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Improvement in my flat backs, worked on right angle.
refer to correction given 19/09/17

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Improvement in lateral exercise,
refer back to 10/10/17 for first term lateral exercise

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Books:
Au, S (2016), "Ballet and Modern Dance", Thames & Hudson LTD, London.
Guarino, L and Oliver, W (2014), "Jazz Dance: A history of the roots and branches" University Press of Florida, Florida.
Murphy, J.S. (2007), People Have Never Stopped Dancing : Native American Modern Dance Histories, N - New edn, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.

Journals/articles:
Anita (2008), "A dancers Journal" [online] available at: http://pedc-journal.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/lester-horton.html [accessed 15/04/18]

Websites:
Baiano, E (2013), "The Swing" [online image] available fromhttp://www.dancespirit.com/modern-essentials-2326244574.html
[accessed 19/09/17]
Doddema, B (2011) "Matt Mattox Jazz Dance grand plie" [online video] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWHB19-pB_8 [accessed 07/04/18]
Romans, H (no date) "The legacy of the Lester Horton Technique" [online] available from: http://danceworks.net/feature-horton-technique/ [accessed 11/10/17]
Straus, R, (2010) "Technique: The Hows of Horton" [online] available at:
http://www.dancemagazine.com/technique-the-hows-of-horton-2306867019.html [accessed 10/10/17]

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Improvement on keeping knee back, thigh back and toe touching knee without hips moving in ronde de jamb exercise.
refer to correction on 06/10/17

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He likes to add 'colour' to his movement by attacking creating accents followed by release.
Similar to what we practise throughout our jazz technique.
Doddema, B (2011) "Matt Mattox Jazz Dance grand plie" [online video] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWHB19-pB_8 [accessed 07/04/18]

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Isolations 52
Travelling 59
Turns 63
Extention 57
Arm line 58
Elevation 62
Retention 60
Musicality and Dynamics 58
Performance and style 56
Commitment and progress 58
Overall I did well on my first formative assessment and did best on my turns however I need to work on my isolations. I will do this by thinking about each body part separately and try to separate each movement one bit at a time before linking the movements together into one. This will come through practising more routines and exercises.

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I must demonstrate through application an understanding of the core techniques of Ballet and identify and interpret the stylistic, technical, rhythmic and dynamic qualities. I must also execute and interpret set and unseen material.
Barre work - 56
Adage/port de bra - 56
Pirouettes - 58
Petite allegro - 56
Grand allegro - 56
Retention skills - 55
Anatomical awareness and correct use of muscles - 55
Musicality - 56
Commitment and progression - 65
Overall I could of improved on all pot these areas with more confidence. I will do this by relearning classical vocabulary.

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Plie exercise.
Reflecting on this video I need to work on the head following the arm and breathing at time as it will help with my performance skills.
I will do this by stopping looking in the mirror.

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In my formative assessment I got a 58 for pirouettes, to improve on turns I need to:

-core pull up

-Shoulders over hips

-Weight over back of the ball of the foot in preparation

-Use of arms to help with impetus

-Spot to stop getting dizzy

-Don’t let the thigh move
Strength - solid position in turn.

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Experimenting with structured improvising at the beginning, I need to work on thinking outside the box and not just using hands when contact improvising as it gets boring.

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Worked on travelling, to cover more space get lower in the plie to take wider steps and extend the legs more. This style is inspired by Matt mattox. He initially codified jazz technique which was coded as freestyle jazz and expanded it in his own way put his own style on it.

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Centre Practise
Grande battement and pirouettes.
Strengths - height of leg extension
Room for improvement - dynamic or sharp kick out and slow, controlled back in.
I have worked on this by using the floor better with my feet. It has helped attack the kick on the way up then I squeeze my thigh on the way back down.

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Frappe - to strike.
In my formative assessment I got a 56 for barre work, to improve my technique I must wrap the foot round the supporting ankle, toe back, heel forward.
The flexed foot is used  in Balanchine training with the wrapped position of sur le cou-de-pied. This is the technique which we are practicing.
In order to gain stability and attack for this exercise I must practise turning out from the top of the leg and pulling the knee back when returning.

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Primitive squats- keep body aligned by pushing hips forward, if needed raise heels off floor. This exercise is inspired by the Lester Horton technique. His choreography was based on "A life long fascination with American Indian Culture." Murphy J.S (2007) pg. 113

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Today we learnt how to pas de boure turn while doing our spring ball change exercise, to keep the direction of travel correct we actually have to turn 1 and a quarter to face the back diagonal. It will help me to spot and prepare where I am going with my head for this exercise so I don't get confused.

