Inquiry Topic : "What makes a dancer successful?"

I'd love to hear  what your definition of success is and what it means to YOU to be successful?

Research ideas:

Literature

Look into life books on how to be a success. Look at varying roles e.g 'how to be a successful businessman', 'how to be a successful mother' etc and see if there are similar characteristics or approaches to success. .

Interview

Conduct interviews with people who I perceive to be successful, with people at different stages  in their career, with dancers from different backgrounds and see how they vary in opinion. 

Observation

I would love to observe students in training, dancers at work and in an audition situation and see what the teachers, employers and casting team deem successful and why. 

I feel PERCEPTION and OPINION are key terms, this meaning that my data collection will provide RELATIVE results dependant on thoughts and feelings. I hope to discover, through analysing other people's values in comparison to my own, what being a successful dancer means to me and how I measure/build on this as a professional practitioner.

Reader 4: Part 1

Inquiry process:

Investigate

Explore

Evaluate

Understand

https://inquiry-learning-representation.wikispaces.com/What+is+Inquiry+Learning%3F

Professional inquiry.......

"Extends and clarifies your professional knowledge"

"Suggests a framework from which you can continue to learn in the future" 

"The ultimate goal will be to explore a topic that will benefit your work and the work of colleagues."

"Identifying your own unique learning needs will be important to the process."

(Reader 4, 2015-16)

The above made me question: What is my professional practice? What is my individual role? What do I personally hope to achieve from my professional inquiry? What do I want to know that I don't already?

My current practice is within a touring, musical theatre production and my individual role is that of an ensemble dancer. I also cover two of the lead roles. From my inquiry I hope to learn something new, develop as a practitioner, extend my knowledge and get to truly know myself. Now the ultimate question, what do I want to find out out that will benefit me and my practise?

PROFESSIONAL  INQUIRY EXPLANATION AND RELATED TOPICS

What is professional inquiry?

"A way to learn what you are doing whilst doing it" and "Examining what you do in order to ask the right questions" (Reader 4, 2015-16)

We do this by.....

"Engaging with relevant problems and scenarios, drawing on existing knowledge, seek out new evidence, analyse & present that evidence" (Kahn and O'Rourke, 2004)

Why do we do this?

Get a better outlook and perspective, understand our practice. Have increased self awareness in terms of our ethics but also our selves, how we work most effectively and our bodies. Learn professionalism and have the best experiences possible whilst working.

Would we do things differently? What would I like to know? What will benefit me and my practice?

Because I was relating my inquiry to problems/issues that had come up at work and personal struggles, it was having quite a negative feel to my inquiry topics and proving difficult in regards to ethical considerations such as confidentiality and moral values. I'd like to focus on the learning of new information and looking at things I'd like to know that I didn't before. Rather than dwelling on past events, I aim to look to the future - how can I change things to make them better?

Professional inquiry - the 3 interests

BAPP (arts) learner / current future career : Me / Dirty Dancing musical

Employee / colleagues / self employed / freelance / networks : Producer / Ensemble / Crew / management 

Middlesex university BAPP (arts) network : tutors / peers from all modules / researchers

The frame work is based on reflecting and learning from experience. This is my 4th musical and 3rd tour. What have I learnt? Do I approach things differently now to how I did during my first musical? What would I still like to know? What will help me to develop and understand my practice further?

"Often intents unfold, shift, clarify or become more complex."

"An issue, event, theme, dilemma or whatever is an inquiry for me."

(Judi Marshall, 2001, p.6)

What is the purpose of my chosen question? What do I intend to achieve? What are my future prospects? Judi classes this as 'self - reflective inquiry'. Focus on things that will benefit myself rather than others. She states that inquiry 'heightens my attention inwards' - I think it is important for the inquiry to be personal in order to stay motivated, interested and for it to have true benefit to your own practice.

