Review of progress in 'Dancing on the Street' a Kathak Dance project for Unit 13 and Unit 14

 The physical skills

Posture and Alignment

Application of physical skill in Kathak

In Kathak dance Posture and Alignment are skills that are very important in making the performance of the style technically accurate. For Posture and Alignment in Kathak, it is important that you stay upright at all time and standing up straight. Along with this something that is looked at and present a lot in Kathak dance to do with posture and stance, is that they stylistically like to add triangular shapes into their work through their body. When it comes to my performance of Kathak dance, In the video below, you can see at the beginning that I am standing in an Upright stance that I am holding on to well and not dropping out off at any point. Along with this, my stance shows the stylistic feel of triangular shapes that I am creating with my arms and also my legs.

- (I am the one in the hoodie for context)

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

When it comes to how successfully I believe that I executed this skill, I would say that I executed and performed it to a high skill level. This is as I was able to keep this upright posture and stance throughout my dance sequences (like the one you can see above). Along with this, I made sure that no matter what move or position I was in, I was holding myself up right and inline with my centre of gravity.

How I can further improve the application of this skill

When it comes to the way that I feel that I could further improve the application of this skill, it would be to make sure that I didn't sway at points. I found that when I was having to stay in a position for an extended period of time I began to wobble a bit, which in turn effected how up right I was holding myself. So to improve, I would make sure to engage more core a little bit more to help me wobble less when having to stay in a certain position for an extended period of time.

Target setting for future improvement

I plan to improve this skill by making sure that I do exercises that can help me improve my strength mainly in my core and also legs. One exercise that I will be doing will be a plank, This is because in the exercise you have to hold a plank position for an extended period of time without moving. This exercise will help improve my core strength and I plan to do this every day for a minute, but overtime I will up the time I hold this to make sure that I can strengthen my core as much as possible to aid my ability to be able to hold the upright posture effectively for a long period of time. Along with this, I will also be doing wall sits, I will be doing this exercise daily as well as this will help me target the strength of my legs - which will help me be able to hold myself in certain positions easier, making it easier to hold a up right posture. I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

Co-ordination

Application of physical skill in Kathak

In kathak dance, Co-ordination is a very important skill that allows this style of dance to effectively work and be translated. One way in that I demonstrated co-ordination in Kathak was through my bols and takhars. This shows my co-ordination as when doing these both at the same time I have to make sure what I'm saying goes in time with my feet. In the video below you can see how I applied co-ordination in this style of dance as I moved my legs, arms and spoke all at the same time, while each of them where doing slightly different movements to each other.

- (I am the one in the hoodie for context)

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

When it comes to how successful I feel that I was when executing this style of dance, I think that I executed it quite effectively however there were some areas where improvement could be made. However, in the video, I show a very successful ability to do the takhars in time with my bols. So this shows that I was able to co-ordinate two different elements of my body in a short piece of dance.

How I can further improve the application of this skill

When it comes to this skill though, there are many ways in which I can improve this skill. For example my ability to co-ordinate more than two elements at once. Although my takhars and bols were in time with each other, it was clear that my arms where not as well in time as at points I would forget the timing of the arms and/ or their direction. So to improve this skill, I would make sure to practice this short piece of dance and develop my co-ordination and also make sure to do some exercises daily that can help with my co-ordination.

Target setting for future improvement

To improve this skill, I will make sure that I practice and go over this piece of dance in my spare time, as repeating it will help me slowly be able to co-ordinate more than two elements of my body and performance at once. Along with this, I will make sure to take some of my spare time to do some exercises that can help with my co-ordination, and when it comes to this I will make sure to alternate the exercises that I am doing so that It can keep my brain working on different areas of co-ordination. I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

Balance

Application of physical skill in Kathak

When it comes to Kathak dance, Balance is one of the skill that is very important to make sure that the rest of the dance can be performed precisely and technically accurate to the dance style. When it comes to my application of this physical skill, I was executing it throughout the video below especially at the end. For example, at the end of the piece we have to balance for a sustained amount of time on one foot whilst also keeping our hands in this open position, so in order to make sure that we could remain in the final position for a long sustained amount of time, I had to make sure to keep my balance, which was aided by staying upright. Also you can see other moments where I used balance in the video below to aid my technical performance of the dance.

