I proposed my inquiry question on my blog a long time ago, but just realised I have not updated it since I have changed and developed my ideas throughout the module, so here is the final product......
"What do dancers perceive to be the most effective preparation for auditions?"
It has taken me the whole module to deliberate my ideas, and I am now happy with the final outcome. I believe with this question I can explore and gain a lot of knowledge through using my inquiry tools and interviewing fellow dancers. I would also like to interview casting directors, to compare and contrast their thoughts on audition preparation with what dancers believe. I believe this inquiry will benefit me greatly as a performer and others in my industry.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Critical Reflection on Professional Practitioner Inquiry
Throughout this essay I will be reviewing the key aspects and stepping stones which have helped me along the way to develop my line of inquiry since starting module 2.
Our first task was to review reader 4 on Professional Inquiry and develop a set of questions that are relevant to our practice (Appendix 1). Looking back at my initial ideas for questions I can now see I was trying to cover far to broad an area. I had sent Alan an email regarding feedback for my questions and he helped me to understand that by trying to investigate such a vast area of ideas, I would only end up with the most superficial look at each (Appendix 2).
Taking Alans advice on board I decided to approach my fellow cast members with a set of questions (Appendix 3). Using the information gathered from these questions I narrowed down my ideas to focus on one specific line of inquiry I believed would be the most rewarding to myself and other professionals within my industry.
I now understand my investigation is not to prove something but to find out something new that could benefit others. Following this realisation I then got to investigating literature closely related to my questions (Appendix 4). After reading several articles it has filled me with more confidence in my line of inquiry and its importance.
Reader 5 then brought Ethics to my attention. Without realising it, I was always applying ethics in my day to day life, but after reading reader 5 I am now fully aware of the code of ethics within my professional practice and its importance (Appendix 5). It is extremely vital when undertaking my inquiry that I apply all that I have learned about ethics to guarantee it is ethically sound. (Appendix 6). Now that i have a greater knowledge of ethics it has allowed me to explore areas of my inquiry in a much safer manner, making sure to protect myself and to protect and support those participating.
To gain a better understanding of which inquiry tools would work best for me, I studied reader 6 and set aside time to conduct several pilots using a member of my SIG for feedback (Appendix 7). I then took the time to reflect upon each method deliberating the pros and cons of each. I also considered the quantitative and qualitative data that could be obtained, and came to my conclusion of which methods would work best for me (Appendix 8).
After completing module 2 I feel I am now confident enough to carry out my professional inquiry in an ethically sound way, using the tools i have chosen as most beneficial to me. I believe I have grown as a professional throughout this module, as it has continuously challenged me to think outside the box. It has developed my skills extensively and allowed me to develop and grow personally, taking me one more confident step closer to the final module.
Our first task was to review reader 4 on Professional Inquiry and develop a set of questions that are relevant to our practice (Appendix 1). Looking back at my initial ideas for questions I can now see I was trying to cover far to broad an area. I had sent Alan an email regarding feedback for my questions and he helped me to understand that by trying to investigate such a vast area of ideas, I would only end up with the most superficial look at each (Appendix 2).
Taking Alans advice on board I decided to approach my fellow cast members with a set of questions (Appendix 3). Using the information gathered from these questions I narrowed down my ideas to focus on one specific line of inquiry I believed would be the most rewarding to myself and other professionals within my industry.
I now understand my investigation is not to prove something but to find out something new that could benefit others. Following this realisation I then got to investigating literature closely related to my questions (Appendix 4). After reading several articles it has filled me with more confidence in my line of inquiry and its importance.
Reader 5 then brought Ethics to my attention. Without realising it, I was always applying ethics in my day to day life, but after reading reader 5 I am now fully aware of the code of ethics within my professional practice and its importance (Appendix 5). It is extremely vital when undertaking my inquiry that I apply all that I have learned about ethics to guarantee it is ethically sound. (Appendix 6). Now that i have a greater knowledge of ethics it has allowed me to explore areas of my inquiry in a much safer manner, making sure to protect myself and to protect and support those participating.
To gain a better understanding of which inquiry tools would work best for me, I studied reader 6 and set aside time to conduct several pilots using a member of my SIG for feedback (Appendix 7). I then took the time to reflect upon each method deliberating the pros and cons of each. I also considered the quantitative and qualitative data that could be obtained, and came to my conclusion of which methods would work best for me (Appendix 8).
After completing module 2 I feel I am now confident enough to carry out my professional inquiry in an ethically sound way, using the tools i have chosen as most beneficial to me. I believe I have grown as a professional throughout this module, as it has continuously challenged me to think outside the box. It has developed my skills extensively and allowed me to develop and grow personally, taking me one more confident step closer to the final module.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Task 6B Critical Reflection and The Planning of my Inquiry Tools
After Reading reader six i now have a greater knowledge of how important it is, to understand and plan my methods of gathering information, and to make sure it is all relevant to my line of inquiry.
The reader describes to us four different methods which can be used in research to collect information: Interview, Survey, Focus Groups and Observation. Each method having its benefits and limitations.
After a lot of thought and consideration I Believe the methods which i will use during my Inquiry will be Interview, Survey and perhaps Observation, if I am lucky enough to get the opportunity to observe an audition situation.
Interview
One great advantage to the Interviewing tool is that you "can follow up on ideas, probe responses and investigate motives and feelings" (Bell, 2005, p.157) I Believe an interview is a good way of obtaining information or data regarding someones personal thoughts or opinions, and asking open ended questions allows people to elaborate and speak more freely on a subject. Another great advantage to an interview in regards to my inquiry is that it can be conducted over the phone or even on skype. If you are not in the same country as the participant you can still gather your information. This is very important to me as I travel a lot within my career, this is Another reason why I Believe using this tool will benefit my inquiry.
