Task 2d: Inquiry

I have discovered recently that when I am teaching or choreographing, I find myself visualising a setting which seems to structure itself around the theme of my lesson/ piece.
I find that when I visualise a costume, location setting and theme, it seems to bring my ideas to life. I have always had an interest in how the use of costume and camera angles in filming helps to enhance the movement and show off choreography to its full ability. I take this interest and incorporate it into my work. If I am performing, by visualising this setting improves my performance and gives me a feeling like no other when I perform. When I am teaching, I like to share my vision with the class, not so they can visualise the same, but so they grasp the idea of it and put their own visions to the piece for what works best for them.
I have always admired the actress "Audrey Hepburn", the way in which filming was recorded in those days is so much different and less high tech to how it is now, but the way in which she captures the camera just draws me in. I have many books about her which include quotes and her view on films and what it is like about being behind the camera. I have always had a passion for films and the way they can affect you, and I take those feelings and motions and bring them into my own work. Film has changed over time, however I like to bring all aspects of their affects into my work, old and new.
What I love most about what I do in teaching is seeing my students improve and watching their confidence grow. When I perform, I love the feeling of being someone else on stage, and I love seeing an audiences reaction to it. When I perform, I always find it easier when I can’t see the audience, as just the sound of their reaction to what’s happening on stage allows me to visualise what’s happening.
A person who I admire and who seems to have the same teaching methods and outlook on performing as I do is a dancer I learnt from called "Jenny Gainey". She works as a performer/ teacher, and used to teach me for certain classes when I was 15. As a student I looked up to her so much, she was the best teacher I could of ever asked for. We respected her, therefore she respected us. Her way of teaching used to draw me in, therefore I took in everything that she said and my dance seemed to improve dramatically throughout her time from when she taught me. I always knew I wanted to be like her, she was so inspiring, her personality was infectious and she was very animated with her dress sense and costume choice. A lot of her personality reflected in her work and choreography, which is what I intend to do with my own work. Jenny always had a vision for every piece she choreographed for us and often spoke in detail about stories in our lessons that we could use in relation to our work.For me personally I have always found it difficult to understand how those who take performance seriously enough to want to do it as their full time career, don’t use their faces when they perform. I think I feel so strongly about this because I was taught from a very young age to always use my face. It does not mean you need to have a cheesy grin on your face when performing, but being able to connect to the music and what the piece/ show is about, should reflect in your body and face. A girl who I trained in college with who was on a different course to me, always used her face, no matter what the theme of the piece was, and because of this she always stood out and was placed at the front. Like myself, she never understood how others didn’t use their faces when performing either. Some who don’t use their faces say its because they find it difficult, or they feel embarrassed to do it, but surely, it’d be more humiliating if everyone around them performed with their faces and they didn’t. In the end it gets you noticed for the right reasons, but still I continue to see performers who just haven’t seemed to of grasped that concept. I’ll always remember telling that girl how much she stood out on stage and how she really got across to the audience how much she loved to dance. In response to that, she’d say
For example, in Alexandra Burkes video for the song "Bad Boys", in the last chorus, she breaks out into dance on a roof top, empty car lot kid of setting. She is gradually joined by other dancers, until a huge group of male dancers behind her are doing the routine alongside her. The video gave me the sense of what kind of setting I could visualise whilst dancing to this. The grungy look of the male dancers in the video helped me to imagine what sort of costume id have a group of female dancers wearing. I liked the use of hoodies, as I like the use of costume to be incorporated into my choreography. However, I still wanted the girls to look feminine, which is why I could see them wearing little shorts and some type of army like flat boots, as heavy footwear would draw more attention to footwork and any kicks.
My imagination always seems to run away with me once I visualise something, and it helps me with my choreography and performance. Although I learn by doing, by adding that element of a visualisation gets me into character and the right frame of mind for the piece/ lesson in hand."Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another."I always seem to incorporate the feeling of a music video into my work. In most music videos, the artists enter their own world where they can break out into dance whenever in different settings, sometimes in public places.