Creating a Poster and being a Rehearsal Director (PPP) - 7/12/15 & 10/12/15

Creating a Poster:

Before adjustments

During last weeks lesson, the Marketing and Publicity group were asked to create a poster to advertise our show. It had to include when and where it was, as well as our noxious logo and a nice picture. Out of the seven of us, only four had done them for Monday. Julia took them in and had a look at them. To the side is the poster I created. On it, I included:

• Where and when the show is
• The name of the show
• The noxious logo
• A nice picture which represented our show. 

Julia then said she liked mine, however she had some adjustments she wanted me to make.  The first thing she wanted me to do is change the colour of the logo. She said that she wanted the writing of Noxious to be in either purple or white and then change the background of the logo to black, so that it matched the background. The second thing she wanted me to do is add purple eyes to either sides of the potion bottle. This is to represent the witches looking. The final thing she wanted me to adjust was to add the box office details to the bottom of the poster. When speaking to Julia is Thursday's lesson, we agreed that the box office email address and telephone number should be on there.
Overall, I really like my poster. Although it is not eye-catching, as it has a black background, the purple bottle and green smoke stands out, so will make people look. Also, Julia told me that my poster was going to be the front cover of the programme. This meant that I had to liaise with the rest of my group to make sure that the programme layout would match the front cover.

On the 11/12/15, I adjusted the poster to fit the criteria. I changed the logo and added the contact details to the bottom of the poster. However, I did not add purple eyes to the poster. This was for a number of different reasons. My first reason was because there was no eyes that looked good enough and/or matched the poster. My second reason was because the poster looked really crowded with them and so took the attention away. My final reason was because the poster looked better without eyes on them. Below is my final poster that I have created.

After adjustments

Becoming a Rehearsal Director for a lesson:

Every Wednesday lunchtime, we have a rehearsal, where the three rehearsal directors run over the routine they feel we need to work on. However, this week, the three directors were unable to come as they had to rehearse for another performance they were in that night. Also, some people from the class were also involved in that performance. This meant that they had to put three new rehearsal directors in charge for a lesson. For this rehearsal they chose myself, Eden and Jess. This was good as we work effectively together and therefore the rehearsal was a success.
As not everyone was there, we could not run whole routines. Instead we went through and cleaned parts of the routines that we needed to do. We cleaned parts of the witches routine and then rang that whole routine the best we could. It overall looked very good, however the dynamics weren't how they were meant to be. We then cleaned up the dynamics of moves and how they should be. After this, we taught Nina the new part of the Conference routine, as she wasn't in the lesson before.

Overall, the rehearsal was a success as we cleaned up certain parts of routines. We also focused on the dynamics of the moves, which we don't normally do, as we're usually just focusing on the movement. Everyone listened to each other and suggested ideas on what they needed to work on. To a certain degree, I would say that this rehearsal was more successful then our previous one.

Fourth Production Meeting and Strengths and Weaknesses (PPP + Jazz/Contemporary Technique) - 03/12/15

Fourth Production Meeting Overview:

At the beginning of todays lesson, we had a production meeting. In this lesson, we spoke about all the  tasks we have completed and all the tasks we're yet to complete. At the very beginning of the meeting, we had five minutes in our groups to discuss what we had been doing. Myself and the rest of the Marketing team got together and started to discuss this. One of the people in the group explained to the rest of us how they had organised there to be a cake sale in the main reception on January 11th. This is a good idea as we will be raising money and promoting our show. At the same time, we will also be doing a raffle, of which the main winner will win two tickets to see our show. We then tried to come up with other ideas of fundraising. We did not have much luck with ideas, however some people later on in the class came up with other ideas. We then got asked by Julia to create a poster for the show, so as a group we decided to each create one. Then we would pick the best three and put them around the school and then the best one as our programme cover. We also got asked to create a programme template and then make some official ones. She also told us to consider whether we wanted people to pay for our programme or not.
Afterwards we then got into a large circle and each group discussed what they had been doing and planned to do. Overall, this production meeting was successful as we discussed everything we needed to do and the deadlines we have to complete them.

Strengths and Weaknesses

In todays lesson, we had Julia. We mainly concentrated on Lucy and Blaze's routine for the show. At the very end of the lesson, Josie came in and we rang the 'hunting for the witches' piece. Overall, this lesson was very productive as we learnt more of the routines and cleaned up others. Both routines have elements of Jazz, Contemporary and Urban. None of my strengths and weaknesses from my previous lesson have changed, so I will discuss them again and why they're there this week.

Strengths:

• My first strength, which was in my previous blog post, is my determination. This is because no matter what happened during each routine, I carried on pushing myself to do the best of ability. I also made sure that no matter what had happened outside of lessons, it did not effect my ability to work with other people. To continue to have this as a strength, I will always push myself and be determined to do whatever it takes to improve.
• My second strength, which was somewhat a strength of mine this lesson, was my stamina. Although I found some routines difficult to keep my stamina up in, the majority of the time, I was able to. I know my stamina will never be my greatest strength, however I will continuously push myself to make it one of my strengths. To continue to improve this and have this as one of my strengths in lessons, I will try to dance full out throughout all rehearsals to insure it improves dramatically before the show. 

Weaknesses:

• My first and only weakness that I noticed this lesson was my spacing. I believe this was an issue today as occasionally I would not find my place in formations. This is an issue as I need to be able to find my place, without looking at others to find my place. Also, sometimes I would come out of my space, which would make formations look awkward. To improve this, I will consider where I need to be in all my formations.

Creating a routine and Strengths and Weaknesses (Devising + Jazz/Contemporary Technique) - 19/11/15

Creating a new routine:

In todays lesson, we created a new routine. This routine is for the part of the show where the Grandmother tells Luke about the witches. Im not too sure whether this routine is going to part of the film playing in the background, or something we perform live in the show. We were separated into our groups from the beginning routine. This included: the Witches, the Pillow Fight, the Playground and a couple of others. As I am one of the witches, we were separated into each of the 'children' groups. I was placed with Ella, Camay, Max and Dylan. This was good as I work well and effectively with these people.

We had to create four counts of eight when the children realise that I was a Witch. It was to involve lots of contact work. Julia suggested that because our group had two boys in it, they should lift me up. However, as Camay could not do one of the moves, her and Dylan swapped so Camay and Max were lifting me instead. Our routine included lots of contact work. Personally, I really liked our routine. It looked good, even though we did not complete the four counts of eight. We were all hard working and worked effectively together. We listened to each others ideas and included everybody's ideas. Although everyone worked really hard, the one person who worked the hardest and created the most amount of our routine was Ella. This was because she had thought about what looked good and what didn't and also what flowed into each move.

Strengths and Weaknesses

In todays lesson, we had Julia and Josie. In this lesson, we were working more on our Dining Room scene, started to learn Josie's new routine and created a new routine. Overall, this lesson was mainly focused around Jazz, however there were some Contemporary elements. Also, as we were making up more routines then performing them, I do not have many strengths and weaknesses. In this post, I will talk about both of my strengths and my weakness and why I think this may be.

Strengths:

• My first strength, which has fluctuated between being a strength and/or weakness, was my stamina. This is because I personally believe it has improved significantly. I know this as I was able to perform more routines without getting tired. I know that stamina will never be an actual 'strength' of mine, however I think for this lesson, it was definitely one. To continue to have this as one of my strengths in lessons, I will continue to dance full out throughout all rehearsals to insure it improves.
• My second and final strength, which is something I have not spoken about before, is my determination. This is because no matter what happens in rehearsals or in the performance, I continue on. This was proven in this lesson when I nearly fell over in one of the routines. I kept going and smiled it off so it was not noticeable. This makes it a strength as some people would stop or show they've gone wrong. To continue to have this as a strength, I will carry on no matter what happens.

