Line Of Inquiry

I have been really interested in some of the lines of inquiries others on the course have come up with but have struggled to focus on one for myself. I wanted it to be relevant to what I am doing now and something that I can really get stuck in to.

As I have been teaching people of all ages in a number of community dance sessions lately, it made me think about Social Dance. What role does dance play in society and how has it changed over the years? How and why is it different between different cultures and ages groups?

As performers a lot of us dance because we have a passion for it and it’s something we love.  But what other benefits does dance have?

• Its great exercise.

•  It can build confidence.

• Increases coordination/flexibility.

•  Its fun.

• It’s a great way of socialising.

Shows like strictly come dancing have bought dance back into the public eye. It’s become popular again; people are inspired to want to learn to dance.

I attended a Scottish friend’s Wedding at the beginning of the year in Edinburgh.  To kick of the evening entertainment they had a Kay lee band playing (which at the time I hadn’t heard of). All the Scottish guests new these set dances and had us all up participating too. It was so much fun! I was dancing with people I hadn’t even spoken to throughout the day and it was a great way to bring everyone together, and get the party started.

Another great experience I had with social dance was when I was out rehearsing in LA. We knew a guy who took salsa classes so a few of us went along and learnt the basics then after the class the whole place filled up with people and everyone danced the night away. I got asked to dance with so many different people, who I had never met and will never see again but it was so enjoyable. We didn’t stop dancing all night; I was exhausted by the end, but had had the best time. I have never experienced anything like that in this country where there is such energy and a passion for dance from the public. I don’t think it is in our culture.

Current Networks

It has been interesting reading everyones thoughts and ideas about networking that came out at the campus session. Thanks for sharing!

When thinking about my own networking I have realised that in the last year my networks have been steadily changing and re organising themselves. Having been doing less performing and more teaching work I have made a whole new set of networks, my old ones are still there but priorities have changed and certain networks have now became more relevant than others.

Looking back on it now it has made me realise just how interlinked some of these networks are and how I have found work from some networks that I would not have ever expected too.

My first permanent teaching job that I started last September came from a choreographer I met when performing in a show a number of years ago. We had kept in touch and she now had her own theatre school and offered me employment. Since then we have become very close friends and she is someone I look up to, admire and can turn to for advice and support. As someone who has been down a similar path to me she has been a great help in passing on contact details, forwarding me job vacancies and offering great references to other employers.

For a while this was the only job I had, I found it hard having been away from the area for so long to know what opportunities were available and where the teaching jobs were. It took time for me to build up new networks or re-establish old ones as well as building up my reputation in the area.

Slowly I began to make more contacts and as people got to know me and see my work they would recommend me to others. For example at the theatre school I work at, my colleges there in the singing and drama departments have both passed my details on to friends or other organisations that I have then gone on to work for.

On two separate occasions this year I have got teaching work though my family network, which has been an eye opener to me as it is not an area I would have expected to find work opportunities. One opportunity arose after a conversation my gran had with a younger cousin of mine whose dance school was looking for a tap teacher and another through a family friend who knew of a company looking for dance practitioners in my area, I had never even heard of the company and now I do a lot of great work with them. I got both jobs through my own merits but would never have heard of them had it not been for these people in my family network as they were not advertised positions.

Another important networking tool for me is going to see regular performances in my area. Here I get to meet up with like-minded people in the industry and keep up to date on what is going on. It is also a place where I get to meet up with old teachers, friends or dance associates who I am not in regular contact with but seeing them at such events keeps them in my network.

The internet has always been a very useful tool to me in networking over the years. When performing it was a great way to find out about auditions, keep in touch with teachers and friends from college and email employers, agents and casting directors with CV and Photos. I have used it more recently to research dance schools and organisations in my area, it’s been a great way to increase my knowledge of dance in my area and get in touch with prospective employers. I have been able to get in touch with organisations and people I have never met, provide them with all my details and experience, let them know I am in the area and ask that if there are any current or future work opportunities that they keep me in mind. I have done this a lot and it has paid off! Often I have found that people aren’t necessarily looking for dance teachers but if you make contact and they like what they see then they are more often than not willing to have a meeting and take you on as a cover teacher which can often then lead to a more permanent position. You have to be proactive in making new contacts and networks.

