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Independent Research on Chosen Pioneering Practitioner.

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Independent Research on Chosen Pioneering Practitioner.

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Student ID - 1503054
Date of Submission -23rd May 2017

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1.     Centralhome.com Company Inc. 1996-2017. Dancing Terms and Definitions. Online [http://www.centralhome.com/dance-terms-e.htm] Available from [22nd May 2017]
2.     BalletHub 2017. Ballet term definition. Online [https://ballethub.com/ballet-term/battu/] Available from [22nd May 2017]
3.     Hearst newspapers 2017. What ankle weights do for ballet. Online [http://livehealthy.chron.com/ankle-weight-ballet-2390.html] Available from [22nd may 2017]
4.    BalletHub 2017. Ballet term definition. Online [https://ballethub.com/ballet-term/grand-battment/] Available from [22nd may 2017]
5.     Treva Bedinghaus 4th March 2017. Spotting. Online [https://www.thoughtco.com/spotting-dance-basics-1007310] Available from [22nd May 2017]

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Here is a little taster of my fixed diet plan I will be using throughout summer. Testing what works and does not so that this will be ready for my next academic year at shockout.
I will be focusing on a carb free diet, reducing the weekly intake of carbs a week to 2-3 times only.

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4. Next academic year within the core techniques module I would like to:

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4. Next academic year within the core techniques module I would like to:

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Within my third year of training I intend to learn and take aerial hoop, silks and acrobatics lessons as I have been wanting to learn these for some time. These tricks will give me an advantage when auditioning. I have found a studio nearby Shockout called Cloud Aerial Arts that have timetabled classes I can attend at the weekend which fits with my week timetable. I want to improve on the flexibility of my whole body especially focusing on making my back more bendy, which is vital for these kind of tricks. I would love to work on making my arabesque look more technical with having my back more upright. As you can see my legs also need to be more flexible with better extended feet and legs. Acrobatic lessons will help me with this and help me achieve backward walkovers. This will be an aim for the end of third year when I am ready to audition for jobs.

Before my training at shockout I had never taken a commercial class before and had very little knowledge about it. Although I have learnt and become a long way the past two years, I still feel behind in the commercial class as I feel have lost out on years that others have gained. I am still determined to learn in more depth about testing my body to move in different commercial styles. In order to do this, I will take more commercial classes making sure they are different choreographers with different styles. At Shockout we have many different classes with different teachers so I can stay local. Instead of waiting till the next academic year, I will be starting now to explore different choreographers from my hometown to give me a head start.

In third year, I will be starting a fitness program which will conclude of a diet plan, extra classes timetable and lastly a weight training program to build muscle and tone up. As dancers our bodies are temples which need to look toned throughout our career. I will also be starting this in my summer holidays as I would hate to put on what I have lost the past two years of training. My goal is to be fit and toned when going back into my third year.

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Improved jazz pirouettes, pushing for a triple. 

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Improved jazz pirouettes, pushing for a triple. 

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Improved pirouettes in ballet technique class.

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Improved pirouettes in ballet technique class.

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3. Over the last semester I have become better at..

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3. Over the last semester I have become better at..

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Over my course of second year, I have become better at pirouettes within the style of jazz and ballet. Although sometimes I have days where my balance throws me off but as a whole they have improved. In our core technique classes, we have started to add triples into the work and also learning new pirouettes in arabesque and attitude. I have started to figure out myself what is needed for a perfect turn. Your balance has to be central with a good core stomach, making sure before setting off you bend your knees in a deep plie which helps you spin around quick enough. I have also found that if I take 3-5 minutes balancing on one leg with a retire position that I have greater balance to turn for longer and perfectly. Making sure you spot during a pirouette is also important.  “By spotting, or keeping your eyes fixated on a single spot, you will be able to complete several rotations without becoming dizzy.” (Treva Bedinghaus. March 2017).

Since coming back to training from our Christmas holidays, I have been focusing and trying to get better at performing more and using more facial expressions when dancing in core technique classes and also commercial. I feel I have become better at expressing myself through movement more as I have learnt to let go. I have been able to do so as I have not been thinking about my technique as much so that I can think about performing extra. Although technique is very important it is important that you bring character to your performance because when auditioning this will be what choreographers are looking for.