- (I am the one in the hoodie for context)

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

When it comes to how successfully I believe that I executed this skill, I believe that I did it to quite a high level, however this could have been improved. When it comes to some aspects and moves of the dance that required balance I found that I was able to engage my core effectively to make sure that these moves were performed with the stillness and preciseness needed, and this can be seen in the video above. Therefore, this is why I believe that I executed this skill effectively. 

How I can further improve the application of this skill

When it comes to this skill in particular, there were definitely clear ways that I could improve my overall performance and implication of the skill. For example, in the last position of  the dance that we had to hold, I found that I was struggling to do this effectively and efficiently as I would wobble a bit or even put my other foot down completely as I was unable to balance in that position. So to help improve this skill, I would make sure that I spend time doing exercises that will help strengthen my legs along with improving my balance.

Target setting for future improvement

I plan to improve this skill overtime by using my spare time to do exercises that will help improve my balance. One exercise that I will do to improve my exercise will be rises on one foot. This will be were I will be rising up and down while my other foot is tucked under me. This will help my balance as it will target balance as I have to balance on one leg to do this exercise, But it will also strengthen my legs. Along with this, I will also be doing wall sits, I will be doing this exercise daily as well as this will help me target the strength of my legs - which will help me be able to hold myself in certain positions easier and balance effectively. I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

Strength

Application of physical skill in Kathak

When it comes the Kathak dance, Strength is one of the physical skills that is very important to have and be able to demonstrate effectively when it comes to Kathak dance. The reason why this skill is so important as, if you do not demonstrate good strength this can off put your balance or posture. When it comes to my own application of this physical skill, I demonstrated it through out however, the piece of work that demonstrates my use of strength the most would be the takhars and bols. This is as in the piece of work we have to make sure that we remain in a plie position through out, which takes a lot of leg strength to do.  So, as can be seen in this video below, I am holding this position throughout, which demonstrates my application of the physical skill of strength.  

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

When it comes to how successfully I executed this skill, I believe that I demonstrated it at a high skill level. This is as I was able to keep my body supported by my legs in this position for a prolonged amount of time whilst my legs also being bent into a plie position. Along with this, I demonstrated this skill in the way that I was able to Ridgely move my arms at a quick pace whilst keeping them straight. So due to my ability to hold myself up over a long period of time along with making sure that my arms are properly supported, I believe that I successfully executed the skill of strength.

How I can further improve the application of this skill

When it comes to how I could further improve this skill however in Kathak dance, I would do this by making sure that I improve the strength in my arms, legs and core. This is as all of these points in the body are important to have proper strength in to be able to perform the Kathak dance style. I will improve the strength in these areas by making sure to do exercises in my spare time that target each of these areas because overtime this should improve my overall strength in these areas.

Target setting for future improvement

When it comes to how I plan to improve this skill, I will be doing exercises in my spare time that will target my core, legs and arms. One exercise that I will be doing will be a plank, This is because in the exercise you have to hold a plank position for an extended period of time. This exercise will help improve my core strength and arm strength and I plan to do this every day for a minute, but overtime I will up the time I hold this to make sure that I can strengthen my core as much as possible. Along with this, I will also be doing wall sits, I will be doing this exercise daily as well as this will help me target the strength of my legs. I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

Stamina

Application of physical skill in Kathak

When it comes to Kathak dance, having very strong stamina is key and very important so that you are able to perform a piece of dance in this style for a prolonged amount of time while keeping the quality of the performance strong. When it comes to how I demonstrated a good use of stamina in this style of dance, This can be seen the tahkars and bols exercise. In this exercise, it requires a lot of different elements of your body to work together and at a fast pace - So to make sure that the performance stays consistent and of a high quality, a very high stamina is needed. In the video below, you can see that I am performing this sequence at a consistent level of pace and power and it does not dip at any point in the performance and this shows my strong application of this physical skill into kathak dance.

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

When it comes to how successfully I executed this skill in terms of Kathak dance, I believe that I demonstrated a high level of stamina through the work that we did. Although what we had practiced and performed kathak wise did not require that high of a stamina level, The way that I was able to keep my performance at a consistent level throughout and also at a precise and neat formation shows this. So overall, as can be seen in the video above, I was able to successfully execute stamina throughout the pieces of kathak dance that I performed.

