literature cont...

'delivering-dance-in-primary-schools-'

This is a lady giving advice and information/help to primary school teachers who are not professionally dance experts/professionals/skilled and giving advice on how to teach dance in Pe lessons its a very interesting read

A Piece of research I have found interesting about Dance in Education...

Please take a look this peice of writing it's about Dance in Education and some interesting links and information off this website it also reads 'Dance has become second only to football as most popular activity in schools around the country' 


Take a look 'agreatstepfordance' 

Questioning the children after my classes...

After my professional dance classes I asked each child:

1. How do you feel after that lesson?

2. What did you learn?

3. Would you like a PE class like this again?

4. What was your favourite part? Enjoy the most?

And the same questions after my Educational PE Class with the same children with one extra question which was: 

5. Which Pe dance class did you prefer? being taught exercises/routines or creating?

Myself and the classroom teacher wrote these but asked the children individually after the session and wrote exactly what they replied. 

This was successful and graphs to follow...

My Thoughts on the Ethics of my Work places...

I have quite a few things to consider when planning for my inquiry and the Ethics are very important. 
In my Teaching Assistant role at the First School I work at I have to consider: 
- The children I use are under 18years, only 4/5years old
- Consent from the school, headteacher and classroom teacher
- Not to use any names in my inquiry making them confidential and anonymous
- I can put names on the adults with their consent
- I will not ask irrelevant questions eg age, this is not appropriate for my inquiry

In my other work place which is my Professional Dance setting, My Dance school I have to consider: 
- If  I question the children, I need consent off every parent and again anonymous and no irrelevant questions
- If I question parents then this will also be anonymous 

Making sure that whoever I do include in my inquiry whether it be a focus group, audio/visual questionnaire they are totally aware of what I am doing, my plan of inquiry and why I am inquiring. 
All information I recieve is confidential and, I and the university in my assignment are the only people to veiw this information but the research, plan of inquiry and the inquirywill be information to benefit the relevant people in my inquiry. 

any thoughts on my Ethics for my inquiry? 

Questionnaire for Dance teachers/teachers and my wikis discussion link please join

My 'Questionnaire' - Please click on the link and fill out my questions primarily for Dance teachers whether it be Educational or Freelance/Professional.
Please take a look and my wikis page link for discussion on this is 'Educationalandprofessionaldanceteaching' is this something your interested in? Teaching in schools and at a dance school?

More thinking on my Inquiry...

I am currently working on my classes with my reception children at school and my first professional Dance class went well today I will be uploading my session plans to follow shortly and my questionaire and focus groups results will be up soon also. 

I am thinking about lots of things at the moment reading lots of blogs/sigs and talking to people: 

With setting up my new Fun2move (please have a look on my Facebook Page): therefore I have had a lot of things to consider and organise: 

- My Qualifications, were my qualifications enough to open a Dance school? Yes and I have a CDET Registered Dance Instructor Status and Working towards my CDET Approved Dance Instructor. And I have Modern and Tap ISTD to Advance 2 level and RAD Ballet Advance 1 level and ISTD Ballet Intemediate. Also with my National Diploma Level 6 in Proffessional Dance and all my Experience and of course this BA course!

-  My Policies; I have been given policy guidelines and statements which I have used from CDET which I have changed where appropriate and signed and date this was a big task for me due to that I am not used to the background paperwork and business information needed. 

- My marketing; I had 250 leafets printed which I budgeted for and I have exceeded this and I have printed more, lots of printing, and posters, and getting my word out, any ideas of how I could do this even more? 

- Also Registration forms; what is needed for me, medical information, emergency contact details and a declaration signed. 

All this and much much more.. This is a major business for me to start and it has successfully started and my experience with children and dancing has brought this together. 

I am very proud principle of Fun2move. 

I am using this into my iquiry about How we teach differently in a Professional Dance Class and a Educational PE Dance Class? 

I will be putting some questions together over the next few weeks while doing my Reception Classes and will be asking my Bapp peers, class teachers of all age groups and professionals to help with my questions for my Inquiry.

Any comments?  

4a After Reading Professional Inquiry Reader

My Thoughts: 

I would like to look and develope:

- How Professional Dance teaching is different to School Pe dance lessons?

- How can discussions/questioning enhance a dance lesson?