The reader explains to us different interview methods which you could use:
Focus Groups
This is a tool I don't Believe I will use in my inquiry as I have never conducted a focus Group Before the thought is a Little daunting, although I can see its benefits. The major advantage to focus Groups is that it brings together a Group of people who may have similar characteristics or experience. It can allow more quite or shy participants to tell their story within a supportive Group context, it can also open up issues that individual participants may not have thought of on their own, in turn enhancing the information gathered.
A disadvantage to Focus Groups is that they can be hard to manage and hard to moderate the topic being discussed. As the facilitator you must try and channel the discussion in the correct direction to gather the relevant information. Also you must be aware of strong personalities which may be intimidating other members of the Group and making them feel reserved about sharing their opinion.
Survey
The main advantage to the survey is "the ability to gather data from a wide range of representative respondents." I believe the survey is a method I will use when gathering data for my inquiry. I have conducted surveys before therefor I have a good basic knowledge of how to construct them confidently, and I have come to learn that the importance of a survey lies within its construction.
I have deliberated over the pros and cons of web surveys verses paper surveys and personally i think I will be using paper surveys. Talking to my friend Hannah she told me of an article she found by Denscombe which looks at the differences between an online survey and a paper survey and I found it very interesting. Denscombe discusses that although online surveys are less time consuming, so more user friendly, they are not as reliable as people sometimes leave things out or miss questions.
Although paper surveys are much more time consuming for you the researcher, as you have to hand out and gather back your survey (or have them posted back) from your participants, i feel they are a much more personal approach. With a personal approach I feel people feel more obliged to take the time to fill it out especially if they have met you and spoke to you personally first.
I have conducted a pilot survey which I am going to hand out to several of my professional dancer friends.I have established that my survey must be user friendly so not too long and time consuming, but the appropriate length to provide me with the data I need. Due to the nature of my inquiry I will not be able to do a street or postal survey as i am only targeting a specific group of musical theatre performers, mostly dancers. I will hopefully be able to blog again soon with feedback from my pilot survey!
Observation
Due to the nature of my line of inquiry I don't believe observation is a method I will use very often in my research. However I do believe it is a great tool for gathering and analyzing information, and if I am perhaps lucky enough to be able to sit in and watch an audition taking place i believe i would learn a lot from being on the other side of the panel for a change!
One down fall to using observation as a method is it can be very time consuming because it involves attending the session being observed, and the time needed to analyse and interpret what you have recorded.
Observations can be recorded in many ways, taping or video recording, written notes, but you must always make sure consent forms are signed and confidentiality agreements have been formalised.
With observing, ethics plays a big part and you must make sure you are aware and respond sensitively and appropriately to any ethical issues which may arise.
I will not be conducting a pilot survey for my inquiry, but never say never as I would love to be able to sit in and observe and audition and quiz the casting directors on what exactly it is they are looking for in a dancer when they hold an audition!
The reader describes to us four different methods which can be used in research to collect information: Interview, Survey, Focus Groups and Observation. Each method having its benefits and limitations.
After a lot of thought and consideration I Believe the methods which i will use during my Inquiry will be Interview, Survey and perhaps Observation, if I am lucky enough to get the opportunity to observe an audition situation.
Interview
One great advantage to the Interviewing tool is that you "can follow up on ideas, probe responses and investigate motives and feelings" (Bell, 2005, p.157) I Believe an interview is a good way of obtaining information or data regarding someones personal thoughts or opinions, and asking open ended questions allows people to elaborate and speak more freely on a subject. Another great advantage to an interview in regards to my inquiry is that it can be conducted over the phone or even on skype. If you are not in the same country as the participant you can still gather your information. This is very important to me as I travel a lot within my career, this is Another reason why I Believe using this tool will benefit my inquiry.
The reader explains to us different interview methods which you could use:
- non directive or open interviews that allow the interviewee to talk about anythinh they like.
- semi structured interview which includes set questions or themes with the flexibility of following interesting or useful emerging issues is often most appropriate for the work based researcher because of its inherent flexibility.
Please see my previous blog which shows my questions for my semi structured pilot interview!
This is a tool I don't Believe I will use in my inquiry as I have never conducted a focus Group Before the thought is a Little daunting, although I can see its benefits. The major advantage to focus Groups is that it brings together a Group of people who may have similar characteristics or experience. It can allow more quite or shy participants to tell their story within a supportive Group context, it can also open up issues that individual participants may not have thought of on their own, in turn enhancing the information gathered.
A disadvantage to Focus Groups is that they can be hard to manage and hard to moderate the topic being discussed. As the facilitator you must try and channel the discussion in the correct direction to gather the relevant information. Also you must be aware of strong personalities which may be intimidating other members of the Group and making them feel reserved about sharing their opinion.
Survey
The main advantage to the survey is "the ability to gather data from a wide range of representative respondents." I believe the survey is a method I will use when gathering data for my inquiry. I have conducted surveys before therefor I have a good basic knowledge of how to construct them confidently, and I have come to learn that the importance of a survey lies within its construction.
I have deliberated over the pros and cons of web surveys verses paper surveys and personally i think I will be using paper surveys. Talking to my friend Hannah she told me of an article she found by Denscombe which looks at the differences between an online survey and a paper survey and I found it very interesting. Denscombe discusses that although online surveys are less time consuming, so more user friendly, they are not as reliable as people sometimes leave things out or miss questions.
