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Video 1 - This first video is a video I took of myself performing a kick and leap sequence. As you can see, I have good flexibility, however I don’t show my full potential as I don’t jump off the floor enough to show my full elevation and lines. You can also see my back leg is not fully straight in my leaps. For dancers, it is important that we have a good level of flexibility for jazz all round as it enhances the performance quality and movement quality, having flexibility in all aspects of dance is important for dancers as it can help them look more professional and help book a job.

Video 2 - Flexibility is “the ability of a joint or series of joints to move through an unrestricted, pain free range of motion. Although flexibility varies widely from person to person, minimum ranges are necessary for maintaining joint and total body health”. (UC Davis Health, 2023). This suggests that by improving my flexibility, my jazz technique will improve as I will be able to access larger movements whilst maintaining control.

Completing a range of static and dynamic stretches will help to improve flexibility as it lengthens the muscles which overtime will improve the elasticity of the muscle fibers. In this video I am using both types of stretches, and I am also using blocks to deepen my stretches to access a larger range of movement. When stretching, it is recommended to complete “two to three repetitions of each stretch held for 10 seconds or one repetition of each stretch held for 20 to 30 seconds”. (Alter, M.J. 1998) . For influence I used Hannah Martin on youtube to help me push my stretching further. (HannahMartinRG, 2021)

Video 3 - In this video I am using the addition of ankle weights while practicing my kicks. This will help to strengthen the muscles whilst improving flexibility as I will need to stretch to show lines and hold my leg in certain positions. Using weights will help me because when I take the weights off, my muscle memory will remember the strength and power I need to put into kicks with the eight on so that when I take the weights off, I can access a larger range as it will be easier to push my leg further as it requires less power than when I have the weights on. This will also benefit me as it will simultaneously develop strength, which will allow me to look stronger and it will also help in injury prevention and my muscles can withstand a stronger force. This will help me in the future as I will be less likely to obtain an injury, meaning I can perform at a better standard and more frequently. “By incorporating stretching into your daily practice, you can increase muscle control and reduce the risk of dance related injuries” ( Kimbrough, K. 2024)

Video 4 - Here is a combination of kicks and leaps I took weeks after the first video to show that the exercises and stretches, that I have been completing 3 times a week, have really pushed my flexibility and I am able to show my lines, extension and flexibility whilst dancing. This has taken my jazz performance to the next level and shows my ability at a higher level.

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Video 1- Adding dynamics and my own textures to choreography as soon as I learn it is one of my weaknesses. I'm performing choreography from class in this video, and my body appears exhausted. I need to get over that and apply dynamics more quickly so that my work has more uniqueness and vitality

Video 2- To help improve my dynamics, I have chosen to perform a variety of exercises which will help to strengthen my body. Completing these exercises in the form of a HIIT workout will help to build both strength and stamina so that I don’t look fatigued towards the end of class. This will mean my body will have more energy to put dynamics and textures onto the choreography. HIIT training is high intensity interval training, “it incorporates several rounds that alternate between several minutes of high intensity movements to significantly increase the heart rate to at least 80% of one’s maximum heart rate, followed b short periods of lower intensity movements” (Harvard, 2021).

The circuit I created includes: push ups, sit ups, jump jump squats, burpees, planks and jumping lunges. I completed this circuit 4 times a week to build up my strength and stamina. For my influence, I watched Kaleigh Cohen Strength HIIT workout on youtube (Kaleigh Cohen Strength, 2022). This influenced me because she uses a variety of body weight exercises to build up her strength.

Video 3- Another method I used to help improve my dynamics was breathing techniques. Breathing techniques help to improve dynamics “Tuning in to your breath is another way to feel connected to the dynamics of a dance style or piece of choreography.” (Bress, 2023)

Video 4- After giving my journey some thought, I am pleased with how well I performed overall in class. I think I've reached a point where I can infuse my own artistic flair into commercial choreography. Because I feel stronger and can continue to perform at a better level for longer, this has given me more confidence in commercial. This will benefit me in the profession because shows typically last 45 minutes to three hours, so being able to perform dynamically for that amount of time is essential.