- How creative are my lessons (Professional) compared to your (School) dance lessons? and have the children learnt 'dance'?

 I am working on these questions and to get my questions I would like to collect evidence/questionaires and graphs.
I have come up with the idea that in my Reception Class of which I am a Teaching Assistant, I would like to do:

- 3 Dance classes which I set a routine as a Professional Teacher as I would at my Dance School,
Ask all the children who took part to answer a basic questionnaire and how they felt

- 3 Dance Classes with own creativity as a School dance PE lesson,
Again ask the children the same questionnaire and how they felt

And also do a final questionnaire of which they preferred and which they enjoyed more.

I feel this is a good part of dance which I would benefit as a Professional dance teacher with a Dance School and I am a reception teaching assistant training to be a teacher and this will enable to help with my dance teaching in school.

How these are different also as the children grow a little older so I am going to then ask my collegues at school who teach classes 1 and 2, 3 and 4 for there feedback and whether this applies to them as they are older and have learnt 'dance' in gestures and how to move to music whether they then teach routines and evaluate in professional ways? and I am going to ask my professional peers also

Also with regards to parents, school is a place where they learn all subjects to go on and learn creative, imagination and put it into all there lessons. Whereas at a Dance school parents want to see different routines and improvement in the area.







These Are my Inital thoughts, so collecting evidence and doing my classes is next!

Any comments or thoughts?

Module Handbook 3630 ..

My Thoughts .. 

Reading through this Handbook made me think this is going to be a hurdle from the last module to this module is a HUGE step up and really links us to the outcome of our qualification. 

Reading this Reader there are Three main Parts :

 - Professional Inquiry

- Professional Ethics

- Tools of Professional Inquiry

So I need to :

- Actively keep updating my blog

- Keep up to date with ingaging with peers and practitioners

- Start and keep up with my tasks and dedicate specific time to the course

This is the start of My 2nd Module!

Welcome Back

Hello Everyone!

I am glad to be back on this course after the last Module it seems soooooo long ago!

Hope Everyone's ok and If anyone has any feedback for me or advise from the Campus sessions then please let me know what I have missed

Welcome Back!

3b 'The Networked Professional Reader'

The Networked Professional Reader, in reading this part I did find it interesting due to that it related to the Professional Industry of which I am a Professional in.

Definition: 
'a work related community held together either close working affiliation or more distant but common work interests or needs'

Some networks maybe groups of dancer or even working relationships, some more distanced for example teacher and graduates. Some maybe more formal identity like university program. 
These 3 types all relate to me in my networking, I have facebook for friends and this has groups on it one of which is dancers 2010 graduates The Hammond and another is graduates of The Hammond which is official to the head of Dance at The Hammond to keep in touch with and how our careers are going. And of course university program is my Blog and interacting with you guys!!

In the reader it says about Axelrod's 'The Prisoner's Dilemma' theory and 'in the context of a professional network, we might consider how patterns of stimulus and response with in our networks operate, and how we can take advantage of them for our own benefit, and that of the wider network?'

Well I think everyone has done or does do this for our professional network I will have friends who have jobs now who I can ask questions and maybe even ask or get a contact for me to email or contact for me to get a job. On Linkedin (as I mentioned in my current networks) I have been through and joined some of the cruise ship/hotel groups to be accepted as a professional into these groups and get mysef seen and networked so I could contact or be contacted by recruiters or people in the industry/company to get contacts to send my information too. 
I feel there is no harm in helping one another I know sometimes its competative with knowing contacts and gettings contacts, like auditions some people do not like telling other people that there are auditions because they think they have a better chance? 

Affiliation part of Reader:
'With a network of support that will help us when we are in need' 
I see this in two ways when I need something, someone, a friend, somebody to talk too, I will go onto my personal facebook, chat or phone a friend.
When I need something, information, or at the moment I am currently looking for a job so I will talk to all my friends and Professional contacts to get information/emails/contact for me to get a job.
This just means my need are that I need a job and I will ask for all information people have to help me with this process. 


'Is Professional networking an extension of our innate cpacity and need to affiliate for survival as Professionals?' 
I feel this is totally hitting the nail on the head in the Entertainment, Musicals and Dance Industry, in most cases it is WHO you know and network with more than WHAT you know. 
Do you agree??

