Rehearsal Schedule

This image is the rehearsal schedule Shannon made for us we attempted to stick by it however priorities changed through out depending on what was finished and what was not. Especially near when it got closer to the showcase because some dances needed more cleaning than others. But after each rehearsal we maybe should that it was filmed or logged in some kind of way so we could remember exactly what we choreographed before.

Developments

If we took these performs on furthers these are my ideas.

Once upon a time I think we could extend the dance and make it longer in content. This is the one dance with the biggest story line so by making it longer may help the audience understand it fully. Also using strobe lighting could help with the effect of the princesses souls separating.

Rock and roll could definately be a piece that can be carried on but personally I would involve and add in more dancers and make it a huge group piece. I think it will look much more visually pleasing to the audience. Possibly girl, boy pairing instead make it a little more traditional, but that is only an option. 

Acting piece would look good with extras and a little background noise to add to the effect and give it more of a realistic atmosphere of a school bus. 

Ballet would look more effective with things like a smoke effect and dim lighting as that will help set the mood of the dance.

Street I think the min change it needed was costume but I am going to leave a couple of photos attached of some sketches I drew of my costume ideas.

Tap would also look good with a bigger cast and more of concert style lighting like spotlights, strobes and blaring music. This would be a very good piece to be developed!

Candy Store is our version of the musical so possibly adding into some acting scenes before or after the song would really help the audience become sucked in to the story of Heathers.

Bad is one of my favourite dances and there is not a lot I would change apart from perhaps using a red wash in the lighting. 

Ed’s song I would not want to be developed much or taken further because it was a very personal dance for me and it was like my chance to say goodbye.

I wish I may does not really need much change but possibly smoke effect and spotlights when each person steps into the light.

Can’t stand the rain is probably more of a simpler dance so I think maybe including the idea of props could really add to the performance. I’m unsure of what kind of props but I it is definately something to think about.

My solo song is something I would love to continue with and I think adding in a scene before so the audience can understand the meaning of my song fully.

Commercial can be developed lighting wise because it was quite simple so I think using red/blue wash in the lighting.

Fan dance could also involve a scene possibly after the performance. As it is a musical theatre number and very jazzy I think the lighting needs to meet that and the classical Chicago colour is red so that needs to be incoperated.

Evaluation

In my evaluation I am going to create a small conclusion for each piece and my performance before creating a short general summary of the entire showcase.

To start with was the contemporary group number, I think this was the best time we all performed this piece. I really enjoyed dancing this number and really getting into my character. Even though I have never seen the TV series the dance is based on I feel as if I can easily slip into the nature of sleeping beauty. I hope the audience fully understood the story line but I am happy with how this dance went.

Next was rock and roll I think that is dance went ok, I got all the choreography correct however I feel as if I could of performed it a bit better so if we took if performance further that is what I need to work on. Also I felt that I slightly lacked energy near the end, but I did enjoy dancing it as it is a happy, fun style.

My acting piece was the first performance I needed a microphone for but at least I had two dances in between to get ready for. The audience was not the most responsive so they were tough to feed off them but I know we worked well together on stage and really got over our nerves and went for it. 

The ballet piece went well it is quite a difficult one to perform and there were a couple of times my leg was not fully turned out but I think it went well and my pirouettes in attitude I controlled strongly.

Work the street piece I think was very good because it was a huge improvement on the last piece we performed in the christmas showcase. I know I could of performed it bigger but I am still pleased with how it turned out.

Tap was the worst choreographically because changed it last minute (forgot to mention in my logs) and we all messed up, at least it was at the same part and I think we all covered it up with our performance. 

Candy Store I was very happy with myself because I really performed it and got into character. So it automatically felt happier and almost easier to dance.

Bad I was disappointed with myself because I forgot the side kick I still did it but it was not high, so I think I covered it up but I was kicking myself afterwards. The dance looks amazing when it is really tight and I feel as if I let the other girls down.

My solo went really well when I danced it I forgot about all the pressure of dancing and performing it, so I relax and my emotions really came out. It eventually lead to me crying at the end of the dance, this was almost like a relief and I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders.

I wish I may was my first singing in the show I think it went ok everyone else at college said it was the best we had done it. However I think there were a couple of pitching issues!

The modern group went well I think I could of performed it better but I am not un pleased with my performance at all. 

My singing solo (I have not mentioned in my log but I practiced in my own time) I love singing and performing this solo and this one was no exception I am sad that I don’t get to perform it again.

