Unit 7, My ambitions and progress

About me

I can dance, sing, act and play the piano. I don't think I'm amazing or terrible at any of the three disciplines and I know there is always room for improvement. I feel like I have a lot of potential because I've seen myself improve very quickly in a short space of time. For example, when I went to Pineapple Performing Arts Summer School - after a few days, I became more flexible, fitter, stronger, and most of all, I loved doing it - even when I was finding it difficult! I have a lot of determination and when I don't succeed in something, I always pick myself up. I always work very hard and am trying to improve my attitude to become more optimistic so I can be the best me at all times. I feel like I can spread that positive energy and encourage my peers so they can be the best they can be at all times as well.

Since the age of four, I've attended the Burelli Academy (formerly known as Sue Paddock School of Dancing) and have taken classes and passed exams in BTDA Tap, Modern Jazz and RAD Ballet. I've also performed medal tests which are in front of a small audience and  have performed in front of a large audience at the performance evenings held once every one/two years.

My family are very musical - they formed a band and performed at different events. I have always enjoyed singing; I sing all the time, sometimes without even realising it!
Considering I've been dancing all my life, I guess I would say that it's my strongest skill. Although, I am eager to improve in all my Performing Arts skills. I particularly want to improve on my flexibility and increase my stamina, I want to have a good singing voice but I need to learn how to strengthen my voice and especially how to project it.

I took my Drama GCSE and received a Grade 6. I enjoy becoming another character and putting myself in someone else's shoes. I really like to read books (especially Harry Potter) out loud like a script, as both the characters and the narrator - I try different accents and tones as I read each character's lines.
I do struggle with researching and writing essays. People have told me I speak a lot better and more eloquently than I write.

I'm not entirely sure what I want to do after this course as I'm don't know what I'm capable of and I may change my mind in the future.

With everything I do, I put in a lot of effort and am very determined to reach my goals - especially when I enjoy what I'm doing, and I love the Performing Arts. That passion is how I aim to achieve my future goals.

Three targets to work on in the first term:
 1. Splits
 2. My pointe (increasing my foot arch)
 3. My stamina (by trying my best in every dance class)

05/11/18
Last term I learnt great ways to warm up that work for me and started understanding how to sing whilst dancing. I think my foot arch has slightly increased and I look forward to improving on Musical Theatre (singing and dancing which I find hard to do together). I'm focusing on improving my flexibility as Shannon says I should (and I agree). My high point was becoming Dance Captain and receiving praise when dancing from Shannon. Also, when I showed my brother (who's a dancer) my Induction performances, he thought that the next thing to work on was my facial expressions and I agreed.
Two targets:

1. Improve on flexibility
2. Work on facial expressions

14/01/19

Here is my reflection on the first term:

Review on last year's targets: I don't think I prioritised my flexibility enough so I don't think I improved on it. I know I have improved on using my facial expressions as I could see the difference in rehearsals and at the performance in The British Museum. However, for the Jazz performance, I was overcome with nerves which had not happened in a very long time and hopefully will not happen again and in that specific performance I lacked facial expressions, otherwise I have improved on it.

This term's targets:

1. To improve my splits
2. To improve my pointe/ foot arch
3. To have more confidence and project my expressions on stage

Term 2 - Future Forward

I feel like I have improved and am more knowledgeable in all three skills - singing, dancing and acting. The greatest thing that has improved is my confidence. I didn't truly realise it had improved until I received feedback from my family members after my most recent performance. Once I thought about it, I realised that all the work put into consciously thinking positive thoughts about my skills and thinking about why I am performing (because it makes me happy) had become a more subconscious thing to think about which had given me confidence almost without trying! I believe self-confidence which links to self-belief is key to becoming successful because if you don't believe in yourself, you may not sign up to an audition thinking you are not good enough and even if you went to that audition, you wouldn't be the best you because I believe you do best when you are happy with yourself. So I am grateful that I managed to become more confident and hopefully with even more work I can become very successful, in whatever way I decide in the future.