3a My Networking

My Networking: 

Well i'll start where a few people have started which is Facebook, as I said earlier in web 2.0 about having a Personal and a Professional Profile. I have now done this and I have my family and friends on my personal profile and my professional contacts and audition/job groups I have joined. 

This has helped with my last job which was in Kreta Greece for season 2010 by joining a group called Lions Entertainment where I looked and got informed of up and coming auditions and I went to this audition and got the job. I am now doing the same and joining different groups and networking with people to find a Professional Dance job this year. 

I also use a site called Linkin (www.linkedin.com/) this is a very good networking site similar to facebook but a lot more professional its a Professional page, you can join professional people in your industry, groups and also the companies, the Profile page you make and display yourself on their is your CV, experience, website and recomendations, previous employment and many things of which you need to like me look for jobs or get Professional Contacts in your desired field. 

I feel that networking site like these are very useful to me as a person and me as a Professional. I am using these sites all the time and are valuable to me in my career. I need these Professional Contacts and have myself known as a Professional and keep interacting with future employers, also facebook very important to me where ever I am in the world as my Dance career can take me anywhere I can stay intouch with friends and family this is vey important to me 

March 2011 - Im back

Hello, 
I havent been able to get online for while and have been doing alot of offline work ready but without the interaction which is vital for this course an I have found not speaking about ideas and information quite hard. 
But I'm back now, currently working on posting my Utube Dance Reel to my Blog for you all to see and comment on so it will be coming very soon!
I also have some current job information as you can probably see my profile on my blog has changed slightly, I am no longer teaching at the moment due to that I am auditioning alot more again for Professional Dance jobs! 
So any information anyone can give me on their networking, contacts then I would appreciate it!


How is everyone getting on? hope everybody's ok? 

Journal Writing Experience

Journal Writing Experience

This is going to be a good day to write about:

I am going down to Cambridgeshire to do a Dance audition for a Dance Captain Job in the South of France for Siblu Entertainment.

I am very excited about this audition as it is going to be different from the others I have attended due to that they have asked to see a 2minute solo and each candidate has to show teaching skills.

I am a little nervous about this audition as it’s so different to what I am used to.

I turned up to Peterborough Train station where the hotel of the audition was opposite, by this point my stomach was turning.

We were welcomed very well by a few members of Siblu and went into a huge room to warm up and get ready. There were a lot more people there than I expected.

We had a Jazz class and a lyrical class, these classes were very technical and the routines were challenging but good. I found that I got myself right to the front of the room and picked up the choreography very quickly, as I learn from watching practical and find I can pick up quickly.

We then had a Performance/showgirl routine in heels and unfortunately we needed to change the lines round so everyone had a fair opportunity of being at the front. I did manage to pick the routine up but it was a lot harder for me to do the movement without seeing how the choreographer wanted the movements performed and from description.

After this we had to keep warm and stand and wait to be called into do our solos, mine went really went and they enjoyed it.

After everybody was seen for their solo, we had to teach everybody a little dance routine in our chosen genre one at a time and they watched and wrote down what they saw. I felt a little uncomfortable doing this to start with and as I went through it got easier.

I feel this day was successful I just have to wait for the outcome. I feel that when I do another audition I really need to practise auditory learning, because when we were asked to change lines I have to listen to what I have to do and this for me without watching and doing was quite hard to pick up and was a challenge for me.

2C Reflective Theory Task ..

