What in my daily practice gets me really enthusiastic to find out more about?
Strangely enough I really struggled to pinpoint what exactly I am enthusiastic about in my practice! I sat for a long time asking myself this question and began to get slightly worried when I couldn't immediately find an answer! After reading through my journal to help me gather some ideas I realised that something that I had repeatedly written about was how to stay motivated and positive for performances everyday. How do we, as performers manage to put the same passion and love into our performance for every single show? I had noted down in my journal on some days 'good performance' and other days 'bad performance' what constitutes a good performance? What does a bad performance entail? Would this be noticeable to other people of is it just a personal thing? Something I had also written about in my journal was how to keep on pushing myself in daily ballet class and keeping motivated. Even days when my body feels fatigued I always try to keep on pushing myself to improve my technique. This triggered some more thoughts about how as dancers we are used to criticism and rejection and made me consider whether this effects our self confidence or does it make us stronger? Perhaps a line of inquiry I would be interested in following would be physcology in the performing arts and dance as this is something I would definitely be interested in finding more about.
https://www.danceuk.org/healthier-dancer-programme/health-faqs/psychology/
http://www.foundations-for-excellence.org/file_storage/beyondphysicalpractice_1.pdf
Beyond physical practice
Terry Clark, Sanna M. Nordin and Imogen J. Walker, Trinity Laban
Terry Clark, Sanna M. Nordin and Imogen J. Walker, Trinity Laban
Who do I admire in my industry?
I would say that in most ballet companies dancers tend to admire the principles in the company. I had a really interesting conversation with someone in the industry the other day and she was talking about a company she works with and said that she didn't feel the principles were taking on the role of being a principle dancer. She explained to me that she felt that being a principle dancer is more than just dancing a principle role it's also about setting an example for the rest of the company and being someone that other dancers can look up to and aspire to be! She explained that even things like having clean pointe shoes and looking neat for class are ways you can take on the role of being a principle dancer. I found this an interesting point and it made me consider how I portray myself within my company. Personally someone I admire would be my ballet mistress, she is always very positive and I think she sets a great example for the rest of the company!
What am I passionate about? Who works with something you are passionate about?
When I was at school something that I used to find interesting was Pilates and I strongly believe it can hugely benefit dancers. This is something I am definitely still passionate about now and still try to incorporate this into my working day. Someone who I admire who is also passionate about this is a woman called Lottie Murphy who is a Pilates teacher and wellness coach. She promotes a healthy and balanced lifestyle and I follow her on various social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. She often uploads blog posts and photos with positive quotes about living a balanced life. Lottie Murphy also trained as a ballet dancer so I find it interesting how she made the transition between ballet to health and fitness! I find that she has a positive vibe and I admire this and try to channel this during my day, especially if I am feeling run down or tired.
http://www.lottiemurphy.com
What makes me sad or angry? Who else shares these feeling but finds a way to work around them?
What can make me sad in my industry and practice are injuries and dancers can be treated badly because of them. They can happen to anyone at anytime and can sometimes lead to people having to stop dancing altogether which is very sad to see. I've seen this happen to a number of people whilst at school training. Sometimes people find that it is just ballet and it's unnatural movements which cause pain so they will look at going down the jazz or contemporary route but sometimes the repetitive moments of ballet can cause serious injuries which may cause people physical difficulties in the future. Our profession is so heavily reliant on physical capability that it is vitally important to look after you body. Many companies aren't understanding about injuries and can treat dancers like they are disposable which makes me very annoyed. I don't agree with these ethics and because I have experienced first hand being treated badly because of an injury it makes me feel very angry. I understand that a company needs to have fit and healthy dancers in order to put on a show but I believe once a dancer is employed with a company they should be looked after and cared for. For instance if a dancer requires to see a physiotherapist I believe that this should be supported by the company and not seem as a negative as it often can be. I have learnt that looking after your body is so important, especially when you have a very heavy workload. It is important to find time for rest as well as knowing when to push yourself. Since starting writing my journal I have noted down a few occasions where I have had a few ethical disagreements with how dancers have been treated due to injury. This has initiated thoughts about equity and dancers rights. Do we as dancers actually understand our rights? Also in comparison to other industries are we treated fairly? I'm sure people are aware that the dance industry is a brutal one but should it be so cutthroat that if you mention an injury you loose your job?
Appropriate ethical response to given situations?
It's enevitble that diffevent people will hold varying opinions in regards to different ethical situations and when working within a company it is almost impossible to please everyone with company decisions all the time. During this past week a number of issues have been raised in my company in regards to the dancers welfare and I'm not going to go into too much detail because this is a public blog but when I have been reflecting on the day I have had some interesting thoughts which could lead to an inquiry topic. I have been thinking about leadership. What qualities make a successful leader and what qualities make an effective team member? Is it important to voice your opinion in regards to company issues to directors or is it better talk about it with co-workers? This week has shown me that it is important to take initiative and stand up for what you believe in. After all we all have rights and it's important to be heard because that is when problems can be solved and improvements can be made. There is another member of my company who shares my opinion and isn't afraid to voice their opinion which has produced results.
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