LINKS TO WORK BASED LEARNING

"Professional inquiry and work based learning both incorporate social science research methodology." (Reader 4) After looking a little into research methods (www.skillsyouneed.com) I discovered the term 'Ontology' which is how you view the world and the assumptions you make about the world, and 'Epistemology' (management research: 4th edition, Easterby Smith, Thorpe and Jackson) which is the assumptions you make about the best way to investigate the world. Within social sciences, there are two main approaches:

Positivist - objective methods e.g. Observation - realistic ontology

Social constructionist - given meaning by people and their thoughts, feelings, beliefs -  communication methods e.g. Conversation - relative ontology

Work based learning "promotes awareness of the workplace as a learning environment and uses this to extend the learners capability and individual effectiveness" (Durrant et al. 2009, p.1)

It is an approach that is effective when change is involved and problem solving is required. For example: When your touring you are changing venues weekly and can encounter problems such as wing space, raked stages, different temperatures, local staffing, accommodation, access to local amenities etc. Inquiry could be used in this situation to create a plan for the smoothest, safest, most comfortable and most efficient approach to the move. Professional inquiry can affect a number of employees so ethics need to be considered but it also means many people can benefit from the learning experience. Putting on a show is a team effort and I specifically am part of an ensemble. It is essential to communicate and work collectively and collaboratively.

*I'd be interested to look at a UK/international tour and come up with the best way to approach a new move to obtain maximum performance and comfort*

Coffee shop Skype : Tuesday 4th October

Participants:
Adesola Akinleye - Course Leader (www.adesolaa.blogspot.co.uk)
Emma Fitchett - trained actress, currently teaching and tutoring (www.emmalouisefitchett.blogspot.co.uk)


One of the first pieces of advice we were given by Adesola and Paula on the initial orientation was to go through your feedback from the previous module before moving forward. So before this session I did exactly that.

Three key points that I'd like to focus on for module 2 are as follows:

1. Continue to develop the formal writing from your blog posts into the module 2 work. I feel like I didn't demonstrate this in my module 1 'critical reflection' as well as I could have because there was so much I had learnt and so much I wanted to say. Quantity seemed to override quality so I'd like to be more selective and specific when collating module 2 work in order to demonstrate in depth writing.
2. Continue to do one-on-one tutor sessions. I think we are so used to fending for ourselves in this industry because of competition perhaps or because you have to be so self motivated. However, I must remember that i am on a learning journey and tutors are there not only to help but to provoke ideas too. I feel that talking to my tutors more will guide me through the planning process and prevent me from going off on a tangent for example.
3. Continue linking to methods. Referencing and linking was probably the hardest part of the module for me to get to grasps with. It was so alien. I need to write as though the audience and assessor know zero about my subject. I know where I've got the information from but they don't.

Adesola's Advice:

"What would I have liked to know more about that I didn't at the time?"

"Be careful not to dwell on previous experience and what you already know. It is about moving forwards and learning new things."

"What will help me in the future?"

"It doesn't matter if it all goes wrong, it is about planning the inquiry - not doing it."

"It is about getting to know yourself."

Self discovery was a massive thing for me during this Skype session alone. I realised that I was continuing to reflect (Module 1) on previous experiences which in turn was giving quite a negative energy and an emotional attachment to my inquiry topics. With the help of Adesola, I understood that I was perhaps trying to expand on existing knowledge and help other people rather than looking to the future and what would actually help me. Categorising the modules really helped to make sense of their aims in my head:

Module 1 ---> reflection

Module 2 ---> moving forwards and planning

Module 3 ---> developing and analysing

It was really interesting speaking with Emma. From our initial conversation, it already feels like she is quite a self assured person with a very mature approach to her learning and experiences (both past and present) - even though she is only just commencing her studies. I was intrigued to hear how she "found her falling" in teaching - an "unconscious plan B". It was great to hear a little about her own experiences as a performer in the industry and how's she has now found more happiness through focussing on others and the genuine nature of children. She spoke briefly about some of the difficulties her students have such as autism and epilepsy and how she feels her background training as an actor has given her a more successful approach to teaching than some. We agreed that this is because we are used to being proactive and inclusive of everyone. Performers are often more accepting of differences and are used to adapting in difficult situations. We learn to work as part of an ensemble in which we interact and are seen as equals. Some teachers unfortunately shy away from things like epilepsy in order to reduce risk, where as a trained actor may have a more professional approach - "how can I change this to make it work?"

