns more from the corner, and finish in a Jazz fourth.

 

Strength training excise

In Dance, I need more core strength. Once I have gained more core strength, I will be able to engage more abdominals to have better posture. This will also mean that I am less wobbly, and will have more strength behind the move which will make me look nicer.

An exercise which can help me gain core strength is crutches. I can do this by lying on my back with my feet hip width apart. I will then raise my head and shoulders off the floor. To avoid straining your neck, I will raise my head diagonally lengthening the back of my neck. I could then hold this position for 3 seconds and complete 8 times, or do 3 sets of 16 at a time.

Another exercise which can help me gain stronger abdominals, is the plank I could do this on my front, or my side. For side plank I would lie on one side of my body placing the left hand on the floor, making my right arm in line with the left and feet on top of each other.  I will then tighten my abdominal muscles. And hold for 30 seconds. Then I will repeat on my right side. However, I can also do the plank on my front, keeping both feet together and my stomach down. I will also need to tighten my abdominal muscles too. I could hold this for 1 minute.

The next exercise will also help several muscles in combination. It is a bridge. To complete this bridge exercise, I will need to lie on my back with my knees bent and hip width apart. I will then keep my back in a neutral position, which is not arched and not pressed into the floor. Before starting the exercise I will tighten my abdominal muscles. Firstly, I will raise my hips off the floor until my hips are aligned with my knees and shoulders. I will then stay in this position for three deep seconds and repeat.

The last exercise I can do to increase my abdominal muscles strength is to lie on my back again with my knees hip width apart and raise one leg at a time. I will need to make sure my back is neutral on the floor, and I will be tightening my abdominals so they feel like they are pushing into my back.

To improve overall improve my abdominal strength, I will do one of the activities in the advert breaks on TV.

Flexibilty training exercise

All dancers need to have good flexibility to get through auditions, and be able to get jobs for work.  I am already fairly flexible, but I would like to increase my flexibility further to reach my full potential. Before I do any splits, or attempt anything difficult or out of my comfort zone, I will stretch my muscles and make sure they are warm. This is because the warmer the muscles are the more likely they are to stretch.

Firstly, to increase my flexibility more than just sitting in splits, I will put a foot on top of something raised and go into splits to increase the stretch. I will then try and hold this as long as possible (at least more than 3-4 minutes), and repeat on the other leg. I can also do splits up the wall. I will do this by stretching one leg up the wall, and hopping my other foot towards it so I can try to get flat down. I also want to get flat down in box splits, so to do this I will go down into splits and pull myself forward. I will need to put my arms flat down so I am not holding myself up and can go right down to increase the stretch.

The next stretch is to get a more flexible back. The first thing I do is a back bend to click my back, next I will go into bridge and push my legs straight and shoulders over my hands. I could also bend my knees and rock backwards and forwards in this position. Next I will put my hand and elbows down on the floor to increase the stretch. I can also lay on my front and try and touch my feet with my head. I could watch TV with my legs on the sofa and stomach on the floor, to increase the stretch I would just push my stomach further into the floor. My goal is to be able to do the scorpion really well and be able to hold it.

To improve my flexibility I will stretch during TV programs, and whenever I need something to do.

Performance Quality

Performance Quality is essential if a dancer wants to work on stage or be a performer. To be a performer you need a passion for what you are doing. As well as that, you need to love what you are doing and want to do it, otherwise it will come across to the audience that you don't want to be there. This means they will no longer be engaged in your performance.

To practice performing, I can perform to my parents and friends to get used to people watching me. The training exercise I will do is film myself and watch it back and then I can see all the things I did well, as well as highlight the areas I need to improve on.

Dancers need to have engaging facial expressions and good eye contact. You need to transmit emotion through your eyes, and need to be able to connect with the music through your own personal experiences or think of what the words mean and transmit your take on it to the audience. Dancers need to know how to change their mood to the style of dancing and the song. Facial expressions are also important as it tells the audience about the dancers personality and changes the mood of the person watching. For example if it was an upbeat song, you would smile and project happiness to your audience. It could also be a funny song where you could pull silly faces and make the audience laugh. But if it was an emotional lyrical you would  have to project emotional through your eyes and not have a big smile on your face. Even if you are not smiling you need to show you are aware of your surroundings, and awake through your eyes as this is just as important as facial expressions.

I need high levels of energy to make the audience want to watch me, dancers need to start and finish with the same amount of energy and this means they also need to eat foods which can give them energy. This shows being a dancer is a around the clock job. Dancers should already have enthusiasm and love what there are doing to make it interesting; they should have the same amount of energy even if there is only one person watching.

To be a great dancer you need enthusiasm. I will have to want to work hard to be the best that I can be. This means being motivated to go to lessons or rehearsals, and working hard. Even if you’re not dancing you should keep your fitness levels up just by doing other activities like running, or going out for a fast walk. You need to have high levels of fitness to be able to keep going through a routine, and not to fall short half way through. By having enthusiasm will help me to be a great dancer and keeping going for what I want to achieve and make working hard easier as its what I want to do.

To be a better performer I will need to practice the dances full out with the facial expressions, eye contact and good technique. This will allow me to be more prepared for preforming. Knowing the routines inside out will allow me to focus on the performance side, instead of worrying what comes next.

So to be a good performer I will film myself, ask friends and family to watch me, have good facial expressions, good eye contact and high energy levels.  

Dynamic Range exercise

   Dancers need good dynamic range, to make it more interesting for them, and the audience to watch. Dynamic range is having fast and slow, or soft and sharp movements. This allows the dance to be more interesting to watch, as if all the movement were fast, it doesn't add the surprise element of what is going to happen next.

Dancers can increase their dynamic range, by putting in sharp movements and soft into their dances. They can make their movement softer by fully extending their arms and takings a longer time to do the movement. I can imagine someone is pulling my arm and I have to counterbalance my weight. However, dancers can also make their movement sharper by having strong muscles and being precise. I can make a movement sharper by going through the movements one count at a time, and feeling where my body weight should be. I can imagine someone is taking a picture of each movement so my movements will be clean and sharp.

Dancers can also achieve dynamic stretching to improve their dynamic range. Dynamic stretching is stretching and warming-up through movement. This doesn't mean bouncing during a static stretch, but rather gently but vigorously swinging and rotating the various joints. For example, I can roll down through my spine and out into a press up position. As well as lie on my back and swing one leg at a time backward and forward, I am leaning to the side while my leg is swinging. I could also do a kick, instead of holding my leg, I can kick it higher and higher each time. But I should only do the number of repetitions that I can do, without decreasing my range of motion.

In order to improve my dynamic range, I will do dynamic stretches and go through the movements count by count.

What have I done this week? 23/9/13

This week I have had hours of dance, this includes Inter-foundation ballet, Grade 5 Modern, Grade 4 tap, Level 4 Jazz, level 5 ballet, Bronze Jazz, and Contemporary and Jazz (at Brit). This week in ballet I learned I need to pull my toes back to work my turn out and improve it.

 

In tap I managed to complete the warm up to a much higher standard than I did the week before, this meant I got all the beats in time and had a clear sound. In jazz I practiced spotting on my turns and this helps me not get as dizzy, and in bronze Jazz I learned the dance and performed it to a high standard. In Contemporary, I learned to roll down through my spine going down vertebrae by vertebrae.