Reading through the 'Reflective Practices' reader, Ive found myself using all the experiences, reflective skills, evaluating and learning skills without even thinking about using them. 
'Gardner' writes about the way we learn, VAK 'the idea of Visual, Auditory and Kinaestetic learners' (Gardner, reflective practices) this is a very interesting point, I am definately mainly a Kinaestetic learner, practical. I feel this has an effect on my Professional career and my teaching also where my memory of choreography and the way I teach is very practical and kinaestetic. This also then continues onto 'Reflection-in-action is often fostered in artists who respond to what is happening as it happens, (if you are dancing across the floor and something is not working you change the steps as you are moving) it tends to be a 'hands-on' way of working' (Donald Schon, The Professional Practitioner, Reflective Practices) This example in 'Donald Schon' section is very relative to me during my choreography and teaching experiences and career, as I use it everyday. I could choreograph something in my session plan for a class and when I get into the class the timing doesn't fit or it doesnt feel right so I will do it again and change it to something that fits and feels good in the movement. 
The reader also asks to think of ideas that we like? .. but the one in the reader about being a dancer is spot on for me, I always have seen myself as being a kinaesthetic learner because I have never been seen or seen myself as an 'Academic' and have always learnt and do learn through practical, or practical experience. When I thought about it and looked into this a little bit more through tests 'businessballs learning' and 'Identify your learning style' (websites for tests to see which you learn, take a look) I found that I am mainly kinstethetic and I thought about how much I used this but I also thought and found out how much I do use more Visual learning also, more than I realised. 
I thought about this more and thought about my dance teaching skills to improve my students I have to explain to them visually by correcting what I see (for example ballet correcting posture) or even demonstrating practical or giving an example through story/imagery (for example for my 6 year olds I say while doing a demi plie think about being in a toaster, if they stick there bottom out they will burn it, if they let there tummys go they will burn their tummy's so to stay straight) the use of imagery I use alot. 
I feel this works, reading the reader, I am also going to consider how my students learn and how I can relate it to my professional career through finding different ways and thinking about how I show and explain the classes to help them to keep improving. For example some things I explain I may have to explain in a different way or using imagery for someone else, this will benefit my teaching.

 Reading through the 'Using journal writing to enhance reflective practice by David Boud' I found myself realising that I dont actual sit and write a Journal, and who does? But I find myself learning and reflecting in this way all the time, making a note and persuing it, improving it in my next class and engaging my students, evaluating and thinking of my classes and always thinking of ways to explain and impove them. I am a journal myself I just dont always write it down. 

Reading through other peoples veiws on reflection I found that 'If during a performance you approach and audience member and start an improvisation with them you can't rely on anything pre-planned and you can't reflect after the event because it's too late. You have to consciously reflect in the moment and adjust your performance to match what the audience member gives you' reading this from 'Mark Iles' blog that this is also relevent to me as a performer, I have had experience in a lot of contemporary workshops and performances, this doesnt normally happen specifically in performance but is not unusual but in Practice, rehearsals we have to improvise to make the movement and choreography happen between us especially working as a duet or more people. We include tasks for example using specific parts of your body to make contact with which engages and start the movement off and flow, this also requires then the 'muscle memory' (Tharp's, Articulation of Reflective Practise) We must remember and muscles to re-do what we did and keep the movement flowing in the choreography. 
Often a use of video/dvd is required and we will evaluate and reflect on the practise to where improvement is needed

Task 1B - Professional Communication Technologies

I started reading the course reader and I found myself reading about web 1.0 and 2.0. 
Web 1.0 is where the creator is the only source of information, the only person who can contribute, create and change. 
Web 2.0 is where the creator and the reader can both contribute and interact, which makes the reader 'become the creator' (professional communications course reader) 

My thoughts on Web 1.0 and 2.0 is that it is a huge impact on our Professions and career progressions.
The use of Web 2.0 communicating is an understanding I never knew but I do use in my every day life, not only my dance career. Just going onto facebook on my phone, and checking emails and I was totally unware of what technology I am using. 

In the course reader under 'Remixable and transformations' it says 'Originating in hip-hop and rap music, the notion that materials can be reused and rearranged for a new purpose is central to Web 2.0, where we as users share photos, music, text, ideas and opinions and 'riff off' each other to maintain and nurture dialogues' I have done this myself in the past where using my facebook account, I have used it by changing my photographs, and allowing my boss to be a friend but only able to view my professional photo's and profile. 
Whilst reading other people's blogs I noticed that 'Hayley Bence' has made two seperate accounts 1 of which she uses for social networking and the other for her Professional Career. Ths is something I may consider myself to make sure I can keep my Professional career seperate.

'Harnessing Collective intelligence' from the course reader, In this section I read 'Social space for people, strangers and almost strangers with diverse backgrounds to come together as equals, as generators of ideas, ti deliberate and act collectively' (feenberg & Bakardjieva 2004, p.38) After reading this I now understand more about the use of the Blogs and how its going to help me to develope within this course. As the reader then goes on to say 'Web 2.0 platforms are designed to encourage social interaction, where you link your space with someone else's, where you data can be searched, indexed and positioned to allow you to connect with other people. These basic principles of interactivity evolve as the community evolves, encouraging and supporting collabaration (for examples wikis) and facilitating debate and discussion (for examples blogs).'
 