Commercial went as well as it could of I think. We were all in sync through out but we probably all could of up our performance level.

The finale and bow went well and was high energy because this was the last time I got to perform with all of my class mates and I wanted to make the most of it. I sung as loudly and best I could and I dance to the best of my ability. 

In conclusion I enjoyed the whole whole showcase and I loved every second of it. Performing is my passion of course there are improves that could and can be made but I am overall happy with how I did.

Blog 9

Monday- Today in drama everyone had there assessment but luckily Tj and I have already done ours. This does not mean we did not perform it to the class we still did and this gave us a chance to rehearse. We also ran through the fan dance and commercial because that needed a great deal of cleaning. The rap section was the messiest and Kelly was unhappy with a move she had choreographed. Once is was changed I have to attempt it looked better, I just need secure the choreography.

Tuesday- We had time in the morning to run thing anything we needed to before we showcased everything we have already done. Today we did of first full run through, linked with the running order and timings. We brought in our costumes but our teachers decided it would be better to do that tomorrow and that this run through should be for stamina. Also today Amber got back from her holiday so it gave her a chance to catch up. We started with contemporary and half way through we had a head collision/ injury so we stopped and re started but after this dance the two people involved in the injury felt sick. So for most of the dances we were a man or two down. This run through probably could not of gone worse, however there is a saying ‘bad run through, good show’. Even though it went extremely wrong and it made me more nervous it was still benefical as I now know that my stamina is good enough to sustain through out the whole show. In the evening classes Mary was worried about Amber’s injury because she went to hospital so she asked me to learn the jazz trio just as a precaution if she was not well enough for the show. I learnt it in the evening I love the choreography so I don’t mind if I do have to perform it but I will rehearse at home tonight to make sure I remember it. 

Wednesday- Today we had our first dress run this was not just to see if we could dance in our costumes and that they suited our dances but also to see if we had enough time to get changed. Most of my dances only have one in between and one has none. So this run through was extremely useful for me as it gave me a chance to work out if I could layer any of my costumes or tights. I also had the opportunity to dance the jazz trio and I am now comfortable enough to perform it at the showcase if I needed to. I think that for a first dress run I went alright but I realised there were a few dances that needed more attention. For example Rock and Roll needed to be tighter, like in the cartwheel section Maddie and I start it 2 counts earlier than the other girls so we need to hold back a bit. Also in the Bad trio we still have some different arms we need to clarify. In the side leap I keep putting my arms in the air instead of to the side, but now I know this for the next rehearsal. Another improvement I need to make before the show is my performance, particularly in Rock and Roll and Heathers. I need to smile and inter act more with the other dancers because that is what this style is all about. Also the last run through of the musical theatre troupe Kelly said I was holding back and almost letting the whole performance down so I really need to let go of feeling embarrassed and really act this dance. Before lunch we worked on the finale piece while both Kelly and Claire were there, we cleaned it up and we made some improvements, the biggest being the harmony. Claire and Mary agreed that the high harmony did not sound as bad as we thought, so at least we are now all singing the same part. In the afternoon we had time with Emilie to finally finish the contemporary. Luckily there was not too much more choreography to learn, the only part I struggled with was learning a whole new move which is a kind of switch leap. Unfortunately I can’t see exactly what I look like but I feel as if my front leg needs to be straighter. Now this piece is finished I am excited to perform it on stage and I think once its clean it is going to be a great way to open the show. 

Thursday- Today we started with a dress run again, this time went a lot better than the last. Also today was the first time Amber was back after her injury, this is good news because now I have one less number to worry about. Every number was a lot cleaner today and it helped that the whole cast was here. Changes became much easier today too and I think I am now feeling ready for the performance tomorrow. In the afternoon we cleaned contemporary and ran through street I now feel like I am fully prepared for the showcase I just need to make sure I perform it to the highest of my capability. 

Friday- Today we came into college for last minute rehearsals being as the show is today. We created a short finale to the song ‘Bills’ and we cleaned commercial together due to it being the one that needed the most work. Kelly put me in charge of this rehearsal as she was confident I knew the choreography. Once I was pleased with the result we all went down stairs to get ready for the show. When arriving at Comberton we set up all our costume at got time for a run through on the stage with the microphones. This was helpful so we knew what the flooring was like and how much space to use up. The only thing I am now frightened about is not getting the microphones in time with my costume changes. 

