Pantomime 2015, Cinderella, Leamington Spa

Cinderella, Leamington Spa Experience
I have been in pantomime over Christmas at Leamington Spa in Cinderella. It was such a fantastic experience and has increased my knowledge as a performer but also encouraged the transition from student to professional. I also had the opportunity to experience going on as an understudy for 2 shows. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I was able to go on as myself (ensemble) as well as Dandini.
Being an understudy for Cinderella, Dandini and Fairy Godmother as well as having ASM duties whilst knowing my own part was a real challenge and one thing I was worried about before entering my 2 weeks of rehearsal. As I stared at my script the week before my rehearsals I wondered how I was going to learn all 4 parts in 2 weeks. Despite my doubts I miraculously did it and was lucky enough to go on as Dandini twice.
Being put under pressure was a great thing to go through and being on edge all the time not knowing if you are going on as yourself or someone else also keeps your adrenaline going. In the adult ensemble there was myself and a male, however he fell ill with laryngitis leading me to cover his songs and lines which also gave me more to do for 3 weeks. To begin with I worried a little but once he recovered near the end of the run it was strange to not be singing all the time and speaking. I was almost having to stop myself at some point. This was another great experience however doing 46 shows takes its toll, in the middle of the run I fell ill however I powered through it and continued with what I needed to do.
After finishing the run it was a relief but also upset to not be performing all the time. Two shows a day was great but was  tough at the same time, it didn't help with myself commuting everyday which was sometimes a struggle as I had to concentrate until I got home which would take 30mins there and back.
Overall I loved the pantomime life and how lovely the cast and crew were. I got on really well with everyone and enjoyed being close to home over Christmas!!
x

Task 3c: Sources of Information

I haven't been online for a while due to me being in rehearsals for 'Cinderella' pantomime. However from my previous blog I noticed that I didn't look into what 'networking' meant. I have been really looking into it and I have also looked at how myself and others use different sources to network.

Definition of the word Net-working

(verb)

1. Connect as or operate with a network

2. interact with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.

I looked into different websites about net-working and how it helps with getting jobs etc. I found that on careerkey.org  it says;

'Networking can be very helpful to your career ... 65 to 80% of all jobs are found through networking.'

'The idea is to develop a network of friendly people who share information to help each other...'

This was a great read as it wasn't directly for the performing arts industry, which showed me how important networking is and how it helps many of us.

I then looked at a job description for an 'Actor' on prospects.ac.uk where it stated that for this job you need to be job seeking and NETWORKING. Straight away this opened my eyes as it reminded me of how important it is for our industry. Like people say its not what you know, its who you know!!

Sources of Networking I use and what others use within the performing arts industry

In the 21st century everyone is hooked to the internet. We must always look at our facebook/twitter/instagram/flicka/blogs/email/imessage/whatsapp at least five times a day. We are a generation that loves communicating via an electronic device. 

Facebook

I personally use facebook a lot to connect with people and as I am in Pantomime at the moment I have made new friends who have done various jobs as well as getting on really well with the choreographer and director. I have already added them on facebook and intend to keep in contact and up to date with them as they are people who I have enjoyed working with and tried to make a good impression as you never know what will happen in the future. 

Facebook is another great place because like I said in Task 1 Web 2.0 there are a many pages which keep us up to date about castings which are up and coming etc.

Twitter

I have not got twitter however I know I need to as many people within the industry use it to connect and find out information. I know that a lot of my friends follow directors,choreographers which sometimes works in there favour as they may be recognised at an audition from those people etc.

When I say to people I do not have twitter they look so shocked as they say 'but everyone in the performing arts industry has it?'. I don't know if everyone does but there seems to be a big handful of people who do have it.

Many of my friends say it is a great networking tool and it keeps you in the know of what is coming up like castings/auditions etc and helps to get your face out there.

Emails

I use my email for mainly keeping in contact with my agent and spotlight sends emails in regards to auditions. I think email is more formal and a great way to find out information off people you do not know as well whilst keeping a professional approach.

Do we still know how to use other well-established technologies in this 21st century to network?

We are very reliant on the internet for networking, like I have said previously, but do we use normal ways to networking?

Meeting with people and talking is such a great way to network as sometimes things can come across either wrong to how you want them to (via the internet/messaging) or interpreted wrong where as face to face they can see you and your body language. This is a great way of communicating as they physically have a face to match your name, rather than a picture which may look a little different to you on a daily basis. 