How I can further improve the application of this skill

When it comes to how I could improve my application of this skill in kathak dance, it would be to make sure that even though I may all ready show a good stamina I control my breath control as this will help boost my overall stamina. To improve this, I will do it through multiple different exercises that target my breath control in different ways, and I will make sure to do these in my spare time that I find. Along with this, something else that will help target my use of stamina during these specific pieces of dance will be to make sure that I practice the pieces themselves. This is as it will not only target my stamina but also my memory of the pieces themselves. 

Target setting for future improvement

When it comes to what I plan to do before the final performance, it is to up my stamina and I will mainly do this through body training and also breath work. One thing that I will be doing is using my spare time that I have to go out for runs. This is something that I plan to do as this will help target my whole body and as it is something that requires stamina to keep up a regular pace, this will overtime improve my stamina when my body is doing a task that requires a lot of energy to be done effectively and well. Another exercises that I will be doing is breathing exercises, for example I will be doing things like breathing in for 4, holding for 4 and out for 4 along with breathing in and breathing out on a 'sss' sound for as long as possible. The reason why I want to target my breath control is because the more I am able to breath consistently will help my body be supplied with oxygen, which will in turn give me more energy and stamina to perform my pieces. I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

Flexibility 

Application of physical skill in Kathak

When it comes to Kathak dance, Flexibility is a skill that is very important to have and be able to display effectively when doing Kathak dance as it allows you to perform certain positions and moves to a high level. When it comes to how I displayed good use of this skill through out my performance of different sequences of kathak dance, The greeting displays the skill the most. This is as through out this sequence, we have to remain in a plie' position with our feet turned out, and this showcases flexibility in the hips and knees, along with the feet as they are in a turned out position. So personally, I believe that the greeting sequence displays my good use of flexibility in Kathak dance. 

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

When it comes to the skill of flexibility, I believe that I executed it with good technical accuracy. This can be seen through the way that I was able to extend the join at my hip to allow me to sit into the position that I have to stand in for a prolonged amount of time at the very start of the Piece. Along with this, my ability to extend my different joints to allow me to successfully take on a certain position was consistent throughout. This is why I believe that I executed flexibility with good technical accuracy.

How I can further improve the application of this skill

When it comes to this skill, I could definitely further improve my flexibility to allow certain positions to be reached more effectively along with just my over flexibility in general. To do this I will need to make sure that I stretch consistently over the weeks that I have running up to the final performance. By doing this, it will stretch some of my muscles more and allow me to access more movement at certain joints that I decided to target.  

Target setting for future improvement

To improve this skill directly, I will be doing a wide range of stretches in my spare time. The main part of my body that I wish to target through these stretches are my legs as the joints at my hips are the joints that I have the least amount of movement in when it comes to flexibility. Some examples of stretches that I will be doing to do this include things like the frog sit, where you sit down with you feet in an almost diamond shape, with your feet touching each other. Then to make the stretch effective, what you do is try to get your knees touch the floor, and this can be done by gently pushing them down towards the ground. Another example of a stretch I will be doing is where you sit down with your legs straight out in front of you and then you bring your chest to your legs. This stretch helps with the movements and flexibility at your hips and so does the previous one I talked about. I plan to do these two stretches along with some more general ones to help improve my flexibility, and I will be doing this every day so that I can improve my flexibility as much as possible. I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

 Performance skills

Projection - of movement material and emotional content to an audience

Application of physical skill in Kathak

When it comes to Kathak dance, Projection is a very key element in order for the story telling element of it to be clear to the audience watching. When it comes to my own personal application of this skill, I was able to clearly project my words while keeping the diction clear and the tone of it relevant to the story I was telling. This effective application of this skill can be clearly seen in the second paragraph in which my group and I were telling a story verbally along with actions. In this video, I can be heard quite clearly from a perspective of what I am saying being loud and said with clear diction. This can be seen in the video below as the vocal part of the story can be heard clearly.

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

When it comes to how well I feel I personally executed this skill, I believe that I executed it to a very high standard. I believe this as during the video I can hear myself clearly and understand each word that I am saying. Along with this, when I was performing this piece of work, I know that I made sure to take my time with each word that I was saying in order to allow them to be clearly understood no matter how far away the audience was. So my ability to be able to project the words loudly but also keeping the diction clear shows that I was able to execute this skill successfully, and the video above proves this.