Blog 8

Monday- This morning we finally cleaned ballet properly, this meant if Kelly saw something she did not like while we were dancing she would stop the music and run through it slowly. I remembered all the choreography but assessing and watching myself in the mirror gave me the time to watch my arm lines and that my leg should be turned out the whole time because I noticed some times my leg was turned in. This dance does not have a lot necessarily in content of choreography but we have to set the atmosphere while performing this piece so I know I really need to perform it to the best of my ability. In the next lesson, drama, Anna came in see told us we would perform our pieces in front of the rest of the class so we began to get use to performing in front of an audience. We ran ours second and the feedback we received was mostly positive, they said Amber stood out because her characteristics are very close to a childs’. This gives TJ and I a reason to work harder and move up to the same level as Amber. After performing to each other we had to group time with Anna, she said that our performance was getting better each time we do it and at the end of the lesson she gave us the chance to take our assessment now because Amber will not be here next Monday. We thought we were as ready as we could be so went for it and I think it went extremely well. The main improvement I personally need to make is to work on my diction especially during the speed talking. Musical theatre was our next class and Kelly said something that I really do need to focus on. She said choreographically and technically but I am holding back on my performance. This really hit hard because I am trying to perform but know I am going to go home and try a technique we learnt from Kelly before. I am going to play the song and look at myself in the mirror trying various facial expressions, she said lip sync at any moment you want to. In the last 10 minutes of the lesson we ran through the fan dance this this with the karaoke version so we all sang while performing. I did not find it particularly difficult but in some places I realised I need more breathing support. We had an hour of studio time so Millie, Maddie and I attempted to change the ending of bad but we had no inspiration and we did not want the ending to be throw together and lose energy at the end. The last lesson of the day we ran tap full out with knee pads, it went well but we discuss possibly using a different kind of knee pad as it was hard to slide across the floor with the knee pads we had. Kelly said that we know need to commit to the performance side now.

Tuesday- Today we did a run through of all the pieces and after each piece Mary and Kelly gave us feedback. They also needed to take down the time of each dance so Mary will know how long the full showcase will be. It went ok but they said that all of the dances felt that they lacked energy and commitment. I think we are all exhausted but we need to up our game. After lunch we cleaned street because this was the messiest group piece. Maddie was injured so she could see exactly what parts needed work. One thing I really did not realise was that my leg needed to bend in on the words ‘pat pat on the kitty kat’ but now I know this I can work on it. Mary came upstairs to watch and was pleased with the improvement. Today we more studio time to yesterday and Maddie, Millie and I knew we had to finish bad, we started to get extremely frustrated because we could not come up with and ending but after working together and asking TJ what looked good we finally finished it. We showed it to Mary and she told us what things we did differently, there were a couple of arm lines but the main one I struggled with was the double pirouette into the box splits. After trying it their way a couple of times I finally got the hang of it and the dance is looking really clean. We also got a chance to run rock and roll with the costume tops to see if they looked good with the dance. I think they compliment the piece very nicely.

Wednesday- Today we worked on the fan dance all morning. The first half of the morning we spent with Kelly where we finished the choreography. We did not get them a chance to clean it but at least it is completed and blocked. The second half we worked on the vocals with Claire. This I struggled with but we went through the harmonies in the end verse, we tried it the octave above and I did not feel comfortable singing it as I did not think it sounded correctly. Eventually we worked out Maddie and Zak take the lower harmony all the other girl apart for TJ take the middle harmony and Mary and TJ sing the octave above. We have now finished and cleaned street, we filmed it upstairs before the end of the lesson so we can refer to the video at home for practice. I struggled with one section of street because I could not get to my spacing in time so i had to change me walking pattern after discussing it with Emilie.

Thursday- Today we had studio time so I focussed on rock and roll and my solo. In rock and roll we made sure all the lifts were tight and in sync. I am now feeling confident with this dance but I really do need to work on my performance as a result of the showcase is next week. I also got the opportunity to run my solo once which helped keep the choreography in my brain considering I have a lot of other dances to memorise. Another dance we cleaned today was modern, Kerry was not happy with the effort we were putting in. So the next time we performed it the best we could and it already looked better apart from a couple of arm lines and filling the space at the end with a longer improvisation. I’m not worried about this dance because I have performed ones similar to it before. Our last class was contemporary but the result is that it’s still unfinished. But we did fill in the gaps in the dance we have already learnt. So what we have done is now tight and clean we only have to ending to do. I love performing this piece nevertheless I am still scared about it being incomplete.

