analysis of strengths, areas for development and opportunities experienced across the Unit 13 and Unit 14

List of performances completed for unit 13 and 14:

-          Six the musical performance | November 2022

-          Jazz dance performance | December 2022

-          Contemporary dance workshop with Danilelle Gardener, The Garage | January 2023

-          Contemporary dance ‘El Perdon’ performance | March 2023

-          Kathak Dance ‘Dancing in the street’ Performance | June 2023

-          Musical Theatre Bob Fosse style ‘All that Jazz’ performance | June 2023

Task one:

Stamina 

Stamina is the ability to sustain a physical activity for an extended period of time whilst making sure that you maintain a high level of performance throughout. This aspect of dance is one that I feel has definitely improved a lot during this year. At the start of the year we did a jazz dance where stamina was a key aspect in so the moves could be performed seamlessly. When performing this you can see that there are times where my stamina lack and less energy was being put into the moves.

However, when it came to us performing our kathak dance which required a sustained amount of stamina throughout due to the long length of the piece, I found that I was able to hold my stamina more effectively and was able to maintain the same level of energy throughout.

Link to Kathak dance: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/8dff0b9d-8259-48d0-b24d-74924cbf2020

Balance

Balance is the ability to be able to stay stationary in a position that may be from one point of contact for a length of time. This aspect of dance I can see has improved over the course of this year as a targeted this as an area to improve. For example, when we came to do six, I found that at times my balance was not as strong as it could have been and I would begin wobbling out of place.

 Link to Six: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/98cd3fae-3b9a-4078-890a-1066b422271c

time stamp (14.03 - 14.19)

However, later this year, when we came to do the kathak dance, I found that my balance was a lot stronger and this can be seen in the greeting sequence where I have to hold a position on one leg with my arms up for a period of time.

Link to Kathak dance: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/8dff0b9d-8259-48d0-b24d-74924cbf2020

time stamp (0:00 - 1:25)

Co-ordination

Co-ordination is the ability to do multiple things simultaneously while making sure they are done correct and accurately. This is an aspect of dance which I feel that I improved one a lot over the year. For example, when we came to do six at the beginning of the year there were times where my co-ordination was a little off and not as strong as it could have been.

 Link to Six: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/98cd3fae-3b9a-4078-890a-1066b422271c

time stamp (2:35 - 3:20)

However, with some practice and work I found my coordination improved. This can be seen in my Kathak tahkars and bols. In the video below, you can clearly see an improvement of my co-ordination as I am able to move my arms and feet separately while maintaining the rhythm. And this was achieved over the year through practice and rehearsal time.

Link to Kathak dance: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/8dff0b9d-8259-48d0-b24d-74924cbf2020

time stamp (1:51- 2:08)

Posture 

Posture is the ability to keep a proper and upright stance. This is an aspect of dance that I believe has really improved due to practice. For example, at the start of the year in the jazz dance that we did, I could see that at times my posture was not correct and I was beginning to slouch a bit.

However, by the time we did El Perdon I could see that my posture had greatly improved. This can be seen throughout the piece and especially when I am waiting on the side to re enter the piece of dance. This aspect has been improved by doing targeted warmups and exercises to allow my posture to become better.

Expressions

Expressions are the faces that you pull to portray and emotions or to set the mood of a piece, and this is something that I feel that I have greatly improved overtime. For example, during six there were times were my face was not reflecting the mood of the dance/ song effectively or correctly. So when I noticed this I knew it was something that I needed to work on.

 Link to Six: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/98cd3fae-3b9a-4078-890a-1066b422271c

time stamp (4:30 - 4:38)

When it came to later on in the year, when we did the El Perdon number I found that I was able to remain focused and make sure that I was engaging my face the whole time to allow the piece to portray the correct meaning and intention.

Task two:

Stage Presence 

When it comes to stage presence, this refers to the way you carry yourself when you are performing on stage. For me this is an area that is weaker than other areas of dance. This can be seen in the performance of six during the number get down. Although my performance and stage presence was strong there is definitely a lot of areas that could be improved to make it more engaging.

 Link to Six: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/98cd3fae-3b9a-4078-890a-1066b422271c

time stamp (36:26 - 36:37)

This area of dance is one of my weaker areas due to me having quite low levels of confidence when it comes to performing in front of other people. For example, I find it easier to perform when I can see my audience or I am alone. So this is something that I need to work on for future projects and I will do this by taking up more opportunities to perform to audiences that I can see.

