IDP...

The performance went really well last night and I am so thankful for all my dancers effort and hard work, it really did make the piece what it was and i cudnt be more pleased with the result, so thanks to Carole, Magenta and Nicole my three awesome dancers, you were amazing last night :) xxx

Breaking Boundaries...

Finally the rehearsals for IDP are over and it's time for the show! very nervous and excited...
The process has been really enjoyable and I am very happy with my final outcome, my dancers have worked extremely hard and have all had a massive input into the piece.  Thanks guys :)
the peice is called 'Vehicle of Conceptualization' and it's all about the mentality of a dancer.  I took inspiration from a quote I found which says "We feel out bodies, adrenilin and rapid heartbeat from fear and anger, tears from sadness or excessive laughter and the giddiness of happiness." It focuses on the connection between mind and body.  I also got help from my brother Kieran to create some of my music as I wasnt sure what I wanted and he suggested a few things that i thought would work really well and I am happy with what he has created.  It has inspiring little quotes throughout from people such as Lincoln and Martin Luther King but theyre very subtle. 

The tech was on Monday and seeing it on-stage was awesome, really pleased with the lighting choices that Gerron put together for me.  One bit that the lighting really made stand out was a heartbeat section mid-piece it looked really good and is now my fav part of the whole thing.

It has been a lot less stressful than usual this time round and I am really excited for my dancers performing tonight :) wish us luck! x

New York!

As you know me and some of my fellow students booked up to go to New York on the 11th of April to take part in dance classes and see shows etc. We put in a lot of hard work to ensure we were getting the most out of the experience and what an amazing experience it was.  Through out the week we took classes at Broadway Dance Centre, Peridance, Alvin Ailey and did a workshop with Peter Kyle.  We did a variety of styles including contemporary, contemporary jazz, jazz, hip hop, gaga, voguing, flexibility and modern.  In every class we started with an intense warm up and went into a routine that was taught rather quick so it meant having to pick things up faster and asking more questions.  I found the first hip hop class we did a bit of a struggle but as the week went on i realised there was no time to be a perfectionist over the movement and it was the feeling of the choreography that took over, especially in the contemporary classes the passion that the choreographer was projecting whilst teaching the movement was inspiring and the experience of having everyone so in the zone created such a great atmosphere and I thought at that moment I never wanted to leave!

also before we left we emailed Peter Kyle as a group as we had been informed that he worked here at Telford with previous BA's and he was more than happy to set something up for us in New York as he wasnt doing any drop in classes at the time.  He was so lovely and enthusiastic and managed to find a space where he did a workshop with us and a live musician.  His friend who is an artist was also there to sketch some things which was a really nice idea.  The workshop was extremely challenging as he did a lot of technique work with us aswell as sequences which challenged our co-ordination and use of direction.  It was a great workshop and he has taken all our email addresses to stay in contact which I thought was really nice of him.

The gaga and voguing were completely new experiences and I am really glad we got a chance to try them out as I have never come across anything like that in the UK.  The gaga was very strange but quite theraputic in a way, it's all about being aware of the body and analyzing the movement and connection between effort and pleasure.  I found myself letting go of any tension and it was really strange because it looked like we wernt rly doing anything physically demanding but my body felt like id had a full on work out!  and the voguing was fantastic, the choreographer Benny Ninja was hilarious and so much fun to work with.  I couldnt quite get the hang of the movement to be honest but I loved Benny Ninja :) he was fab!

we also did a lot of sight seeing, one of them being the 9/11 memorial which was so inspiring, it was quite emotional and we got a tour which allowed us to hear stories from people who were involved in the events that day, it was amazing to see what their plans for the future hold and the way it has been thought out was really touching.

I really didnt want to leave...dance was everywhere and there was so much oppertunity to better yourself as an artist.  I would really love to go back and take more classes and hopefully next time see a show as we just didnt have enough time and money to do everything this time round.

RP Essay 2, done and gone!

Yay! such a relief to have our final RP essay handed in.  Although I did enjoy some of the research for this essay in particular and discovered my new fav dance company of the moment 'Momix Dance Company', I am relieved that I now have more time to concentrate on work for my IDP as I feel the stress of everything else was bringing me to a holt for working on my piece.  I feel a lot better that it has finally been handed in and is no longer in my hands, lets just hope its good enough!

