Task 2d: Questions of Inquiry

What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

My enthusiasm is motivated by training in new performance techniques and other aspects of performing such as Aerial Hoop. Also working with like minded individuals and seeing new and upcoming choreographers and styles. When I was at college I was lucky enough to work with amazing teachers with their own unique style which I absolutely loved learning and gave me the enthusiasm to learn and develop my own dance ability. It has opened my eyes to maybe developing my own style or finding a style inside someone else. Think I need to save some money for many theatre trips to come!

What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?

I’m always seeking perfection in everything I do and I think that stems from being a dancer, so when I don’t feel I have got close to perfection (which I know is impossible) I get really angry and upset with myself. Someone who used to teach me dance when I was younger is an important admirer to me. She has been through an awful lot through her life from depression to maybe not being able to have kids but no matter what, dance and friends have got her through everything. I’m lucky enough to be working a long side of her currently and feel that I am going to learn a lot about how to work around difficult problems and situations. 

What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

I love being in a position which gives me the opportunity to pass on experience and knowledge of performing. I love seeing the enjoyment of the students after the lesson and seeing them develop. The current head of dance that I am working with gets overjoyed when someone surpasses expectations and their own challenges along the course. Bob Fosse work has been a love of mine for many many years. I first was introduced to him when I was at my local dance school. The creativity of his work meant it was a pleasure to watch and gave me the urge to learn. A more recent admirer of mine who I found on YouTube is Matt Steffanina. The videos he posts is of the classes he teaches performing his routines and in many of them you can actually learn the dance to. The excitement you see from the class and his desire to dance is so motivating and gives me inspiration when I come to choreographing routines.

Matt Steffanina Youtube

What do you feel you don’t understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?

One thing that I never understood and still don’t understand is how casting directors and producers decide who goes through to the next round of an audition. At the majority of auditions, I have been to, me and my friend asks - ‘How did she/he get through?’ I would love to get inside the audition panels head to know exactly what they are looking for cause you all have an idea especially if it is a well known show/production and have seen the types of people they have cast before and then you see a person get through who in your eyes and my friends eyes weren’t as good as other people in the room that didn’t get through.

How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more generally in society? For example, what level of physical contact would you deem appropriate (and not) from another professional that you would find unacceptable more generally? Why?

After completing a Safeguarding course for the workshops I teach at college it was a big shock to hear such terrible statistics about child abuse, depression and suicide. Some of the images of bruising and things weren’t nice to look at but felt that it was important that I did look to know all the signs and signals so that I knew what to do if I suspect someone was upset, hurt or scared. Any form of physical contact in certain situations can be deemed inappropriate and especially if it makes an individual uncomfortable. Obviously in our profession their may be times where a choreographer will place an arm or leg into the correct position but if it was frequent or prolonged physical contact I would find it unacceptable, so I feel that respect should be paramount and understood by other professionals.