Weaknesses:

• My first and only weakness that was noticeable this lesson was my spacial awareness. Although my spacial awareness it usually very good, today proved differently. In todays lesson we were dancing in a large group and there was very little space. I did not think about how much space I had or needed and got too close to people. This made it difficult for not only myself, but others to dance. To improve this, I definitely need to think about how much space I have in comparison to what I need, so I do not effect mine or others routines.

Strengths and Weaknesses (Jazz Techniques) - 12/11/15

Strengths and Weaknesses

In todays lesson, we had Julia and Josie. In this lesson, we were focusing on Lucy and Blaze' choreography and also the Dining Room routine. We went through, practiced and choreographed more of the routines, which look really good. Because both of these routines are Urban/Jazz, so my strengths are focused on them, rather then Contemporary. In this blog post, I will explain each strength and weakness and why they're there. Also, both of my strengths are there because I have seen improvements and not because I think they're strengths.

Strength:

• My first strength that I noticed during both the routines in Jazz was my technique. I know this is a strength because not only myself noticed it, but also others noticed and commented on the improvement. Also, I felt that since some of my other lessons, it has improved significantly. This is a strength as it means I have improved since my previous lessons and also people have noticed. To continue to have this as a strength, I will focus on my technique to improve it more.
• My second and last strength, which has mentioned a lot in my previous blog posts, is my alignment and posture. This is because I have seen an improvement over the last couple of lessons. I have also felt an improvement. This is a strength as it means that I have improved. To continue to have this as a strength, I will work in front of mirrors to check my posture. I will also slow down movements to check I have the right leg or arm alignment. 

Weaknesses:

• My first (and only) weakness I noticed this lesson was my stamina. I believe the main reason for this is because I am ill and it has effected my stamina. As a result, I found it challenging to finish routines without coughing or being out of breath. I think I definitely need to improve because if I am ill when I am performing, I need to continue to perform. To improve this, I will try to not be ill for the show - although you cannot guarantee anything. I will also continue to dance no matter how ill or tired I feel.

Creating the Dining Room Routine (Devising) - 05/11/15

Creating the Seated Dining Room piece:

In todays lesson, we had a cover teacher. Although we did not have our usual teacher, in the previous lesson Julia told us the two tasks we had to complete which are the following:

1. "In groups of 4, create a unison routine using the notes you got from last lesson. It has to include gestures, be sitting throughout and be at least two counts of eight."
2. "After creating your two counts of eight, create another routine. This one should include more dance movement such as: moving objects and swapping chairs with people. This should NOT be in unison and there should be no point where you're doing the same thing as someone else. Remember to use the table and chairs and make the routine at least four counts of eight."

As I was already sitting on a table of four, I did not need to get into a group. In my group was Indea, Camay and Dylan. I think overall we worked together effectively and to the best of our ability.

In the first task, we originally couldn't come up with many ideas. However, after a couple of ideas that weren't very successful, Camay and I finally came up with two counts of eight. The first count was created by Camay. It included us reading our menu and deciding what we wanted. The second count was created by myself. I came up with the idea of using our cutlery to create a beat on the table, but because we did not have a table or cutlery, we could only move our hands. However, I personally think that it will sound good when it comes to the actual show. Overall, I personally liked our first two counts of eight because it looked good and fitted the task we were set.

For our second task, we created four counts of eight. This task was much easier then the first as we all had to do different things and not work together. However, we did decide on what counts we were going to work together (e.g. moving seats, pair work etc). We did movements that not only used the floors, but also the objects/props around us such as the chairs and objects on the table. Overall I found we worked well on this task and I personally preferred this task to the first one. 

Strengths and Weaknesses and Learning a New Routine (Jazz Technique) - 02/11/15

Strengths and Weaknesses:

In todays lesson, we only had Julia taking us for Jazz. In this lesson, we started to devise a new routine. This routine is for the part of the show when the Witches eat the soup and get turned into mice. It is Jazz, which is good because I personally like Jazz. We also learnt a new routine with Lucy (one of our Assistant Choreographers). She taught us an Urban routine - which I will be talking about in the other section of this blog post. In this lesson, we did not do any Contemporary, so this blog post  will be purely about Jazz technique. I found that in this lesson, I noticed more strengths then I did weaknesses, which is why I only have one weakness. In this blog post, I will discuss each strength and weakness and whether they have improved or not.

Strengths:

• The first strength that I noticed during my lesson today was my flexibility. This was because I found that some moves (which I have done previously) that needed flexibility, was easier. Also, I managed to get my leg higher in things such as kicks compared to how they used to be. This may be because I have been stretching everyday to improve my flexibility. To continue to have this as a strength, I will carry on stretching everyday and doing the moves that involve flexibility often.
• The next strength that I found during the lesson today was my balance/strength in my ankles. I noticed this because during my lesson, I was articulating my feet more then usual. Also, I found that while doing some of the routines, I was able to hold my releve for a longer period of time. I believe this is because everyday I have also been doing things such as releve's to improve the strength in my feet. To continue to have this as a strength, I will carry on doing this so that they improve more. 
• My final strength that I noticed this lesson, which I feel has been a strength of mine for a long period of time was my ability to pick up the choreography. Although all dancers need to be able to do this, I am able to do it quicker then other dancers. This means that I can then help others and clean the routine to make it perfect. It also means I can focus on performing it more. As it is has always been one of my strengths, I do not think I have improved this since my previous lesson. It also means that I do not need to focus on it to continue to improve it. 

Weakness:

• My first and only weakness that I noticed this lesson was remembering the routine. This is because although I know the routine, when I try to perform it with facial expressions, I sometimes forget either transitions or smaller moves which lead into larger moves. This has never been an issue of mine, however recently I have noticed it more often. To improve this, I will keep practicing the routines with facial expressions until I know it perfectly. 

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Learning A New Routine:

In todays lesson, we also learnt a new routine. This routine was choreographed by Lucy, who is one of the Assistant Choreographers. This routine is for the part of the show where all the children are at the seaside having fun with their friends. There will also be Witches in disguises selling sweets to the children. The style of the dance was Urban with some Jazz elements, which I really liked. I personally really liked the routine. This is because it brought some people out of their comfort zones. Also, it incorporated new and interesting ideas which looked really good. Below is a clip of the routine we learnt (you can see me just off-centre to the left at the front). We had only just learnt the routine, so I personally think it looks really good.

Creating The Poison Routines (Devising) + Notes - 02/11/15

Creating The Entrance To The Dining Hall:

In todays dance lesson, we created the entrance to the Dining Hall. First of all; Julia told us to get into pairs, so Indea and I picked each other. The style of dance was Jazz with a slight touch of Victorian moves (e.g. Ballroom type of dancing). We were then told to create at least two counts of eight of material. In this we were to include things from the list below and also any other ideas we may have.

At first, myself and Indea did not have many ideas, however we did decide that we wanted to be clumsy/unpredictable witches. I then suggested we should read through the list and take some of the ideas and incorporate them into our routine. We then read the list and we managed to create a lot of choreography. I think we were well together, not only because we're friends, but also because we listened and incorporated both of ours ideas.