What do I rely on to inform me for my practice?

I rely on many things but I am specifically reliant on my emails from spotlight, castings pages on facebook, posts other people post on facebook, what my friends and I talk about either face to face or on the phone and The Stage App on my phone. All of these things keep me in the know of what is coming up and what I would like to put myself forward for. 

Here it shows the many ways I use 'Connectivism' and from looking at this I will try to broaden this with getting a twitter account to make myself more known and to meet and talk to new people involved within the industry. 

Task 3A: Current Networks

Networking!!

Image taken from quakersyard.co.uk

I have used networking for such a long time for various things that I have been involved in and ran or I have used it for personal use. More recently I have done more and more networking which has been successful. From a young age I have watched my mother evolve her own business, with this I have seen how much work goes into connecting with people and getting a good name out there.

 

Since being on the course (BAPP (Arts)) I have already gained more social networking along the way, such as; a blog, Flickr account and a g-mail email account. All of these accounts are going to aid me in the future and allow me to broaden my connections and audience.

 

What sources of Networking do I use?

I do a lot on-line as I prefer to get in touch with people via social media or email and as it is easier to keep people up to date via the web. However I also use letters, flyers, text messaging and face to face meets or discussions as well. I always think that the way of communication depends on what it is for and what information you are needing to pass on or ask about.

 

The Tools of Networking

When reading through the reader I came across many tools which I have used without realising what I really are;

 

Cooporation

Definition - (noun) the action or process of working together to the same end.

 

I have used this tool in a few areas of work. Just recently I have started up my own Zumba taster sessions but I wanted them to be free for people to come along and see what it is about and how I run my classes. Prior to this I got into contact and cooperated with the church secretary to ask how much the hire of the hall would be. This worked well as they realised what I wanted to do and they listened to what I wanted to happen in the future. This was great as we put both our heads together and come to an agreement face to face. I had to do this for my theatre school workshop in the summer, 'Step onto Stage' as well.

I also have been cooperating with two schools to be able to hold Zumba classes in there halls as well as to begin my own theatre school on a regular basis. This is going very well and I will be having a meeting with the schools business manager to arrange prices. They have also been kind enough for me to promote my Zumba taster sessions as well, which has really broadened my target market.

 

Affiliation

Definition - (noun) the state or process of affiliating or being affiliated.

 

Affiliate Definition - (verb) officially attach or connect (a subsidiary group or a person) to an organization.

 

I have done this  just recently, as I help teach my old dance teacher Ballet from the grades pre-primary to grade 8. This was an agreement with each other face to face and over the phone, as she wanted help but I also wanted to learn the syllabus in order for me to be able to take my teaching exam in RAD. With doing this it has opened up another exciting experience for myself to teach adult ballet as a new class in January 2015.

I have also asked one of my friends from Bird College to come and help me in the February break with Step onto Stage, which is me asking here to affiliate with my business/performing arts school for the week. I did this over the phone.

 

Social Constructionism

Definition - Social constructionism or the social construction of reality (also social concept) is a theory of knowledge in sociology and communication theory that examines the development of jointly constructed understandings of the world.

 

This is one that I haven't done much of but have put into practise this evening. Its the idea of looking outwards at the larger community.

 

This evening I had my final Zumba taster session which I asked if they wanted to give me any feedback on ideas to make the class better, easier to follow or for me to take other courses that they were interested in. This allowed them to have their voice on the up and coming classes. Here are the ideas and feedback I was given;

 

- To do a Zumbini course (mother and baby classes)

- That the 40mins I did was a great length as it wasn't too long and dragging but was intense enough to feel like a great workout.

- That my enthusiasm was great and kept someone going.

- I may need a headset if I am not raised higher for people to follow.

 

This was a great way to communicate as I felt that they were involved and I was taking on board what they wanted, which is important.

 

Connectivism

Definition - Connectivism is a hypothesis of learning which emphasizes the role of social and cultural context.

 

In the 21st century everyone is always connecting with someone whether it be socially, for work purpose etc. I love to use social network and am guilty of having my phone attached to my hand most of the time. I have many different ways I connect;

- Facebook

- Email

- Text

- Phone call

- Blog

- Skype

 

Most recently the main way I contact people is via my blog and Skype for the BAPP. This is a new way for me (especially blogging) as I am just starting to get to grips with how it all works.

