# data[].attributes.body
A correction that we often get in Contemporary as a year group, is to perform more even in exercises that may seem dull and less exciting to do. This can mean something subtle such as lifting your eyeline to exhibit that you are present and focused. We are told to treat everything as a performance in order to look more like a professional company and less like students taking class. This will help me to improve my individual artistry and what I can offer as a creative when auditioning or taking class to network. 'Performance is crucial in an audition as it showcases your abilities, confidence, and suitability for the role or project. It’s your opportunity to demonstrate your talent, interpretation of the material, and how well you can take direction. A strong performance can leave a lasting impression on the casting directors and increase your chances of being selected.' (Bing, 2024)

In the video below, I was doing an exercise that required focus. Dancers are meant to make things look easy even when all of your muscles are engaged and working like crazy. I definitely need to take some time to work on performance of exercises as you can read on my face how much I am concentrating. This makes the watching me less enjoyable as I look tense and stiff.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Improve my calypso leaps as these are often part of routines and audition combinations. Especially for cruise ships, which is a goal of mine therefore practicing would benefit me as an emerging artist. wikiHow states 'After doing a high chaine do another chaine but this time do it lower by bending your legs this will give you power when doing the jump.'

'With the leg in front do a ronde de jambe to the corner then open your leg to the side. Push off your back leg as soon as the front leg is high enough making sure it's in attitude by bending your back leg as soon as you push off. Push of your back leg as hard as you can to get more height your arms can be lifted over your head or any position you want.'

2. Secondly, I would like to improve my turns as it is rare that there will be a jazz routine without at least one pirouette in.

3. Lastly, I need to use my plie more across all areas of jazz as it helps you stay grounded for a stronger-looking performance. Using your plie also helps you with elevation for jumps and leaps.

# data[].attributes.body
When I first came to ShockOut, commercial was one of the styles that I had trained in the least. The technique for commercial does not come as naturally to my body as a style such as Ballet that I have done a lot more of in my life. The corrections that I get the most in commercial classes are:

Release the tension that I hold in my shoulders, neck and hands.

More use of levels, as I am taller this stands out a lot.

Work on my dynamics, for example, start and stop and staccato movements along with fluidity.

Musicality, in commercial I am often focusing too much on picking up the choreography, that I rush the moves instead of sitting in the pocket of the music. Slowing down my movements would allow me to make more artistic choices and experiment with timing and transitions.

I also would like to improve my grooves within commercial as I think it will allow me to have a greater understanding of the way my body can move across all styles.

# data[].attributes.body
A goal in ballet for me in ballet in third year has been to improve my double pirouettes into attitude. This is an important skill to acquire as we will be required to perform them in our summative ballet assessment. Sometimes, I am guilty of thinking too much about how I look to other people and just getting round that I forget to think about which muscles will actually aid me in actually having the right placement for several turns. I would like to improve my double turns into an open position.

# data[].attributes.body
I have been working in the gym, creating specific sets that target your lateral muscles and your back. I have been doing sets of lat pulldowns, pressups, lateral raises, plank and more. 'In ballet, the lateral muscles in your back, also known as the latissimus dorsi, play a crucial role in maintaining an upright posture and balance during pirouettes. These muscles help stabilize your core, which is essential for controlling your turns and staying centered on one leg. Strengthening your lats can improve your ability to hold your back and arms properly while turning.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Social Media, Doom Scrolling and Perfectionism

# data[].attributes.subject
Social Media, Doom Scrolling and Perfectionism

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Garry Paragraph.docx - Microsoft Word Online

# data[].attributes.body
Websites

Callahan, M. (2021) Social Media for dancers: The pros and cons, Dance Informa Magazine. Available at: https://www.danceinforma.com/2021/08/01/social-media-how-does-it-affect-the-dance-world/ (Accessed: 03 January 2024).

Ceci, L. (2024) Topic: TikTok, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/topics/6077/tiktok/ (Accessed: 05 January 2024).

Holmes, K. (2016) When perfectionism becomes a problem, Dance Spirit. Available at: https://dancespirit.com/the-perfectionism-problem/ (Accessed: 03 January 2024).

How to do a triple pirouette (2023) Hi Encyclopedia. Available at: https://lifeotto.com/Comprehensive/How-to-Do-a-Triple-Pirouette#:~:text=Here%20are%20the%20tips%20to%20help%20you%20execute,the%20turn.%20...%203%203.%20Visualize%20Your%20Turn (Accessed: 22 March 2024).

How to perform a calypso leap (with pictures) (2023) wikiHow. Available at: https://www.wikihow.com/Perform-a-Calypso-Leap (Accessed: 22 March 2024).

Neto, C. (2021) What dancers can do about the negative impacts of social media, BACKSTAGE. Available at: https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/what-dancers-can-do-about-the-negative-impacts-of-social-media-67819/ (Accessed: 05 January 2024).

Ortiz-Ospina, E. and Roser, M. (2023) The rise of Social Media, Our World in Data. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/rise-of-social-media (Accessed: 05 January 2024).

Riley, K. (2024) How to roll out your feet, Experience Life. Available at: https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/how-to-roll-out-your-feet/ (Accessed: 22 March 2024).

Websites

Yuen, C. (2023) Foam rolling: 8 magic moves that’ll relax all the tension in your, Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/foam-rolling-how-to (Accessed: 22 March 2024).

# data[].attributes.body
A way in which I decided I would improve the problem that I have with holding tension in my hands, was to strengthen my arms and back. Over the months that I worked on this, I found that I was using my lateral muscles more and therefore holding the tensions there rather than my hands, which could look tense, stiff and awkward rather than strong, powerful and clean. I consistently went to the gym and had push and pull day exercises to increase over strength in my arms and back.

