This week’s focus for me was fear. I chose to focus on this because I saw a lot of fear for the new unfamiliar movements within the class. I believe that most of the time within dance it is a case of mind over matter and it was something which happened in today’s class making me think this.

When the cohort had to add on a new section, which included a feared movement, I saw that they would no longer be uncomfortable in performing the ‘feared’ movement. This was because they had a new and unfamiliar movement to focus on, taking their mind away from the old and feared movement. To me this showed development within the class because the movement they previously could not perform due to fear was now being performed.

“An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm“. (Oxford University Press, 2014) This online definition made me realise that within dance technique it is not always the threat of danger, damage, pain or harm within the movement making it to be feared but that it is usually just the unfamiliarity of the movement instead.

Below is an image of the first ‘feared’ movement that they now perform without a thought.

The first class of the semester started with a strong focus of getting into our dancing bodies, releasing tension and mobilization.

In order to keep track of the progression of the cohort this semester I began the class by noting down the areas I believe the dancers could progress in within the following semester. I found that within the flying low technique ‘taking your centre’ is vital. There is room for progression in this field because within the first exercise, when the dancers went into a raised plank position, the majority had their centre placed too far back and this made the plank harder to hold. Following this, within the sequence danced on this day, a movement was included where the dancers skim along the floor from standing into a roll. In order to make this movement look effective you really need to ‘take your centre’ to enable the movement to travel, otherwise the sequence looks less aesthetically pleasing because of the lack of dancing space being used.

The other areas I observed that the cohort could progress in, which I am going to focus on this semester, are strength, projection, endurance and fear.

I decided to note down some presumptions of where I think the class would be by the end of the semester. I made these presumptions in week two based on the progression I have and will be observing.

I think that I will see the progression in the group through releasing and letting go of their fear. I think that the cohort will be much more daring in performing the movements which include going upside down and over their head. These new movements do not come naturally which is why they were scared of them but I am sure that by the end of the semester they will have got used to these movements and therefore I think this will be a very strong progression.

The strength within the class will progress this semester because in every technique class they are building up exercises, which include more strength work. I presume that the dancers will no longer struggle with their press-ups and lunging exercises.

I believe that by the end of the semester that the class will be much clearer in their body coordination. I think I will be able to see this within the aesthetic of their work.

This semester I am going to focus on the progression of the cohort, I am going to be looking deeply into their physical and interpretive skills and how they use these to excel in their dance technique and performance.

I am going to use critical appreciation to blog this and speak deeply about where the class started and where they are going to end up.

I believe that physical skills are the elements which dancers have to have to perform aesthetic movement these are skills such as flexibility, posture, extension, control, accuracy, stamina, strength and many more.

I believe that interpretative skills are elements, which enhance the aesthetic movement such as musicality, rhythm, projection, focus, facial expression, interpretation and many more.

Dance Advantage (2010) Musicality In Dance: What is it? Can it be taught. [blog entry] 29 March. Nichelle Suzanne. Available From http://www.danceadvantage.net/musicality-in-dance/ [Accessed 21 October 2014].

Franklin, E. (2014) Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance. 2nd Edition. United States: Human Kinetics.

Hutt, K. (2010) Corrective alignment and injury prevention strategies: Science, somatics or both? Journal of Dance and Somatic practice, 2, 251-260.

Oxford University Press. (2014) Oxford Dictionary. [online] Available from: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/fear [Accessed 29th September 2014]

The Dance Routine Corner (2010) Movement memory. [online] DanceRoutine.org Available from http://www.danceroutine.org/intermediatedance/movementmemory.html [Acessed 21 November 2014].

Welsh, T. (2009) Conditioning For Dancers. United States of America: University press of Florida.