When watching others, our routine was different to everyone else's. I personally liked it as we made ours look unique and so we portrayed different characters to everyone else. I think if we could change one thing about our material it would be that we should've included more moves to make it look more interesting and eye catching to watch.

Next lesson, I know that we will be put into groups of four to create two different types of routines.


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Notes On The Witches At Dinner:

What do the Witches do when they walk into the dining hall?

• Looking around
• Jumping
• Waving at friends
• Composed to impress the Grand High Witch
• Chasing etiquette
• Talking to friends/other Witches
• Fix Clothes
• Socialising
• Sitting down
• Drinking Tea
• Folding the Napkins
• Looking at the Menu
• Pouring a drink
• Calling over a Waiter 
• Fixing your wig
• Moving the Cutlery
• Adjusting/Moving the chairs
• Changing places with other people
• Passing items over the table/to other tables

How do the Witches react when they're being poisoned?

• Hands Shaking
• Twitching
• Almost like a burning sensation inside of them
• Contractions
• Melting Action
• Jittering
• Steam from the ears
• Shrinking/Dissolving
• Grabbing things for balance
• Panic
• Screaming
• Eyes: Widening, popping, rolling 

How do people/other Witches react when they see them being poisoned?

• Scared
• Agitated
• Waving Hands
• Fast movements
• Bumping into things
• Crowling/Running
• Pushing things over

Strengths and Weaknesses (Jazz/Contemporary Technique) - 15/10/15

Strengths and Weaknesses:

In todays lesson, we had Julia. In this lesson, we were concentrating on the Potion routine. We also went over the Witches routine and The Conference and cleaned and changed some parts. All of these routines have Jazz and Contemporary elements, which means that this post will be a mixture of both Jazz and Contemporary technique. In this lesson, I found that many of my strengths and weaknesses changed. Also, our teacher gave us feedback back, so I will incorporate them into my reasons. In this blog post, I will explain each of my main strengths and weaknesses and why they have changed.

Strengths:

• My first strength, which was a strength in the previous lesson, is my dynamics and clarity of my moves. This is because, I know what type of dynamic I need to put into which move during routines. I also knew how much tension I needed to put into moves. As well as this, my alignment was good. This is because I knew where my arms and legs needed to be. I was also able to form straight lines with my arms by engaging my back. Both of these are strengths as it means I observe not only myself, but my teacher. This is because I listen and watch what she is doing to see where I need to be in comparison to where I am. To continue to have this as a strength, I will continue to observe my teacher and myself. Also, I will continue to focus on all of the above technique skills.
• My second, and final strength which I noticed during my lesson today was my ability to stay in formation throughout routines. This was because during all of my routines, I was able to stay in my place. It also meant that I was being observational. This is because I was able to stay in line with other people and concentrate on not only the routine, but also my placement. I was also able to help other people stay in their place. This is a strength as it means that the routine will not look messy. To continue to have this as a strength, I will make sure I know where I need to be throughout all my routines. I will then make sure I know the routine properly so that when I perform it in formation, it will look clean and correct.

Weaknesses:

• The one weakness which stood out from all the rest during this lesson was my stamina. Although it has been part of my strengths for a number of lessons, I have found that this lesson, it was a weakness. This is because in the other lessons, we would only run one number full out, however in this lesson we rang three of the numbers one after the other. I found this a struggle as slowly my moves became weaker and not as clean. It also meant that I was getting tired. As well as myself noticing this, my teacher also noticed this. She mentioned to the class that she thought we all did not have good stamina and that we needed to improve it. She suggested to us that we could go on jogs/runs in the morning or evening to improve this. Because of the suggestion, I have decided that in the evenings, I will go for jogs. This will not only improve my stamina, but also my strength in things such as my legs. 

Third Production Meeting Overview (PPP) - 15/10/15

Third Production Meeting Overview:

In todays Production meeting, we spoke about all the main tasks that each production group needed to undertake. At the very beginning, myself and the rest of the Marketing, Publicity and Fundraising team sat together and discussed what we had done since the last Production meeting.

The day before the production meeting, I had made an email account for the dance company. I told everyone in MPF about it the night before, so they could create social media accounts before the meeting the next day. I created an Instagram account, Eden created a Twitter account and Max created a Facebook page. During our group discussion, we told everybody else in the group the usernames and passwords to these accounts so they could login to them and edit them if they wished. We have decided not told the rest of the class this as we feel that we should be the only people to have access to these accounts. In our class that day, we had taken a couple of video clips of some of our routines for our Instagram account and a group photo of all of us in a Witch pose. While we were in the meeting, I put the group photo up onto Twitter and Eden put one of the videos on Instagram.

After this, we were then told by Julia to discuss
ideas for our logo. Eden had a couple of ideas and so did Nina, but they did not fit with the theme of the show. Also, some of them were not practical. Julia then gave us a couple of ideas to consider and so we tried to incorporate all of them into one. Nina sketched them out and the photo to the right is the finished idea. I really like it as it incorporates lots of things which are in our show. These include: Test Tubes (because one of the main features of the show is creating the potions), the Eyes (because one of the main/most noticeable features of a Witch is their eyes) and Cobwebs (because of the witches). Also it includes the name of our dance company which I personally like as it shows our originality. Also, it makes it look more interesting.

We then got into a big circle with the whole class and discussed each of our ideas. Each group spoke about their ideas and what they needed us to do. I took some notes on what we were asked by other groups to do so I remembered. When it was our turn to speak, Emilia spoke. She told the class about each of our social media accounts and also our idea for the logo. The majority of the class liked it, however some people did have other ideas. Julia then told our group what we needed to do next. She told us that over the holiday, we had to think about what we wanted/needed to include in the programme and whether people were going to pay for our programme. She also told us to arrange a time where we would do headshots of each dancer in the company. We all agreed that it would be before a dance class or on a day where we did not have dance. This was because usually all of us are tired and sweating after dancing, so would not look good in the photos. She also asked us to scan the drawing into a computer and draw over it. Nobody in the Marketing, Publicity and Fundraising group was confident enough to do this, so Issy (from Costume) agreed she would do it for us. The rest of the groups who hadn't spoken then spoke and then the meeting was over.


Below is a link to each of our social media accounts:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/noxiousdance
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/noxiousdancecompany/
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/noxiousdancecompany?fref=nf

Strengths and Weaknesses (Jazz/Contemporary Technique) - 12/10/15

Strengths and Weaknesses:

In todays Jazz lesson, we had Julia. In this lesson, we were focusing on the Potion routine which we started to choreograph last lesson with Julia and Josie. We cleaned the parts we had already created and added on more choreography. Because this routine is Jazz with some elements of Contemporary, I am going to combine the two into one blog post. In this blog post, I will explain my current strengths and weaknesses and how I will improve them.

Strengths:

• My first strength, which I noticed while doing the potion routine was my stamina. This is because I was able to put the same amount of energy in the routine throughout. It also meant that I was able to dance for a longer period of time without getting tired. This is a strength as it means that I have improved since the beginning of the year. It also means that by the time the show happens, I will be able to keep my stamina at a high level throughout it without getting tired. To continue to have this as a strength, I will do exercises (such as running) to keep my stamina up.
• My second strength which I have noticed previously, however has not been in my strengths for a long time is my dynamics and clarity of my moves. This is because throughout the routine, my arms were using the right amount of force that I needed to use. Also, my arms/legs were where they needed to be. This is a strength as it means I can observe where my arms/legs are while still performing to the best of my ability. To continue to have the as a strength, I will practice the routines slowly. This means that I can focus on my alignment, posture, dynamics and clarity of my moves before trying to do it full out and perform.