Blog 7

Monday- This morning we ran the ballet piece to ensure that it is in our heads, we did not clean it completely because we had our drama assessment this morning so our teacher gave us more time to rehearse and be prepared. It was helpful for my because I keep forgetting the ronde de jambe after the lame duck. So I think drilling the dance a couple of times was definately helpful. Finishing the lesson early gave us all the opportunity to get changed into our costumes and have a quick speed run to ensure we knew all of our lines. It was also a good exercise, by running it quickly it helped us know all of our cues. When Anna came in she was impressed that we were all practicing and when we showed our piece to one another we got some feedback, our main thing we need to improve is to know our lines inside out. The next class we had we musical theatre and we dedicated half to our group piece and the other half to the fan dance. Musical theatre went well and looked clean but Kelly said we all need to up our performance level and I definately agree. The second half of the lesson gave Amber a chance to catch up with the beginning section of the choreography. I think though that we all need to start singing it because it is difficult to sing and dance at the same time as breath support will become a lot more difficult so I think the next time we run through it I am going to sing. In studio time I dedicated it to my solo because after my feedback about it being to acro based I want to make it more emotional and the dance I really want it to be. I think I used my studio time well because I now only have two counts of 8 until my solo is completed. The last lesson of the day was tap and since last week I had really been practicing the final move and I was excited about showing Kelly. However for safety reasons we all thought it would be best to not to it because we did not have knee pads. After running it a couple of times we went downstairs to show it to the other class and we saw theres, this got more excited for the show because both pieces looked really good and they contrasted really well.

Tuesday- Today we had most of the day was free to practiced whatever we wanted, my main priority was the jazz trio as it was incompleted so we focus on that. Although by the end of the day we were still not completely happy with what we have done so I would not be surprised if it changed. I also spend a little time on my solo and finished it so all I need to do is clean it. We also went through rock and rolls and the singing trio. We started to clean rock and roll and this was helpful because we clarified a couple of arm lines and footwork. The only thing we did for the singing trio was to make sure the harmonies were tight however some still do not sound right and Mary said Maddie should move up to my harmony.

Wednesday- This morning we ran through most of the dances (these were the contemporary group, my solo, street, rock and roll and lastly musical theatre). This was helpful because it helped me keep all the choreography in my head. We also had a singing lesson with Claire and she spend most of her time with Zak and we came up in the end to singing our parts along side one another and it is starting to sound really good so I am getting excited to perform this. Our last lesson was with Emilie and we mainly focussed on street because Emilie finally got the finally cut and mash up of the music. We got a lot done today I think we had the whole middle section of the dance complete I am now feeling a lot more comfortable and not as worried about this dance. Our teacher said we now only need to learn the beginning and a few transitions.

Thursday- Today was the first time we had both modern groups together so we could finally see what it is going to look like. Kerry said that it needed cleaning but for the first time all together it was not that bad. She added on the ending too which was simple so it didn’t take us long to get. Today we had a small time to run what we want so we went through rock and roll and few times but I mainly wanted to focus on cleaning my solo. Which I did and I’m now happy with how it looks and I’m finally happy with my result. Today was hopefully going to be the day where we finished both contemporary and street however we ran out of time because we took the whole time on street. We went through both piece and learnt most of the transitions so it is nearly complete. But we had 10 minutes at the end of class to run contemporary and secure the choreography in our brains. 

Singing Vlog 8/ Evaluation
http://youtu.be/0smJ9CoOQyk

Singing Vlog 7
http://youtu.be/CEGdwAuz8EQ

Character profiles

Once upon a time... (Contemporary piece)-

Name: Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

Age: 16

Status: Alive

Home: Safe Haven (formerly)

            Her Palace (formerly)

            Storybrooke

Species: Human (Enchanted Forest Character)

               Flying monkey (formerly)

Family: Father- King Stefan, Mother- Briar Rose, Married to Prince Phillip, Son- Philip

Other: Aurora is latin for ‘Dawn”. There is a spinning wheel at the foot of her bier (coffin), which serves as a homage to the original fairytale. The first person to have a heart magically reinserted on the screen. Princess Aurora was stuck in a sleeping curse by the witch Maleficent and was rescued by Prince Philip and Mulan. he knew Philip for a while before falling into the curse.

Reference: onceuponatime.wikia.com

Rock and Roll-

No specific character but I need to perform in an upbeat smiling character.

