These are a few of my favourite 'things'.....

I was gutted when I couldn't make the group Skype on module 1: part 2, however I thoroughly enjoyed reading through other people blogs and and Adesola's summary of the session. A couple of questions seemed to arise during the conversation which I have thought about individually.

What is my 'professional practise'?

Adesola mentioned this being a 'thing'. If some one asks 'what do you do?' , I think we often feel the need to give a direct answer and justify this, linking back to my previous idea of a pedestal. Thinking of our professional practise as a thing creates huge scope for varying roles, pathways and areas of expertise. It also links back to our original discussion of why we wish to take this course. I.e. Giving ourselves options if we can't can't dance anymore etc and the reasoning that we can still have a successful career in dance post performing/should we choose not to be on the stage. Professional practice being a thing means there is no right or wrong as such, there is no definite and definitely no barriers. It made me think about 2 things, the professional practise that I am currently involved in and the professional practise that I have taken part in in the past/still fulfil at other times. It helped me to identify and explore this by doing a spider diagram. The bubbles in purple relate to my current situation and the branch of 'teacher' is something I ongoingly participate in. I could've gone on forever with the sub groups, below is just an example.

What is my inspiration?

Initially when I thought about this question, I got frustrated with myself because I couldn't think of an answer. I couldn't think of a pinnacle moment or particular person that inspired me, which then made me question why I actually do it and ask myself if its for selfish reasons? After having a moment, I then realised that I can also think about 'inspiration' as a 'thing'. If something inspires you, I believe it 

is because it affects you in some way emotionally- it makes you feel something. I've often said that I was 'born to dance' (as cringey as that sounds) but I guess scientifically and physically, this could be the case to some extent. However, maybe I always said that because I couldn't express what it was that made me choose this career or explain to anyone why I decided to dance. The more I thought of inspiration as a thing, the more I succumbed to the fact that although no distinct memory or moment made me want this, a combination of things could definitely have been key factors towards my dreams. Again, I could've gone on forever but please see some examples below.

The main thing that seemed to resonate with me after some thought was 'feelings'. When I'm happy I dance. When I'm sad I want to dance. 

Why? 

Well when I dance I feel better. I forget the stresses of daily life and regain a focus. 

The feeling I have of being 'lost' sometimes, I think, comes from lack of structure and routine. Dance gives us something to work towards and a purpose. It gives us a challenge day to day. Because of all the life qualities it has taught us, I personally don't feel like me without it in my life and hence feel lost. It most certainly has made me into the person I am today i.e. Someone that is hard working, committed, driven and ambitious. I can't imagine not being involved in it, ever, and the fear of loosing such a big part of my life is colossal. Having the perception of professional practice being a 'thing' certainly helps me to realise that the avenues in dance are endless and provides comfort when asked, 'what would you do if you couldn't dance anymore?' There are so many great opportunities. 

All of the above made me think, 

what else dance has taught us apart from dance itself?

Trust: partner work, queueing 

Passion: connecting with your emotions/experiences, love for something

Discipline: going to class, diet

Presentation: hair, make up, uniform

Time management: agent meetings, travel, audition appointments

Organisation: costume changes, arranging tour digs, packing

Grace: posture, alignment

Team work: ensemble member, group performances 

Listening to our bodies: pain, injury, tiredness, illness

Competitiveness: competitions, auditions 

Determination: success, dreams, goals

Confidence: stand on stage, presenting work, solos, communication, public speaking

Ability to adapt: swing, technical problems, injury, different spaces/floors/costume

Independence: travelling to jobs/auditions, learning material, arranging head shots etc

- Injury

- Technical

- Illness

- Bereavement

- Low audience numbers 

(Examples of: Determination, listening to our bodies, team work, passion, adapting)