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.

To truely own the Information; deepen the understanding

To truely own the information. What does that mean?

After I have written my previous blog this question is getting bigger in my mind. And, I would like to get some kind of answer.

It is so easy to access to any  information via web 2.0, what is the difference between having the information and truely, own; understanding the information?

Luckily, the other day, students of my class lead me to an answer which I was looking for.
I was teaching duets class and also observing students behavire. After every exercise, boys and girls chat and share the experience they just had, to dance better.
However, often  one of them starts to correct the other, instead of sharing and discussing the problem positively   They are very young, however, some of them already think they know so much. And, Yes, probably they do, or at least they think they do.
And, these type of assumption, false confident can be very dangerous. Because, as I was taking and observing the others, I came down to a conclusion; wrong help is worse than no help at all.  That is the reason why us dancers were there to correct, support and guide them.
However,some kids blindly believe they know how to manage things, because they have information how.
I have noticed that does not mean they can actually, physically solve the problems.

As I have explained on my previous blog of mine; Dancer/ teacher's learning cycle http://momngaxxx1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/performerteachers-learning-cycle.html
The key and only way to upgrade information to knowledge; by knowing information to own the information is going through the experience.

It is like the difference between having a property and own a property completely. When people buy property with mortgage, they own the property but only the bits they have paid off. Having it and own it is totally different.

We often see a piece of puzzle and blindly believe that is the whole picture.However, this type of blind assumption can lead us to the wrong answer.
Same in teaching. We can only teach what we truely understand and own. No more or less.
So, I need to think before lecture, use the words carefully. More I understand to wards my profession, less I need to explain. There are possibility with the teachers who talks much is teachers who do not even what they are talking about....

To own the information; Actor's line, Dancer's step

I have been explained how important to own the step by the choreographer on the other day,as our premier of our new production is only three weeks away.
Not just repeatedly practice the steps, the choreographer try to explain us how necessary to understand the meaning of steps and digest and own them. Also, the choreographer warned us that, it does not mean dancers have a right to change the the shape or the choreograph.
I roughly got what she was trying to us dancers or I thought I did understand what the person was trying to tell  us at the time.

However, things suddenly clicked when I was watching a tv programme on the other night.
They have a writer and actors lines would be given to them before the show to rehearse. However,  they read the lines just so realistically, looked like almost lines are coming through their mind; looks like that is how they are actually feeling.
Then, I have noticed what the choreographer wanted to tell us; own the steps.
These actors truely own their lines. Like us dancers should own the choreography.
we have three more weeks till premier  I hope I can really understand the character and relate the choreograph to understand the meaning of it. Other wise, public won't.

Discovery in my inquiry via interview

Before anaysing my inquiry properly, there are few things I have noticed some facts by going through the experience of interviewing people. Which I would like to share with every one.

* It does not mean they don't want to learn if they struggle to learn.

*Dancers with passion and right focus often go father than dancers who have pure talent.

*Dancers some how always pick up demonstrator's bad points, rather than good points. Because they stands out more.

*Teaching provide opportunities to see the world from student's perspective. Therefore  provides opportunities to mature as a person too.

Also, I have noticed older teachers get, they seemed not to want to bother with the students who do not wish to learn. It seems like the reason was, when dancer/teacher's value and perspective of time has change as they get older.

Performer/Teacher's learning cycle

I have decided to draw as picture what I have discovered via my inquiry.
Then, I have reached to an important truth about the key to the development as a performer, and a teacher.
The key was Experience.
I have came to the conclusion; experience change how we think, and some times changes who we are. Experience gives us opportunity to think and act. Also, motivate us.
Prepare, research and study. Then, experience with all the knowledge we have. That will keep us up dating and wiser as a performer, teacher and as a human.

Green arrow means Experience

Red arrow means Current own thoughts and current temporary answer

Blue arrow means Current information