School Journey to the Centre of the Earth (drama piece)-

Name: Tricia 

Age: Eight and 3 quarters

Lives: Council estate 

Family: Single mum Stacy 

Class: 4S 

Based: Contemporary (Modern time)

Setting: School coach

Other: Class 4S are taking a coach trip to Alton Towers. Or are they? Tricia seems to think otherwise, and convinces her classmates that they’re really journeying to the centre of the Earth as part of an experiment by terrorists, who are robots made to look like Simon Cowell. 

Reference: samuelfrench-london.co.uk

First Kiss (ballet)-

No specific character but I need to perform in a haunting and elegant way.

Work (Street piece)-

No specific character but use own personal ‘swag’.

Welcome to the Jungle-

No specific character but use an angry quality as the music is rock.

Candy Store (Musical Theatre)-

Name: Heather Chandler

Age: 17

Family: Rich

Based: 1988

Setting: High school

Status: Most popular girl in school, mean girl

Favourite accessory: Red scrunchie

Other: Run the school with the other Heathers, quote ‘everyone wants to be me or bang me’.

Bad (jazz trio)-

No specific character but sassy slick quality.

Ed’s song (solo)-

No specific character but be me and just portray my emotions during this dance.

I Wish I May (singing trio)-

Name: Sukie Ridgemont

Age: Middle age

Lives: Eastwick

Based: 1987

From: The musical Heathers

Other: Sukie is an extremely fertile women with six daughters, she also works as a columnist for the Eastwick Word. Husband left her, she is a witch and her Jane and Alex (all witches) form a coven and meet weekly talking about there ideal man. The women fight over new man in town Daryl and they decide to share him. They discover he is the devil and work together to destroy him.

Reference: Wiki

Can’t Stand the Rain (modern group)-

No specific character but we have just woken up and I think we are thinking about a man we miss. 

I’m Still Hurting (singing solo)-

Name: Cathy Hiatt 

Age: 22

Lives: New York

Job: A struggling actress

From: The musical The Last 5 Years

Based: Modern (present time)

Other: Before my song she just found out that her husband just left her, the rest of the film is reviewing the last 5 years of there relationship

All Hands on Deck (commercial group)-

No specific character but subtle sexy quality.

All I Care About Is Love (finale piece)-

Name: n/a

Age: n/a

Lives: Prison in Chicago

Job: Merry Murderess

Other: Want Billy Flynn as my lawyer and he is irresistible

Blog 6

Monday- Last week they finished the ballet piece so while we began to clean the piece it gave me a chance to catch up with the choreography and luckily there was not much at all.  I feel like I am not performing this piece very well I think next lesson I should ask Kelly want kind of motivation the piece has and what kind of facial expression she wants. This drama lesson I thought was very successful because all of the cast were here and it was the first time we did it without the words. Apart from a few little trip ups it flowed a lot better and its finally becoming funnier and easier to understand. Amber and I also sorted out the song during the drama piece. Because we did not know the muller advert in the script very well we decided to upgrade it to a recent advert (muller rice), this was probably the messy part of the run through but I think if Amber and I practice it can be a highlight of the piece. Also today we completed the musical theatre piece I struggled with the drop into the plie because I could not get my weight in the correct place but with some practice I’ll get the hang of it. I am still however struggling with the performance side to this piece but hopefully I can build on that now that the dance is completed. I also started my solo to the new piece of music I found it easier to come up with ideas. I know I am still holding back on the performance but I think it is one of the dances that will happen on stage in the moment. In the last lesson of the day We finished our tap piece, I love it however I am very nervous about it because tap is not my strongest style also Kelly has added in a move I still can not do. It is a double pirouette into a knee drop, I am finding it difficult because I do my knee drop on the other leg so I need to teach myself to do it onto my left knee. This move absolutely needs practice.

Tuesday- Today we had studio time so Millie and Maddie caught me up with a small change to our jazz trio and some new choreography I love what they have added on and I can not wait until this piece is completed. We did not have time to add anymore on because today we presented all our mini groups and what we have done so far. We got feedback for each piece, to start with our rock and roll piece they said they liked what we had done so far but we lacked energy, this means all of us need to work better as a team and work on our performance. We did not show our singing trio but Mary was working on it with us so we needed more time. The jazz trio the said they loved the choreography and we all have a similar flexibility which is a bonus however the criticism the gave us that the way this dance is going to work is if its perfectly slick. So we need to clarify a few arm lines etc to ensure the dance is tight. Finally they watched my solo they said they loved the song choice and it was a good idea to change it but they said it was very trick based and back and forth spacing wise. Kelly said use more stillness as it will add to the effect she said I was holding back and I think that I am to but I’m struggling to find the perfect choreography. In commercial today they went through the end of the dance that I missed it was quite basic so it was easy to pick up but there are still a few moves I need to work on during the rap sections so I can make sure I am tight with the other girls. At the end of the lesson we danced through the musical theatre group afew time just so we could make sure we remember the choreography. In studio time today we finished our rock and roll piece and I am very pleased with the result. At the end we decided to add in a double cartwheel which TJ and Shannon had never done before so we have to teach them amazingly it dod not take them long at all the execute this movement perfectly. it obviously needs cleaning but I think we all work together well putting input and ideas in so we finished the piece quite quickly considering how little time we have had. Now we just need to work on our performance and getting it slick. In the last 45 minutes TJ left to work on another trio so we cleaned some parts we were unsure on, before Maddie and I added a little more onto the Bad trio. But we both wanted to work on our solos since our feedback and we both recently changed our songs.

