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• Performing with more turnout

In the first half term I noticed I wasn’t performing to my capacity of turnout. This is because my gluteal muscles are weak and tight. In order to improve I need to do strengthening exercises in my own time, such as oysters and stretching the gluteus so that more turnout will develop.

• In the first week of term I’ve been given a correction; when I perform a port de bras to the side I need to make sure my torso doesn’t twist as the alignment will be incorrect and I’m not stretching my obliques. In the second week I’ve taken this correction forward. I’ve done this by keeping my shoulders and my hips square when I perform a port de bras to the side, so that my alignment is neat.

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• During this term I noticed my double frappés have developed as they are becoming neat and tidy.

• As I’m 5ft I need to make certain positions more broad. For example, stretch the arms a little bit in order to fill the space, while supporting the elbow.

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Left picture (bad technique) Right picture (good example)

Flat backs are Horton Technique based. The purpose of the exercise is to stretch and strengthen the back, hamstrings and abdominal muscles.
To demonstrate a good flat back you need to pull up through the legs and core, and lengthening the spine, while the arms are straight and in line with the sides.

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• During week 9 - 10 my teacher noticed I wasn’t using enough resistance in terms of my feet brushing the floor when I perform a glissé. It’s important that I work on this critique as this exercise is a preparation for jumps. To improve I need to use my metatarsals to push through the floor in order to strengthen the muscles in the feet properly.
In weeks 11 - 14 I’m reaching my achievement in the glissé exercises as they are more clean.

•  double frappé
In this term I noticed I’m struggling to perform a double frappé on my left. This is because my left leg is weaker to my right leg. To develop I need to practice my double frappés in my own time in order to pick up the motion and bother legs have even strength.

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Recovering from the grande plié was performed well as I placed the heels on the floor before fully extending the backs of the legs.

I took my time while performing the exercise and not rush through the movements. This is good as I’m resisting the pliés in order to stretch the Achilles tendon and filling the music.

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Pencil jump while turning, I need to focus on keeping everything tight and small. For example, keeping ankles tightly together, if arms are set in first keep fingers tips almost touching, and keep everything extended) in order to gain a quick isolated jump

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“The dances in Salome were infused with multicultural movement, which Horton absorbed from Mexican, African-American, Japanese and Chinese communities. When Bella Lewitzky joined the company in 1934, she also helped to expand Horton's dance vocabulary by incorporating deeper lunges, movement initiated from different parts of the torso and breathtakingly precarious balances.”

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My jazz teacher, Eric, teaches Matt Mattox based. Mat Mattox is the father of freestyle jazz dance. He's the one who initially codified jazz technique. Although it was very important to him that people took his technical bases and put our own spin on it. Which is why it's coded as freestyle jazz.

Giving the opportunity and liberty to put your own style onto it to expand it in your own way.

There are Matt Mattox purists (with a drum) that's where it started.

“Mattox has advanced his own version of a jazz-imbued dance expression over the course of a stel- lar career lasting sixty- ve years. He has signi cantly impacted Hollywood dance  lms, Broadway musicals, European concert dance companies, and the training of generations of concert and commercial dancers.”

"When permitted to de ne his own work, Mattox di erentiates his dance vocabulary and artistic approach from vernacular and commercial jazz dance by calling his form of expression “free style.”

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Circular spring - keep hands close together to force the stretch in the back to improve a spinal position.

Use more light and shade in terms of levels by identifying specific areas to perform the set combination parcificly, for example, low pirouette is grounded to a lengthened posé turn to demonstrate the comparison of the levels used.

3rd port de bra - focus is down the front arm with the arms in second on a spiral.

Identifying where my focus should be (e.g. Up, side, along the arm, central etc.)

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I’m pleased with the progress so far as I’ve achieved a flat split position, although I need to work on my elevation by using my plié and pushing through the feet in order to gain more height.

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October

Position of the feet in fourth position - need to be in a box shape not a rectangular because that’s the correct technique.

3rd port de bras - I need to take note that the arms are placed in second on a spiral and it’s not an epaulement.

Jazz bra bar - I need to work on demonstrating a strong and precise position; by contracting in the shoulder blades by pulling laits down the back, and the elbows parallel.

Dynamics - I need to demonstrate better dynamics used in set sequences, such as; sharpness, resistance, suspension, sustain, fluidity, so that’s there’s more style quality with the choreography.

Pencil jump while turning, I need to focus on keeping everything tight and small. For example, keeping ankles tightly together, if arms are set in first position keep fingers tips almost touching, and keep everything extended. In order to gain a quick isolated jump.

Saut de basque - I need to improve on glueing the foot to the ankle, and swishing the foot off floor to develop more momentum in the jump.

Arms in fifth position - I need to maintain pulling the laits down the back, keeping the arms straight and parallel.

November

When I perform a jazz combination there needs to be a beginning, a middle and a finish in terms of punctuating the movement. Because at the moment there’s areas where I’m cutting the details. It’s important that I go over this in my own time in order to build the performance quality required.

January

More style quality when I perform the drop cross by twisting my shoulder towards downstage so that it’s selling the choreography and not too elementary.

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• Circular port de bras - I thought I performed it well by making the movement broad and with breadth. Although I need to be aware that my hips are still as I notice they’re slightly moving with the motion.

• Compared to the first term to now, I’ve developed making the rond de jambes a D shape as I used to cut through the movement. This is good as I followed my correction and I’ll maintain this in future.

• I’ve also sustained the same level while performing the rond de jambe off the floor without dipping the leg. This correction shows more neatness.

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At the start of the year I struggled to perform a scissor leap well. I was capable to do the movement by exchanging the legs while in the air, although I couldn’t do the jeté. This is because I needed to work on swinging my front leg higher off the floor, in which I worked on and pleased with the improvement.

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Performing spring ball changes with the order of the arms; 1, 3, 5, 7, 2, 4, 6, 8.
Looking back at the video I felt I’ve used the space well and shown clear lines in most positions. Although, I need to show a clearer high release in the 2nd port de bras. To do this I need to lift the sternum to the ceiling, while angering the shoulder blades down the back. I also need to demonstrate a clearer contraction in position 2 and 8, by tilting the pelvis forward and the upper body hunched over the hips. So that there's more impact within the choreography and demonstrating the choreographer's intentions well.

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Good control especially the grande battement as I didn’t go off balance.

I thought I demonstrated the positions well.

Although I need to show more breath in most areas and as I look stiff and too placed.

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Ballet April - Double Pirouette En Dehor

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Ballet April - Double Pirouette En Dehor

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I thought I sustained a good balance, although I need to control coming out of the pirouette as I wobbled. To improve I need to place both heels on the floor as soon as I come out the second pirouette, in order to give a sharper finish while engaging the core muscles.

In this clip I’ve also noticed I’m not using enough turnout in both legs. Although I’ve got naturally locked hips, I still need to push the knee out more to the side in the retiré position.

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Guarino & Oliver, (2014) A History of the Roots and Branches. Florida, University Press of Florida.

Janice LaPointe-Crump, (2006). Lester Horton. Dance Teacher; New York. 2. 64-66