Although paper surveys are much more time consuming for you the researcher, as you have to hand out and gather back your survey (or have them posted back) from your participants, i feel they are a much more personal approach. With a personal approach I feel people feel more obliged to take the time to fill it out especially if they have met you and spoke to you personally first.
I have conducted a pilot survey which I am going to hand out to several of my professional dancer friends.I have established that my survey must be user friendly so not too long and time consuming, but the appropriate length to provide me with the data I need. Due to the nature of my inquiry I will not be able to do a street or postal survey as i am only targeting a specific group of musical theatre performers, mostly dancers. I will hopefully be able to blog again soon with feedback from my pilot survey!
Observation
Due to the nature of my line of inquiry I don't believe observation is a method I will use very often in my research. However I do believe it is a great tool for gathering and analyzing information, and if I am perhaps lucky enough to be able to sit in and watch an audition taking place i believe i would learn a lot from being on the other side of the panel for a change!
One down fall to using observation as a method is it can be very time consuming because it involves attending the session being observed, and the time needed to analyse and interpret what you have recorded.
Observations can be recorded in many ways, taping or video recording, written notes, but you must always make sure consent forms are signed and confidentiality agreements have been formalised.
With observing, ethics plays a big part and you must make sure you are aware and respond sensitively and appropriately to any ethical issues which may arise.
I will not be conducting a pilot survey for my inquiry, but never say never as I would love to be able to sit in and observe and audition and quiz the casting directors on what exactly it is they are looking for in a dancer when they hold an audition!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
task 6a continued....my pilot interview
Here are the questions i used for my pilot interview which i conducted over skype with Hannah a member of my SIG. I decided to conduct a semi structured interview with a set of themed questions that also allowed flexibility for the participants answers, allowing them to elaborate or expand on their answers where they felt necessary. Before asking my questions at the start of my interview i explained to Hannah the basic outline of my research and what i aim to achieve. I also informed her that if at any time she feels uncomfortable with a question or the conversation she is free to stop. As it was a skype interview i was unable to record hannahs answers, so written notes were taken throughout.
- How long did you train as a dancer?
- How do you prepare for an audition?
- Do you Think what you wear is important? Why?
- What do you beleive you should wear according to what the casting director wants to see?
- Do you Think nutrition, eating properly the night Before or morning of the audition is important? Why?
- Have you ever felt a lack of energy at an audition? Do you feel this hindered your success in any way?
- Are there any important dos or donts you have been taught in regards to auditions?
- Do you feel your college set you up with enough information and training in regards to audition technique?
- Do you Think researching the Company\job you are auditioning for before hand is important? Why?
- Do you feel body image is important? Have you ever felt under pressure to be a certain weight or look a certain way?
- Have you ever throughout your career came in Contact with a fellow dancer with an eating disorder?
- Where yoou taught about Health and nutrition and the risks of eating disorders in college?
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Task 6c proposed award title...
After great thought I have proposed my award title: BA(Hons) Professional Practise (Dance)
The other options I considered for my title where: BA(Hons) Professional Practise (Musical Thetare) or (Performing Arts) as I was fully trained in musical theatre in college I thought this would be a good idea to reflect all my skills. However After great consideration I have decided that choosing (Dance) would be the best option for me as it is the strongest area I am trained in and reflects where I am right now in my career. Musical thetare would describe the study of three skills - dance, singing and acting. I want to narrow down my studies to dance alone, as since I have graduated I have worked as a professional dancer for five years. I feel within dance I have a great amount of knowledge and understanding, and that through this course I can really investigate and develope that knowledge further.
This proposed award title also coincides with my proposed enquiry - looking into audition success for professional dancers.
The other options I considered for my title where: BA(Hons) Professional Practise (Musical Thetare) or (Performing Arts) as I was fully trained in musical theatre in college I thought this would be a good idea to reflect all my skills. However After great consideration I have decided that choosing (Dance) would be the best option for me as it is the strongest area I am trained in and reflects where I am right now in my career. Musical thetare would describe the study of three skills - dance, singing and acting. I want to narrow down my studies to dance alone, as since I have graduated I have worked as a professional dancer for five years. I feel within dance I have a great amount of knowledge and understanding, and that through this course I can really investigate and develope that knowledge further.
This proposed award title also coincides with my proposed enquiry - looking into audition success for professional dancers.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Task 6A
I have decided to conduct an informal trial interview with Hannah stewart a member of my SIG. As we are in separate countries at the moment I have set a night aside this week for a Skype interview! Having never conducted an interview before the task is a little daunting and I am finding it difficult to decide on the best questions to ask that will hopefully provide me with the clearest results. I am currently in the process of designing my interview carefully taking into consideration ethics and everything I have learned from reader 5. I will take notes and record Hannah's answers so I can go back after and revue the interview, looking at the benefits and also the limitation of using an interview method.
I believe interviewing will be a good method to use in regards to my inquiry as I am hoping to interview both professional performers and casting directors giving me a look at either sides opinions.
I don't believe observation will be a method I use a lot in my enquiry unless I manage to get permission from a casting director to sit in and observe an audition being taken, so we will have to wait and see.
I look forward to reading others blogs to see how everyone is getting on using inquiry tools!
I believe interviewing will be a good method to use in regards to my inquiry as I am hoping to interview both professional performers and casting directors giving me a look at either sides opinions.
I don't believe observation will be a method I use a lot in my enquiry unless I manage to get permission from a casting director to sit in and observe an audition being taken, so we will have to wait and see.
I look forward to reading others blogs to see how everyone is getting on using inquiry tools!