Wednesday- We didn’t have ballet so we decided to run through all the group pieces starting with musical theatre, then commercial so TJ and I could rehearse the parts we missed last week and clarify the moves. This was very helpful because afterwards everyone felt a lot more comfortable performing the group pieces. Also during studio time Maddie and I taught Millie the section of the jazz trio this did not take long and we did not have long before our singing lesson. We started to learn the song ‘All I Care About is Love’ from the musical Chicago. This will be used for the finale of our showcase. We only had 20 minutes with Claire because she needed to spend more time Zak because he has a lot more verses to learn. The last lesson of the day was street we didn’t add anymore choreography wise because Emilie says that it finished apart from the beginning and transitions. So we cleaned the pieces we had already learnt as well as blocking spaces which is helpful because not all of us knew all of the songs so we can now all practice out of the lesson during studio time. 

Thursday- In the morning we started working on the choreography for the group song. This piece involved fans and heel work. This made it quite a difficult piece, to perform even though the choreography was quite simple. I have never used fans first and I never knew there were ‘rules’ for example the spine of the fan must be laying upwards while on the floor and the have to be a certain way to create a different effect. Also using heels requires a lot more balance but luckily this dance involves mainly walking. In contemporary we went over the choreography we did before half term. Plus we also added in a small lift with Millie it was particularly difficult but we tailed some other idea such as us being Millie cape it looked ver effective and Emilie said will be added on near the end of the piece. We finished this lesson a little early because Emilie wanted to trail some lifts with Millie and Zak.

Blog 5

Monday - This morning we had studio time where we worked on solo, I finished mine today and decided to add the prop of a chair down stage right to represent Ed and I think that really added to my piece and helped with my performance but it still haven’t fully connect with my character I think this is because it is a difficult dance for me. The next lesson was drama and we had a bit of time with Anna to discuss our ideas on staging and props and we all agreed on three chairs laid out the same way as a bus. We could not do a lot as it was difficult to move on and run lines with out TJ there. We got the most done during musical theatre as we recapped the choreography and continued the dance. I am really enjoying this number but I know I need to up my performance level but I am not fully committed to my character yet, I’m unsure why. We still had a little time to work on our solos and I continued to rehearse my finished piece however I am beginning to consider another piece of music Ed played but I am not sure yet because the song ‘The Meadow’ (which I want to change it to) I still find it difficult to listen to. The last lesson we added a lot more on to tap however in the middle section I am struggling on some of my tap rhythms, so I know I need to listen to the song at home and visualise the dance so I can get the correct counts in my head. Visualisation is a method I use regularly because it helps me remember the choreography.

I was ill on Wednesday and Thursday but I did do a little more research into my character for acting but I could not find much.

Thursday- Today in studio time I was found it very difficult because I started listening to the song I am going to change my solo to, I did not do a lot choreography wise but I do think I made progress as I’m finding it much easier to listen to. We continued our contemporary piece and found out our characters and understood the theme more. It is based on the tv series called once upon a time... Maddie and my character is sleeping beauty which is represented in our beginning position. Today we learnt a small section with just our partner and I did not particularly struggle with the choreography so this gave me more of a chance to connect with my character, I think I did this well.

Blog 4

Monday- Today in drama we started by doing some voice work to prepared ourselves for the rest of the lesson. After we had done this we split into our groups and discussed our characters. We all decided on the ages of each of the children we decided my character (Tricia) should be the oldest because the others look up to me. We also talked about costumes and props we wanted the staging to be quite simple but we needed to help the audience understand that we were school children on a bus. I need to start memorising my lines because it is not flowing which I think is the issue of it not being funny or performed properly. This was the first lesson of drama we had with Amber so it was the first time we worked out the chemistry of the group and I think it went well.

