what is your profession means to you? Part 1

What is my profession means to my self?

I guess not many people read my blog, however, if you are reading this page I really would like to know your answer is to this question; what is your profession or what ever you are trying to deepen your understand to you?

I have been thinking about this question for awhile. As I am professional dancer, I often ask my self; What is dance to me? Is it a way of living? Is it a hobby which paid to do? Is it my life it self?

I often see dancers get up by not getting the roles they wish, struggle to keep up with the company expectation or standard, struggle to keep the typical image of professional dancer, also dancers need to be healthy but also need to be slim,etc.

These questions has occurred during my second module as I was looking in to my company's ethic books.

Then, I came down to a conclusion by reading and listing other people's opinions, also by thinking and experience my day to day living.
Dance is a way to make my life richer to me, well, that is main answer and I again question to this answer in part 2. Trough dance, my life expands, through dance, I learn about my self, about other people, about life it self.
I started to think, professional dancers take their job too serious, therefore they put them selves in trouble, i.e. loosing too much weight, performers as a dancers life effect too much on their personal life; technical struggle in dance easily paranoid dancers personal life it self, worried about other dancers, that cause jealousy, and that create negative cycle in life.

However, we all need to physically, mentally understand the fact; other dancers should not effect truly who we are. Dancing next to the best dancer does not make you worse dancer, dancing next to untrained dancer does not make us a better dancer than who we are.
We never can be the best, also and worst. Because theses are just words, best and worst is we should decide in our own major. Therefore, if dancers do not have their own major or standard in them selves, life can be unnecessary stressful, as always feel pressure to satisfy other people.

Summer School 2

Summer School week two.

We are running this summer school divided by three groups by the standard instead of age, and simultaneously running in three different studios; MAD!

However, student's age is fifteen years on wards with only few exception.
Therefore, must admit, it is a totally different experience to last week. Kids behave really well.
I had only seventy five mins to put  two mins piece together, but there were no problem.

1, Because I have planned well:D
2, Kids understand my mental image and picture quicker, even with my poor explanation.
3, Kids do not loose the focus and also they are not crazy, so very smooth to work with.

Again, I have experienced the fact of teacher can teach only practitioner who wants to learn.

Summer School 1.3

last day of the week one!

Kids were very exited for the performance.
They performed really well. All was well, except some kids started to fight, quite violently. As week went, kids got tired and familiar with the other kids, and some started to argue, push then.... Kids were okay, but some of the parents's attitude was unbelievable. Parents are there to solve the problem, not to make things worse.
Over all, kids learned so much in such a short time. Happy week and great success;D

Summer School 1.2

Fourth day of the first summer school.

Our group's kids are working hard. I can not believe how much they have learned in last three days.
We have  a Street dance piece, Musical Theater, and three creative from us dancers and they are coping really well.

However, one hour after lunch break kids started to loose the focus. Us dancers tried to make them listen us by different tactics which we have tried on last few days, but none of them worked. They were tired, I knew it and I felt for them as they have worked really hard and they behaved well in morning.
Us, professional dancers also loose focus after four o'clock. We still work but no way near constrictive compare to morning. So, there you go. I was satisfied with the quality of their work.

Today's experience taught that, always work in golden hours. Also, us teachers need to be flexible to see and feel kids mood. We can not force to work if  people are tired.

Summer school 1.1

Crazy! Still boys are misbehaving.
still loosing focus easily and run and chatting. So, one of the company member took one of the boy out side of the studio to had a chat. The boy came crying and refuse to dance for awhile. Therefore, that tactics did not work well either.
However, over all,  students calmed down compare to the day before. One of the reason why I think kids got calmer is because we all had chat with them few times about their behavior, so kids started to understand us. Or, kids were just very exited at the begging of Summer school, but they get started to use to it, maybe.

Another interesting experience. We have company class every morning, and some of the boys were watching the class. And, they told me how inspired and amazing they think I am as a dancer. So, I have asked them what they have learned by watching the morning class. Boys were very exited and they demonstrated the mimic version of my jumps and turns. And, surprisingly they were not too bad, considering they have never done or they don't even know the name of the steps! Of course the details need be polished but I was very happy and exited to see them trying all the steps.

So, again, this is a difficult part of teaching. We can take kids to dance studio, but we can not make them listen to the teachers if we are not attractive to them. But, if we can inspire students, pretty much more than half of our job is done. We don't need to teach them as they find interest in dance and they automatically start to explorer their limitless ability. we just need to guide them to the right direction, right direction which we believe right for them.

Keep inspire my self to inspire them.

Summer School 1

Next two weeks my company is operating a summer school, and I teach young kids group which contains twenty five students of age below ten.

In this course, company members creates short piece for the kids and I have created my two minutes piece based on Welsh castles( Our company is Welsh so theme has to be related to Wales) in last two days.
Young kids have so many energy, which is great. But, I have noticed it is not technical side us dancers struggle teach kids, we struggle to take control of them! Especially young boys are wild! In a good and bad ways. Kids are having so much fun, but often get out of control and very crazy.
Therefore, it is make sense to have five dancers to take control of them.
It is also beneficial for me as I can observe all the dancers strategy towards kids.
I have noticed when kids are crazy, younger members of the company reacts and try to control them by shouting. It does work, for a short while. Then, kids starts to loose the focus again. And, go back to square one. From my point of view, giving a shout works for a short term, but the effect get weaker and weaker as day goes by. How ever, older members reacts differently, some make them quiet and make them sit down and explain why kids need to behave, as it makes our job very difficult. Some members express the disappointment and anger calmly, as a warning. I explain why I do not wish to shout them and I ask them to enjoy in certain rules.

Some strategies works, some does not. However, it is depend on when, where, who, what's kind of mood they, tired or just exited. I have learned that, there are no manual or instruction for teaching young kids. Us teachers and adults need to observe them and must improvise our strategy with how they are.
Four more days to go this week;D

trained professional beings

A little thought.

I had an opportunity to see some random performances the other day.
One with cows, bulls and cowboys show. The other one was to do with stunts and car action demonstration.

I was so impressed the how highly trained the animals are. They moved together with the music, made complicated formations and interacted with the performers really well too. Some of the animals were anticipating even before music started, that is how ready and focused they were.

Also, the stunts and car demonstrations were dynamic. Again, they have created patterns and driving through each others. It was very exiting.

What I have noticed and wanted to to share was, I was amazed how professional these animals were. Also, I felt like I was watching car version of ballet at the stunts demo.
Audience pay money to see the trained being, which people do not see on normal day to day living, other wise people do not pay money to see them.

I felt a bit shamed as I felt I should be as professional as they were on performance. Even, these professional animal being looked more professional than I am, and these car stunts were so strict and I appreciated their training and professionalism on the performance.

It was an inspiring experience to make me realised the meaning of being professional.