I've been so interested in mental health in relation to dancers and the touring environment. How can I use this interest to move forward and learn something new? Listening to Emma talk about how she helps children with difficulties grow in confidence and learn new skills made me wonder how dance can help adults with mental illness. How can performing arts/art therapy help adults with mental illness? 

I've also been interested in the skills and knowledge required across departments in a theatre environment. Adesola suggested something like: What should dancers know before coming into a musical theatre production? I'd like to look into this from varying perspectives/departments such as wigs, costume, sound, lights; and do so through interview or professional conversations - "Understanding other people's worlds in order to help me own" (Megan Louch, 2016). I hope this will show I'm interested and keen to continue developing as a practitioner, thus making me 'a good company member'. We spoke briefly about the value of this over talent and Adesola asked "What is 'the best'?" At school this was basically the ability to do what the teacher asked for or give the correct answer. In a working environment there is so much more to it than that such as time efficiency, work ethic, enthusiasm. I also hope the above will get me out there and incorporate 'networking' from module 1 and expand on my current 'circles'.

Task 4b: SIG

Sunday 2nd October: Skype session with Lizzie Bell

After commencing the BA (hons) Professional Practice in Arts, Lizzie and I became friends on Facebook - the most popular form of social media to date by 710million! (Dream Grow) It is from there that I noticed all the amazing charity work that Lizzie took part in and for one charity in particular called 'Mind' that supports everything surrounding mental health. As this is an area of huge interest to me I was keen to get chatting to Lizzie. She had also commented on one of my blog posts in which I'd done a bit of general research into mental health and performing arts (http://meganlouch.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/how-light-gets-in.html) After messaging back and forth on social media and Skype we managed to accommodate our schedules for a Skype video chat. It was really useful to chat about our ideas and lovely to feel less isolated within my studies, as well as talking to someone generally with similar interests.

One of my question ideas so far is :

Does working as a performer impact on an individual's mental health? Do the variables of a touring environment effect the spectrum more so than a resident production?

We both have a keen interest in this topic because of personal reasons, reasons we didn't go into too much because of ethics, human values and confidentiality. However, we both said how upon researching and thinking about other areas we kept coming back to this topic. My current practice, as well as my previous, has been in a touring environment. As I was explaining the external factors that come with this to Lizzie, other than the performing itself, I said it would be nice to sort of come up with a 'how to' guide for touring folk so that they can go into it ready for the best experience possible.
One thing that was mentioned was how many different types of MENTAL ILLNESS there are and because of this, perspective is a massive thing. I also chatted with someone previously who suffers from mental illness about my topic. I brought up external factors like the travelling, lack of communication, different digs, access to home comforts etc where as they seemed to focus on dance itself in relation to being judged, pressure to deliver, self consciousness. I also took this person back stage at the theatre and upon walking into the dressing room: "Urgh I don't like it in here, there are mirrors everywhere. It so bright! I would not be able to sit in here and look at myself all day every day." It was so interesting to see such a sudden reaction as the mirrors and lights are things I don't even consciously think about.

As you will see in Lizzie's blog from the session, she was intrigued by the PERSONALITY of dancers. I also found this really interesting and would like to look into it a bit more. I feel it would link in with the mental health of performers. Lizzie said how we must have something in us that enables to go through the gruelling process of auditions, the training, unemployment. Something that drives us to want to perform in front of so many people and on stage. I agreed with this and expressed how I think we are a breed, our own species in affect. I know a lot of people in my home town think I'm crazy and I agree - I think we all our in our own way! Lizzie is currently teaching in academic and vocational schools so I asked if she gets the same satisfaction and buzz from that as she does performing. I also asked her about how varying ages of the students affect these inner feelings. I confessed that I feel I am a selfish person and how I admire Lizzie for teaching children of primary age. I prefer teaching older students because I get more out of it, you can do more challenging routines with them and see bigger results. You have more options with choreography and can push them harder. Also, older students are more likely to be at class because they've chosen to go. This means they can be more willing to learn and are more respectful. Following this, another area Lizzie was keen to look in to was DANCE as a subject IN HIGH SCHOOLS.  It was great to chat about this as we seemed to have completely different experiences of it. We spoke about whether it's seen as a sport or not? Whether it's seen as an 'easy' subject? The teachers themselves - does being experienced in dance stand against qualifications on paper? How is dance perceived in an academic establishment over a vocational? Lizzie expressed how her understanding in academic schools has increased and how her appreciation in vocational schools has increased - I said that working in both and seeing such varying capabilities and efforts has probably made her a better teacher over all but why are the two so different?