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Delicious
I have successfully managed to create a delicious account so I can share the website links I have found helpful and interesting with others on the course!
Click the link below to take you to my delicious account! :)
Lauren Sheridan Delicious account
Click the link below to take you to my delicious account! :)
Lauren Sheridan Delicious account
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Task 5D
Today I managed to have a quick skype call with my friend Hannah Stewart who is part of my SIG group. We discussed the ethical dimensions of my proposed inquiry and as she is one module ahead of me she could give me a lot of great advice and feedback. She helped to bring to light to me the importance of making my inquiry ethically sound to protect myself and also those who volunteer their information to me.
Here are some of the main points when conducting an ethical inquiry our discussion brought to light for me:
Here are some of the main points when conducting an ethical inquiry our discussion brought to light for me:
- Always insure data collection is accurate, valid and relevant - only ask questions that are relevant to the inquiry do not divulge from the specific topic being researched.
- Always make sure data collected is stored safely and appropriately, whether this be electronically on a database or spreadsheet on a locked computer or manually by sorting papers and keeping them in a locked filing cabinet.
- Be respectful to your research participants - explain fully the purpose of your research and let then know if they are not comfortable answering questions they can leave at any time.
- Give your contact details to participants so they are ablet to contact you incase they have any further questions or queries.
- If your participants are under the age of 18 make sure you get parental permission form signed.
- Manage resources efficiently, for example time management - let the participant know how long you will need them for and do not exceed this allocated time.
- When giving out surveys to be filled out and completed, keep feedback completely anonymous as this gives people more confidence and freedom to speak, in turn giving you a more truthful honest answer.
Task 5C
Please find bellow the link to my wiki on my thoughts on reader 5! All comments would be hugely appreciated! thank you! :)
Task 5c Professional Ethics
Task 5c Professional Ethics
Friday, February 28, 2014
Task 5B... Codes of practise within theatre
While searching the web on ethics in the theatre I came across this interesting piece of writing:
Theatre code of ethics
I found it very interesting as it explores the codes of ethics in the theatre and how the framework of performing is a good attitude and respect, not only for yourself but for the rest of your company and your audience. It shows that these principles have been set for many years and will continue to apply for many years to come.
The code of ethics as a performer does not only apply to ourselves and our fellow company members it also applies to our audience. We as performers have an ethical duty to always produce an outstanding performance, giving 110% and always making it feel like "opening night" no matter if there is 3 people in the audience or 300!
I believe that within our industry our code of ethics lies in our professionalism, wether we are in a contract or just taking part in an audition we should always be professional in the way we carry ourselves and present ourselves.
This blog does not differ from my original assumptions and thoughts from task 5A but in turn supports it and has opened my eyes to other key factors!
There is a very very long list of ethical codes which I could write about within our industry but through research through reading writings such as the link above and pulling from personal experience and contracts I have worked previously here are what I personally consider my top 5:
Theatre code of ethics
I found it very interesting as it explores the codes of ethics in the theatre and how the framework of performing is a good attitude and respect, not only for yourself but for the rest of your company and your audience. It shows that these principles have been set for many years and will continue to apply for many years to come.
The code of ethics as a performer does not only apply to ourselves and our fellow company members it also applies to our audience. We as performers have an ethical duty to always produce an outstanding performance, giving 110% and always making it feel like "opening night" no matter if there is 3 people in the audience or 300!
I believe that within our industry our code of ethics lies in our professionalism, wether we are in a contract or just taking part in an audition we should always be professional in the way we carry ourselves and present ourselves.
This blog does not differ from my original assumptions and thoughts from task 5A but in turn supports it and has opened my eyes to other key factors!
There is a very very long list of ethical codes which I could write about within our industry but through research through reading writings such as the link above and pulling from personal experience and contracts I have worked previously here are what I personally consider my top 5:
- Always give 110% wether there is 3 or 300 people in your audience
- Adhere to your company contract and ethos - make sure you understand and comply with the rules and regulations each different company you may work for have.
- Respect - be it yourself, other company members or your audience.
- Be responsible and professional - look after your own costumes/props, be on time and know your work
- Safety - adhere to theatre regulations, do not do anything that will put yourself or others in danger.
Investigating literature...
So I have been away for a while and had to pause my module 2 work but I am now back and starting to pick up where I left off and get back into the swing of things again. I have spent all afternoon looking over what I wrote a few months ago and analysing the questions I came up with earlier. Alan gave me great feed back and made me see I am focusing on too many things with too broad a spectrum of ideas. I should take one and focus solely on that in more detail. I have now narrowed that down to 2 ideas for my line of inquiry...
1. Eating disorders within the dance community
2. Becoming audition ready as a dancer
Looking at option 2 I have found a few interesting articles of literature on the Internet regarding other dancers and examiners views and opinions on becoming audition ready for a dance audition. I found this hugely interesting to read other peoples views on how to prepare as I noticed where I do many things personally similar to what they say they also opened my eyes to a lot of different methods I did not think of.... E.g meditation and confidence building exercises the night before to get you mentally prepared. I found this fascinating And an idea which I will try myself as I have always focused on being physically ready and not so much mentally. I truly believe in the power if positive thinking so I would like to look into this further.
Another point which is highlighted in all three articles is the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet leading up to audition. In the article "7 tips to success in audition" I found it very interesting as she talks about testing before class which foods give you the most energy to sustain through the audition but do not make you feel heavy. I think this is a great idea and it is not something I thought
about when getting "audition ready" but lack of energy and feeling heavy and bloated is something I
know I personally and other dancer have suffered from during an audition, which can hinder your
performance and in turn hinder your success on the day.
