In the first half term I noticed I wasn’t performing to my capacity of turnout. This is because my gluteal muscles are weak and tight. In order to improve I need to do strengthening exercises in my own time, such as oysters and stretching the gluteus so that more turnout will develop.

• In the first week of term I’ve been given a correction; when I perform a port de bras to the side I need to make sure my torso doesn’t twist as the alignment will be incorrect and I’m not stretching my obliques. In the second week I’ve taken this correction forward. I’ve done this by keeping my shoulders and my hips square when I perform a port de bras to the side, so that my alignment is neat. 

Giving the opportunity and liberty to put your own style onto it to expand it in your own way.

There are Matt Mattox purists (with a drum) that's where it started.

“Mattox has advanced his own version of a jazz-imbued dance expression over the course of a stel- lar career lasting sixty- ve years. He has signi cantly impacted Hollywood dance  lms, Broadway musicals, European concert dance companies, and the training of generations of concert and commercial dancers.”

"When permitted to de ne his own work, Mattox di erentiates his dance vocabulary and artistic approach from vernacular and commercial jazz dance by calling his form of expression “free style.”

Circular spring - keep hands close together to force the stretch in the back to improve a spinal position. 

Use more light and shade in terms of levels by identifying specific areas to perform the set combination parcificly, for example, low pirouette is grounded to a lengthened posé turn to demonstrate the comparison of the levels used.

3rd port de bra - focus is down the front arm with the arms in second on a spiral.

Identifying where my focus should be (e.g. Up, side, along the arm, central etc.)

October

Position of the feet in fourth position - need to be in a box shape not a rectangular because that’s the correct technique.

3rd port de bras - I need to take note that the arms are placed in second on a spiral and it’s not an epaulement.

Jazz bra bar - I need to work on demonstrating a strong and precise position; by contracting in the shoulder blades by pulling laits down the back, and the elbows parallel. 

 

Dynamics - I need to demonstrate better dynamics used in set sequences, such as; sharpness, resistance, suspension, sustain, fluidity, so that’s there’s more style quality with the choreography.

Pencil jump while turning, I need to focus on keeping everything tight and small. For example, keeping ankles tightly together, if arms are set in first position keep fingers tips almost touching, and keep everything extended. In order to gain a quick isolated jump.

Saut de basque - I need to improve on glueing the foot to the ankle, and swishing the foot off floor to develop more momentum in the jump. 

Arms in fifth position - I need to maintain pulling the laits down the back, keeping the arms straight and parallel.

November 

When I perform a jazz combination there needs to be a beginning, a middle and a finish in terms of punctuating the movement. Because at the moment there’s areas where I’m cutting the details. It’s important that I go over this in my own time in order to build the performance quality required. 

January 

More style quality when I perform the drop cross by twisting my shoulder towards downstage so that it’s selling the choreography and not too elementary.