Weaknesses:

• My first (and only weakness) which has previously been both a strength and weakness on my blog is my performance. This is because unlike other routines in the show, I am not confident of the moves and dynamics during rehearsals. This means that I cannot perform the routine to the best of my ability and focus on where I should be at the same time.  To make this a strength, I will practice, clean and know the routine fully. This means that I will then be able to perform the routine with facial expressions. 

Rehearsals Overview (Jazz/Contemporary Technique) - 05/10/15 - 09/10/15

Rehearsals Overview:

Unlike other weeks where we have had two rehearsals (on a Tuesday and Wednesday lunch), this week we only had one rehearsal (on Wednesday lunch). This was because the year 10's had booked all the studios, so we were unable to dance. At Wednesday lunch, we all went to 1021 (Dance Studio). The three Rehearsal Directors; Grace, Amie and Chyna were there as well as the majority of dance. A few people did not turn up - either because they didn't know it was on, they were ill or they just didn't turn up. Some people did also turn up late, which over ran the rehearsal. Then we did a 10 minute warm up, which also took too much time. Although we should warm up, I personally think that it should have been for 2 minutes as we were not doing the routines full out. Then we went on to doing the routines. First of all we went over the Opening dance (Dreams). It went well and we all knew the choreography. However, the Rehearsal Directors thought that we should go over the counts and placement, as occasionally we went out of our spaces. We spent 10 minutes cleaning it up and when we did it again, it looked much better then it did before. Then we ran The Conference dance and into The Witches routine. The routine looked good, however no one was going full out and the energy in the room had deteriorated. This meant that all of our moves were sloppy and not to the best of our ability.

I feel that overall the rehearsal was a success to a certain degree as we managed to clean up one of the routines. However it was not a success in other ways. Because there was no teacher in the room, people spoke over the top of one another and took a break when they wanted to. This meant that we spent the whole lunch time in the studio, rather then 30 minutes (which was the original time we were meant to spend in there). In future, I think that we should let the Rehearsal Directors take charge and decide what we are doing, rather then individuals deciding what they want to do. I feel that when we worked together as a group; it looked amazing, but as soon as individuals spoke their opinions, the routines became sloppy.

Strengths and Weaknesses (Jazz Technique) - 08/10/15

Strengths and Weaknesses:

In todays lesson, we had both Julia and Josie. The routine we were working on was Jazz, so again I have no Contemporary technique posts. In this class, we worked on the Potion routine. At the end of the lesson, we also did 'The Conference' and 'The Witches' routines. I found that some of my weaknesses became a strength in this lesson and some of my strengths stayed the same. In this blog post I will talk about each strength and weakness and what I will do to improve them.

Strengths:

• My first strength - which has been a weakness in all my other blog posts, is my flexibility. This is because I found that moves which I used to find challenging (because of the flexibility you needed) much easier. I also found that when I was doing the warm up, I was able to get lower in my splits and some of my stretches. This shows that I have improved a lot since the beginning of the year. To progress and have this as one of my strengths, I will continue to stretch everyday and practice moves which need flexibility. 
• My other strength, which was part of my strengths on Mondays blog post is my performance. This is because I am performing the routine as if there is an audience in front of me during the rehearsals. Also, I do some of the facial expressions which we are meant to do. This shows that my confidence and stage presence has improved significantly since the beginning of this year. To progress, I will now continue to perform during rehearsals and do all of the facial expressions during rehearsals.

Weaknesses:

• A weakness that I noticed during my rehearsal today - which I have not noticed before, is my clarity of movements. This is because I found that sometimes my movements looked sloppy and messy. For example, I have noticed that once I get tired or have danced for a long period of time, my moves become messy (e.g. arms will not be in the correct places/alignment, knees may not be over my toes when doing plies, moves may not be the correct dynamic - sharp, rigid etc). This shows me that although I have the stamina to continue dancing, I have not got enough stamina to keep my movements clean. To improve this I will build up my stamina more so that the clarity of my movements also improves.

Creating the Potion routine (Devising) - 05/10/15

The Potion Routine:

In todays Jazz lesson, we created a brand new routine. This routine is going be the tenth number in the show. In this routine, you will see Luke and the children getting ingredients and creating the potion to kill the witches. In the previous lesson (01/10/15) my group and I created our piece for the routine. Julia also created a motif which was going to go in the routine. In that lesson, we had no music, so we just created a routine which we thought would fit the theme of the music.

In todays lesson, we still did not have any music, however Julia and Josie had thought about some ideas they wanted us to do. They told us to get into a diagonal line in any order front downstage left to upstage right. We were then placed in pairs and told to create two separate counts of eight with our partner. In these counts of eight we were told to include movements as if we were passing an ingredient down the line to Luke so he could throw it into the cauldron. My first partner was Nina. We created two separate counts of eight. We worked successful as we included both of our ideas. Our routine did not include any lifts or tricks as we wanted it to be simple, yet effective. 

After we showed our routine to Julia and Josie, we were told to work with the person the other side of us. My second partner was Camay. We were told to do the exact same as we did with our original partner; except instead of doing two counts of eight, we were to do one count of eight and one count of four. I also work effectively with Camay, however sometimes she did not input all of her ideas and occasionally we had differing opinions on what we should do. In the count of eight we included one lift, yet in the count of four we included no lifts, and just purely dance moves. We then showed it to our teachers. They liked all of ours because they were different, yet similar (because of the characters we were portraying). Julia and Josie then told us to combine the two pair routines together so they flowed from one pair to the other. We did this and it also looked effective.

After this, we were told we had two counts of eight to move from one spot in the line to another. I moved from upstage right all the way to downstage left within the two counts, however some others only moved a couple of places down. We were then told to work with the person next to us. My new partner was Rhiana. We were told to create another two counts of eight which had the same meaning behind it, however the movement had to be different. Originally, we couldn't think of anything unique or different, but then we decided to combine parts of our other pairs. We included a lift, which looked really effective. We also included movements from both of our pairs which flowed really well. We showed it to our teachers and they were happy with it. Our final task was to work with the person the other side of us. This time, my partner was Dylan. We also had to do one count of eight and one count of four. Just like Rhiana and I's pair, we originally could not come up with anything. However, Dylan came up with a couple of ideas and they looked really good. We then showed our pair to Julia and Josie and they were happy with it. As a class, we then ran through the whole routine from our first pair, all the way to our last and it looked really good.

Overall, this was a really good experience. I enjoyed creating my own choreography and having my own input into the show. I also enjoyed working with people that I may not usually work with or have never worked with before. 

Strengths and Weaknesses (Jazz Technique) - 05/10/15

Strengths and Weaknesses:

In todays lesson, we had both Julia and Josie taking us for Jazz. Currently, we have been working on a new routine which is Jazz based. Because of this we have not been doing any Contemporary so consequently I can not feedback on my Contemporary Strengths and Weaknesses. However, when I do do a class, I will do a blog post about it. In this class I found that some of my strengths from previous weeks have come back and so have some of my weaknesses. In this blog post, I will discuss each of my main strengths and weaknesses and what I will need to do to improve them.

