# data[].attributes.body
As someone new to Locking, I sometimes find picking up the material taught difficult. For example, when we learned the Scoobot I found it very difficult to coordinate my arm positions and the timing of when to jump and when to clap. At first, I felt frustrated with myself for not being able to pick up the move and was wondering why I was unable to do it correctly. However, I found that as long as I have the time to break down a movement and repeat it for myself, I can relax into it and enjoy its groove. In the case of the Scoobot, I had to separate the move into parts, practice it at a slower speed, and then begin to practice at the original speed until it felt like the rhythm of the movement was in my body. Something else I struggle with in this class is locking into positions. I want to work on my ability to tense and create strong moments of stillness so my dancing looks more dynamic. As this is a common problem for beginners in Locking, Sam has taught us drills that we do at the start of each lesson, for me these are very effective because they challenge me to change from more fluid movement to a lock with varying speeds. Something I liked about Locking was learning the vocabulary of the style. In our first few sessions, we learned the Rock Steady, Funky 4 Corners, Watergate, Camel, Sit In The Groove, The Iron Horse, and The Lockers Time Step. I found it helpful to put names to the new material I was learning and recognise how certain moves develop into others. I also found that many of these moves were ones I recognised from movies and music videos, this made me even more excited to be learning Locking as I had a reference as to what it can look like.

# data[].attributes.body
In our second Teaching practice session Domenico encouraged us to branch out of the idea of having a phrase in counts of 8. I changed my exercise to fit into 7 counts instead. However, after I taught this to the class one of my peers was confused, not realising I had made a mistake, I didn’t look back properly at the exercise and instead dismissed her question with a vague answer. I think that this was done out of a tendency to rush through things when I feel put on the spot or nervous. I then continued to do the exercise with the class and musician. Midway through the exercise, I realised that the music wasn’t working with the phrase anymore but I wasn’t sure why. After the class had finished doing the phrase I still wasn’t sure what I had done wrong, Jeannie pointed out that in the original exercise counted in 8s, I had included a set of leg cloches that took two counts for each swing, of course, this didn’t fit with the phrasing in 7’s and so produced a rushed feeling. This was in fact what one of my classmates had noticed earlier but because  I hadn’t paid much attention to her question I ended up being unsure of my exercise whilst doing it. I now know that when I next get the chance to teach I will always try and understand a student's question properly before I answer it, and make sure to think carefully about if my understanding of my material is accurate and musically coherent. After this Jeannie and Domenico told me how I would have been able to adjust the exercise to fit a 7-count phrase. I’ve found that teaching practice lessons have been very educational for me, as someone who has always wondered how good dance teachers seem able to illustrate their ideas effortlessly. It was rewarding to receive feedback on my teaching skills and hear about what teaching methods prove successful for most students.

# data[].attributes.body
In our first teaching practice class with Jeanie and Domenico, we listed what we thought makes good and bad teaching practice. Some important elements of good teaching practice that we identified were; having an interest in breaking movement down, being able to create a professional environment, and being able to conduct the class at a good pace. After discussing this, we got into pairs and made a warm-up exercise to teach the rest of our class. Upon having to teach my phrase I realised how challenging conducting good teaching can be. Having to go over an exercise I had made again and again made me doubt my knowledge of my exercise and led me to make mistakes in the timing. After each person in our class was given a chance to teach their exercises Jeannie gave the class general notes on ways in which we could improve our teaching. These notes and methods for teaching were very valuable to me and it was interesting to be able to identify that these methods appear in the practices of the most influential and helpful teachers I’ve had. Some of the advice that stuck with me was to attempt using vivid action words for example instead of saying “bring your legs together” you would say something like “squeeze”. Jeannie also emphasised the importance of imagery in teaching. This is something I have recognised that helps me develop my movement in class. Another piece of advice which I found interesting was the idea of using my voice qualitatively by emphasising certain counts where there is a shift in the movement. Jeannie pointed out that this also gives ideas to the musician who is accompanying you in the lesson I thought that this was a very helpful point especially because it emphasised the importance of the relationship between the dance teacher and the musician and how a shared understanding can create an inspiring class atmosphere. Below I have included images of some mind maps our class came up with when we were asked what ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ teaching looks like.