Here are the links to the three pieces of literature I found helpful:
http://www.examiner.com/article/dance-audition-tips
http://www.dancedream3.com/perform-now/dance-audition-tips.php
http://dancingopportunities.com/index.php/7-tips-to-success-in-audition/
Another great piece of literature I found was from the site "dance magazine" http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/February-2009/Auditions-Guide
If you read further down it gives feedback from the casting directors who hold dance auditions. They are giving there advice on what they see as a successful audition and how to become ready for the big day and a lot of their advice coincides with advice given from the other articles. Be confident, be appropriately dressed, stand out, be polite and make a good impression.
Another part of this articles found hugely interesting is titled "resume 2.0" bringing me right back to module 1 and the importance and us of Web 2.0. It explains that yes a dancers body is her instrument and tool to success but we can also use the web in many ways to promote ourselves and to help become audition ready - "while nothing replaces raw ability - and a knack for nailing an audition - a smart dancer knows how to market that ability." This quote really got me thinking and has opened up ideas to me about using Web 2.0 as part of becoming "audition ready as a dancer" and I would like to explore this more in my investigation.
1. Eating disorders within the dance community
2. Becoming audition ready as a dancer
Looking at option 2 I have found a few interesting articles of literature on the Internet regarding other dancers and examiners views and opinions on becoming audition ready for a dance audition. I found this hugely interesting to read other peoples views on how to prepare as I noticed where I do many things personally similar to what they say they also opened my eyes to a lot of different methods I did not think of.... E.g meditation and confidence building exercises the night before to get you mentally prepared. I found this fascinating And an idea which I will try myself as I have always focused on being physically ready and not so much mentally. I truly believe in the power if positive thinking so I would like to look into this further.
Another point which is highlighted in all three articles is the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet leading up to audition. In the article "7 tips to success in audition" I found it very interesting as she talks about testing before class which foods give you the most energy to sustain through the audition but do not make you feel heavy. I think this is a great idea and it is not something I thought
about when getting "audition ready" but lack of energy and feeling heavy and bloated is something I
know I personally and other dancer have suffered from during an audition, which can hinder your
performance and in turn hinder your success on the day.
Here are the links to the three pieces of literature I found helpful:
http://www.examiner.com/article/dance-audition-tips
http://www.dancedream3.com/perform-now/dance-audition-tips.php
http://dancingopportunities.com/index.php/7-tips-to-success-in-audition/
Another great piece of literature I found was from the site "dance magazine" http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/February-2009/Auditions-Guide
If you read further down it gives feedback from the casting directors who hold dance auditions. They are giving there advice on what they see as a successful audition and how to become ready for the big day and a lot of their advice coincides with advice given from the other articles. Be confident, be appropriately dressed, stand out, be polite and make a good impression.
Another part of this articles found hugely interesting is titled "resume 2.0" bringing me right back to module 1 and the importance and us of Web 2.0. It explains that yes a dancers body is her instrument and tool to success but we can also use the web in many ways to promote ourselves and to help become audition ready - "while nothing replaces raw ability - and a knack for nailing an audition - a smart dancer knows how to market that ability." This quote really got me thinking and has opened up ideas to me about using Web 2.0 as part of becoming "audition ready as a dancer" and I would like to explore this more in my investigation.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Task 5A Ethics....
Here are my initial thoughts on ethics in my professional practise in regards to working in the theatre with a large cast. Most I feel are common sense and part of being professional In the work place others are set by the theatre.
- Racism and discrimination with fellow employees
- Bullying at the workplace be it mental or physical
- Age discrimination
- Professional boundaries - no teacher/student relationships
- No filming of shows/rehearsals without signing a deceleration of permission
- Mutual respect - respecting others views, opinions and religions
- Copyright laws - regarding sheet music, scores etc
- Safety - do not do something you know will put yourself or others in danger
- Stealing
- Background checks when teaching young children
- Sexual harassment
- Time keeping
- Honouring your contract and terms and conditions
- Responsibilities - being personally responsible for your own costumes and knowing choreography and spacing etc
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Task 4C...
Being a self employed performer you are your own boss most of the time and without always having a stable job it is hard to have a mentor and someone you can look to for guidance. Personally I think my agent and my dance teacher from college would be the best people for me to turn to for guidance. I think there input would be great for my inquiry as they have been in the business a long time and both had very successful careers in the musical theatre industry.
While being on tour in china surrounded by a cast of 18 dancers and company managers, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use my fellow colleagues and employers to develope my questions further! As everyone in the cast is of different ages, from different backgrounds and all have different experiences within our professional industry it will be interesting to see the feed back I receive from them regarding certain areas of our practise.
Here are my set of questions I have put forward to my cast members:
While being on tour in china surrounded by a cast of 18 dancers and company managers, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use my fellow colleagues and employers to develope my questions further! As everyone in the cast is of different ages, from different backgrounds and all have different experiences within our professional industry it will be interesting to see the feed back I receive from them regarding certain areas of our practise.
Here are my set of questions I have put forward to my cast members:
- Do you think it is important to continue training while you are out of work?
- How do you keep physically fit and audition ready while you are out of work?
- Do you know anyone in the industry personally or from previous contracts who has suffered from an eating disorder?
- Have you ever felt pressure to be "skinny"?
- What advice would you give to someone starting out in the musical theatre industry to help them succeed?
- How do you become audition ready?
- How do you deal with rejection and negativity surrounding your career, do you find it difficult?
- Do you believe that effective networking within the industry can help your success?
- What Internet based networks do you use and find effective in helping you forward your career? Facebook,dancerspro etc?