Strengths:

• The first strength which I know has improved since my previous Jazz lesson is my performance of the routines. This is because I have started to use more facial expressions while dancing. As well as this, I have started to perform the routines as if I am on stage or in front of an audience. This means that my confidence has also improved and so I have become more vocal with my ideas and with my movements. To continue to have this as one of my strengths, I will continue to improve my confidence and also continue to perform during rehearsals. 
• My second strength which has varied from being a weakness to strength over the past couple of weeks is my stamina. I believe this is a strength now as I am able to dance for a longer period of time without getting out of breath or too tired to continue. I have also found that my movements have become more sharp and energetic, where as occasionally they used to become sloppy and messy after a while. This means that my strength has also slightly improved. To continue to have this as one of my strengths, I will do exercises (such as running) which will continue to improve my stamina and my strength.

Weaknesses:

• My first weakness which has always been one of my weaknesses in dance is my flexibility. This is because in some of the routines we have to do movements which involve flexibility in your back or in your hips. These are two areas of which I find are not flexible enough. To improve this I will stretch on an everyday bases and continue to do exercises (such as the splits) to make myself more flexible. 
• My other weakness, which I have only just noticed in my Jazz technique is my balance. This is because I have found that when doing things such as releve's, I have struggled to keep my balance. I know this because my ankles will shake and I will find it difficult to stay up. Also, in one of the routines, I have to balance on one arm for a couple of seconds. I find it a struggle to get up and stay up on my arm. This means that not only do I have to improve my balance, but also my strength. To improve this, I will build up my strength by doing exercises to improve it. Also, to improve my balance I will practice balancing on one foot and in releve for as long as possible. I will continue to do this until I see an improvement.

Second Production Meeting Overview (PPP) - 01/10/15

Noxious Dance Company presents The Witches...

At the beginning of todays lesson, we had another Production meeting. The first thing we did was get into our Production group - mine being Marketing, Publicity and Fundraising. On Mondays lesson (28/09/15) Julia told our group to think about a name for our show and dance company and come in with a list of them this lesson. We all had a list of the names we liked. On the Dance Company list we all had the name Poison Dance Company. We all liked this name as it didn't give away what the show was about, but was still obvious at the same time. None of us had any really good names for the show, so we had to brainstorm. We came up with a few, except one stood out which we all agreed was unique. This was Sweet Dreams. This is because it is completely the opposite to what the show is actually about, yet it fits the theme of part of the show. We also spoke about the logo. We did not talk about what we wanted on it, however Malachy said that he was getting his dad to create some ideas for us. We then spoke a little bit about Fundraising, but not much. We planned a Cake sale for Monday, however after speaking later on in the meeting, there was a group decision for it not to be done then.

After this, the whole class came and sat in a massive circle. We went round each Production group and heard their ideas. The first group was ours. We said our company name and everyone liked it. However, Julia said she wanted something different and unique. We came up with a few unusual ones, but after researching the word Poison, a word stood out. We all really liked it, so Julia wrote it down. We then said the Show name. Not many people liked it as they didn't understand it. A few names went back and forth in the circle, but nothing really stood out. Julia then said she would speak to Josie and they would make the final decision and tell us at the end of the lesson.

The next group was costume. They spoke about their ideas for what the costumes should look like. Some of the ideas I liked and some of them I found a little unusual. Next we went to the Front of House. Poppy told us about the Hoodies and T-shirts. She asked us all what colours we wanted and what we wanted on the jumpers. A few colours and choices of things we wanted on it was said, but nothing was finalised. We then went to rehearsal directors who spoke about how our last rehearsal went. Both rehearsals were not that good so we were all told by Julia that they needed to improve significantly if we wanted the show to be a success. Then we went to the Assistant Choreographers who told us about their routine and what was involved in it. Finally, we went to props. They spoke about how we would need things like chairs for The Conference dance, goggles for the making of the potion and gloves for the witches to wear.

At the end of todays lesson, Julia and Josie told us their decision of the name of our show. They said the name of our Dance Company was going to be Noxious Dance Company. They then told us that after lots of discussions, they came to the decision that the show would be called The Witches. I am happy with both of these. This is because Noxious is an unusual name, yet means the same thing as Poison. Also, I like the fact that we kept the name of the show the same as the film/book. This is because its easier for people to identify what our show will be about and also it sounds good.

Strengths and Weaknesses (Contemporary Technique) - 01/10/15

Strengths and Weaknesses:

In my Contemporary class today, we had our two teachers, Julia and Josie. In this lesson we focused on 'The Conference Dance'. The Conference dance is a Jazz/Urban routine. Because of this, I did not do much Contemporary at all, other then the dream routine. So in this blog post, I will only talk about two strengths and two weaknesses from todays Contemporary lesson.

Strengths:

My two main strengths are the same as Mondays lesson. This is because my Contemporary technique has not changed over the last couple of days. I will still talk about them in depth now, however most of the points I make will be the same as Mondays lesson.

• My first main strength I have achieved in Contemporary is my observational skill. I know this because during my routines, I will know where props are (for example, a chair), where the set may be and also where other people are compared to me. This is a strength as I can confidently do the routine without worrying about whether I will knock into someone or something. This means that over time my formation will be correct and my performance skills will improve and so will my confidence. To continue to have this as a strength I will continue to listen to the teachers and my peers so I know what and who is going to be where. 
• The second and final strength I have found over the past couple of Contemporary lessons is my spacing. This is because I am able to get to my place in time. Also, I am able to keep in my formation during traveling sequences and when changing to other formations. This is one of my strengths as I can now do my moves confidently without worrying about my spacing. To make sure my spacing is part of my strengths, I need to continue to stay in my correct place and focus on it.

Weaknesses:

Both of the weaknesses I will talk about have been mentioned in previous blog posts. However, I do not find this an issue as it takes more then a couple of lessons to see a big improvement. 

• My first weakness I started to notice again this lesson is my flexibility. This is because occasionally I found that some moves were more challenging as I needed to use flexibility. On my right leg, I do not find this an issue as I feel I am quite flexible in my right leg. However, my leg is significantly less flexible. Also, I find it difficult to straighten my left leg fully, which means some moves which need a straight leg, I find more difficult. To improve this, I will do stretches and more exercises which will improve my flexibility.
• The other weakness which I have found again is my placement of my arms. This is because I find that occasionally they are not in the right place, so sometimes they look awkward. I did not really notice this myself, however during my parents evening a couple of weeks ago, Julia told me that occasionally I look awkward because of it. Because of this comment, I have been trying hard to make my arm alignment correct. I will focus on this and practice in the mirror to improve this. 

Creating a new Jazz routine and Strengths and Weaknesses (Devising/Jazz Technique) - 01/10/15

Creating a new routine:

In todays Jazz lesson, we were taught a short motif. This short motif is going to be in the part of the show where Luke creates a poison which will be put in the Witches soup. After we had learnt it, we were then asked to get into groups of five and create a short routine which used parts of the motif we had learnt. It was to include movements which would be used if we were making a real potion. Some examples of these were: Mixing, Sniffing, Pouring, Grabbing and Laughing. Our dance teacher had not selected a piece of music, so we had no set limit of how long our routine needed to be. She gave us a demonstration with a couple of other girls in our class (one of which was in my group) of what we could do in our routines. This was really helpful as I then thought of ideas we could add into our routine.

