Professional dancer and passionate teacher from South Yorkshire!

Thursday 25 May 2017

1st Preview of Annie. Twitter: @MegLouch_x

Well INTERDISCIPLINARY couldn't have been more apparent this evening. Pulling off this opening show required TEAMWORK and COMMUNICATION across all departments in abundance. I received lovely messages from friends,and flowers came from my mum. It definitely made the evening more exciting than scary and made me appreciate the RELATIONSHIPS I have outside of work as well as in. Our director came to visit each dressing room before the performance and did a speech stressing the importance of safety and focus. I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with a LEADER who is so supportive and encouraging in what can be a very nervous and stressful environment. 



Receiving a standing ovation on the first preview was an incredible reward for all the hard work. I discovered that AUDIENCE REACTION is the biggest indicator of our collective, creative success and is actually the whole reason behind a theatre production - "it's for them", "that's what it's all about" (Director). Seeing over 1000 people stood on their feet, applauding and cheering was a fantastic feeling.


Social media was booming, especially as we have the incredibly talented and lovely Miranda Hart appearing in the show and the legendary Danny Devito was in watching. Audience members were sharing their excitement beforehand as well as their reviews of the experience afterwards. They connected with us by linking the production and the theatre in their tweets. The production staff were also using it to communicate it with the theatre staff and vice versa. I've become much more aware and active online as a result of this course but 'twitter' is still the form I use least. My SIGS have made me realise how important this form is for NETWORKING and SOCIAL CURRENCY in our industry. My task this year is to focus on Twitter. After this first show, by tweeting myself, sharing and liking others' tweets, I have already been followed by one of the most inspiring choreographers to me and one of my favourite casting directors. 





#teamginge #AnnieWestEnd

Follow me on twitter: @MegLouch_x 




Saturday 20 May 2017

BAPP Oral presentation

Well we did it! Just wanted to say a massive well done to everybody and an even bigger thank you to our tutors, SIGS, peers, colleagues, friends and family - this for helping, supporting and participating!

I thought I'd try and share my presentation with you some how so here goes....feel free to post any feedback or questions you may have!

https://youtu.be/Oxq8ScL3snE

Last but not least.....GOOD LUCK and hope to see everyone at graduation day!






Thursday 11 May 2017

For my fellow BAPP students, we're so close.......



ARTEFACT......... ✔

CRITICAL REVIEW.......... ✔

Just the ORAL PRESENTATION to go...... COME ON, WE CAN DO IT!!!

Wednesday 3 May 2017

Coffee shop Skype: May

Participants:

Adesola - tutor 
Amanda - module 1
Victoria - module 3
Lois  - module 3
Me  - module 3


Talking Points:
  • Critical Review and Critical Reflection feedback
  • Oral presentations
  • Communication 


Feedback: structure, jumping around, repetition, waffling, clarity

It was interesting to hear how we all had similar feedback, I asked particular advice on the comments below.....

Advice on appendices:

  • Structure the layout like a magazine for consistency
  • Label images as figures and put "see fig. 1" in text
  • Images or documents that relate to one another label as, "B:1, B:2, B:3" 


Advice on citation:

  • Call the library
  • Cite me right - http://www.citethisforme.com/harvard-cite-them-right


What is the oral presentation? (Amanda)

Summary, sharing, explanation, celebration, presentation, collaboration, insight, understanding, engagement

What stood out as being a good presentation as opposed to
a weak one?

Structured
Flowed
Thought out
Thorough
Included artefact
Keeping to time

(Victoria)

*DON'T ASSUME PEOPLE KNOW YOU'RE INQUIRY*

It was suggested during the Skype that we watch a presentation on something completely irrelevant to the course or on an entirely different subject, to see what captures us and takes our interest - I thought this was a fantastic idea and is something I will be doing!


Communication 

Module 1 - isolated - stopped blogging during assessment stages, lonely

Module 3 - community - blogged & used social media more, support network


Victoria continued this theme by asking about her inquiry topic (vulnerability in acting) and means for supporting that in the professional world. I said how support networks had become integral to my inquiry, particularly in regards to 'companies' and 'affiliation' in the work place. 

It is interesting to acknowledge how personal relationships can affect the professional. The more comfortable and confident you feel around the people in your practice and the working environment, the more supported you will feel. I believe that leadership as well as relationships within the company is responsible for creating an encouraging space. The director on my first day in our current production said that the rehearsal room is a place we could "fall flat on our face and get back up again." A place we could get "egg thrown on our face." He also said: "there are no stupid questions, just stupid people afraid to ask questions." It made us feel like we could put ourselves out there and be supported in the process. 

I also flagged up vulnerability in regards to actual individuals and ethics. I am currently working with under 16's, well known people and animals. This requires much more consideration and added ground rules from the company manager. Particularly in regards to the relationships we form, language in the work place and social media. 

In regards to my own inquiry I.e. How Interdisciplinary Skills impact on relationships, I asked

What quality do you value most in a colleague or someone that you work with?

Honesty, teamwork, work ethic, reliability, self sufficiency



A quote that will stick with me from this session:

"We are all linked by our creativity" (Amanda)