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Petit allegro exercise

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A voice recording of the rules of good posture

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In my formative assessment I got a 58 for arm lines and 59 for travelling.
Here are 5,6,7,8,9 and 10 of our spring ball change exercise
9 and 10 are the final two we learnt today
9- ear, ear, third
10- third, one up one horizontal, both parallel one straight one bent - each of these arms should have a right angle every time

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Article below on Horton technique:
Romans, H (no date) "The legacy of the Lester Horton Technique" [online] available from: http://danceworks.net/feature-horton-technique/ [accessed 11/10/17]

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Laterals-  elongate the torso, hamstrings, lower back, upper back
exercise- side stretch right, Ron de jomb, cut in front elbow in ribcage, turn into diagonal Egyptian pelvic hinge, stretch through body lateral, flatback, down to ankle roll up stretch back, plie arms inwards circle, arms in parallel 5th, drop left drop right drop left drop right, middle parallel arms right unfolds twist body to second, contract in sliding left leg back and kick left leg to standing.
"Horton's dance technique (Lester Horton Technique) emphasises a whole body approach including flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness to allow freedom of expression."
Anita (2008)

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Sometimes I let my feet roll forward during barre exercises the first picture is an example of what it shouldn’t look like and the second picture is how it should be when I pull up through the thighs and engage those muscles.
Before and after:

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The style which we are focusing on in contemporary is the Horton technique. "Lester Horton developed a dance technique based on Native American dances, anatomical studies and other movement influences.
ASPECTS OF A HORTON CLASS * Beginning and ending each exercise in parallel to create muscular balance Beginning class with flat backs, then primitive squats, laterals, leg swings, metatarsal presses, lunges and dimensional tonus (the yawn stretch) After a sustained movement study, using a swing series or a rhythmic exercise to wake up the body and the mind * Never treating an exercise as though it is just for strengthening or limbering a body part. Using each exercise to explore its expressive qualities"
Straus, R, (2010)

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The foot should never drop lower than the knee, I need to pull up and engage inside thigh muscles.
work on - knee back, thigh back, do not let the hips move.
Before and after

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Contraction exercise developed tendu exercise, with arms
Spring ball change 1-4
Travelling material - accented spring, keep very stacato (head always looks up)
Circular spring - fluid with resistance, paint circle on the floor

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Piroette exercises -
6 on the spot from 5th, tendeu, close behind.
Posse turns - foot to calf
Lame duck - step onto right leg with a plie, then take another step onto the left and snatch right foot up to the knee
Russian character turns - pick up left leg to bum in180 degrees then right leg in 180 degrees, so in a full turn you will have kicked back both ur legs

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1. Roll down through spine and snake up, snake through into cobra position, push up to plank hold for 4 then bend both knees, straighten and side plank to the right, centre, side plank to left, walk hands to feet and roll up
2.Flatback assessment exercise(video)
3. Swing jumps exercise
4. Sat with legs in triangle shape on the floor, twist body, contract, release and unfold front leg,
fall onto elbow stretch over the side and release back leg
release front leg bring back leg to join at the front and reverse
This technique demonstrates Horton technique. He "trained the body to move with intricacy and fluidity" therefore there should be no sharp stops and starts throughout the movement. Au, S (2016) page. 130

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A fun routine incorporating skills of lines, isolation techniques and incorporating musicality. Again demonstrating Matt mattox inspired technique which is very down into the floor.
I am not isolating my body enough throughout the routine.
I got a 52 for isolations in my formative assessment, I need to use a hit and release method to enhance some of the sharp to fluid movements.

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Today in contemporary we worked on the Lester Horton technique, that included pulling through the spine and stretching to create a flat back in parallel. I need to work on making sure my body is at a right angle to my legs and that I am not sloping too far downwards. I will do this by stretching through the fingertips.
Baiano, E (2013)

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Pirouettes - Always keep foot to knee, keep arms to jazz first with palms facing chest, spot. I need to work on the preparation, 4th should be a box.
Rib in 4 exercise - stretch to the side, flatback, head to knee, flatback.
Tendeau en croise exercise
Pas de bourre - straight and turning, steps - behind, side, front.
Build up of arms - mixing up the order, 1234, 4321, 1324. Today we worked on direction of travel, our first direction of travel was on the diagonal to downstage right, pas de bourre change of direction to stage left.

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"Mattox’s work often utilizes movement qualities from jazz dance and has been performed mostly in the commercial theater, yet his influences are eclectic and his work surpasses the traditional jazz dance vernacular. His style, which he called “free style,” evolved into a codified technique designed to train dancers in the qualities and precision of ballet, along with the isolation movement characterized by jazz dance."

Guarino, L and Oliver, W (2014), page. 119

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Today in jazz we worked on pirouettes and the preparation involved before hand. We need to be in a parallel 4th position in a deep position to be able to get round. I focused on staying inside 'the box'. I need to work on landing in a solid position which is done so by being in a deep fourth.

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Martial arts inspired technique, crunch at the waist, and palm facing the wall. We have been focused on a Matt Mattox style technique.

"Mattox has advanced his own version of jazz-imbued dance expression of a stellar career lasting sixty-five years. He significantly impacted Hollywood dance films, broadway musicals, European dance, and the training of generations of concert and commercial dancers."

Guarino, L and Oliver, W (2014), page. 119

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Today in class we worked on triplets, starting with the downstage foot we faced diagonally across the room, then took 3 steps forward making a 90 degree turn to the left corner, then another 3 steps making a 180 degree turn to the right corner. We began with our arms out in second for the first triplet, then a crunch at the waist for 2 counts then arms into a classical second high release.The third set of arms go up in parallel for 2 counts and out to second on 3. Lastly we had a martial arts inspired arm technique which involved cupping the hands and striking sharply at the end

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We used this swinging technique to let go starting with a swing for 4, a swing and bounce for 4 then a swing and jump for 4. This got our ankles and leg muscles working to push off the floor from a squat position.
Baiano, E (2013)