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Video 1- This video is taken at the end of one of my first contemporary classes this year, it demonstrates floor work and different transitions into a range of different movements, which requires a lot of technique and strength. After watching this video back, you can see that my movement is not connected or fluid so to improve this I’m going to practise floor swings and create different improvisation combinations to challenge myself to correct this as the use of floor and fluidity are both large components of contemporary dance. It is important for dancers to use the floor as it helps the movement flow. It also helps dancers’ movement look more relaxed in the body and more comfortable. It is also important for dancers to use the floor in other styles as again it helps with the movement along with elevation in styles such as jazz and ballet.  “Contemporary danced emerged in the 20th century as dancers strived to exhibit more personal expression in their dancing” ( S. Inayan, 2019)

Video 2- In this video I am demonstrating improvisation floor work across the room making sure each time one part of the body stays connected to the floor. This challenges me to make sure I stay connected with the floor, ensuring my movement is grounded and fluid. This will help me when performing contemporary as I will have a better understanding of where my weight placement is and this will help me to understand transitions better as I will be more aware of my movements.  For my influence, I used “Ebb and Floorwork, a practice that I have developed over the past eight years asks the dancer to actively engage with the flow experience in the execution of all movement with effortlessness.” (Damasco Jr, L.G., 2020) To influence my contemporary practise, I watched Aleksei Terentev’s floor work techniques on YouTube, (Aleksei Terentev, 2020).

Video 3- In this video, I am demonstrating floor swings and moving through x shaped positions. This helps to develop strength and fluidity by repeating movements, building up muscle memory. Muscle memory is “your ability to move in a particular way without you thinking about it.” To develop this, you have to repeat movements numerous times so that the movement becomes embedded in your body, meaning it becomes second nature, and you begin to imply this correction without having to think about it, further developing your contemporary technique, making you look more professional.

Video 4- This is my last video, which demonstrates how I employ seamless transitions and floorwork. In this choreography, which was recorded following a recent contemporary class, I am demonstrating several transitions into various moves. I think I did a good job of portraying fluidity and floor utilisation, and I felt extremely at ease while executing the routine. I'll keep concentrating on workouts and tips to enhance my improvisational abilities and movement quality going forward.

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Video 1- Completing a sequence of petit allegro. You can see how weak my jumps appear here. When I watch this back, I saw that my feet were not fully stretched when they left the floor, and the backs of my legs were not engaged. My ballet teachers frequently give me corrections like pull up my legs, stretch my feet, or use the floor when doing petit allegro. I thought I was applying these corrections, but it's obvious now that I wasn't after watching this video again. This video also shows that I am not using my plie to its full potential, this could lead to injury.

Video 2- In this video, I am performing a series of tondues and releves to strengthen the muscles in my feet. This will allow me to fully articulate my feet, which will help me to use the floor more in my petit allegro, resulting in more elevation and cleaner movements. My influence for this was Everyday Ballet on youtube as she has really good foot articulation and she really explains the benefits of tondues. (Everyday Ballet, 2022). Watching these videos helped me develop as it extended my understanding of ballet which widens my knowledge helping me understand by body more, which will further aid my ballet technique.  I also included the addition of ankle wights in my training to further strengthen my legs and feet. “In ballet, the feet serve as the foundation for every movement, providing stability, support, and propulsion. Strong feet allow dancers to articulate through the foot, achieve proper alignment, and execute movements with control and precision.” (Gositus, 2024). This suggests that if I have strng feet my ballet will improve.  Tondues are a great way to warm up the leg preparing for petit allegro, so training tondues will help to improve petit allegro, “It is custom to do battements tendus before a dance in order to warm up the legs. The legs not only get warmed up through this movement, but they also get into working conditions; as our dancers say, they are brought up for  the forthcoming activity, particularly in allegro” (Vaganova, 2019)

Video 3- I then break down the movements and perform them slowly, this will allow me to fully understand what movement I am doing and how to execute it properly. It will also allow my muscle memory to remember the correct movement slowly so that when I speed the movement up, my body will know what movement it is supposed to be doing. Breaking down the movement also allows me to fully understand each individual step in the sequence so that when they are put together into the sequence I am using the correct technique and the movements are clean.

Video 4- The outcomes of months of training are displayed in this video. I feel stronger and more assured of my ballet skills. It is evident that my legs appear stronger since I can fully extend my feet while they are off the ground and because I have improved my leg strength, which enables me to rise higher. Additionally, you can see that my footwork is cleaner since I can move my feet more quickly, allowing me to finish each action completely before going on to the next.