- Do you believe it's "not what you know, it's who you know" in this industry? Does this effect your success?
- Do you agree that CPD(continued professional development) in musical theatre is important? Once we become "professional" does that mean we should stop learning and striving to be better?
- What would you say is key to a successful audition?
- As a dancer in training are you aware of what your daily calorie intake should be?
I will blog my results at a later date as as you can see I have gave them a lot to think about!
As always I would be hugely grateful for some feedback and please feel free to answer some of my questions if you have the time :)
Friday, November 8, 2013
Questions continued...
So after many hours of thinking debating and confusing myself with my own questions I have decided to take the plunge and decide what to base my inquiry on.....
"The key to success in musical theatre; what helps and hinders us to becoming a successful performer"
I feel this question will leave me room to really explore every aspect of my professional practise and it will incorporate many of my other themes I had in mind. With this I can explore how much CPD(continued professional practise) can benefit your career, I can look into audition techniques and how we as performers become audition ready. I can discuss the importance of networking and the use of the Internet can be a huge benefit.I can also expand into dealing with rejection. I will also look at how not being physically and mentally fit can hinder your success. What problems we face on the road to success, unemployment, eating disorders etc.
This is also very helpful to me in my current position in my career as after working in ships I am now also trying to break into the musical theatre scene.
I would love some feedback on my ideas please if you could spare a second. I would love to know what your thoughts and feelings are and if you think this is a worth while inquiry.
Thanks! :)
"The key to success in musical theatre; what helps and hinders us to becoming a successful performer"
I feel this question will leave me room to really explore every aspect of my professional practise and it will incorporate many of my other themes I had in mind. With this I can explore how much CPD(continued professional practise) can benefit your career, I can look into audition techniques and how we as performers become audition ready. I can discuss the importance of networking and the use of the Internet can be a huge benefit.I can also expand into dealing with rejection. I will also look at how not being physically and mentally fit can hinder your success. What problems we face on the road to success, unemployment, eating disorders etc.
This is also very helpful to me in my current position in my career as after working in ships I am now also trying to break into the musical theatre scene.
I would love some feedback on my ideas please if you could spare a second. I would love to know what your thoughts and feelings are and if you think this is a worth while inquiry.
Thanks! :)
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Investigating literature......
So I have started to investigate literature regarding my ideas for my line of inquiry. I have came across quite a few interesting articles on the Internet related to my questions and found them all very interesting. I have still not decided on exactly which line of inquiry I would like to proceed with but I'm hoping the more I read and investigate, the more it will come clear what road I would like to continue down.
Here are some of the links I have found regarding my topics of interest:
- The links below I found very interesting as they discuss the major problem of body image within professional dance. They tell of how eating disorders and body dis morphia can effect u physically and socially. Not only effecting your career and success but effecting your relationships. I find this topic extremely interesting as in my professional career I have came across several dancers with eating disorders and find it so sad. Surely your career and success in your industry should only be about your talent, hard work and dedication not about body image and what size dress you are.
http://thehealthydancer.blogspot.com/2012/02/dancers-and-body-image.html
http://www.danceadvantage.net/body-image-perfection/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22985310
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17937330
Dancer body image
http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/July-2013/Making-peace-with-my-body
- The importance of good nutrition and health as a dancer is another area of inquiry I am interested In and found these articles interesting. I was not even aware of how many calories I should be Intaking everyday and what Truly is a healthy balanced diet.
Fuelling the dancer
http://www.iadms.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=2
http://www.actsafe.ca/wp-content/uploads/resources/pdf/dancernutrition.pdf
- I found these two articles interesting as they discuss the statistics of unemployed dancers and also how it is more difficult to be an unemployed dancer, but I don't think I will go down this route for my inquiry as I don't think there is a great deal to discuss.
http://www.tightsandtiaras.com/2011/05/unemployed/
http://www.ndeo.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=893257&module_id=56457
Another line of inquiry I am very interested in is the importance of continued professional
development in my professional practise. I feel this topic covers a wide span of areas within my
career to discuss...
- How being the best u can be through continued development can impact on your success?
- Staying audition ready so we can secure that next job
- Staying mentally and physically strong, dealing with rejection
- Reflecting from events and learning from them to help become a better professional
Looking on the Internet there are a lot of articles regarding CPD but none really specific to my career which makes me want to investigate it more myself to get answers and use my fellow colleagues to really get an idea of how important continued development and training Is to a professional performers career.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Task 4b... SIG group
I have joined a SIG group set up by Ellen Lee Stokes on the network linked inn! I noticed on Ellens blog she seems to be in the same area of her career as I am and our initial questions for enquiry were very similar. I am very glad I have joined this group as I feel it will be a great help to be able to talk and ask each other questions regarding our professional practise throughout the module!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Brainstorming question ideas....
Ok so after reading through the reader several times I have started to answer some of the questions. I have been trying to brainstorm some ideas for the last week, trying to find questions which relate to my profession and the stage I am currently at in my career. I have also found looking at past blogs of people in the same position as me very insightful and interesting. It has helped me to really focus on what I find interesting, what will help me develop in my professional practise and what ideas/questions do I feel I can really focus on and research and developer further.
I am currently on tour in China with a show called Red Hot Broadway with a cast of 20 dancers so I thought about questions I could put forward to them for some feedback while I am here:
How Do We Become Audition Ready?
I am currently on tour in China with a show called Red Hot Broadway with a cast of 20 dancers so I thought about questions I could put forward to them for some feedback while I am here:
How Do We Become Audition Ready?
- The importance of perpetration and understanding before an audition - how does it affect your success?