In my group was: Indea, Nina, Camay, Poppy and myself. At first we could hardly think of anything which would make our routine interesting or different, but after a while we came up with a lot of ideas. In our routine, we included a couple of lifts, levels and some of the actions which we were told to include. Once we had created seventeen counts of eight, Julia came over and watched our routine. She said she liked our movement and concept, however she wanted us to create more choreography. For example, in one part of our dance, we passed ingredients down the line to Indea and she throws it into the potion. Julia told us to include more choreography when passing it down the line to make it look more interested and like a dance. Also, at another point of our motif, we run away from the potion because it smells weird. Julia told us instead of running, we should use levels (for example, sliding on the floor, leaps, lifts etc).
We then did took the improvements on board and changed our motif. Overall, it looked really good and I liked it. We performed it to the class later on in the lesson, and they liked it. Although we did not do lots of tricks like flips in our routine, our motif looked just as good. This is because we worked as a team and showed off each persons individual style, unlike some groups where they only focused on one persons chosen style. Also, we told a story through our movements. Overall, I thought everyones looked really good, however I personally liked ours most.

I enjoyed this task as it meant that we could work in a group to create a piece for part of our show. It also meant that we could include our own ideas and choose our own style of dance (either Urban or Jazz) rather then having to stick to one specific style of dance.


Strengths and Weaknesses:

During todays Jazz lesson, we did not focus much on technique in Jazz. Instead, we mainly focused on choreographing the routine. Because of this I do not have many strengths and weaknesses to talk about. Instead of talking about a lot in very little detail, I will talk about one main strength and one main weakness from todays lesson.

Strength:

• The main strength which I noticed in todays lesson which I've never noticed in Jazz before is my performance skill. This is because I used facial expressions to tell the story and the character I was playing. I also performed the routine like I would if I was on stage. This is a strength of todays lesson as it meant that the routine was more believable. Because of this, it meant that my confidence also improved. I am very happy that these two things have become part of my strengths. This is because at the beginning of year 10 I didn't feel confident enough to perform in front of the class with facial expressions, however now I feel confident enough to do so. To continue to have this as a strength, I will improve my confidence skills and practicing performing during rehearsals.

Weakness:

• The one main weakness which I found during this class was my choreographic skills. This is because I found that I tended to repeat the same or similar moves more then once in a routine. This is an issue as I need to incorporate new and different moves instead of the ones I already know. I also need to experiment more with things such as levels and pair work (e.g. lifts etc). To improve this, I will create more routines. This will enhance my choreographic skills, broaden my dance movement/vocabulary and overall make me a better dancer/choreographer. Also, I can also work with other people/go to more classes to learn new moves which I can then incorporate into my routines. 

Strengths and Weaknesses (Contemporary Technique) - 28/09/15

Strengths and Weaknesses in Contemporary:

In todays Contemporary lesson, we had both Julia and Josie. In this this lesson we were working on the new piece which we started choreographing with Josie last lesson. This piece is mainly Jazz based, but some elements of it could be classed as Contemporary. Because of this I do not have many strengths and weaknesses for this lesson, however I will talk about a couple of them. Some of them also may be the same as the previous Contemporary posts as most of my Contemporary technique strengths and weaknesses have not changed. In this blog post, I will talk about a few of my strengths and weaknesses I have noticed during my Contemporary/Jazz lessons. 

Strengths:

• The first strength I have continued to notice each Contemporary lesson is my spacing. This is because I am able to get to my place in time throughout all my Contemporary pieces. Also, I am able to keep in my specific place while doing things such as travelling sequences . This is a strength as I can confidently do the movements without worrying about where I am. To continue to have this as a strength, I will focus on it and continue to stay in my correct place.
• A new strength I have noticed in todays lesson is my observation skills. This is because I know where other people are in relation to me. This means I will not hit them or run into other people. Also, I know where the centre of the stage would be. This is good as I then can keep my formations easily. As well as both of these, I know some other peoples counts or movement so if they need help, I can assist.  To continue to keep this as one of my strengths, I will continue to listen to what my teachers tell me and keep up to date with where not only myself, but others are during routines.

Weaknesses:

• The first and only main weakness I noticed in todays lesson was my placement. This is because sometimes my arms were not be where they needed to be (For example, in a straight line). Also, I noticed that sometimes my knees may not be over my toes when doing things such as pliés. To improve this, I will continuously focus on it. I will do this by practicing in front of a mirror to see where I am going wrong and where I should be in relation to where I currently am.

Strengths and Weaknesses (Jazz Technique) - 28/09/15

Strengths and Weaknesses in Jazz:

In todays Jazz lesson, our dance teacher; Julia's main aim was to focus and clean up our Witches routine. In this lesson, I felt like I achieved a lot. This is because I had no negative comments and I knew all the choreography. Also, I managed to clean up the routines and focus on my technique. This meant that I had a lot of technical strengths this lesson and not as many weaknesses. In this post, I will talk about my main strengths and weaknesses and how I can become technically better. 

Strengths:

• In my dance lesson, one new strength I found was that I managed to stay in my formation during the routines. This meant that the routines looked clean. Also, it shows the audience and my dance teacher that I know where I should be and what the routine is. I believe this will continue to be a strength of mine as now I know the whole routine, I will focus on the formations and my technique. 
• Another strength of mine was getting to my place in time. Although this was a strength in my last blog post; my dance teacher was not in my last dance lesson, so did not know I got there. However, as she was in this dance lesson, she was able to see me get to my place in time. This is a strength because now that I have got there more then once, I now know I can do it. Also, when I wasn't getting to my place in time, I knew that I was ruining the whole routine, so this pushed me more to get there. 
• As one of the above was a strength from a previous lesson, I thought it best to add another new strength. This is my stamina. I know this is a strength as I was able to go full out throughout the whole routine and keep my energy and effort high throughout. This means it has improved a lot since last week which I think may be because I have practiced at home full out to improve my stamina. I am proud of this as last week I found it difficult to get through the whole routine without getting really tired. 

Weaknesses:

• One of the weaknesses which I started to notice today was my actual technique/presentation of my moves. This is because although I know the moves, I do not think about where I should actually be (e.g. where my arms, feet, head should be). This is a weaknesses because as a dancer, you should focus on performing and the moves, just as much as your technique. I will focus on this by going through the routines slowly in front of a mirror and thinking about where my arms/legs etc should be. This will help my technique to improve and so overall my performance of the routine. 

[Both of these next weaknesses are the same as one of my previous lessons. However, I do not find this an issue as it will take much more time and practice before I see any real improvement. I think both of these points will be in my blog posts for at least the next couple of weeks until I see a real improvement. Even if I do see any real difference, I will not put them in my strengths, as I do not think they're ever going to be strengths. Instead, at the end of one of my Jazz Technique posts, I will write about the improvement of them.]

• One of my main weakness, which I have found very obvious over the past few lessons is my strength. This is because I have found that my upper and lower body strength isn't as good as it should be. For example, in some moves which involving using upper body strength, I do not have enough force behind my moves, so they look lacklustre and weak. I will need to focus on this by doing exercises which will improve my strength until I see a real progression.
• My final weakness which is also from the previous lessons, is my agility. Although this has improved a little bit since my last lesson, it has not improved to the level which I want it to be. This means that I have to focus on it until it is better. I will improve this by doing moves which need to use a lot of agility over and over again until I feel that it is at a reasonable level.