I don't know how businesses would survive without Connectivism as it is the root to most successful businesses.

 

Networking through Blogs (Ethical considerations for Networking)

During my blogging process I have been able to connect with people on the same course with the same interests as myself. This has lead to deep discussions on what I have posted a blog about or what others have posted about. This scholarly process is becoming essential for those, like myself, who are distance learning and keeping in contact with fellow peers and lecturers.

 

Martin Weller suggests that “It is not just the internet that is significant in terms of networks

but, more recently, the advent of social networks that is having an influence on scholarly practice” (2011, p.7). Weller, Martin (2011) The Digital Scholar, London: Bloomsbury.

 

This interested me as I know a lot of work is online and even when I took my IT GCSE all of my tasks and coursework was all online. As fantastic as this is, it is also a danger because if the system crashes no work/little work can be done.

 

Comparing my Networks to others

Here is my Zumba website I have created;

 

kirsties.zumba.com

 

This website is no where near completed but it is a start for people to look at and watch it grow as the classes begin in the January. This website is on all my flyers, business cards and facebook page. When starting this out I looked at a successful Zumba instructors website which I aspire for mine to look like in the near future. Hers was full of information and pictures of classes and events she has held, along with many qualifications she has taken. I know I keep looking at it to refer to, (Reflective Observer) to know if I am on the right lines to a welcoming website that looks professional and exciting which draws people in to want to do a MY Zumba class.

 

I am beginning to look at my own Theatre school/dance school website however I am reluctant to opening one as I am not fully developed as a teacher and cannot offer my services in the way I would want to yet.

 

As a performer I would love to have my own website which I can showcase myself on, with show reels and voice reels as well as my CV. This would benefit me as an artist as I could give my website name to directors, choreographers etc. or have my own business cards made to hand out at any opportunity I get.

 

As a successful performing arts/dance teacher I would like to have an unforgettable website which has so much excitement in it as well as information on what I do, this would be accompanied with a Facebook page to reach out to a wider audience. This would also be backed up by flyers, posters, business cards as well as putting on many events with the students. This would show the community what I can do in an exhilarating performance based way.

 

What did I struggle with?

I know that when it came to writing on my flyers and business cards for Zumba I didn't know whether to put my mobile number down. I know that it would be an easier way to contact however if they are being given out all over Coventry I don't know who will have them, once I had thought about this I decided to just have my website and email address on them. This decision was made on my past experiences. I had many people text me 24/7, this proved a problem because if I was busy or on holiday it found it difficult to ignore text messages but with an email I know that the email is for work as I use that account for just that.

 

What would I like to know about networking?

I would like to know about Twitter as I use to have it but I disabled it after it was hacked twice before. Is this site safe enough?

I would like to research and see how other people network and take ideas from others.

 

 



TASK 2D: Inquiry

Through the Task 2 questions I have found a lot about myself and the way I learn as an individual and how I have helped others.

My Reflective process

When finding out I had to write  journal I began to get nervous as I didn't know what to put but, as I got into it my pen flowed with so many experiences, ideas, memories and feelings I had had that day. I know that from this process I have gained a wide range of writing styles on how to reflect through writing. 

Throughout this process I have also found out what type of learner I am in so many ways. I now know that I am;

- a Reflective Observer (Kolb's theories)

- a reflective-in-action (Schon's theories)

 

Throughout the process already on the BAPP course I have learnt so much about myself and acknowledged all the different things I have done/did prior to joining.

 

I am very lucky that I will start rehearsing for 'Cinderella' the pantomime in 3 days which I am very apprehensive for as I don't know what to expect but I know I will love it as I get started. I have always loved the adrenaline rush just before you make your first entrance on the stage, my most memorable moment was walking on the Royal Albert Hall to Irish dance to 'Lord of the dance'. As well as my performance industry I love to teach and that is another thing I am passionate about as I teach RAD Ballet at the moment along with, Zumba, whilst choreographing a pantomime and have my own performing arts workshops going at the moment. I find it refreshing that I have so much to talk about from various areas of the industry and relate them to some of the work asked. I know I have far more to learn but along the way the BAPP is preparing me and helping me become the best I can be whilst being able to ask questions to those who are going along the same journey with me.

