22/4/14 dance with sam

Sams Lesson

Dance

For unit 50 also, I have to show well I responded to a stimulus. To do this, I performed in America. I had to play a Latino American and had to be really sexy and raunchy. I definitely felt that at the start of the song, I was really into my character, but towards the end of the dance, I thought it faded, just because of my confidence. 

For unit 50 I choreogrpahed 'The Future is Bright'. To get ideas, I researched the orignal cast version and looked at the different styles they used. It's very Fosse, so I took little sections from there. I had a look at different versions of the dance such as Broadway/West End, College/School Productions just hvaing a look at what movements they used, to give me any ideas.

Here is my choreography https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1EEB8Or3g8, I used the same technique as the original - starting either side of the stage and entering starting on the upstage leg first. Within my choreography, I had a motif repeated all the way through, it was a step cross step tap with a hand movement forward and then up and all the way through that was my motif. 
Researching into Fosse, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG3VfKlfDEk I noticed that little hand movements or change of positioning can be really effective. So, on the line 'cream cakes that last all morning..' I had a certain selection of people come forward, whilst the others stood still and did a small hip movement. 

When teaching I found it mentally hard to keep the focus of the students because they are a similar age to me, I feel ass though they didn't see me as a teacher, more of a friend.

Personally, I think the whole dance worked well as a whole, because the dancers worked well with me, but a couple of hours before the show, I was going over the dance and it was stressing me out, so I let Sam take over, just because I was trying to keep the energy up and was trying not too loose their focus, but it wasn't working, because I was also getting stressed about the upcoming show, but I thought that I put forwards my work in a way that was understandable and wasn't too over powering. So overall, I am happy with what they did.


Evaluation of Bad Girls and A-List

Throughout the week, I thought the dances for myself got stronger.
Negatives - A-List, I didn't engage with my character, I just danced, that routine.
Negtives - Baddest and the Best I didn't connect with the characters in the dance.
Posisives - A-List I felt that I felt that I performed the dance well with punchy, sharp movements.
Positives - Baddest and the Best I really got into my character and felt that I portrayed who Crystal is.

4/2//14 Dance with Sam

Sams Lesson

Dance

In todays lesson, we did a dance routine based on a stimulus about
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPaZy4FmhmE

In the lesson, we split into 4 groups and choreographed little sections relating to the lyrics. I found this task easy, because the words were easy. In my group, i had 'none' dancers, so i took control handmade it as simple as possible.

14/1/14 Dance with Sam

Sams Lesson

Dance

America reviews:

'West Side Story is an American musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Berstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and conception and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet'

6. Provide and evaluation of performance in which obvious judgements are made and commented on regarding strengths and weaknesses. About 3 of each.

The first performance of America was in Black History Month. 
The strengths of my performance - character at the start
The weaknesses of my performance - my confidence
I thought this performance was ok. I wouldn't say it was my best. I remember getting into my dress and doing my hair, I was quite nervous because I don't feel confident when performing. 
I feel that the start of America was strong and I felt that I got into my character well as the latino american women, but I feel I lost my character, when I lost my confidence on the main dance section for the girls. I lost my character, because I was focusing to much on the dance and I didn't want to mess up and I just felt that if I do it properly I would look silly. The spacing also was a difficulty because in the studio there is more space. 

For unit 50 also, I performed in Seussical. I played a Who and a Giraffe. I found these characters easier to get into because, the characters are audienced for children. I felt more comfortable doing those types of characters. 


4. Be able to apply movement skill in performance.
Talk about America on black history month and then the dance show and then oh the thinks. Then talk about Suessical and how my dance improved and do I have a bad show.
specify dances from rehearsal to shows

In Black History Month - America
The Dance Show - America and Oh the Thinks

7/1/14 Dance with Sam

Sams Lesson

Dance

Unit 50

1. Know how to respond to different stimuli as potential for performance material.
Birds in Megans A2 Dance piece.

2. Be able to reproduce movement phrases within a performance.

3. Be able to apply movement skill to rehearsal as part of 'Bad Girls'
Help to contribute to choreography.

4. Be able to apply movement skill in performance.
Talk about America on black history month and then the dance show and then oh the thinks. Then talk about Suessical and how my dance improved and do I have a bad show.
specify dances

5. Perform a role showing control of appropriate physical qualities with competence in communicating a character, mood or intention to an audience.
Talk about character in America - about my role as a puerto rican diva

6. Provide and evaluation of performance in which obvious judgements are made and commented on regarding strengths and weaknesses. About 3 of each.

22/10/13 Dance with Sam

Sams Lesson

Dance

In yesterdays lesson, we started the choreography for 'All the thinks you can think' - Seussical. We started talking about motifs wee could used. Such as just an arm movement to represent we are thinking, but doing that over again and also when we say the word Seuss we do that same punch up in the air arm movement.
We learnt the first section, and we did it in sections with our families. Sam then said, that we had to choreograph a certain section of the song. We got th end section, where it repeats 'All the thinks you can think' so we just thought that we could do a few different poses but make them all to do with just thinking, but make them very cheesy and very over the top and big.
So we had a while to do that, then we had to learn everyones little sectin that they had choroegrpahed themselves. We started off learning it and it was going very well and the piece was peicing together well. Learning everyones little section was good and it meant that we had done it all by ourselves and that we were doing well. We didn't get round to showing everyone our little section but it was ok because we were doing well learning everyone else sections and piecing it all together. We were worrking well. Although I thought this was going well, there were some downfalls about it. We didn't finish it. Because everyone was talking over everybody and nobody was listening to who was talking, we didn't have enough time to finish what we ahd started and wanted to complete.

15/10/13 Dance With Sam

Sams Lesson

Dance

In todays lesson, we worked on America. We worked on piecing the words and the timing on to the music. We also had the year 12s join in.
We spoke more about costume ideas and what we thought would look best on everyone. For the girls, we decided on floaty skirts, and a top or nice floaty dresses and for the boys we decided on black jeans and a black top and converse for shoes and for the girls barefoot or character shoes. 
We rehearsed everything so it was ready for black history month. We also learnt the ending which the year 12s new we didn't, so we learnt that and placed us for that. We also had to do a bit of partner work at the end, so I found a partner (Maisie as she was playing a boy) and worked out a little finishing pose. Which worked well, because there were poses up in the air and standing up poses and ours which was a lower pose.
We went through it a few times which was good and then filmed it. We then did it properly with evryone singing and it was sounding/looking great. From my point of veiw.

8/10/13 Dance with sam

Sams Lesson

Dance

In todays lesson, we worked on 'America'. We had to get it done. So the first thing we talked about was how we wanted to set the beginning. We watched the film version of America and tried to get as much of the movements written down. We had a few ideas, we we were working on such as, the boys on one side of the room and the boys on the other and Anita and Bernado having a competition of the sexes to see what they think about America.
We then just did little movements to represent how we were feeling being in America and reacting to what she was saying e.g. 'money owing' we would do a little had gesture symbolising money and other things like that. We then fit our little dance routine that we had in time with the music and because it was in 6/8 the timing was slightly harder than everyone though but because I understood the music, I got the hang of it a bit quicker. Sam also said to us that on every other bar is an accented 123 bar which was good, so we knew which move could fit in where. It was peicing together really well and it was sound great also.