# data[].attributes.body
Hold specific positions for long periods of time for muscle memory so body does not go back to what it does nturally. Repetition, leg strengething, going througb choreo slow. Working on transitions dancing outside bodies parametres. 'Muscle memory is the ability of our muscles to remember and repeat specific movements without conscious thought. Repetition is the best way to create a blueprint of the dance you’re learning, which is then stored in your brain. This builds a bridge between thinking and doing – so you no longer need to think about the movement. Neuroscientists call this muscle memory (or motor learning). Muscle memory allows dancers to execute complex movements without consciously thinking about each step, conserving mental energy.' (Bing, 2024)

# data[].attributes.body
In order to know what to work on in lessons, I asked Lamaar for personal feedback. The things he said are included in the first box above. These corrections gave me a purpose in classes as I wasn’t just taking class because I had to, I was focusing on my specific goals. I think that it is very clear to see that I made improvements over the weeks that we trained and cleaned this choreography with Lamaar. The video exhibits that I have a clearer understanding the the music and I am making a conscious effort to make my movement slower and calmer therefore creating a more enjoyable performance for somebody watching.

# data[].attributes.body
A correction that I often get across all styles of dance is that I need to use my plie more, and jazz is no exception. As I am tall, even if I feel like I am using my levels, it often isn’t enough. I have been utilising the equipment in my gym in order to increase my overall leg strength. The exercises I have been doing strengthen the muscles that I need in order to hold my turns and keep my legs engaged.

'Fortunately, you can ease discomfort with self-myofascial release, a massage technique designed to relieve tension in your fascia, the fibrous connective tissue beneath your skin. This method can improve circulation and range of motion and reduce postworkout soreness.'

# data[].attributes.body
As you can clearly see in the three videos above, my performance improved throughout the year. I believe that through performing and losing the tension throughout my body, it has helped the overall aesthetics of my performance. Learning when to breath, losing my head and stopping overthinking the way that I look to others, has helped me to engage the muscles that I need to carry out the steps correctly but lose stiffness in my neck, shoulders and hands.

# data[].attributes.body
With repetition and filming my turns in slow motion, the corrections that I have noticed that I need to apply are:

1. Weight back and to the side of the working leg.

2. Spotting.

3. High retire with no sickle.

4. Shoulders down by engaging lateral muscles in my back.

5. Arms away from my body in a strong jazz first.

6. 'Cat and mouse' technique with arms.

7. High releve.

8. Hold after releve after pirouette.

9. Breath out.

I can do triples however I would like them to be more consistent. 'HiEncyclopedia' writes 'Your hips should be aligned with your shoulders as you complete each pirouette. If your alignment is off, your balance will be off as you turn. Use a mirror as you stand in relevé to ensure that your shoulders and hips are aligned. Check your side stance as well when you are at the mirror to ensure that you're not leaning too far forward or back...Knees play a crucial role while you turn. They help generate momentum and power and also keep your legs straight through the turn. Push off the ground using your knees and maintain the balance.'

# data[].attributes.body
Books

Bishop, T. (2012) Stronger Legs & Lower Body. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Dijck, J. van (2013) The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. New York: Oxford University Press.

Henry, D. and Jenkins, P. (2019). The Essential Guide to Jazz Dance. The Crowood Press.

Shook, K. (1978) Elements of classical ballet technique: As practiced in the School of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. London: Dance Books.

West, C. and Bolchover, M. (2011) Modern dance. Winchester England: Ransom.

Journals

Błażkiewicz, M. (2021) ‘Joint loads and muscle force distribution during classical and Jazz pirouettes’, Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics, 23(1). doi:10.37190/abb-01675-2020-02.

Clarke, F. et al. (2019) ‘Associations between balance ability and dance performance using field balance tests’, Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 34(3), pp. 154–160. doi:10.21091/mppa.2019.3026.

Jacobs, C.L., Hincapié, C.A. and Cassidy, J.D. (2012) ‘Musculoskeletal injuries and pain in dancers a systematic review update’, Journal of Dance Medicine &amp; Science, 16(2), pp. 74–84. doi:10.1177/1089313x1201600204.

Valkenburg, P.M. (2017) ‘Understanding self-effects in social media’, Human Communication Research, 43(4), pp. 477–490. doi:10.1111/hcre.12113.

# data[].attributes.body
The leaps and pirouettes that I have been working to improve, will help me in auditions and open jazz classes. As you can see from my calypso video, my elevation has improved as my legs have gotten stronger and my plie has gotten deeper. Secondly, my triple turns have become more consistent while my double now have better technique. After rehearsing leaps and turns I started to build up to adding them into fast combinations much like those that I will get in future auditions. I still want to work on my transitions between moves within routines as I can always work on cleanliness.

# data[].attributes.body
It is all about alignment of the body when it comes to pirouettes in ballet, or any pirouettes for that matter. Multiple sources online mention the core as being the most important component for a good, strong turn. Which is why I chose to plank and use the hanging leg raise machine to strengthen my abdominal muscles. Bing says 'keep your core tight throughout the movement to maintain balance.' In the two videos above, I am repeating the turns into attitude to create muscle memory and practice the alignment for this turn.

Some key points for good execution:

1. Quick spotting.

2. Strong preparation in fourth position with arms in third and most of my weight on the front leg with feet and knees turned out and hips even.

3. Keep core engaged and tight during the turn.

4. Arms in a solid first using lateral muscles in the back and smoothly transitioning to attitude as the turn comes to an end.

5. Taking the leg into attitude straight away, ensure the leg goes back rather than round the side like a rond de jambe.

6. Maintain turn out.