Literature continued

Whilst searching for literature related to my inquiry I have been looking at the opinions of successful practitioners in the Musical Theatre industry.

An article of interest that I have found is an interview with Cameron Mackintosh for the Financial Times from January this year. The main bulk of the article is about the monetary success of his business. However I have found it useful in relation to my inquiry as he talks about the aspects a production must have in order to be successful.

“When I did Les Mis I said, ‘I’m not going to take this on the road unless it’s as good as what people have read about, with the same lighting and the same sound.’ I think that’s my biggest bequest — that I imposed my standards. It’s sensible, actually, because the real thing will last longer than something shoddy.”

When looking at the rehearsal process of Musical Theatre work I must look at all elements that make the show - the repertoire, the sound, the lighting, the costuming.

A link to the article is below:

https://www.ft.com/content/af6b04f6-ba34-11e5-bf7e-8a339b6f2164

Another article of interest is that with Broadway and film producer, Marc Platt, for the London Theatre guide website londontheatre.co.uk. During his interview a range of subjects where covered including target audiences and time scale. In the interview Marc talks about the time scale of an upcoming film adaptation of the Musical 'Wicked'. He mentions that they do not have a release date yet as they do not want to rush the material and want to make the film the best it can be. This made me think about productions that might not have the luxury of a large budget or the flexibility of choosing when to open. An obstacle that the rehearsal process can face is time constraints. For example a choreographer or director may want to spend one more week rehearsing a piece, but if you have a set performance date and tickets sold this would not be possible. How does a creative team work to a time constraint whilst still producing the work needed?

Please find the link to the article below:

https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/west-end-features/an-interview-with-marc-platt

Whilst reading an article with Theatre Producer of Happy Days the Musical, Amy Anzel, for website 'We are the city' I considered other possible elements and obstacles of the rehearsal process of Musical Theatre work. Amy, when discussing the different between producing work in the UK to the US, mentions the regulations that you must follow when producing work. She says that it is a lot less regualated in the UK,

'You don’t actually officially need to abide by the rules of SOLT (Society of London Theatre) or Equity for tours or Off-West End productions, only when you’re producing on the West End – so you can just literally do things however you’d like. This has its pros and cons of course and as a new producer you have a lot of freedom but you are also a lot less educated. I think this is might be why so many productions here suddenly close or run into difficulty. It’s a case of more opportunity…but also more opportunity to fail. In the US there are many more regulations in place and more unionization.'

In my inquiry I must consider the ethical implications on rehearsals in terms of structure and obstacles. What bodies are there that regulate rehearsals in terms of workers rights? Does this effect the structure and protocol in rehearsals? How do companies work to produce work but also follow the guidelines?

A link to the article is below:

http://www.wearethecity.com/an-interview-with-amy-anzel-theatre-producer-of-happy-days-the-musical/

Looking at the opinions of successful practitioners in the Musical Theatre industry has proved helpful in providing thinking points for my inquiry. I will continue to look at these for document reviews within my inquiry.

Informal trial of an interview

Last week I was fortunate enough to have a Skype session with a fellow BAPP student Megan Louch. I have posted a link to her blog below:

http://meganlouch.blogspot.com.

We chose to have the Skype session as both of our inquiries are based on Musical Theatre and we wished to discuss are ideas and work so far. I thought this would be an ideal situation to carry out an informal trial of one of my chosen tools of inquiry. I plan to carry out a set of individual Skype interviews in my inquiry so this was the perfect set up for a trail. I decided to carry out a semi-structured interview so that I would be able to gather the data I needed but the interviewee (Megan) would have the freedom to share her opinions and experiences related to the topics as she wished.

The questions I prepared were:

1. When rehearsing for a Musical Theatre show or number what elements of rehearsal do you expect to experience?
2. In your current job where there any elements of rehearsal that were new or unusual for you?
3. What do you personally like to achieve in rehearsals in order to feel ready for a performance?
4. Have you faced any obstacles in your current rehearsals such as sickness or injury? If so how have you worked to overcome them?