Social networking sites have also provided some work opportunities for me, I have seen people post last minute requests for dance teacher cover on Facebook which is actually a really affective way of communicating with a large number of people probably across a number of different networks. I myself have used it as a tool recently when I needed an extra dancer at short notice for a show I was choreographing. It just goes to show again how networks can overlap and you never know where an opportunity may arise!

I liked Joanna's theory that within your networks there are those people that you receive from, those that you give to and those that who you equally give and receive from. I started to divide my networks up like this but then prompted with the question “can you think about the motives of others to be in the network and what values and purpose they have in mind?” from the module handbook it made me think that at some point could all networks work both ways? Could both parties benefit from being in each other’s network or are there just some networks where they will always be a hierarchy? 

For example I work a theatre school, initially it was obvious to me that they are in the ’giver’ position as i gain from them as they are giving me work and I look to my employer for advice and support too. However when I started to think about it further I realised that I could also be seen as the ‘giver’ here, I have a lot of experience and knowledge to bring to their school and on occasions when I am asked by youngster or parents looking to sending their children to dance/drama/singing classes I would recommend this theatre school to them, so I am bringing in extra students to them also.

Another example could be if you have an agent you would initially put that into the category of people you receive from. But actually by you being on their books you are adding to their agency and making them money and again you may recommend them to other people thereby increasing their reputation. I couldn’t help thinking of the saying ‘it takes two to tango’!! Surely there must be some benefit for all parties that are in the network otherwise why bother? It may not be apparent straight away and it may not be a material benefit like money or gaining a job, it could be the satisfaction of passing on knowledge or doing a friend a favour. You may not reap the benefits straight away but at some point in their existence a network will run both ways.

Now don’t get me wrong I am all for helping people out, I don’t give to receive but often just because it feels like it is the rights thing to do or you can help someone out. I still keep an eye on what is happening in the performing world and often tell friends of jobs I’ve seen that I think they would be suitable for, if I can’t take a teaching job I would always try to recommend someone else instead. More recently I have been in the position where I was able to offer a friend a performing job in a show I was choreographing; great for her as she was out of work, but now thinking about it great for me too as I get to work with a friend!

My ideal network would be a balance of giving and taking in equal measures. I enjoy helping others and passing on my knowledge but I still like to have those people to look up to, learn from and be supported by. I think it’s important to always keep your network growing, as you develop and change your networks will too. Some networks will always remain solid and then others you may grow out of and form new ones more relevant to your current circumstances. Once having been in a network I don’t think it would ever totally go away, it may fade and you may not use it for a long time, but then twenty years down the line you could have a chance encounter and meet up with someone from that network and a new opportunity may arise!

Reflective Theory: Task 2c

Without realising it I use reflective practises quite often in my day to day life, be it for work, socially or in my private life. If you don’t reflect on your experiences then how can you learn from them? Experience is what moulds us, alters us and makes us the people that we are. For example I would not present myself in the same manner at an audition or interview today as I would of six years ago, fresh out of college. As well as having the technical ability I now have the experience to go with it, I know what to do, and what not to do. These are things that we can only learn through experience.

I use the idea of reflection and “Turning experience into learning” Boud (English and Gillen, 2001), as a tool when I am teaching. If I have a dance to choreograph for a show, rather than just go in on day one with all the steps prepared and ready to throw at the students I like to give them a fuller learning and understanding of the theme, music and style. Often I will achieve this through creative tasks. Rowtree (1998) says “you should prepare for it before hand, participate actively during it, and reflect on it afterwards”

Choosing a relevant piece of music I ask the students to listen carefully to it and express through movement whatever comes to them in that moment. Afterwards I will ask them how did it make them feel? What did it make them think? What can they tell me about the music? Describe the sound to me? It really gets them thinking rather than me just providing all the answers. I would then divide them in to small groups and ask them to use the knowledge we have just talked about in order to put together a short dance sequence. Finally in their groups they will demonstrate their ideas group at a time. This gives them the opportunity to learn from what others have done, and again I will ask questions at the end. How did they feel it went? What did people like? What did they think they could improve on?