- How do we become audition ready? Singing lessons, dance classes, character research?
- How do performers deal with nerves before an audition? Can it hinder your performance on the day?
- How do we handle the audition experience, picking up choreography, harmonise, learning lines?
- How do performers deal with rejection? I would like to dig deeper into this question to research positive and negative reactions to rejection in the industry how it can affect people mentally and physically.
The Importance of Continued Learning and Training
- Should we ever stop learning and progressing as a professional performer?
- Are we ever at our full potential? How many years of practise and training does it take till we can call ourselves "professional"?
- Where do we continue to learn... Dance class? Singing lessons?
- How important is it to your career to keep training while out of work?
Looking Deeper into the Psychology of the Dance Industry
- Having to have a "dancers body" and public body image pressure how it effects dancers, eating disorders, body dismorphia etc?
- How does this effect your success in the industry? How does this effect your personal life?
Health and Nutrition
- How do we stay fit and ready to work In between contracts?
- How important is nutrition and a balanced diet to our career?
So that's my brainstorming ideas so far, all points are very closely linked and major aspects of
balancing life as a dancer. It will be hard to pick one avenue in which to delv deaper and research
more but I think currently being surrounded by dancers will be a great help as I can research and ask them which areas they feel are most important to our career.
I would really love and appreciate some feedback on my questions so please feel free to comment it would be a huge help! :)
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Module 2
So the time has come to start module 2 and I have no idea where to start! It's all a bit overwhelming! I think I will have to read the reader 100 times before it starts to make a little more sense to me!!
Wish me luck!!! Xxx
Wish me luck!!! Xxx
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
My journey so far.....
So we are coming to the end of module one and before starting the epic final essay I found myself looking back on all the work I have done so far and I realised how much I have learned and developed through this course. Looking at my very first blog compared to my most recent there is a huge difference. The thought of blogging initially was a daunting thought but now it seems to have become second nature! Who would have thought it! I have also become a lot more confident with technology and far more aware of what is out there for us to use and benefit from! The Internet for me is no longer just a place to check emails and Facebook status updates, it is a huge well of knowledge and Information just waiting to be sourced and used. It is a massive benefit and great tool to me in my professional practise when It comes to networking. It is a great place to research and learn and has helped me greatly when reflecting on events in my professional practise to give me a deeper understanding and other perspective. What would I do without the Internet and Web 2.0! I really don't think I would have the same career as I do now!
Taking part in the course has also helped to mature me and bring a sense of self discipline and organisation into my hectic lifestyle. It has made me slow down, stop and reflect, take time to process information and learn, analyse and question things I once just took at face value. It has brought discipline back to me as no one is pushing you to learn it is all down to you. I discovered quite quickly from starting this course that you definitely get out what you put in. This has given me confidence in myself to realise there is no wrong or right, it is your individual learning process and what you think and learn may not necessarily be anything like how someone else in the course perceives it.
My main points of learning throughout module one:
Taking part in the course has also helped to mature me and bring a sense of self discipline and organisation into my hectic lifestyle. It has made me slow down, stop and reflect, take time to process information and learn, analyse and question things I once just took at face value. It has brought discipline back to me as no one is pushing you to learn it is all down to you. I discovered quite quickly from starting this course that you definitely get out what you put in. This has given me confidence in myself to realise there is no wrong or right, it is your individual learning process and what you think and learn may not necessarily be anything like how someone else in the course perceives it.
My main points of learning throughout module one:
- Use the Internet wisely and you can learn and develop greatly as a professional practitioner
- Web 2.0 is a great tool in my industry to help with networking etc
- Self discipline and organisation skills
- You get out what you put in
- Be confident in your learning process
- There is no wrong or right
- Analyse and develop answers for yourself, never take things at face value
Please feel free to comment I'd love to hear about what others feel they have learned so far!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Task 3c... my most important sources of information.
So after reading through reader 3 and discussing 'The Networked Professional' it really got me thinking of how I networked in my industry and my sources of information that help me most in developing my career. After making a bullet point list of all my sources of Information I use frequently, I have narrowed it down to five I feel I benefit from the most - my professional network, the Internet, my agent, class and going to the theatre/media.
My professional network - After reader 3 I have come to realise how important my professional network is to me and how often it helps me. Close friends of mine in the same industry are always there to help, give advice or support me when I need it as they know what you are going through. This relates to the theory in the reader "communities of practise". We are a close community of performers all with the same goal in mind, we are a great source of information for each other, wether it be teaching your friend the audition dance as you were in the group before her, or in return your friend letting you know of an audition she found out about you were not aware of. Either way I find my professional network my best and most reliable source of information. And as the reader tell us, it is all to do with 'cooperation' it's all about the give and take.
Internet - Without the Internet I honestly do not know what I would do! I use the Internet daily in my professional practise! I use emails to write and receive information from potential employers or casting directors. I use web sites such as The Stage, Dancerspro and Dance cast to search for information on auditions daily that may be suited to me. I can keep up to date with what's on stage and learn more about my Industry past and present from online magazines such as what's on stage and the stage. I also use the Internet daily to promote myself in my career, I update my spotlight cv. Which is easily viewable to casting directors, I upload showreel's and voice reels to Utube which I can then forward to potential employers for their viewing. The list of possibilities the Internet provides us with is endless. Using its informant to learn or using it to promote yourself, either way it has been a huge benefit to me in my career and now something I could not live without in my daily professional practise! I really enjoyed reading Kym Waltons blog when she writes about the Internet as one of her information sources. She discusses how ten years ago her answers would be different but due to the overwhelming accessibility to the Internet it has impacted her information sources - "how many times would I have said 10 years ago, I must go and google that?" (Kym WAlton) I hugely agree with her statement. I also found Katie Hurleys's blog very interesting when she discusses the use of Internet as an information source but with reference to social networking sites. Katie discusses how social networking can be to your detriment if you have a wild social life and they see it on your facebook for wxample it could put employers off working with you. I agree with this and believe you must be extremely careful if you are using social networking as an information source for your professional practise.