Strengths and Weaknesses (Contemporary Technique) - 24/09/15

Strengths and Weaknesses in Contemporary:

In todays Contemporary lesson, we only had Josie. In this lesson we cleaned up the opening routine and created a brand new routine. This routine was more Jazz based, however it did have elements of Contemporary. Because of the fact I only did a little bit of Contemporary, I will only say two weaknesses and two strengths. I have found that during the lesson, some of my strengths and weaknesses have stayed the same and some of them have changed. In this blog post, I will talk about which strengths and weaknesses have changed and how I will improve my weaknesses.

Strengths:

• The first strength I noticed in todays lesson was that my spacing has continued to improve. This is because I was able to stay in my place throughout the whole routine without moving into a different gap/position. This is a strength for any dancer as it means you can be confident with your moves, without worrying about moving from your place. I will now continue to focus on this to always make sure that this is a strength of mine. 
• A weakness from last lesson has now become a strength of mine. This is the transitions between my moves. This is because I focused on it since last lesson to make sure that this lesson it looked clean and precise. I am happy with the transitions between each move in the Contemporary dances I have learnt so far. To continue to make sure this is a strength, I will make sure I focus on it and practice at home and in the studio.

Weaknesses:

• The first weakness I found in my Contemporary lesson was my performance skills. This is because I had to act like some characters during my class. For example, at one point I had to be a Witch and use facial expressions which they would use. I found this challenging as I could not stay in role for long periods of time. Also, I sometimes felt a little unconfident with the role. To improve this, I need to start performing every routine I do, whether its a rehearsal or actual performance.
• Another weakness which I have noticed again in Contemporary is my placement of my arms. This is because occasionally they are not in the right place and so consequently look strange and out of line. This means that people may think I do not know where my arms should be. To become stronger at this, I will need to now focus on my arms and where to place them during parts of the routine. I can do this by dancing in front of a mirror to see what my arms look like or filming where they should be in comparison to where mine are. 

Evaluation of Todays Class and Strengths and Weaknesses (Jazz Technique) - 24/09/15

Evaluation of todays Jazz Class:

In todays Jazz lesson, Julia - our teacher was not in. This meant that we had a cover teacher and was given the task through email. In this email, we were told to run The Witches number we had learnt in the past few lessons and to learn Robbie and Lucy' groups choreography. This lesson to some extent was successful, however I personally feel that it was not exactly like normal. This is because not everyone would be involved when we (as a class) were trying to clean the routines.

Moreover, something which was defiantly successful was learning the groups choreography. When I originally watched it, I was a bit worried as the counts were odd and it looked complicated. Also, it looked a bit like an urban routine (which some people in the class do not do). However, when I learnt it I was surprised. This was because everyone in the class, whether they had done urban before or not, learnt the routine and it looked really good. Below I put a link to the video which our supply teacher took for us. In the routine, we are not in set positions and we had only learnt it five minutes before filming it.

Even though this was successful, one part of the lesson was not. This was when we were told to clean and perfect The Witches routine, which Julia had taught us. This was not successful as people did not listen to one another and not everyone went through and cleaned the routine. Also, we only did the routine full out once, which was not good as it looked messy later on when we showed it to Josie. When we showed it to Josie, we did not realise that Julia was watching us from outside. This makes me worried as she saw us perform a messy routine which we had one hour to clean and make neat. This means that she will be annoyed with our class and the routine as we have not done what she has asked. Consequently, this will mean that we will have to take another lesson to clean the routine.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Because we did not have a teacher, I do not have many strengths or weaknesses for this lesson. Instead of having two strengths and three weaknesses, I will just talk about the main one from each section which sticks out most in my head.

Strength:

• The main strength I found from this lesson was that I got to my place in time. Throughout all my rehearsals, I have been unable to get to my place in time in The Witches routine. However, this time I did in both rehearsals. This is very successful as it means that I do not ruin the routine because I can not get there in time. I will now continue to focus on this to make sure I ALWAYS get there in time. 

Weakness:

• The main weakness I found from this lesson was my stamina. This was because we kept going full out with Lucy and Robbie's routine and I kept giving 100%. Although this wasn't an issue, after a while I became a bit slower and less cleaner with my moves. However, I do feel I have improved since the last lesson which means that I become more stronger. As it a result of this, it meant that I kept dancing for a longer period of time without getting as tired or out of breath. To improve even more I will continue to focus on this, so that I am ready and able to get through the whole show.

Strengths and weaknesses (Contemporary Technique) - 21/09/15

Strengths and Weaknesses in Contemporary:

In today's Contemporary lesson with Julia and Josie, I have found that both of my strengths have continued to stay the same. I have also found that some of my weaknesses have improved and I have also found a couple of new ones too. In this blog post, I will explain a few of my main strengths and weaknesses of this lesson and how I will improve my weaknesses.

Strengths:

• In my contemporary class today, I found that I have continued to be versatile. This was because I had to not only work by myself, but in a pair and also in a group with people that I don't usually dance or talk to much. This is one of my top strengths as I have become more confident as a person and as a dancer. It also meant that this lesson I could help come up with new choreography with my group and pair. 
• A new strength I found in this lesson was my spacing. This was because I knew where I was meant to be at what count. This meant that I was able to keep my spacing throughout the whole routine, whether it was travelling movement or not. I feel this is a strength as it means that the routine will look more clean and connected as a group because everyone will be in the right place. 

Weaknesses:

• A new weakness which I have noticed over the last couple of Contemporary lessons are my placement of arms. For example, I find that sometimes my arms will look more like Jazz arms and not fluid like they need to be in Contemporary. This is a weakness as it will not look like the correct style of dance which also means that it will look like the correct move. This can be improved by looking in the mirror while dancing and looking at whether my arms are in the correct place and whether they look exactly like the arms which were set. 
• Also, another weakness which I have found over the last couple of Contemporary lessons are my transitions between moves. This is because sometimes they will look messy. This could give the person watching me the impression that I do not know what I am doing and do not have the correct technique. I feel like I could improve this by recording myself doing it wrong and then watching myself. I can then see where the movement looks weird and where I need to focus on. I can then practise and then re-record myself to see whether the transitions have improved or not. 
• The last weakness I have found, which I also had as a weakness in the previous lesson is my flexibility. This is because when I need to put my legs in certain positions, I find that the flexibility in my hips stops me from doing this. I know that now I need to stretch on an everyday bases and practice to become more flexible. Although it has come up on my weakness list twice in two weeks, I am not upset or disappointed with this. This is because I was not born with natural flexibility which means I have to work harder then some others to become more flexible. 

Strengths and Weaknesses (Jazz Technique) - 21/09/15

Strengths and Weaknesses in Jazz:

In today's lesson of Jazz, I found that I overcame one of my weaknesses, however I also found that I became weaker in one of my strengths from my previous lessons. I also did not have the best lesson as I injured my shoulder during rehearsals and so consequently found it difficult to do all the moves full out. In this blog post, I will compare what went well in this lesson and what didn't go so well in class.

Strengths:

• In my dance lesson this week, I found that I continued to pick up the choreography easily. I managed to pick these routines up in a professional and quick manner, which meant I was able to start cleaning the moves and transition between each moves while some people were still picking up the choreography. For example, I was out of the lesson for 10 minutes today and when I came back I managed to stand at the back of the class and learn it without any help from anyone. I feel this is a strength of mine as I can easily and quickly pick up routines, clean them quickly and then possibly help others with the choreography. 