# data[].attributes.body
Flying low is a class that requires lots of energy and presence, because of this our first classes with Julia often focused on our spatial awareness and had an emphasis on flying low as a group practice. For example, we worked with moving around the room and pausing simultaneously, whilst I felt slightly on edge at first I found that this was a good way to introduce a feeling of alertness and a sense of unity with the dancers sharing the space. I often find in flying low there is a chaotic energy in the room Julia makes sure that we know we are the ones who have to be in control of this energy and be able to harness it safely. Something I struggle with in flying low is my ability to lower my body to a smaller level whilst still keeping my torso upright. In class, we did an exercise where we got into partners and each pair took turns holding the other’s skull and sacrum and used these two parts of the body to prompt the other’s movement around the space. Thinking of these two places as connected made my movement much more grounded and also let me use my gaze, therefore, making me more aware of my surroundings. This partner exercise was very effective in changing the way I thought about moving around the space. Flying Low is attached to the concepts of sending and gathering, I feel that having had a few weeks of flying Low it is becoming easier to embody this concept. Something that I find helpful in class is how everyone, including Julia, says “Sending” or “Gathering” whilst we do our phrases. For me, this reiterates the base purpose of the movement. In this way Flying Low is another class where I understand the significance of language in dance, whilst sending and gathering are vital to flying low so is going “into the floor” and “out of the floor” This is also something we repeat as a class and I feel that this continuous rhythm helps build momentum when the lessons speed up.

# data[].attributes.body
This term we started popping with Vicky. Having had Groove in the first term  I felt slightly more confident starting popping than I would have otherwise. However, as I have never done popping before I was still apprehensive. Something I find myself struggling with in popping is my confidence in my ability to freestyle in the cyphers we do at the start of each class. I felt that at the end of the first term, I was more confident in ciphering but now that I feel pressure to include the popping technique in my freestyle, going into the cyphers feels slightly daunting. In our last few lessons, Vicky has introduced the idea of dominoes to the class, where a move is done in canon. We’ve also played with this by having one person do a move and the rest of the class repeat it. As we started doing this in cyphers I realised how much more comfortable I was freestyling when I had the people around me repeat my movement. I realised that movement came much more naturally to me and I was more confident in my ability to pop. This made me conclude that there was no difference in my actual ability to freestyle with or without my peers repeating my movement and that it was just my confidence in my ability that was stopping me from feeling comfortable cyphering. Having realised this I feel more confident in cyphers and am much more eager to go in. Since we started Popping Vicky has taught us various moves, for example, Twist-o-flex, Neck-o-flex, and Master flex. Something I’ve noticed is that I’m much more confident practising the popping technique than I am practising these moves. Upon reflection, I think this has something to do with my lack of confidence in my coordination, and possibly a fear of doing something wrong that isn’t present when we practise the technique because it is such an improvised based style. To target this I want to begin practising the routines we have learnt in class so they are less confusing to me. One correction that Vicky has given us which I think has personally helped me a lot is that in popping the relaxation of the muscles is just as important as the contraction. Focusing on relaxing my muscles quickly means that I can do another pop in quick succession to the last. Although this has been challenging, I can feel myself getting more comfortable with it and can see that my pops are becoming stronger and more visible.