Another area of interest I have but am struggling to channel at the moment, is the idea of SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE from reader 4. Not necessarily looking inward at the skills i require for my practice as a dancer, but more outwardly at the skills and knowledge from other departments I could benefit from knowing in order to assist my practice. For example: what could I know about in relation to sound that would help me as a dancer in a theatrical setting? I think concepts such as communication, health and safety, collaboration and leadership could come into this and if I was to relate it more specifically to rehearsal and tech periods - that could be interesting.

Lizzie asked me a bit about how the show I'm currently in was going and we spoke briefly about the audience reaction to it. I mentioned how the majority of the time people went mad for it - irregardless of whether you felt you'd delivered your best show or if things had gone wrong. If you were having a down day or a tired day, the audience always picked you up and made you push through because of their enthusiasm and love for it. The fact the show was originally a film and that the songs are all from the movie or pop genre - almost everyone knows it and sings along. It is similar to the jukebox musicals such as 'Mamma Mia!' and 'Jersey Boys, and others that have come from films like 'Matilda' and 'Ghost'. It made me wonder what the RECIPE is FOR A SUCCESSFUL MUSICAL? So many amazing new musicals don't get the following or don't last very long - why? Is it the music? The marketing? Celebrities are often placed in lead roles to draw people in. I feel this could be an interesting topic to look into.

Would be great to hear people's thoughts on any of mine and Lizzie's ideas!

"How the light gets in"

One of the questions I have formed that is particularly spiking my interest in regards to research is:

2. Does working as a performer impact on an individual's mental health? Do the variables of a touring environment effect the spectrum more so than a resident production?

There has been so much press in recent years discussing various mental health issues. I believe the media feels that in doing so - people will feel less alone, therefore more comfortable speaking out and seeking the correct help. Mental health is one of the most isolating illnesses. I feel that the arts can definitely be a way of reaching out. Dance, theatre, TV, art, film, music etc are all ways of expressing your self. This has initiated research into ART THERAPY and how the arts can help individuals outside of the profession by way of releasing your emotions through music, drama or dance.

People that headline theatre productions, star in TV and film etc are lucky in one sense because they become celebrities - although it has its negatives, this status can be very INFLUENCTIAL and in such a positive way. Lots of celebrities in our industry have been speaking out more recently about their personal struggles. Check out these celebs who spoke out in Marie Claire. I plan to do some research into an inspiration and fellow thespian of mine, SHERIDAN SMITH, who has been in the press a lot over recent months regarding the production 'Funny Girl' and her role as 'Fanny Brice'.

There are lots of communities formed around the arts, such as amateur dramatic groups, educational theatre groups, dance projects. This promotes research into AFFILIATION and the need for individuals to feel part of something. If we can use these groups to inform and inspire others in regards to mental health then what an amazing achievement!

I often take class take Pineapple Damce Studios and follow their social media page. Upon browsing Facebook this morning, I found this really beautiful video below so do check it out.

'How the light gets in' explores the physical and emotional sensations of depression. Created by Great Lake Films and Sol Dans Company. Funded by The Arts Council, England : 

"Because art and culture help us build better places to live and work, and improve our health and well-being"

"Art and culture give us joy, make us healthier, let us reflect and help us empathise


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2ydMM6xENs


I read a lovely article following this video called "The psychological aspects of a dancers life." By Erica Leigh.