Momix Dance Company's 'Botanica'

Hip Hop workshop

Such a great day! :) On Sunday I decided to go along to Vodka Rev to check out the 'Attention to Detail' Breakdance battle with a group of fellow dancers.  I wasn't sure what to expect but it was a great atmosphere and I really enjoyed watching all the dancers battle it out.  Some of them were outstanding and I found myself wanting to join a breakdancing class by the end of the day! lol.

We also took part in a hip hop workshop led by Caramel Soldier, a member of 'Blaze' whom i seen perform last year.  The workshop was amazing, I loved every minute of it and it was great to try a completely new style which didnt allow for anyone in the room to hold back, you just had to go for it otherwise it would be impossible to pick up the movement.  I thought Caramel was very inspiring, such a great dancer and she really broke it down for us.  After today I feel a lot more open to trying different dance styles, I wasnt sure how i would get on with the hip hop but when i was there i really enjoyed it and definately want to do some more. 

Taking Flight 2011, Day 5...

Another early start for the final day of the tour.  We met at 7.15 and left in the cars for St. Augustines, which is my old High School.  We had a big warm up then a quick tech run before the performance in the theatre.  The theatre was a really good size and the space was very nice only issue was the floor was very hard and cold but not a problem for us telford dancers...we managed just fine.
The performace was really good although the wings sometimes got a bit confusing as the stopped you from seeing what was going on on-stage because it was like one big wing rather than a few small ones, it just meant adapting to the space and coming on-stage slightly early to get into position.  Afterwards we had Q and A with the pupils, they were quite quiet at first but after a few questions they got more into it and all the questions they asked were very relevant to them. 
I then went on to teach a jazz workshop with Kerry.  We taught a mixed class of forth year pupils and we decided to teach them some of Yasmins choreography because they had previously done a workshop with Dawn before the tour where she taught some of the Jazz so it was something different for them.  I led the warm up and then Kerry taught the movement but we both helped one another and worked together really well.  When it came to the creative section we were interupted with an offer from one of the teachers saying that the third year class that had a workshop with Carole and Petal would really like to do a sharing and we thought this would be a really great idea so we ended up getting to see what each class had learnt.  I think the students really enjoyed the workshop and it was really nice to have a class that were enthusiastic and willing to learn as they all had a different level of experience.  It was great experience for me too as I didn't feel as nervous as usual and having Kerry there enabled us to have fun and I really enjoyed doing so.
We then left to meet the rest of the BA's at Broughton High School, where we had a very relaxing warm up which was amazing but I did feel a bit sleepy afterwards.  Another great space to work in although some of the wings were blocked which meant we had to work out other ways to get into position if that was the case. Our final performance was great, I think we knew this would be the last time we performed until April so we enjoyed every moment of it.  It was a good week and a really useful experience as it gives you an insight of how much there is to do on tour and how you cope with the day to day performances.  I really enjoyed the whole experience and it has made me want to be in a company even more, with the right amount of help I think i could do it or at least give it a shot. 

Taking Flight 2011, Day 4...

Early start to day 4 as the bus left Telford at 7am in order for us to be at Reid Kerr College by 8.30 to get ready for the performance at 9.  We didn't have much time for a good warm up but we got a quick run around and stretch.  I felt a lot more tired and less prepared on the Thurs and I did make a few unusual mistakes throughout the performance and even fell at one point during 'My hero' so it wasn't my best performance but I still enjoyed it.  We also had to perform facing the mirrors which was really strange for us because we've learnt not to look at ourselves when rehearsing these pieces and at first we panicked and thought that it would put us off but in the end it really didn't make any difference as sub-consciously we knew not to relay on them.  The students watching were very nice and enthusiastic and asked some good questions at the end during the Q and A.
We then had a break whilst the worshops took place so we ventured around paisley for dinner before getting packed up and back onto the bus to head for Anniesland College.  We arrived in plenty time for a good warm up which was well needed as most of us were feeling a bit tired.  Again the performance went really good and the students watching seemed to enjoy it too.  They gave some good feedback at the end and showed an interest in what we do in the BA (Hons) dance course at Telford.  They also took an interest in the board which was really nice to see, they were looking at each of the dancers biographies to gain a bit more information about individuals. After a long day we packed up and set home...to my surprise I received a birthday song and cake from the team which was really nice, brightened up my day :) i also got some lovely prezzies and interesting cards (ladies...) and a delicous cake from Eth along with an easter egg from Craig (Carole's Boyfriend), so thanks to everyone i had a great birthday :) although i did look really greedy walking home with all the left-over cake and chocolate!