Class - Is a great way to gain information, you keep fit and in top form while also socialising and networking! Being in class and working with other industry professionals is a great way to expand your professional network and gain knowledge from listening and learning to other people's experiences. From asking your teacher questions, or just striking up a conversation with the girl next to you, these are all great ways to gain Information and knowledge. Another great advantage to taking class are the notice boards outside of class. They are always full with up coming audition information, job opportunities in your area etc which in the past have helped me. Taking class is a great tool for a networking professional in my industry, it is a great place to seek out information and knowledge and learn as much as you can!
Agent - My agent is a hugely valuable source of information to me as she is a well established agent in my industry, with a wealth of knowledge and experience and lots of contact information for very important casting directors. Without my agent I wouldn't get to attend half of the auditions I do as its because of her I know about them and get invited to them. Not only does she provide me with information on auditions, but helps and supports me with any questions or queries I have about the Industry. With her help, knowledge and Information she provides I feel I am progressing in my career.
Theatre - I believe the theatre is a great way to gain information and learn. While you get to sit there and watch something you enjoy I believe it inspires you and motivates you by reminding you of what you love and why you do it. While you take in the show you are hearing and learning the soundtrack, you are getting to know the characters in that particular show and you are learning what style of choreography and dance is required. You learn what may suit you for audition purposes in the future and after watching the show you can go away and build upon that character and learn more. I believe going to the theatre, watching plays, concerns or even gigs etc is all very important in my industry as it keeps you up to date with what's going on, what is required of you if you want to audition, what the latest dance, acting or singing style is etc. The theatre is a great source of information with an overwhelming amount for you to learn with each visit.
My professional network - After reader 3 I have come to realise how important my professional network is to me and how often it helps me. Close friends of mine in the same industry are always there to help, give advice or support me when I need it as they know what you are going through. This relates to the theory in the reader "communities of practise". We are a close community of performers all with the same goal in mind, we are a great source of information for each other, wether it be teaching your friend the audition dance as you were in the group before her, or in return your friend letting you know of an audition she found out about you were not aware of. Either way I find my professional network my best and most reliable source of information. And as the reader tell us, it is all to do with 'cooperation' it's all about the give and take.
Internet - Without the Internet I honestly do not know what I would do! I use the Internet daily in my professional practise! I use emails to write and receive information from potential employers or casting directors. I use web sites such as The Stage, Dancerspro and Dance cast to search for information on auditions daily that may be suited to me. I can keep up to date with what's on stage and learn more about my Industry past and present from online magazines such as what's on stage and the stage. I also use the Internet daily to promote myself in my career, I update my spotlight cv. Which is easily viewable to casting directors, I upload showreel's and voice reels to Utube which I can then forward to potential employers for their viewing. The list of possibilities the Internet provides us with is endless. Using its informant to learn or using it to promote yourself, either way it has been a huge benefit to me in my career and now something I could not live without in my daily professional practise! I really enjoyed reading Kym Waltons blog when she writes about the Internet as one of her information sources. She discusses how ten years ago her answers would be different but due to the overwhelming accessibility to the Internet it has impacted her information sources - "how many times would I have said 10 years ago, I must go and google that?" (Kym WAlton) I hugely agree with her statement. I also found Katie Hurleys's blog very interesting when she discusses the use of Internet as an information source but with reference to social networking sites. Katie discusses how social networking can be to your detriment if you have a wild social life and they see it on your facebook for wxample it could put employers off working with you. I agree with this and believe you must be extremely careful if you are using social networking as an information source for your professional practise.
Class - Is a great way to gain information, you keep fit and in top form while also socialising and networking! Being in class and working with other industry professionals is a great way to expand your professional network and gain knowledge from listening and learning to other people's experiences. From asking your teacher questions, or just striking up a conversation with the girl next to you, these are all great ways to gain Information and knowledge. Another great advantage to taking class are the notice boards outside of class. They are always full with up coming audition information, job opportunities in your area etc which in the past have helped me. Taking class is a great tool for a networking professional in my industry, it is a great place to seek out information and knowledge and learn as much as you can!
Agent - My agent is a hugely valuable source of information to me as she is a well established agent in my industry, with a wealth of knowledge and experience and lots of contact information for very important casting directors. Without my agent I wouldn't get to attend half of the auditions I do as its because of her I know about them and get invited to them. Not only does she provide me with information on auditions, but helps and supports me with any questions or queries I have about the Industry. With her help, knowledge and Information she provides I feel I am progressing in my career.
Theatre - I believe the theatre is a great way to gain information and learn. While you get to sit there and watch something you enjoy I believe it inspires you and motivates you by reminding you of what you love and why you do it. While you take in the show you are hearing and learning the soundtrack, you are getting to know the characters in that particular show and you are learning what style of choreography and dance is required. You learn what may suit you for audition purposes in the future and after watching the show you can go away and build upon that character and learn more. I believe going to the theatre, watching plays, concerns or even gigs etc is all very important in my industry as it keeps you up to date with what's going on, what is required of you if you want to audition, what the latest dance, acting or singing style is etc. The theatre is a great source of information with an overwhelming amount for you to learn with each visit.
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