As I started the session with Megan we discussed her line of inquiry on what interdisciplinary skills a performer should possess in order to impact positively on a Musical Theatre production. I found her line of inquiry and current job in the UK tour of Dirty Dancing very interesting to talk about. We began to cover many different subjects regarding our career experiences and before I knew it we had already covered many things relating to my inquiry without me having actually asked any prepared questions! This was a great learning curve for me as I am able to see how key it is for a person taking a interview to remain focused on the task and direct the conversation as needed.Once I realised that I had gotten slightly distracted I asked Megan if it would be ok to ask my prepared questions and for me to note down her answers to reflect back on in this blog post. I chose to write down her responses in my journal as my way of documenting the interview. Reflecting back on this I will continue to write down the responses of interviewees but also record the interviews as the speed at which people speak it is possible to miss important information when only writing the answers. By recording the interviews I can remain focused on the interview without worrying about missing information as I will have it recorded to look back at later on.Below I have written my questions followed by a summary of Megan's response.

1. When rehearsing for a Musical Theatre show or number what elements of rehearsal do you expect to experience?

Megan spoke about the structure she would expect in a rehearsal - Warm up, a plan of action for the rehearsal given by the Dance Captain, running of material. She also mentioned that she would expect constructive feedback from whoever is talking the rehearsal. If the number was to include props or a tricky costume, she would expect to rehearse with these before hand.

      2.In your current job where there any elements of rehearsal that were new or unusual for              you?

Megan spoke about how in her current job in the UK tour of Dirty Dancing she is cover Penny. This means that when she plays Penny and not her usual track she must go over things that are new to her including dancing with different partners, quick changes and entrances and exits.

     3.What do you personally like to achieve in rehearsals in order to feel ready for a                             performance?

Whilst touring Megan likes to get her bearings of a space before they perform. Different venues means that props will move differently, quick changes may happen in different places and overall the space will feel differently to perform in. She likes to feel prepared not only for a positive performance but for health and safety.

   4.Have you faced any obstacles in your current rehearsals such as sickness or injury? If so             how have you worked to overcome them?

Whilst people have been off during the tour they have had to have longer rehearsals in order rehearse with new people and go over the different tracks.

She also mentioned that they have had to get used to a raked stage, in particular extra practice lifts were needed.

Analysis

Megan was a very good candidate for me to interview as she is currently working in a Musical Theatre production which is touring which means that rehearsals are on going. I was able to collect the data I needed using open questions but I many consider using closed questions in my actual inquiry in order to gather some statistical data. For example I can ask 'Do you always have a warm up in you rehearsals' and then will be able to gather a specific number of people that are used to a warm up. Using Skye for the interview proved successful, it felt personal enough that Megan was at ease to answer my questions and the signal remained strong so there was no technological issues. I have learnt that I need to be more focused on keeping the structure of the interview and to not get distracted by any other topics established by the interviewees, especially if they are not related to my inquiry. I asked Megan's permission to carry out the interview as my trial tool of inquiry method, I know to ask my future interviewees permission and make sure they know the extent the data I collect will be used and gain their permission for this.

Overall the trial was very useful at showing me what worked well and what I need to work on. Preparation is key moving forward with my tools of inquiry.

Considering Tools of Inquiry

In order to collect data for my inquiry I must consider the methods available to me and how effective they will be at gaining the information I need to carry out my research. When looking at the tools I must consider the different factors that will effect the data I collect. Factors that I must consider include:

• People used within the method
• The environment where the data will be collected from
• My own personal bias

The methods that I must consider are:

• Observations
• Interviews
• Focus Groups
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Document Reviews

Within all of these methods a tool that I will be able to use to review and analyse the data I collect is my journal. I will be able to use my journal to note down observations and answers to questions, use it to evaluate the results of surveys and to analyse documents. 

The Tools

Observations

Observations can take place as an outsider to an environment or as a participant in your working environment. When considering using observations within my own inquiry I think it would be an extremely useful tool for observing my own companies rehearsal process. I usually take part in the rehearsals anyway so my presence in the room would not effect the activities or the responses of people to the activities. I would need to gain the approval of my company coordinator and choreographer to use the results of my observations within my work. All data noted would be done so with anonymity so as to do incriminate anyone within their work place.

A possible negative aspect to the use of this tool would be my own bias towards the environment as it is one I am familiar with. I would need to address this directly by expressing clearly that the observations have come from my personal view point. I could then attempt to give the data more standing by backing up my findings with supporting data collected by other practitioners within a similar environment.