Control

When it comes to control, this refers to your ability to perform and execute something without being uneasy. For me, I would say that this is an area that I am slightly weaker in compared to others. For example, during the jazz dance that I did earlier this year, there were clear times were I was not as control as I could have been. Which then threw off some of the moves. 

This area of dance is one of my weaker areas as I find that I struggle to balance and control myself when dancing, especially when it comes to the distribution of my weight. So this is something that I need to work on for next year, and I plan to do this by working on my control and overall distribution of my weight when dancing.

Recall of Dances

When it comes to dance, I find that sometimes my ability to recall piece of dance numbers is weaker that I would like. Although this cannot be seen directly in piece of work I have done, there has been times were a small slip up occurs like the wrong foot for example. When it comes to our performance of six, there were times where I would forget what foot I was using of what the timing for certain bits were, and this overall weakened my performance.

 Link to Six: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/98cd3fae-3b9a-4078-890a-1066b422271c

time stamp (13:25 - 13:43)

This area of dance is one of my weaker areas as I find that my memory and recall is not as strong as my peers. So I plan to improve this by practicing and learning more dances in my free time and seeing if I can re call them a couple days later, so that I can test my overall re call.

Projection

When it comes to dance and performance, I find that although my projection is quite clear and loud, at times it is not as strong as it could be. For example, when we did our piece of kathak dance, in my group piece I found that I was not projecting as clearly or loudly as I possibly could have been. So this weakened my ability to tell the story.

Link to Kathak dance: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/8dff0b9d-8259-48d0-b24d-74924cbf2020

time stamp (4:26- 5:40)

This area of dance is one of my weaker areas as when it comes to projecting I find that I am quite quiet and it can be hard for people further away to be able to hear me when they watch a piece that I am in. So I plan to work on this for the next year through taking time to read out loud speeches etc. and making sure that I speak them clearly and loudly.

Contemporary style

When it comes to dance, contemporary is definitely my weak point as I had never had direct training in it till this year. This can be see through a short piece of contemporary dance that me and my group put together during the year. In the video, it can be seen quite clearly that I am not performing the piece to the right level of accuracy as I could have been so that it reflects the contemporary style.

This style of dance is one of my weaker areas due to me not having had much direct practice or training in it over the years. So I plan to take some classes that target this style of dance so that I can improve and become more confident in performing in this style of dance.

 Task Three:

During unit 13 and 14 I have been given a wide variety of opportunities to help me develop my skills as a performer. However, some of them really stood out for me as they helped me develop skills that I was not the strongest on.

Learning new dance styles

Throughout unit 13 and 14 I was introduced to a wide variety of dance styles that I had never been introduced to or even explored before. Some of these included Kathak dance and contemporary. Being able to explore new dance styles that I had never explored before allowed me to really widen my abilities as a dance and a performer and allowed me to see elements of dance explored in different ways to really reflect each of the dance styles. So, for me, being able to explore and learn these different dance styles was in my opinion one of the best opportunities that I was given.

Public performance opportunities

Throughout unit 13 and 14 I was provided with a wide range of performance opportunities that were all unique to each other and gave me different experiences in environments that I was performing in. For example, one that really stood out to me was our flash mods. This stood out to me as this was something I had never explored or done before and really brought me out of my comfort zone. But by doing these flash mobs I have found that my confidence and focus has really improved. So, for me, being able to be able to participate in several public performances has been one of the best opportunities I have been given.

Learning about physical skills

Throughout unit 13 and 14 we were given time to be taught and learn about all the different physical skills that came with dance and for me I felt that this was useful. Coming into this I had a very limited understanding of the physical skills and how I could use them to my advantage during my performances. But during these units I have found that my knowledge and understanding of them has grown and it has really helped me when trying to target my improvements when it comes to dance. So, for me, being taught more on my physical skills has been really helpful for me.

Regular feedback

During unit 13 and 14 my teacher/s have been able to provide me with a constant flow of feedback to help aid my work as a performer and this has been very helpful. By having this constant flow of feedback, it gives me time to adapt and work on elements that need to be worked on at the current time instead of getting the feedback to late to even work on them when they needed to have been improved. So, I personally feel that this has really allowed me to develop as a performer in an effective way.