Kolbs learning cycle helps us to understand how this method of teaching would be beneficial. It shows that people start to learn at different stages and have different learning styles. It is important to recognise that people learn in different ways and use various teaching styles and techniques in order to engage all the participants visually, auditory and kinaesthetically.

Listening to the music and improvising (having an experience), talking about how they felt and what they thought (reflective observation), using their ideas to produce more structured movements (learning from the experience), demonstrating their work (actively trying out what they have learnt). This method provides an opportunity for all learning techniques to be utilised and so gives a complete learning experience for all the students involved. People need to feel, watch, do and think. Each is an important entity in the learning process.

Donald Schon’s (1987) ideas about reflection in action and reflection out of action really got me thinking. Of course we reflect out of action but the idea of reflecting in action was new to me. I couldn’t grasp how we could have time to reflect in the middle of doing something and believed this just to be merely our reactions. After further thought, discussions, blogging and enhancing my understanding of the meaning of reflection I came to realise that reflection in action is a skill that we have learnt most liking without even realising it. Moon defines reflective practice as “a set of abilities and skills, to indicate the taking of a critical stance, an orientation to problem solving or state of mind” (1999: 63)

As a dancer we reflect in action all of the time in order to give our best performance. We are constantly assessing our body and our surroundings for changes that we need to adapt too. Therefor reflection in action is our thought process and the physical change is our body reacting. But how do we know what to do and what to look out for? This must come from our reflection on action, from reflecting on previous experiences, learning from them and then putting them into action next time we need to reflect in action. It is another cycle by which we have to learn from our experiences or else we would keep making the same mistakes and not progress or improves ourselves.

Rowntree (1988) says reflection is studying one's own study methods as seriously as one studies the subject and thinking about a learning task after you have done it. Unless you do this, he says, the task will almost certainly be wasted. He suggests that we must always reflect on our experiences otherwise they were a waste. It’s true that in order to progress and become the best we can we need to look to our past experiences, decide what worked and what didn’t. We must then take forward the knowledge of our findings and implement it into our future experiences. 

Robert Kottkamp suggests that reflection in action in harder to achieve “The latter type is the more difficult to achieve, but the more powerful for improvement of practice because it results in ‘online’ experiments to adjust and improve one’s professional actions”, he goes on to say that “Reflection-on-action is accomplished ‘off-line’ at a time when full attention can be given to analysis and planning for the future without the imperative for immediate action…”

They are both important tools and go hand in hand with one another so you cannot say one is more beneficial than the other but I can see why he believes ‘’online” reflection is harder to achieve. As much as you reflect on an experience after the event unless you are then able to put that knowledge into action then you cannot move forward, improve or become better at what you do. 

All the theories mentioned prove that reflection is a fundamental part in the learning process. I was quite unaware of my use of reflection before but now I have gained awareness and knowledge of the true meaning of reflection I will be able to use this tool more efficiently and effectively.

References

ENGLISH, L. M. & GILLEN, M. A. 2001. Promoting journal writing in adult education, San Francisco, Jossey‐Bass.

KOTTKAMP, R. B. (1990) Means for facilitating reflection. Education and Urban Society, 22, 182-203.

MOON, J (1999) Learning journals: a handbook for academics, students and professional development (London: Kogan Page)

ROWNTREE D (1988) Exploring Open and Distance Learning Routledge.

SCHÖN, D. A. 1987. Educating the reflective practitioner : toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions, San Francisco, Jossey‐Bass.

Reflective Writing..

I chose yesterday to test out Reid and Moons frame work when writing a journal entry. I chose this day as there were a number of events happening.

I first had a rehearsal for the show I am involved with, it was just for me to meet the actors, watch them run the first act and see the set as dancers don’t start until next week.

Secondly I had a meeting with a company I teach for about a possible summer project I would like to get involved in.

Thirdly I was teaching at dance school; four separate classes for children between the ages of 4 and 16.

I have decided not to write out my full description of the day on here as it is very long but just to go through some of the points bought up when using the framework. It was easy enough to write a description of the day’s events in detail as it was still very fresh in my mind. Without realising it I did some reflecting as I was writing my description adding in things that had gone well or hadn’t and how I felt. But it further helped my reflection when I went through the questions

What did you feel about it?