Tuesday-  We had two sets of studio time instead of ballet so we worked on solos I have nearly finished my solos now but I feel like it is missing something and I am unsure of what. I definitely found it beneficial because it got a huge block of it finished and I think I can have it finished by next week in time to show Mary. In commercial today we recapped everything we had done so far, the only part I really struggled on was the rap section as the style of movements changed however if I practice it will be easier for me to remember and perform it to the best of my ability. In the second half of studio time everyone carried on with there solos or anything else they needed to practice apart from TJ, Maddie and myself we began to work on our singing trio with Mary.  We started by singing through our solos part we learnt at home. This was very nerve racking at first because I do not have as much experience in singing compared to dance. But I think all three of us did really well and I definately feel a lot more comfortable now. We tried to start working on the harmonies we struggled with this as so parts clashed and was not correct. I am very excited to perform this in the showcase because it is different to all of my other pieces. 

Wednesday- In street today we learnt two new sections of the dance one was to a song called ‘Work’ which was a very fem style which I enjoyed I picked it up quite quickly but I think it helped but I only need to learn one of the dances because the second one to ‘peanut butter’ I have already learnt before. I really enjoyed this lesson because I enjoy the choreography and I cant wait to perform it in the show. 

Thursday- We recapped and added more choreography to modern, we started the section which is for the advance modern students so we knew it would just be us on stage so we know how is going to look on the stage. We could also get the spacing and formations correct and tight for when we combined the two groups. Today in contemporary our teacher told us he was not happy with how our dance was looking so far and he has a better idea which involved a lot more characterisation. I do prefer this to the other piece because I find it easier to create a character and have a good motivation for my performance and my other solo (Maddie) and I dance in quite a similar way which adds to the effect of the dance. This style of contemporary is more suited to me than the other one so I enjoy dancing it and find it relatively easy. After we had the choreography set he then put us into formations and danced it through a few times before the lesson ended.

Blog 3

Tuesday- This morning in commercial we ran through the the choreography so Amber could catch up. This was not just beneficial for Amber because it definitely helped me clarify any movements I was unsure of like the arms at the beginning of the unison section. It looked a lot cleaning after that lesson however we did not move forward in the sense of getting the choreography done. I am enjoying this dance because I can perform it well and I like dancing it. Afterwards we had some studio time where we finally began our musical theatre trio. We really struggled finding a song so instead of wasting time we decided to change the style to jazz and we picked a song by Michael Jackson ‘Bad’. After that we had a lot of ideas and came up with choreography quickly and we all agreed on it give or take a couple of arms. I think the three for us work very well together and it helps because we all love the style and I enjoy performing it. In the last 15 minutes of our first part of studio time Millie went downstairs to help with another trio which gave Maddy and I time to clarify any arms etc. In the second half of studio time we worked on Rock and Roll we did not get as much choreography done as last week instead were experimenting with some lifts we might add in. We tried a type of piggy back which we all struggled with Maddy and I found that it was not a very clean transition so we decided of a cartwheel over the legs instead.

Wednesday- In ballet we added on more to the dance, so far it had only been people gradually being adding in so we finally started a unison section. I think the hardest part was my balance because there are a lot of lunges with a pointed foot at the back as well as direction changes. So my execution was not perfect but I think my timing was good during the canon section. In street today we talked a little about what other songs we wanted in the mash up, before learning another song called ‘Truffle Butter’ this one was a different style of street to ‘Trini Dem Girls’. This one I had to get a lower centre of gravity to give it that rougher quality. 

Thursday- Modern was same as last week we did a usual class before running through the dance couple of times at the end. The last class of the day was with Emilie where we recapped street and contemporary. When we went through the street song ‘Trini Dem Girls’ I was surprised but how much I remembered but my teacher did give me some corrections so I can now execute the movements correctly. After street we moved onto contemporary I remembered the majority of the choreography however everyone it class struggled with certain sections. Especially the arms at the end section because I could see myself watching Emilie in the mirror instead of knowing it myself. So I need to go home and practice the choreography before next week.