# data[].attributes.body
Because Gaga is an improvisation technique a lot of the instructions/ corrections given to us by Chisato are image based. Despite only having had two Gaga lessons I have taken a lot from Chisato. After the first lesson, I wrote down lots of notes about the imagery that Chisato provided us with because I felt that they resonated with me strongly. One of the first ideas we explored was visualising mirrors on the insides of our elbows, the backs of our hands, the tops of our shoulders, and the space between our shoulders. Thinking about these places as reflective surfaces made my improvisation feel like I was exposing myself to the space around me which I found very liberating. Chisato also used this image to reference more codified dance practices. For example, she suggested imagining mirrors on our inner thighs shining towards each other to be able to access turnout. Chisato then recommended imagining our various reflective surfaces stretching further apart and growing closer together. I found that this made me transfer my weight in unexpected ways and that I was creating pathways with new parts of my body. This idea in particular produced movement which felt coherent with the visuals I had associated with Gaga before taking a class. Another idea I took from my first class with Chisato was that our bodies have lots of duplicates; two arms, two legs, and two eyes. Chisato suggested alternating the use of these parts to discover new ways to encounter the space, she prompted the class to look at the space with our right eye and then with our left and to hear with the left ear and then with the right. I found this instruction to be very helpful and despite it not logically making sense as we can’t turn these senses off, it helped me to focus my energy where I wanted it and brought my attention to my senses and the way that dancing in the space felt as a moment experienced by me, as the dancer.

# data[].attributes.body
I have found Pilates to be incredibly helpful for my alignment and general relationship with my body, movement, and rest. I take something new from almost every Pilates lesson and it is one of the only practices in which I feel a complete lack of self-consciousness. In the movements Pieter has taught us I have discovered ways to activate a stretch in my body that I had never thought of before. What I find so rewarding about Pilates is that the indicator that you are achieving the acquired movement is how it feels rather than how it looks. One correction that Pieter has given the class is the idea of pulling the leg into the hip socket when stretching instead of feeling like you have to stretch the leg out of its socket. This tip immediately helped me feel as if I was targeting the right place for my hamstrings and I have taken this with me every time I stretch outside of class. I have found that Pilates has also helped me challenge my strength in a way that is enjoyable and makes me feel like I am working hard. One strengthening exercise which I’ve found particularly helpful is where, in tabletop position, we loop a thera-band around the foot of an extended leg and the thigh of the other bent leg, whilst lifting and twisting the chest towards the bent leg. This exercise is an incredible core strength exercise and I try to do it outside of class because it feels like it targets the oblique muscles. Pilates is another practice where I’ve felt that my understanding of my hyperextension has grown. As we do a lot of hamstring and leg stretches I have had to adjust these by taking a micro bend in my knee, if I don’t do this the stretches feel as if I am stretching the back of my knee rather than the hamstring and this feels uncomfortable and unsafe. Before coming to the school and doing Pilates I would straighten my knees as much as I could without hesitation, now however I know I am practising in a way that will be most beneficial for my growth and safety as a dancer.

# data[].attributes.body
Ballet is a dance practice that I have done a lot in the past so I feel quite comfortable in the setting of a ballet class. Having not had ballet for the first two terms, however, I forgot how instrumental it is to receive personalised corrections from a ballet teacher. I found that in Kate’s class, she will often use imagery or metaphors which resonate with me and I see an immediate improvement in my technique. For example, when we were doing an exercise in the centre which involved an arabesque balance, Kate gave us the image of an elastic band that stretches between both ankles. For me, this image solidified the idea of the arabesque line being a curve rather than a right angle. Another moment I want to reflect on in Kate’s classes is the improvement of my pirouettes. When doing pirouettes I was struggling to get around multiple times and would find myself hopping on the supporting leg to try and keep myself up, this made me feel confused and self-critical because I could remember times in the past when my pirouettes were much stronger. Kate suggested that I bring my leg into retiré as soon as possible when starting to turn, as soon as I did this I saw how much cleaner and more precise my pirouettes suddenly became. Now I always remember to bring in my leg as soon as possible. This term I’ve realised that I am very accustomed to going into my hyperextension and have done this in all my prior ballet training. Reflecting on my few weeks of ballet classes at the school, questions that I have had for a long time about my hyperextension have been answered, for example, I had always wondered why despite being a relatively flexible person I was unable to access this flexibility in certain positions. When doing an exercise at the barre which involved a penché. Kate pointed out that my tendency to lock into my hyperextension in my knees meant that I couldn’t access my flexibility in my hips and hamstrings and therefore I wasn’t getting my leg nearly as high as I could. After being told this I started to get my weight as far forward as I could so that my pubic bone was over my toe. This has made a huge difference in my ability to do penché and arabesque. I have applied this advice to other positions in which I feel myself unconsciously going into hyperextension. Knowing how to correct this has improved my technique and will prevent me from injury in the future so is overall safer and better for my body.