I felt I had had a really good day, but didn’t realise I thought this until prompted with the actual question! It was constructive and I was able to cover three important areas of work. I was up and out of the house early which made me feel like I was making the most of my day and time.

What were you thinking?

After rehearsals I was thinking I am happy to be involved and looking forward to doing the shows. But it also made me realise there are some areas I am concerned about, I have done it before and it always works out in the end but I can’t stop myself from worrying!

Did anything unexpected happen?

I hadn’t thought of looking at any events as unexpected but there were two that came to mind when asked this question.

1.      A new song has been added to the show, so that means more choreography for me.

2.      When teaching I had not planned to do creative sessions but the children lead me in that direction with a fireworks theme and it produced some really great results.

What was your mood?

I was generally in a good, happy, positive mood. There were a few tired moments when teaching though.

When asked to make a list I admit I was a bit hesitant about how this would help me reflect as surely I had just covered everything I had seen, felt and done in my description of the day!?

However I really enjoyed making a list of just one word answers about the day and guess what, it turns out it made me think in a different way and I came up with some events and feeling I hadn’t even thought of earlier.

Colourful Set

Scripts

Rain

Music

Hot and Sweaty

Manic

Fireworks

Bang

Explosion

Travel

Welsh

Excited

Confused

Happy

Proud

I could easily see what had gone well during the day and what hadn’t. But did I learn anything? Yes! 

• I am not a morning person and so need to prepare items for a busy the day the night before instead of trying to rush around in the morning and find them all!

• I actually discovered I am better at thinking on my feet than I had thought. During my meeting I was put on the spot and able to come up with good suggestions on how we could work with different age groups and get as many people involved in the Musical show as possible. Then when teaching when I realised the children would really enjoy a creative class I was able to quickly find some suitable fireworks music, give clear instructions and guidance on a task I had never done before, and set up a structure in which to present their work at the end.

It was interesting looking at the day from someone else’s perspective and is something I will try to do more of in the future. I think we can easily get wrapped up in our own little world of thoughts and feelings, and this just helps to see things through other people’s eyes.

When looking at the day as a whole and trying to see how it fits in in my daily life and perhaps with this course it made me think that I am very lucky to have such varied job, and work with some amazingly talented people. I also get to pass my knowledge and experience on to children who share my passion for dance, and I do feel proud of both them and myself when we have had a really productive class.

Journal Writing.

There have been two previous times in my life that I have kept a journal. One was as a child when we went on our summer holidays to Portugal I would keep a record of what I had done every day, which pretty much consisted of; woke up, ate breakfast, played with toys, went for a swim, ate lunch, watched TV, ate dinner, went to bed. My life was very exciting!!

I actually found that journal not that long ago and my sisters and I had a good laugh over reading it, the only things I really went in to detail about was the variety of food and whether I liked it or not!

The second time (which I was hesitant to talk about on here) was last year when my mum was involved in a car accident and was killed. I started to record experiences I had had with her. I felt they needed to be out down on paper as I didn’t want to forget anything. I didn’t want to reflect on them right then but I knew they would be there in black and white for me to look at in the future.

I also used it as a form of therapy. I found it easier to express how I felt by writing it down than by saying it out loud. I could be honest and open and not hide anything. I used it as a way of understanding my thoughts, feelings and emotions. As Jenifer A Moon suggests a journal can be used “To provide an alternative `voice’ for those not good at expressing themselves” (Moon 1999a, pp. 188–194)

I love how Miranda Tufnell and Chris Crickmay describe the importance of being engaged with reflection “In the rush and pressure of our everyday lives we easily become numbed, cut off from our bodies” (Tufnell and Crickmay, 2004) 

Life happens so quickly and we are always looking forward to the next thing that sometimes we forget to take the time to look back. Whatever form your reflection takes, be it talking, drawing, writing, or thinking, it is important for us all to take the time to do this. We need to know where we have come from in order to know where we want to go next. I believe reflection is an important tool not only in studying but in life.

Reflection is going to play a big part for me in this course and with what I want to do next. Over the last few years I have enjoyed performing and teaching dance but am unsure what direction I want to go in the future. Reflecting on what I have done, what makes me happy, what makes me passionate and enthusiastic and what I don’t enjoy so much will really help me move forward and find my next step.