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Here is a short clip of me on the right performing 'grand battement'. "While doing a grand battement a dancer keeps both legs straight while the rest of the body remains relatively still." (Ballethub 2017). As you can see when I battement my leg arabesque my posture moves when I kick my leg, this is a weakness and not the correct technique used. Instead of thinking to get my leg high I need to focus on making sure my posture does not move during classes. When I improve I can start to kick my leg higher.

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Here I am performing a set of kicks, concentrating on  my front and side kick. As a dancer 'high' kicks are used in many shows/musicals and also freestyle. High kicks will be beneficial for me to stand out in auditions and also help me get cruise liner jobs. Although they are a technical step seen in jazz and ballet they are also seen in the style of contemporary and commercial.

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With the last year of my training and my following summer, I am going keep a record and compare my pointed foot giving my self a 6 month time period.

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Perhaps something I could invest in to get my goal quicker 

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Perhaps something I could invest in to get my goal quicker 

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A goal I willing be aiming for by the time my training is over.

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A goal I willing be aiming for by the time my training is over.

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2. My own weaknesses in the Core Technique module focusing in jazz and ballet.

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2. My own weaknesses in the Core Technique module focusing in jazz and ballet.

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During core techniques training I will be identifying my weaknesses and a major training need. In order to be a successful dancer I will need to work massively on my weaknesses. Starting with my kicks mainly in jazz but also are seen as a weakness in ballet. Throughout my whole training life, I have always struggled to get a high kick. Although I can do splits it seems I do not have enough ‘power and strength’ to be able to kick my leg to my face. Although I have been training kicks in my technique classes, it seems that I will need to go an extra mile to be able to get them higher. I have been researching ways and have come across the idea of using leg weights when kicking my leg to help my kick reach further. “Dancers who use weights report that the height of their leaps and leg extensions increase after using weights, then removing them.” (Hearst Newspapers 2017).

Another area that I feel less secure about is how far my foot extends when pointing. Dancers are well known to have beautiful extended feet to finish extended lines. As dancers our feet are pointed all the time. As you can see in the photo on the right hand side this is a weak pointe. Some dancers also suffer from a sickle pointe which is where the ankle of the foot is facing inwards. The correct positioning of the heel is outwards with the heel facing forward. To prevent students from sickling in, in our core technique ballet classes our teacher has taught us to wrap the foot around the ankle so that you can feel the heel pressing forward. To help me from this weak pointe, I will start to use a rolling pin every night to try stretch the arch of my foot. I have also found that a rubber band helps, as the resistance from pointing and flexing the foot is useful. This is an area of training that takes a lot of time and patience.

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Left side

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Right side

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Here is a short video of me performing a leap jump in second.

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1. My own strengths in the Core Technique module focusing in jazz and ballet. 

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1. My own strengths in the Core Technique module focusing in jazz and ballet. 

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Elevation – “The ability to jump high into the air and give the appearance of remaining suspended at the apex of the jump.” [Centralhome.com Company Inc. 1996-2017]

Throughout my training and core technique classes I feel that elevation is one of my strengths as a dancer, focusing mainly in jazz technique. I am able to get enough lift from pushing into the ground allowing me to extend fully. I feel this skill has developed through practicing in my technical lessons. This skill also benefits me when auditioning for jobs and this can be seen as a trick and help me stand out. I also feel within the technique of ballet this helps me when performing ‘battu’. “Battu is a classical ballet term that means “beaten.” Any step in classical ballet that is made more technically difficult by adding a beating of the legs in the middle of the jump or step is considered battu.” (Ballethub 2017]. As battu is such a difficult step within ballet, being able to get enough elevation helps you perform these steps better. I will keep practicing my jumps in jazz and ballet so that they are a greater strength for third year. I feel my previous training in Ballet and Jazz before Shockout has given me a head start in making my elevation higher. Improving my flexibility will help my jumps more as this will allow me to 'whack' my legs higher, giving the illusion that I am jumping higher.

On the left hand side there are two videos of me performing a 'turning jete' which is well known in both jazz and ballet worlds. One of them is on my right side which is my strongest side. As you can see my jete has a larger split when performing my right side. As a dancer, I am expected to be able to perform steps just as good on both sides as choreographers may want you to perform both sides in shows/auditions etc. Perhaps if I used more force into my turn before the leap, bending my knees more, this would allow me to lift higher so that I can perform a better split in the air.

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