Weaknesses:

• Something I have found very challenging to do in my Jazz lessons is getting to my place in time. This has been a weakness as I have to run behind a couple of girls to get to my place, however I never get there in time because there is not enough room to run past them to get to my place. I am currently trying to resolve this issue by finding another way to get past the girls and also I am starting to run a little earlier then everyone else. This is something I know I definatly need to improve on by next lessons.
• Another weakness I have found is my agility, which was also an issue in last weeks blog post. Although I have improved and got a bit better, I still feel there will always be room for improvement. However, saying that I know I can and WILL improve it. I can improve this by practicing going from the floor to standing quickly so that my agility improves. This means my moves will become cleaner as I will be able to get down to the floor or back to standing without feeling like I am rushing the movement.
• My final weakness - which was also a weakness of last weeks lesson, is my strength. This is because I have found that some of the moves which involve using upper or lower body strength have been a little challenging and to some extent look messy. Now that I know this, I will continuously improve my strength by doing daily exercises which will over time improve it. 

Even though two of my weaknesses from last weeks lessons are still weaknesses, I am not disappointed. This is because although they are still on there, I know that it takes hard work, dedication and time to improve them. I also know that over night they are not going to become brilliant, which means that it will take more weeks and possibly months before I see any substational difference. 

Turning Scenes from The Witches into Routines (PPP) - 19/09/15

Scenes To Dances Ideas And Overview:

When watching The Witches, I came across some scenes and certain characters which could be easily turned into routines. When looking at these scenes and the characters involved in them, I thought about the movement, music and genre of dance which would suit the scene/character best. I also looked at what types of actions they did, they way they acted and what the mood is like. In this blog post, I will talk about the individual characters, how we could portray them in the show and what type of dance style I feel would suit them best.

The Witches:
One of the main parts in The Witches are the Witches themselves as they have a key role to play throughout the show. Many of the movements/actions they tend to do in the scenes can easily be translated into dance moves. For example, the Witches have disguises which they wear. These disguises they remove quickly and in a certain order (e.g. fake skin, wigs, fake teeth, shoes, gloves etc). This can easily be incorporated into a dance routine as its quick and simple to do. Another main focus of witches are their hand movements and their facial expressions. This is because their fingers are extremely long which means that when they move their hands, your eyes are automatically drawn to them. This means that when we choreograph routines for the Witches, they should involve lots of movement with ours hands. They also move their hands and arms in unusual and peculiar ways. This means that we should also have a focus on their arm movements and try to incorporate them into it. Also, they use their faces a lot to scare and intimidate people. As well as this, I have found that the Witches tend to stare at people. This could be shown in a dance by staring at other people in the routine or at the audience. This will also give the audience the impression that we're meant to be portraying Witches (even though we will be in costume). I feel that any routines which involve Witches should be a Jazz routine. This is because the actions they do are more like jazz rather then contemporary. Also, they move very quickly (e.g. running, hand movement etc), which is just like Jazz.

The Grandma:

A key character in the film is the Grandma. This is because she introduces us to the Witches before we meet them and also tells Luke about the Witches. However, unlike the Witches, there are not as many moves that we can take and place in our routines. This is because she does not do things which make her stand out or can easily be put into routines. Even though it may be difficult, we can include the fact that she only has 4 fingers. We can emphasise this by using movements with one hand fully and hiding the other one. In the film, she is very family orientated and will protect Luke with her life. This could be shown in the scenes when she does certain actions. (e.g. hugging, surrounding Luke etc). We can incorporate this into our dance by making sure that the moves the Grandma does are like the actions she does to make us think she is family orientated. As well as both of these points, I have found that the Grandma's moves are slow and to a certain degree, graceful. This is because she is old and so we do not see her running or anything too active. Also, she is ill for the majority of the film which means she's even less active then she may usually be. This means that our moves should be very slow and controlled, like hers. Because of all the things I have discussed, I have come to the conclusion that if we were to do a routine based on the Grandma, it should be Contemporary based. This is because she is slow and controlled and we never see her do any fast paced or sudden movements.  

Luke:
The main character of The Witches (other then the Witches themselves) is Luke. Many of the movements that Luke does are child-like and not unusual. This means that the majority of his moves can be easily taken from scenes and placed into dances. For example, during one of the main scenes, you see Luke running away from the Witches. This can easily be placed in a routine with the witches at some point in our show. Also, Luke tries to get the least amount of attention possible. For example, he will stay quiet when necessary and is very introvert. This means that are dances should not completely focus on Luke, unless needed. Finally, Luke is very family orientated and cares a lot about his Grandma. For example, when she is ill, he cares for her and looks after her even though its his birthday. This means that we should do actions and moves which show he is close to his Grandma (e.g. hugging, caring for her etc). Also it means that we should make sure that at some points, the Grandma and Luke should have moments on stage where its just them two alone. So after looking and discussing all the possible moves we could do for Luke, I have come to the conclusion that both Jazz routines and Contemporary routines would suit Luke. This is because in some scenes he moves quietly and slowly (for example, when he is hiding while the Witches meeting is happening) and sometimes his moves are quick and high energy (for example, when he is running away from the Witches or when he turns into a mouse).


Mice:
In The Witches, the mice are meant to be the two characters Bruno and Luke, who have been turned into mice by the Witches. However, in though the mice are meant to be the two characters, their personality and movements are completely different to how they're in their human form. For example, Bruno is very confident when he is a human, however when he turns into a mouse, he becomes very shy and introvert, like Luke used to be. Where as, Luke goes from being very shy and quiet to the one who comes up with all the plans and becomes more confident. We could show this in movement by Luke being in front of Bruno. We could also use different levels to show how Luke is more confident then Bruno and that he has taken charge. For example, we could have Luke and Bruno doing the same movements, except Bruno is on the floor doing the same movements as Luke and Luke is doing them all standing up. Another thing I have found is that Luke is more adventurous. I know this because when they went to put the potion in the soup, Luke climbed up the shelfs in the kitchens. We could incorporate this in our dances by getting Luke (now a mouse) climbing on the set at the back of the stage and getting up on top of it in unusual and different ways. The final thing I know about the mice is that there moves are going to be much smaller and intricate then anyone who is playing a normal human. We could do this also with levels or just by using only certain body parts (e.g. hands, feet etc). Overall, I think that the mice could do either the Jazz or Contemporary style of dance. This is because even though their moves will be slow because they're mice, they will have to move quick to get away from certain things (e.g. members of staff, Witches, Liebschen - the cat, kitchen staff etc).


Bruno:
Another character thats featured a bit in The Witches is Bruno. For the majority of the film he is a mouse, however when we first meet him he is a young boy. When we meet Bruno as a boy, he is a very loud, over confident boy who tends to like to be the centre of attention. This can be shown in moves in routines by certain moves he may do (e.g. possibly moving people out of his way, the way he stands, certain poses etc). It could also be shown in his facial expressions and the way he looks at the audience/other members of the cast. As well as this, he also only likes certain types of food. For example, in one of the scenes you see him asking the waitress what type of food it was because he didn't like the ones from the day before. This could be shown in a dance also with certain actions. For instance, you could have him eating food while dancing, or putting food in his pocket. You could also have him holding food while trying to dance at the same time. However, even though in most scenes he is very confident, in one scene when he walking through the Witches meeting, he looks very worried and slightly intimidated. This could be shown in a dance by certain facial expressions he makes and also his body language (e.g. very small and closed). Personally, I think that the style of which would best suit Bruno would be Jazz. This is because its speed is quick compared to contemporary. Also in some respects the music is quite loud, which is a bit like his personality.