 

Questions that keep arising in my Journal and Blog's

1). The different ways I learn really opened from a teaching perspective and I started to ask myself 'how can I cater for all types of learners for my own performing arts school?'. Once I had asked my question I had already done something which had worked fantastically, 'Teaching through pictures' (Mood Boards). I would love to find out more information and ways that could enhance my teaching skills in a fun way.

 

2). When watching 'Strictly Come Dancing' my mum will always say ' I cant believe they are usig this music. When I did ballroom our music was so ridged and never chart music'. This got me thinking about how the Industry is really influenced by society. As I said in TASK 2C we have no control in the outside world and the experiences we all face. However we have seen over the years how many things have changed or how new things have emerged, such as;

-Contemporary Dance

-Chart music within Ballroom

-Dance Fitness programmes (Zumba and Street Fit)

-Street Dance and Ballet have a link

 

Step Up Film Image from Wikipedia

My question is society and culture influencing the industry or is music influencing society in order for the industry to move as well?

 



3). Can we reflect through dance? song? text? improvisation?

 

 

I look forward to looking further into these questions and researching into them a bit more to see if I can get an answer or have my own opinion on it.

 





Task 2C: Reflective Theory

Reflection plays a big part in my life but I have only just realised how much from researching and writing in my journal every evening.

Definitions

Reflection (noun) - serious thought or consideration.

Reflexive (adjective) -Grammar -

denoting a pronoun that refers back to the subject of the clause in  which it is used, e.g. myself, themselves.

Logic -

(of a relation) always holding between a term and itself.

 

 

I am a very reflective person and always have been from a young age. After I had performed in a show I would ask my parents so many questions on what they enjoyed? what they didn't enjoy? what was the strongest part in the performance/show? etc. and then I would compare there thoughts to my own.

 

When beginning 2A I had wrote that;

 ' we should understand everything, from a definition and all of its different terms, to be able to understand something to its full capacity'.

 

When I was a student at Bird College I was always told in Ballet that before trying to move anything else and start isolating the body that we needed to know how to technically stop the movement before adding it in. This related to 'understanding everything fully to understand its full capacity'. As a dancer everyone knows that Ballet is the root to dance and that everything stems from the technique and discipline taught in ballet. As all dancers should be aware, you have to understand the technique to distort it in a safe way. This I have always known and been brought up with.

 

John Dewey and his link to Performing Arts

John Dewey believed that 'the quality of the education was linked to the level of engagement with, and consciousness of the experiance'(page 4, Reader 2).

 

When I re-read this I instantly likened this to my commitments from such a young age from school to dance classes and shows I have been apart of. For this industry, Musical Theatre, the more you let yourself engage and absorb every ounce of information that is being passed on the more knowledge you are going to retain, which means the better your experience within the arts is going to be and the more you will grow as a performer.

Me aged 10 playing Oliver in 'Oliver Twist'

'

Second from the left, Me aged 21 in '42nd Street', Dundee playing Anytime Annie

'Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try!'

 

So many children, like myself, have been brought up either involved in a dance school, performing arts school, workshops etc. In Coventry there are so many places which offer these services.

For me performing arts is such an amazing, engaging industry and you can tell this from the amount of successful schools out there that children/teenagers/young adults are still on going to on a weekly basis with new faces seen every week.

 

Like Dewey says, the more a person has full engagement with there lives the better they would be able to be apart of society. This as we know is forever changing, society changes and problems arise or are overcome. However as a performer we can not change these experiences we as a population face. However we can still use those experiences and incorporate them into our own expertise once we have fully understood the situation.

Reflection

Reflecting on certain experiences may enhance a train of thought. People reflect on a daily basis but do not realise they are doing it. I know that before I started to look into reflection I didn't realise that I was doing it on a daily basis. Some people reflect by keeping a diary (like us having to keep a journal), others may draw or write poems etc. However can we use a style of performance to reflect? through dance? spoken text? a song? improvisation?

 

I know that through my years I have created dances around a storyline which has meant something to me or on a feeling I had at that point in my life. I found it lovely to create a piece that I felt very passionate about. Looking back I guess I could look at it as reflecting and a way of letting my thoughts, feelings, emotions and my ideas be visual, like the charts and graphs style of writing.
 

Kolb's and Schon's Theories and how that has linked in with my professional practice

Kolb has given 4 ideas of how we all learn (this is on my TASK 2A blog). I know that this has come into practise from when I am teaching. I have answered this question in my previous blog 'Teaching with Pictures'. Here it gives a clear view of how different my students are by how they have learnt or taken information on in different ways. I was very interested in this and would like to look into this further.