How I can further improve the application of this skill

When it comes to how I could further improve the application of this skill in Kathak dance would be through working on my ability to project my words in larger more open spaces. One way in which I could do this is going outside or into a larger space and just speaking elements of the story out loud and making sure that I say them as loudly and as clearly as possible. This is as I wish to work on my projection without ruining my current high level of diction.

Target setting for future improvement

When it comes to what I exactly plan to do to improve this skill over the time that I have before my final performance, I plan to make sure that I use some of my free time to practice my projection. I plan to do this by going outside or finding a large space in which I can stand in and then say some of the story out loud and making sure that I try and fill the space with as much of my voice as I can. Another thing I plan to do at the same time as this is tongue twisters. I plan to do these at the same time as improving my projection as I want to be able to Keep a high level of diction along with having a stronger level of projection. So I plan to do this hopefully every other day when I can find time or an open space in which I can do this in. Overall, I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

Communication- of the meaning of the work as much as technical accuracy

Application of physical skill in Kathak

When it comes to Kathak dance, Communication is a very key skill in allowing the Storytelling of the piece to be understood by the audience effectively. To communicate the story to the audience that is watching this is done not only through our vocal tones but also our actions. For example, in the first part of the story that we performed, we combined the use of our words and actions/ mudras to communicate the story to the audience. In this video below you can see me doing this effectively as my actions are precise and clear along with my diction being clear.

 

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

When it comes to my personal use of this skill, I feel that I executed this very effectively. I believe this as I was able to consider all the elements that I would be using to communicate the story the audience. This was done through my precise mudras along with my clear speaking of the story. Both of these elements help make sure the story can be communicated effectively not only physically but also verbally. So overall, I feel that I successfully performed this skill throughout working on Kathak.

How I can further improve the application of this skill

When it comes to the ways that I could work on the application of this skill, this can be done through a lot of practice and research. For example, One this that I could do, is work on the way that I say the story to make sure that my speech is clear along with it being audibly interesting through changing my tone of voice at different points. Along with this, I could also work on the way that I use my face to reflect not only my movements but also the emotions of the story I am telling. 

Target setting for future improvement

To improve this skill, I plan to take time out of my day to work on different elements that will help with my ability to communicate the story to the audience. For example, One thing that I will be doing is taking some time to run over the story that I am telling and experimenting different ways that I can use my voice and face to make it clear about the emotions and intentions of the story. Along with this, I will make sure to take some time every other day along with the other stuff I will be doing to improve my communicate to work on the clarity of the actions that I am doing as this will make my communication clearer. Overall, I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

Facial expressions

Application of physical skill in Kathak

In kathak dance, Facial expressions are a key thing to consider as it not only makes it visually interesting, but it also helps it be clearer to the audience the intended meaning and feeling of the story that they are being told. For example, In the second paragraph on the Kathak piece, I showed clear application of facial expressions to tell the story. In this video, you can see that I made sure to use my face to help make it clear of the emotions that were being told through the story. For example, if a moment or something I was talking about made the character excited, I made sure that I displayed this on my face.

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

Personally, I believe that I successfully executed this skill in the way that I made sure that my face was engaged throughout the whole performance. Although at times my facial expressions could be seen as weak, most of the time I displayed them effectively and allowed them to reflect what I was talking about. I made sure that throughout I used every element of my face so that it really maximised the emotion in my face. So personally, I feel that I effectively executed this skill throughout my performance of kathak.  

How I can further improve the application of this skill

To further improve this skill there is a variety of things that I could do. For example, one thing that I could do would be to do some face warmups as this will help my loosen my face and make it easier and clearer when I am pulling certain facial expressions. Along with this, another thing that I could do to further improve this skill is looking into a mirror when making the expressions, as it allows me to see what I need to improve or change to make a certain expression be easily understandable.

Target setting for future improvement

When it comes to improving this skill, I plan to take time out of my day to make sure that this is really targeted and improved. For example, one thing I will be doing is starting to warm up and stretch the muscles in my face as this will allow me to have more control of every element of my face. Along with this, I will spend some time along side this to look into a mirror and practice some of my facial expressions to allow them to be easily understood by the audience. Both of these things I plan to do every other day for around 1hr of the day, as there is not much to them as they are quite simple. Adding to this, I will also be making sure that I take some time to watch other kathak performances to really get a clear understanding of how facial expressions are used in their pieces. Overall, I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

Focus

Application of physical skill in Kathak

When it comes to kathak dance, focus is very important to allow the piece that is being performed to look effective to the audience. When it comes to how I applied this skill in kathak dance, it can be seen clearly in the greeting sequence where my focus remain out and up toward the audience and does not change even if I slightly mess up with what I am doing. This skill is very important to consistently include as it really helps bring a piece together and make it engaging.

