My name is Ellie LaVoe and I am a current junior studying Psychology and dance. I am involved in the dance shows here at Muhlenberg. This semester I will be keeping myself busy with my academics, while also being apart of In Motion and Reset! This summer I worked at a cafe as a waitress and kept myself active by going to the gym and taking pilates classes. Pilates allowed me to keep up with my technique while also maintaining my flexibility.

My dance style background consisted of classical ballet. I feel that the majority of the time we learned from the Cecchetti method. Once I joined the senior company at my ballet school, we had various shows every year. In the winter, we would perform the Nutcracker, while in the fall, we'd switch to Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, etc. After watching the "Ballet Reign" video I could see some similarities between my past studio and the styles the video discussed. While watching, I took note that the woman said, "Cecchetti really emphasizes the importance of understanding the Cecchetti technique." My teachers allowed us to explore our individuality and encouraged us to find our own unique artistic expression. I do like how our teachers taught us, however, I feel that sometimes we didn't explore as much as we could have. I feel that my studio lacked correcting us as dancers, and sometimes acted as if we'd improve on our own. I enjoyed the times when we had various teachers, as I could hear their corrections and the techniques they shared. Coming to Muhlenberg definitely helped me broaden my dance experience by learning various styles. I feel that I've succeeded in listening to my peers and instructors so that I could further reach improvement. Hearing corrections has made me realize what I can especially improve on, which has been very helpful. To conclude, I look forward to continuing to work hard in classes to improve my confidence. Moving my shoulders down, taking a deep breath, and dialing in is what has helped me. I look forward to listening to my peers, watching others, and continuing to work hard.

After trying the many different breathing techniques suggested in the article, I realized the effect breathing can have on myself. Taking a deep breath creates a sensation that helps lead my muscles to relax. I notice that while in class, I sometimes become too tense, which causes my breathing to become very short and less elongated. Sometimes when I am at the bar I stop and pause, realizing that my body is in a tense state because of my lack of breathing. Once I catch myself I close my eyes and breathe deeply which helps my body flow back to a relaxed state. As I sit here reading tips from the article, I remind myself of simple ways I can manage my breathing in and outside of class. The stretch I first explored was just sitting upright comfortably so that I can find my breathing pattern. Focusing on the rhythm helps prep me to begin my stretch. Moving into a more complex stretch I decided to focus on the transition of getting into child's pose, and the stretch itself. As I inhale, I try breathing through my stomach, rather than tensing up in my upper body. I lift up my arms prior to bending down to descend to the floor. The sensation of lifting my arms above my head helps me adopt a positive perspective, bringing peace and light into my body. This makes my breathing much more elongated because of the positive thoughts I focus on. As I exhale, I think about releasing any tension I feel in my body, specifically anything that is bothering me. Once I arrive on the floor, I can feel free from the stress and tension I was holding before. This 1-2 minute exercise can completely shift the way my breathing works. This exercise is what I aim to channel while stretching in ballet class. Sitting down slowly and managing the tension I was holding helped prepare me to begin the stretch. I've come to realize how much my breathing affects my mindset and overall flexibility. Even if I am not physically doing child pose, thinking about the transitions and mechanisms I developed helps push me to enter that same calm state while in class.

Meeting with Karen last week was very helpful and beneficial for me. While meeting with Karen, we worked on using head during plie and to keep chin elevated. I tend to face my chin in a downward direction so applying the tips will further help me fix my awkward neck movements.  Following this we focused on my petite legro, working on the quickness, and precise movements. A way I am going to work on this is to focus on the tombe pas de bourree movements so that I can work on the overall coordination and head movements. Lastly, we focused on my

leg stretch on bare. Karen suggesting I me to think of my belly button over center of foot, rotate femur bone and hip socket, and to lastly to press pelvis forward. I found thee steps useful for me to think about when I'm activating my muscles during this bare combination. Furthermore, I will use these tips for the rest of the semester, and watch my fellow classmates duiring class to see how I can apply what I observe to my own movement quality.

• Concentration - what do you concentrate on in class? Is this helpful? Do you want to cultivate other foci? Why?

While in class, I try my best to concentrate on the combinations and take the notes Karen provides during class, and apply them to class each week. Taking note of the corrections I receive will only help me grow more as a dancer. For example, for the majority of the semester, we’ve all been reminded about the proper stability of our pelvic alignment. For me personally, thinking about this every week has helped me reach the point where I confidently feel that I’ve made progress with this concept. In the article, that concentration is difficult, and it's easy to lose focus, which can cause your mind to shift. The specific advice I am taking from the article is that when “my mind wanders, I [will] bring it back to [my] body.” Continuously training the mind and working towards this will help me maintain a positive outlook on my own growth. 

• Sensory clarity – what sensations do you habitually attend to and what might you want to develop further (sounds, visual, bodily sensation, “indicating the speed, direction, rhythm, size, and spirit of the step)?

In ballet, I often rely on visual sensations I recognize when looking at myself in the mirror. I judge my appearance in the mirror, specifically whether my posture looks lifted and aligned. Aside from Karen's constructive verbal feedback, I pay close attention to my own bodily sensations. I am putting too much weight on one side and using my head too much. However, I want to develop a deeper acknowledgment of speed, rhythm, and overall flow of each movement. Connecting the phrase throughout instead of stopping myself is something I struggle with. Recognizing the smooth movement within port de bras, the quick repetitions of petite legro, and the suspension of my balances in center are what I want to develop further. 

Equanimity – “the emotional quality of how you pay attention.”

The article explained how "equanimity" emphasises the amount in which you pay attention. Something this reminded me of is being more present in class when it comes to combinations and corrections. Understanding the importance of taking those corrections will help me narrow my focus during combinations. Dialing in on what I want to strengthen by paying attention to the corrections I’m given is a tool that will help me develop and advance further.

• Attend Reset: New Dances 20-22.

• Due DEC 1^st Padlet Post: Self-reflection on your growth and learning over the semester and thoughts about Reset performance. Please address both in your post.

  Taking a ballet semester has been rewarding and fulfilling. I feel I put a lot of effort into strengthening areas where I felt less confident. Focusing on my pelvis and alignment when working at the barre is something I noticed progress. It used to be so hard for me to maintain my alignment, especially in the center. However, after applying the tips Karen gives us in class, I have grown immensely. Somethign I still struggle with is the quickness of combinations, especially while using my head. I catch myself trying to watch others in class and how they use their head, which I feel is me moving in the right direction. Using my eyes and head will help me maintain my focus and follow directions.

  After recently having a sprained ankle in the last couple of weeks of classes, I realize how that has affected me with how I use my class time. Recently, I have not been able to participate in center combinations, so it has given me the opportunity to focus more on my peers. As much as I wanted to dance, I do recognize the benefits of watching my classmates, because I now have a sense of what I can keep working on. I look forward to regaining full strength in my right foot and will continue to use Karen's guidance on exercises that support proper recovery.

  Being involved in Reset allowed me to expand my artistic curiosity. All of the pieces were very different, so seeing the processes of all the choreographers' work unfold on stage was fascinating and enjoyable to be apart of.