Making some improvements + using props in dance - Dance Saturday
Hello everybody and welcome back to another blog post,
Recently, I feel as though I have improved a little bit more in something that I've struggled a lot with previously in dance in the past and that is using my emotion. When I started sixth form back in September, I was very much a different dancer to the one that I am now because at the start of the academic year, I thought dance was about learning routines and learning the technique whereas now, I've learnt how to enhance that further by bringing an element of myself to the dancing. In GCSE dance, I learnt a set technique like All That Jazz, Copacabanna, A Chorus Line, or even Rosas Danst Rosas and it was amazing. Being a dancer who wasn't as experienced then in jazz or contemporary, I really enjoyed learning something new and I had a great teacher to support me who was super experienced in the field of theatre as a whole. However, one of the reasons why I think that I struggled to come up with a routine with the group that I was working during the GCSE dance assessment period, was because I was thinking about the technique of each dance style, rather than the movement and the feeling. It probably sounds really strange and confusing for you all too hear that, but in IB dance, I really learnt the difference between technique and shear ecstacy of movement. On Thursday for example, we were in the studio working with props and it was one of the most successful dance lessons we've had so far in IB dance. There were rosters, tables, and chairs all sprawled out on the floor and we had to act with our prop. We were examining our props, hugging them, being angry with them, and just learning and exploring the different weird and wonderful ways that we could just move with our prop. We even chose a prop and taught it our solos that we had choreographed in the lesson before. We thought that we were improvising for 15 minutes or so, but in actual fact, we had been improvising for 35 minutes! Don't get me wrong, in IB dance there is definitely an element of technique that is taught and one time we even re-learnt the Rosas Danst Rosas chair sequence for fun. However, you have no idea how refreshing it is to just break the general societal constructs and dance unapologetically. I will always have a part of me who's sometimes a bit shy and slightly awkward when I'm dancing because that's just my natural personality but the fact that I'm looking more towards what's a weird movement that I can add to a piece rather than what's the right technique, I think is a vast improvement. As Shirley Ballas has said,"there is no such thing as the perfect dancer, but any true dancer must have a huge heart and be prepared to reveal it..." I personally couldn't agree more!
Which is more important for you in dance, technique or emotion? Let me know in the comments below and I'll be sure to reply to them. I ♡ hearing from you!
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See you next time,
Bye,
XOX, Juliette
P.S. I'm holding second set of street dance lessons. The details are below. Please check it out!😀👇
Hello, 👋
My name's Juliette Page and I'm a 16 year old student trying to raise funds for my expedition to Tanzania in the summer of 2022 as part of the World Challenge. I'm offering a second round of fun virtual street dance classes over Easter to help me fundraise. New participants are welcome join, as well as those who came to my February half term sessions. Students can be advanced street dancers or complete beginners; this class is open to all abilities! The first class will be for children aged 6 - 8 years and the second will be for children aged 9 - 12 years. The first class for the younger students will run from the 5th - 6th of April from 10:00am - 11:00am and the second class for the older students will run from the 7th - 9th April from 10:00am to 11:00am. It costs only £4 per class/device and parents are welcome to join in so get involved if you wish! If you're interested, please make sure to email/Facebook message me so I can give you my bank details for payment and so that I can give you your online meeting link closer to the time. I look forward to seeing some new and familiar faces! 😊
My email: juliettepage15@gmail.com
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