                                                               Image by Carlie C, Portland, OR


"We watch them in their beauty as they flawlessly glide and leap across the stage, we watch them as they finish their routine just as the orchestra hits their final note and the crowd roars, we watch them with tears streaming down our faces as they perform an emotional piece, we observe if only for a moment, the life of a dancer as they perform on stage. When thinking of a dancer we think of beauty, long legs, flexibility, perfection, and confidence. What we don’t think of is the psychological aspects of a dancer’s day-to-day life. It never seems to cross our minds that what they do is both physically and mentally demanding." 

"The life of a dancer is something special, something that can be taken for granted, something that can take a turn for the worse, and something that completes a person."

"In conclusion we see that the life of a dancer is full of hard work, dedication, determination, confidence, and technique. If a dancer is not careful that world can be turned into injury, eating disorders, depression, other mental disorders, etc."

You can read the rest of the article Here



MIND is an amazing charity that supports all areas of mental illness and according to their website, anxiety & depression is the most common of them all.

"Depression is a low mood that lasts for a long time, and affects your everyday life.

In its mildest form, depression can mean just being in low spirits. It doesn’t stop you leading your normal life but makes everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile. At its most severe, depression can be life-threatening because it can make you feel suicidal or simply give up the will to live."

1st Skype Session of Module 2: Saturday 17th September 2016

Session led by: Paula Nottingham (COURSE LEADER) http://paulanottingham.blogspot.co.uk
Location: Costa Coffee, Swansea

Paula commenced the discussion by initiating personal introductions and giving a brief outline of what's to come, mentioning a few practical things such as where to access the readers and the changes in staffing etc.

Participants Introduction:
* Laura Hopkinson (M2) laurajayne14.blogspot.co.uk
* Lizzie Bell (M2) lizziebell92.blogpsot.com
* Tom Hullyer (M3)  tomhullyer.blogspot.com
* Bethany Huckle (M3) Hucklebethany.blogspot.com
* Charnelle La Touche (M3) charnellelatouche.blogspot.co.uk
* Adesola Akinleye (COURSE LEADER) http://adesolaa.blogspot.co.uk

Adesola suggested that we each say what skills we found particularly useful or not so useful in previous modules to help us move forward successfully with our studies.

Charnel mentioned 3 key things. TIME MANAGEMENT, FOCUS and COMMUNICATION. She said how getting together with peers at the university campus really helped her and how dedicating a time slot to uni work created structure and provided a focus to her studies. Communication is something I really want to work on as I felt a little isolated and out of the loop with my studies before. This due to being on tour and not being able to attend group sessions on campus etc.

Laura lives and works in a boarding school where there is always so much going on. She also struggled with INTERNET CONNECTION so found that MAKING NOTES and brief JOURNALLING throughout the week helped massively. She then sat down on a Saturday to go through the weeks happenings in more depth and do some work. I totally agree with Laura here. Many of my digs had really weak, sometimes temperamental or even no wifi and a lot of my work was done in coffee shops - much like this Skype session in costa coffee today. I also found that making notes on my iPad whilst at work really helped. My iPad was like a third hand - I took it everywhere with me as its so handy to use on the go.

I asked the module 3 students how they came to focus on a particular idea for inquiry?  What process did they follow when exploring areas of interest? I personally found in module 1 that I had so much I wanted to talk about that I ended up losing quality to quantity and the thorough explanation and reflection I'd had in my blogging was lost due to this. Bethany suggested BRAINSTORMING and then shortlisting the ideas. She also said that SECTIONING her chosen topics made it easier to begin research as it provided a structure and made it less overwhelming. I think these two methods will definitely help me personally as I like organisation and structure! She mentioned a book called 'how to research?' from the reader list that asks key things such as:

Will it actually benefit me and my practice?
Will I enjoy researching the topic?
Will it keep me motivated? *I believe this is the key question here, particularly as we are engaging in DISTANCE LEARNING. Self motivation is such an important skill*

Lizzie found that looking at other people's BLOGS was really useful  as it enabled her to identify the strengths and weaknesses in other posts before writing her own. I'd actually spoken to Lizzie prior to this session because I'd discovered her amazing charity work surrounding a particular interest of mine on social media. I hope to have further conversations with Lizzie regarding this topic!