Professional Profile..

Hello, Im Laura!
After starting dance at the age of 3 along with lots of hobbies I realised that performing was the way for me. Along the way I did lots of shows, festivals, pantomines and many other performances with various different dance groups, many Harlequin Stage School. I then went onto Kidderminster College to do my BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts Dance Level 3. From there I was successful after many auditions, and took a place at The Hammond School of Dance where I graduated with my National Diploma in Professional Dance Level 6 in 2010. 
I was then successful in getting a job and worked as a Dancer and Evening Entertainment in The 5* Appollonia Hotel, Resort and Spa, Crete, Greece for 6 months where performing was endless and experience amazing. 
All of this, including other hobbies and coaching lead me onto teaching. I am now a teacher at North West Dance Studios teaching RAD Ballet and ISTD Modern, Tap and Jazz, I love it and really enjoy the feeling of seeing my student's improvement and exam results. I look forward to learning on this course, meeting new people and furthering my knowledge, Also so that I can pass this onto my students in whatever Profession they choose.

About Professional Profile ..

Now I have wirtten a few Professional Profiles and I have a Profile which to me is quite a personal and way through my life briefly, but then I have another one which is just my CV in words so quite boring. Looking at Aby Martin's information on Professional Profiles I strongly agree that 'Personalisation is the key' I have looked again at my profiles and compared them, I feel that I need to look at the all round, and my improvements will be more of me, my personality and make me sound interesting and bubbly like my personality and just plain on paper. 

I have a few profiles and will post my improved profile on soon.. but this is my first profile website without my improvements, I have given many profiles to previous, current and prospective employers, take a look please, this has been improved since but any advice? 

laurawrightdance

Profile on soon :) 

My CV ..

LAURA ANN WRIGHT

                            3B Grange Road

                                    Chester                                           

CH2 2AN

                             07875171358
                          DOB. 28/09/1988 
                  www.laurawrightdance.q7biz.net
                laura.wrightdance1988@gmail.com

Height:       5.3”    Shoe Size:    3.5     Hair Colour:Blonde   Dress Size:     8

Training:

The Hammond School        Chester                    Sept 2007 - July 2010

Kidderminster College        Kidderminster         Sept 2005 – July 2007

Performance Experience:                             Role                        Director

5 * Hotel Appollonia Spa & Resort   Amoudara, Crete Dancer,        Mohamed Bra,

April – July 2010                            Greece     Entertainment      SOS Animation Agency

Debut – July 2009                              Hammond School     Dancer     Sarah Durrant

                                                            Production

Encore – July 2008                            Hammond School      Dancer     Sarah Durrant

          Production

Urdang Associate                               Urdang Academy    Dancer      Melissa Zoella

    Show – June 2004,05 and 06

Rainbow                                        Vonya Carlton School  Dancer      Vonya Plush

                                                                      Of Dance

Voices and Visions                           Worcestershire Youth Company Rachel Alexander

Skills:

Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Spanish, Classical Repetoire, Contemporary, Singing, Jazz double work, Pas de deux and Musical Theatre

Pantomimes Performed at The Swan Theatre Worcester:

Jack and the Beanstalk, Scrooge, Salad days, Robinson Crusoe x2, Peter Pan, Babes in the wood x2, Clamity Jane, Cinderella and Wizard of Oz

Choreographers worked with:

Alex Durant, Lee Lomas, Vivianne Durante, Henri Oguike, Rachel Alexander, Wayne Sleep, Irek Mukhamedov, Emma Northbourne, Mark Silver, Alison Hughes, Jane Elliot, Tracy Baxter and David Needham

Workshops Attended:

Candoco Dance Company, Cats, Wayne Sleep, Viviane Durante, Rambert Dance Company, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Fosse, Phoenix Dance Company and Henri Oguike

Qualifications:

Currently Completing my BA Honours in Professional Dance, National Diploma in Professional Dance (level 6) Graduated 2010, BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts – Dance (level 3) Graduated 2007, ISTD Intermediate Modern and Tap, ISTD Grade 6 Ballet and RAD Grade 6 Ballet

SHODAN Black belt  in TAI JUTSU KAI, Self Defence Martial Arts, British Gymnastics Coach Level 2, First Aide Qualified, Child Protection, Coaching Children in Sports, Coaching Disabled Performers