 

 



Journal writing Experience

I began my Journal experience way back on the 30th October and really looked into how each style of writing worked better for me!

I have never kept a diary or a journal before and wondered how I was to begin one and wondered what was I to write about? Once I looked into Task 2B it started to become clearer as the questions I needed to ask myself were already there in different styles of writing so I could reflect on my whole day or a certain event that day in different ways. This really helped me however,certain styles of writing got me thinking more than others as they used different questions. In certain styles certain questions also benefitted me as well but not all the questions or the way to think.
Here is what I thought;

Description

I found that I wrote a lot when describing my day as I was going over what had happened and where etc.. I felt that I was restricted to acknowledge how I felt and what my thoughts were on certain points/events during the day.

Initial Reflection

I found this a really helpful way to get everything out of my brain just before I went to bed and I was able to write down the emotions I wanted to let out at certain points of the day. I enjoyed this style as it got me to think a lot and write quiet a bit but not too much that it became a chore. I was also able to let out my own thoughts that have been going on in my mind as well as let go of my emotions.

List

I could not get on with this style of writing as I couldn't say what I wanted to and it just seemed very short and not to the point. At certain points I wanted to elaborate on an event but as a 'list' I felt like I couldn't express myself in a way like the 'Initial Reflection' allowed me, because when I think of lists I think of small bullet-points that are jotted down.

Evaluation

This was great to acknowledge how things went but then elaborate on what didn't work as well as discovering new things that day. I would of liked to of been able to share my feelings towards certain events as well as acknowledging what has happened during the day, however this style of writing broadened my mind and I want to take o board the questions 'What did you think went well?' and 'What worked?'.

Graphs, charts and diagrams

When looking at this style of writing before starting my journal I was confused as to how I was going to reflect in this way, but something clicked once I approached it and I really enjoyed drawing a graph and marking on certain things. I couldn't believe how much I liked this style as well as it being fun. Visually I could see where the up's and down's were in an event which was an easier way rather than reading a few paragraphs. I would really like to carry on this style at certain points within my journal.

What if?

I didn't enjoy this style of writing as it wasn't focusing on that specific day, but was making you think 'what could of happened?'. I don't feel like I reflected at all in this process and I only wrote down ideas of what I wish could of happened instead of what did happen that day.

Another View

This is another style that I didn't benefit as much from. This was because I was always finding faults with myself during the day and not anything constructive. At some point I was chuffed with myself as I acknowledge something which I did that I was happy about. Overall I do not think I would use this as it took time for me to think what another person thought of myself that day as I am such a perfectionist and always think I can do better.

 

Overall

I have come to the conclusion I will carry on to use 'Initial Reflection' and 'Graphs, charts and diagrams' along with certain questions used in the 'Evaluation' style. This will help me to really think every night about my day in the ways which I am best suited to as well as having fun and unloading everything in my journal.



Teaching with Pictures

I am currently choreographing an amateur youth pantomime of 'The Wizard of Oz'. In the pantomime I have 11 main dances which all require each performer to be versatile in there performance.

How was I going to achieve this?

 

When I have used Images in the past?

When I was in my last year at Bird College we did a 'Dance project' that allowed us to work with choreographers from the industry. In one of the weeks we used pictures to stimulate ideas for either a storyline to a dance or take something from a image, like a hand gesture that we liked or to recreate that image and incorporate it within the piece we created alongside the choreographers.

 

My Mood Boards

As I was targeting a wide range of ages I thought the best way for some of them would be to visually see what I was after rather than me explaining it. So one evening I made small mood boards for different dances which are in the pantomime.

 

Here are some of the Mood Boards I made;

 

Flying Monkey Dance - It is dark and intense just to reflect the music.

 

Flying Monkey Mood Board

 

Munchkin Land Dance - The music is very chaotic and dark. I was looking at making it very Tim Burton esc.

 

Munchkin Land Mood Board

 

These two dances are the main ones that need the most performance and facial expressions. I had originally began both of these dances and tried to explain the type of performances but once I had shown the performers the Mood Boards the change in there performance lifted and created such intense dancers with so much character.

 

I enjoyed working this way and felt it really benefited me as it gave me ideas for the dance choreography as well. I am going to carry on using this method in the future as it helped me in the past and has worked with 'The Wizard of Oz'.