I feel like out of all three skills, singing was my weakest when I started this course. However, I think I have improved the most with my singing skills because I sound a lot better than I used to and practised a lot. I couldn't have done this without my singing lessons at college as this was the first time I had proper training which helped me understand how to progress in the right way - how to warm up, breathing techniques, how to project my voice, etc. I feel like I have best demonstrated these skills both in rehearsal and in performance as I work very hard in both and for the most part, nerves don't affect my performance.

In the recent Little Shop of Horrors performance, I was given the job of designing hair and makeup for the three doo-wop girls. I did some research into 60s girl groups and looked at their hair and makeup. I watched hair tutorials on many different 60s hairstyles which all used lots and lots of volume and hairspray. I also gained new experience in choreographing. From previous experience, I find choreographing really difficult and I am usually too shy to show anyone my ideas. However, this time I had to pull myself together, believe in my ideas, and I really didn't have to worry because I received help from Shelley who approved of my ideas. We were given sheets to design lighting for the song we choreographed. I had never paid too much attention to lighting so I came up with very simple ideas like keep the spotlight on the main singer. However, Shelley then showed me I could be more creative than that by adding colours to the stage to emphasise different themes. This helped me think outside the box.

Dancing is still my strongest skill, which makes sense since I have had more training in dancing than singing and acting. I show my skills best in Jazz classes because I love the routines Shannon gives us and unlike ballet, I don't have to be incredibly flexible to be good. 

My dream at the moment is to have a lead role in an amazing West End Show. However, before I get anywhere near to completing that, I want all my Musical Theatre skills to be at  a much higher standard which I know will take years of hard work. After college, I plan to progress to further study/more practical work in a place that has produced successful West End stars. I will need to develop a healthier lifestyle and a lot of stamina so I can be ready to perform in a two hour show nearly every day.

I rated different aspects of my skills; example - muscle strength:

Development of ballet skills - June 2019

1. Had you taken ballet classes before? I have been taking ballet classes since the age of four at The Burelli Academy, taking exams and achieving 69% in RAD Grade 8 ballet. 
2. Have you seen a ballet? When I was younger I saw the ballet Giselle choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. A few years ago, I saw the ballet "Lest We Forget" choreographed by Liam Scarlett in 2014. At the end of last year, I saw the ballet "Mayerling" at the Royal Opera House which was choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan.
3. List the usual order of barre exercises within a ballet classes. Pliés, Battement Tendus, Battement Glissés, Ronds De Jambe A Terre, Battements Frappés and Grands Battements.
4. Name the open positions of the feet. First position, Second position, Third position, Fourth crossed, Fourth open and Fifth position.
5. How many arabesques are there and what are the differences? There are three arabesque positions: First - the arm in front is on the same side as the supporting leg. Second - the arm in front is on the same side as the foot/ leg at the back. Third - both arms are in front, the higher arm is usually the one furthest from the audience so that the side profile of the ballerina's face can be clearly seen.
6. What is a pirouette? Suggest three salient points that contribute to accurate execution of a pirouette. A pirouette is a turn with correct ballet technique such as both legs must be turned out from the hip; when turning, it is essential to spot to help land and reduce dizziness, and the foot in retiré must be pointed.
7. How long can you balance for on demi-pointe on two feet? Over one and a half minutes (I stopped because my muscles were aching, not because I could not balance for longer)
8. How long can you balance for on demi-pointe on one foot? My right foot: 23 seconds; my left foot: 24 seconds.
9. What has been the most challenging step to learn and what were the challenges? I find doing any step in ballet with correct technique a challenge because it is hard to maintain my turnout, posture and I am naturally inflexible so I find pointing my foot very difficult and these techniques which require strength and flexibility are involved in every exercise and dance in ballet. 
10. What targets would you set for yourself going forward? I have learnt that I have to set myself achievable targets otherwise I will become demotivated to continue trying and working hard after a long period of time. I know I need to work on my turnout and pointe because they are the most prominent weaknesses I notice when I watch videos of myself. I also want to increase my self-confidence because when I am nervous, it shows on stage so I aim to focus on my strengths as well as my weaknesses.