Blog 2

Monday- Today in drama we found out our groups and who we would be working with in the show. Mine is a trio piece between Amber, TJ and I. We got a script from the play ‘School Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ by Samuel French. I researched a little into the play and it is an insight to eight year olds imagination however it is performed by adults. We start by having a quick read through before picking scenes to perform our piece should be at least 3 minutes. TJ and I decided on two scenes which linked together quite nicely and went up to three minutes, we highlighted three script one that we need to give to Amber when she comes back. The next lesson was musical theatre where we recapped the choreography we started last week. So far the moves have been pretty basic however they looked effective and linked with the lyrics of the song (as a typical musical theatre dance would). The next section Kelly added on is a lot more complex for example there was a side kick which went into a ponche, at first I found this a hard to execute because I could not get my weight distributed correctly. But with practice I know I can perform this movement to the best of my ability. As my rehearsal schedule is planned I had more time to work on my solo I started to choreograph my beginning section, I know I want the style to be quite lyrical I do not mind how specific it is the the style as long as it looks and feels beautiful. I got roughly 15 seconds choreographed before our tap class, where we continued our piece. Compared with last week my taps have become a lot clearer than last week especially on my back taps. I still have not thought much about my performance of this piece because the choreography is so difficult but I think once it is completed and clean I can think my about the character I must portray. 

Tuesday- In commercial we started a new routine to last week, I think this is because we all struggled with the timing and style last week. We have done this routine before in class, and I much preferred it to the last one. I found it a lot easier to get into style and really start to perform it. We had more studio time so we decided to start our rock and roll. We started by showing TJ and Shannon the song we found and they loved it so we started straight away. It was a very successful performance as we all had our input and got 20 seconds of the dance. At the beginning we have short individual sections before breaking into unison. Shannon and I struggled the most as we had never really done this style before but I think we both picked it up very well considering. In the second half of studio time Maddie and I attempted to start our musical theatre trio however we found it difficult with out Millie so we decided to do some more work on our solos instead.

Thursday- Today we went over and recapped modern at the end of the lesson, we did not add on any but we remembered it quite went but a few of our arm lines were different so we need to confirm the correct choreography. In our last lesson of the day contemporary we got the most done (show work wise) as we continued the piece and added on a lot of choreography. I worked very hard in that lesson and I picked it all up quickly as well and remembering the choreography from last lesson. The main thing I struggled with was getting the direction and facings right because there was a lot of repetition however each time had a slight variation.

Blog 1

Monday- This week we started our show work, firstly we began with our ballet piece. I enjoyed learning this piece because it was not just classical/ technical ballet, it was a lot more modern and has influences of contemporary. I picked it up quite quickly which just shows how much my ballet has improved since I first joined the college. The lesson after ballet was musical theatre where we also started off show piece. It is to a song called ‘Candy Store’ from the musical Heathers, I have never heard of this song or musical before however I have seen the film, which I love, so I already know the story line. This is an advantage because I found it relatively easy to get into character. In the afternoon we planned our rehearsal schedule up until the show. As well as fitting in group pieces and solos Mary told us we would perform duo, trios and quartets in various styles. I am doing a rock and roll quartet, a musical theatre trio and a singing trio. We found it extremely difficult to fit in time to choreograph and finish all of these pieces. We all agreed that each Mondays studio time should be for solos the rest of the schedule is not set yet. The last lesson of the day was tap I love the show dance we started, I struggle with it as I have never attempted half of the moves Kelly choreograph because I have never done tap at that high of a level before. I definitely need to practice at home to get it clean.

Tuesday- Today we started our commercial dance, the song was very usual and I struggled to count it and the style is a very specific kind of commercial however with practice i think it will get easier. We also had studio time and as it is our first we starting show work we decided on solos, I already knew what song and idea I want to use so I was already ahead of everyone else who was still searching for their songs so Maddy and I decided to find music for all of our other pieces, as we are together for all of our mini groups. We found a remix of broken heels for rock and roll, diamonds are a girls best friend or a song called piano man for our musical theatre.

Wednesday- The only show work we did today was to start our contemporary group. The movements were very slow and basic however it looks very effective, it also meant we got a lot done in one lesson as well as making it clean.  

Thursday- We began our modern dance, I like the song we are dancing to, I also found it quite easy to connect with the character/ performance and style of the piece as I have done a dance similar before. The choreography we learnt is the piece of unison we will perform at the beginning so it was difficult to add on too much without both classes together. As well as starting modern we also began learning choreography for street as its a mash up of songs we learnt the first song called trini dem girls. the style is a mix of fem and hip hop. I found the second section a lot easier to pick up than the first I think this is because it is slower and more specific movements so i know exactly what to do. I struggled more with the first section because its where you add more of your own style and ‘swag’ and I’m unsure of what mine is yet.