# data[].attributes.body
I don’t feel as confident with floorwork as I do with other styles, so I know that I have a lot I can work on in Lewis's class. For example, I feel that I need to ground myself and let my weight drop rather than holding myself up, this is an issue I struggle with across multiple dance practices as I have mentioned in my log on Cunningham. In Lewis’s class, I find it hard to navigate myself in the space whilst being on the floor, feeling this lack of coordination is often discouraging. To help myself with this I want to explore using my focus more and find pinpoints in space that I can use as an anchor, hopefully, this will enhance my spatial awareness in class. I would also like to take up more space and be bolder with my choices in Floorwork as I feel my worries about not having picked up phrases stop me from dancing with expression and exploring how I can make the movement my own. Having tutorials in small groups with Lewis proved very helpful for my confidence in floorwork, Lewis suggested that I open my feet up to the ground, sense where my pelvis is in space, and let my pelvis move with my body. This advice allowed me to dispel some of the panics I felt about floorwork and instead focus on how my body feels in the space and where my body parts are in relation to each other without judgement. By doing this I felt myself becoming more aware of my surroundings and introducing new dynamics into my movement for example becoming better at softening into the floor. Something I still want to work on in Lewis’s classes is exploring more attack dynamics. As a dancer I think I tend to lean towards soft and slow movement, this is part of the reason that floorwork was so daunting to me because I thought of it as being very energetic and revolving around strength. I would like to find ways to have a sense of urgency when I perform the phrases we are taught as I think this will help me to embody these ‘attack’ dynamics.

# data[].attributes.body
In term 2 we have continued with Cunningham. One physical aspect I needed to improve in this class was my tendency to over-tuck my pelvis. This habit was noticed by my teachers in an exercise where your upper body hangs forward and bounces. Upon first receiving the correction to relax my pelvis, I felt confused as I had always associated Cunningham with ballet and assumed that the lower body's position was virtually the same. At first, correcting this position felt unfamiliar but I soon realised that letting my pelvis relax allowed me to hang further forwards, let go of tension in my head, and eliminate some instability and stiffness in my movement. Another correction I frequently get in Cunningham is to let my head relax. Often I tilt my head or hold it up which creates a break in the line and prevents me from tapping into a feeling of release. It was particularly difficult for me to change this because I think I tend to rely on my focus to keep me balanced therefore dropping my head felt like it put me at risk of coming too far off balance and falling. I received feedback from Hannah Kidd who told me that I shouldn’t be afraid to fall and that I needed to take more risks and use class to discover how much I could drop my head whilst still being able to come back to my centre. After implementing this advice I felt much more confident relaxing my head and I now try to make sure that in moments where I am required to drop my weight, I take my head with me, this way I can also create more contrast when I come back to my centre. This came into effect when we studied Richard Alston repertoire with Hannah at the end of this term. For example at one point in the piece, we have to drop our upper body and pivot on our foot whilst swiping our arm down this move is directly followed by an upright walk. To enhance the contrast between these two moments it was vital for us to be comfortable with dropping our heads and I am happy to say that at this point after having had Cunningham for two terms this was not an issue for me in any way.

# data[].attributes.body
Here are some drawings I have done after class to help me visualise corrections that have been useful for me.