Tom is currently working over in Ibiza. As part of his inquiry he was talking about communication between the different groups when putting on a production such as the hotel group hosting the show and the production company that creates the show. He spoke about both personal and professional relationships and difficulties you have to cross like the differences in people's training. I found this particularly interesting as one of my topic areas is about leadership roles when putting on a production - a big part of it being how the communication between different departments are affected and the problems that can arise. I'd love to chat to Tom further on this and discuss his current contract.

Our course leaders summarised the conversation. Adesola advised us to have clarity in terms of what needs to be handed in. What is the aim of the module? Focus on that and then work backwards in order to prevent going off on a tangent and losing the purpose of the module. She also reminded us of the importance of the Tuesday coffee shop Skype sessions. Chatting amongst modules really helps to refresh our minds from previous studies or inspire us for the future modules. Paula emphasised the use of literature, looking at which topics are spiking interesting conversation amongst the people in our industry, practice, community etc. They also stressed that the blogs are an important place to meet virtually, therefore regular posts and comments are essential in order to help one another. Peer feedback and review is key!

From this initial Skype, I am already feeling more relaxed and excited to get going with my studies. Being open to finding ideas as I go along without applying too much pressure will certainly help me personally, as well as continuous conversation and communication. I plan to spend the next week doing a bit of general research. This into a few areas of interest mentioned in my previous blog 'WELCOME BACK'. I look forward to seeing where this leads me and to reading other people's blogs as they also kick start their inquiry journey!

Live the dream.

September 14th: Swansea Marina


"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."


So it's a Wednesday morning and I've woken up bright and early at 7am - even though I didn't get to bed until around 1am. I imagine my subconscious is a little anxious as today, we have a cover run and the producers will be watching. After contemplating another attempt at sleep, I soon gave up on the idea and got up to make breakfast in my hotel room. Had a rather bad experience upon arrival in Swansea at my intended digs. Several small things like my door not closing, musky towels, temperamental wifi and cold temperature in my room all added up and caused me to have a little melt down. If I hadn't been as tired or the fridge hadn't frozen my entire food shop, I may have reacted differently, but instead I booked myself a hotel and phoned a cab straight away. After touring for the past couple of years I now care considerably less about money and much more about comfort when away from home. My colleagues were so sweet when I arrived at work offering spare beds and if I'd of been thinking more rationally, I would've text, but in the moment I booked an entire week in the local Premiere Inn straight off the cuff - never mind eh!

Anyway, back to the point. I had my breakfast, did a couple of hours work in prep for the cover run, had a bath and it was still only 10am. The sun was shining so I had to get out and make the most of it - especially seen as we had terrible thunder storms the day before and I was due to be in work from midday. I decided to go on a walk around the marina and along the front. It was so peaceful and isn't there something so relaxing about being near the water? I came across this piece of art work on the path and it made me stop for a moment and appreciate life.

Living in the moment is something I really struggle to do - as well as relaxing. As performers we are always looking for the next job, always expanding our horizons, adding new goals, creating new dreams, thinking how we can do better next time - maybe wondering if the grass is greener elsewhere. Unfortunately, I am now aware I do this a lot with normal life tasks too. We spend our entire lives doing this, even when we are working. Today I get to play my dream role in front of influential people. I have also already played this dream role to over a thousand people, including my boyfriend, in Ostend. I'm actually living the dream! Can you believe it?

Whilst writing this post, I am sat outside a fabulous bistro called 'Swigg' appreciating the small things in life like the sun shining, like being able to take my jacket off, like the awesome coffee I'm drinking - my apprehension about the cover run turning into excitement and being grateful for the quiz night and drinks we have planned post show this evening. It is so important to LIVE people and not get caught up in our dreams all the time. Always have them and always strive for them - but appreciate what's happening now and what's going on around you before these precious, little moments disappear.