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

Personally I felt that I successfully executed this skill as through out the piece I was able to stay focused consistently, even if others around me were doing something different or messed up. This can be seen clearly as my attention and view stayed up and out to the audience. Along with this, it can be clearly seen in my face through out when I had to remain straight faced.

How I can further improve the application of this skill

When it comes to how I could further develop this skill, The only really way that I can do this is through constant practice of the piece along side getting familiar with the choreography of the piece. Although this may not seem like a lot, it will really help me improve my focus if I am familiar with the chorography as I will be worrying less about remembering it. 

Target setting for future improvement

To improve this skill, I will take time out of my day to focus on rehearsing the piece. I will be doing this as the more familiar I become with the piece, the easier it will make it for me to maintain my focus throughout the piece. I will make sure that I do this for around 1hr every other day to really maximise my improvement with this skill. Overall, I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.

Extension - of limbs

Application of physical skill in Kathak

In kathak dance, the extension of the limbs is very important as it helps and allows the actions that are being performed to be clear and easily understandable to the audience. Along with this it helps the piece become very neat and tidy, making it very immersive to the audience when they are watching it. When it comes to my application of this skill, It can be clearly seen throughout the greeting sequence. In the video below, you can see that my extension of my arms and legs are clear, however there is room for improvement when it comes to this as my arms are not stretched fully when it comes to how far they can be extended.

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

Personally, I feel that I somewhat successfully executed this skill. I think this as my arms and legs are both extended to the exact position that they need to be, however they are not extended as far as they could be. This especially clear for my arms. So this will need to be improved before our final performance to allow my performance to be as effective as possible. 

How I can further improve the application of this skill

To further improve the application of this skill there are a variety of things that I can do to improve this. For example, One thing that I can do to improve this skill would be taking time to stretch and warm up my arms and legs to allow them to have maximum extension. Along with this, general practice of the piece will also help make sure that my arms are used to being fully extended.

Target setting for future improvement

To improve this skill, I plan to make sure that I take time our of my day to focus on exercises and warmups that can help improve it. For example, I will make sure I start off by stretching my body to allow all elements of my body to be warm and maximise the extension that I can reach. After this, I will take some time to practice the dance while mainly focusing on extending my arms so that I can make sure I effectively apply the skill of extension during the performance and I plan to do this for 1hr every other day. Overall, I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance. 

Dynamics- using a rang of contrasting dynamics to give variety and interest 

Application of physical skill in Kathak

When it comes to kathak dance, dynamics is a key element and skill that is used to make the performance be as interesting as it possibly can be. For example, In the first paragraph you can see my and my group using different levels throughout to allow the piece to become visually interesting to the audience. Along with this we also used different volumes to allow the piece to have clear contrast, and this can be seen as we quieted our voice at "she presses her nose against the window". 

Personal review on how successfully I executed the skill 

Personally, I feel that I somewhat successfully executed this skill throughout my performance of kathak dance. This can be seen as I changed my vocal tone suddenly during the piece along with making my body more open or close with certain actions that I am performing. However, I do believe that their is room for improvement to make the contrasts more obvious to the audience. 

How I can further improve the application of this skill

To further improve this skill I will take some time to practice the dance, but making sure I really focus on the contrast in moves when it comes to the dynamics of the piece. This also applies to my vocal tone of the piece as well.

Target setting for future improvement

When it comes to improving this skill of kathak dance, I will make sure to take some time out of my day to practice the dance but really focus on the dynamics of my moves. If possible, I will do this in front of a mirror as this will help me see clearer what elements that I need to develop and work on. Along with this, I will also take some time out of my day to work on the speech side of the performance so that I can add in as many dynamics as possible while allowing the piece to flow effectively. Overall, I plan to have this all done by the time of our final performance, 14th June, and will be doing all the exercises up till then to make sure that I am as prepared as I can be for the final performance.