Interviews

Interviews would be a useful tool within my inquiry. It would allow me to access data from outside of my own workplace. I am currently working with a company in Spain which would make it difficult for me to travel for interviews. Therefore I would conduct most of my interviews through Skype. It would be very important to choose people to interview that have relevant knowledge on the subject of my inquiry.

I would need to be careful to word the questions without bias. The interviews would need to be conducted in a structure that makes the participants feel comfortable and able to share the information they hold. A negative aspect of interviews can be that when analysing the data I must interpret what i think the participant meant, you are

'constructing or documenting a version of what you think the data means' (Mason, 2002, p.149)

Focus Groups

When reading about Focus Groups a particular quote from Bell made see how a focus group could be useful to my inquiry.

'focus groups are more likely to include members who either have similar characteristics or experience ... or are known to have a professional concern and knowledge of the issues involved' (Bell, 2005, p.162) 

I believe a good place to start collecting data for my inquiry would be discussing the rehearsal process I am personally involved in with my current peers. I feel like the dimensions within our cast are positive and this will prove a useful tool on gaining information. The participants can gain inspiration from other peoples comments.

I will have to consider that it is important to keep the group discussion moving in a positive and productive direction. I will, as the conductor of the session, have to ensure that this is achieves. Similar to the interviews I may conduct I will have to be considerate of my choice of language within the discussion as to not show any bias to any elements we may discuss. I will need to record the session in order to collect or necessary data. I also need to consider whether this will be only a voice recorder or if I film the session in order to easily identify the speakers. I would worry that the presence of a camera may effect the willingness of participants to speak freely and they may feel self conscious. I believe a simple voice recorder would feel less ominous and more appropriate.

Surveys and Questionnaires

Surveys and questionnaires are a great way to target a lot of people with questions. They tend to gather quantitative data, statistics that you can use to prove or disprove an argument. Some qualitative data can be acquired by using open questions, similar to interview questions but the participant writes down their answer. Similar to interview questions it is important that when constructing the survey or questionnaire you are careful to avoid your own bias when writing the questions.

If I were to include a survey in my inquiry I must consider that the people I get to complete it properly represent the musical theatre industry in terms of age, gender ect. This might be quite tricky to achieve as the industry is not heavily regulated in terms of keeping check of these things so it would be difficult to ensure the right people were getting surveyed.

I would also need to weigh up if the data I would receive would help my inquiry in a significant way. My initial thoughts are that qualitative tools may provide more useful as opinions and experiences may prove more useful to me than figures and facts.

Document Reviews

There are many different document types that you can use to review in your inquiry including academic literature, reports, and journals. I can see document reviews being a useful tool in my inquiry. As i would like to look at the rehearsal processes carried out by Musical Theatre companies from different eras I will have to rely entirely on historical literature. I would also like to look at what policies and organisational documents, if any, current Musical Theatre companies have in place in order to conduct rehearsals.

I will have to consider many things when looking at the documents in order to ensure that I am analysing the data I collect objectively. Although documents could be an extremely useful tool in my inquiry it is important that I consider the context they were written in. The documents themselves can hold bias. I must think about factors such as who wrote it and why, the historical context of the document and the effect this could have on the view points presented and who is the document aimed at.

Conclusion

Looking at all of the methods I think it is important that I keep asking myself what information I need. I think it is also very important to remain open minded about the different methods available. Initially the methods I believe I will use, such as interviews and a focus group, will collect qualitative data. However practitioners such as Bell state,

'No approach depends solely on one method anymore than it would exclude a method merely because it is labelled quantitative, qualitative, case study, action research'. (Bell, Doing your research project: a guide to first time researchers, p.119)

I intend to perhaps include a survey within my inquiry so that I support the information I find through my qualitative data with facts and figures attained through a more quantitative tool.

Overall what is important is that I collect enough data to support and answer my inquiry questions and that the data is appropriately and correctly analysed.  

Award Specialism Title

I have spent some time reflecting on my work in order to propose an award title for my degree. I have put this work into the Award Specialism Title Form. Below please find my reasons for choosing the specialism 'Musical Theatre'.

 I have chosen the specialism of Musical Theatre within my degree title by considering my previous expertise and knowledge, the basis of my inquiry and the plans I have for my future work as a practitioner.

I have previously trained within the Musical Theatre field, studying for three years at a Trinity London approved college gaining a level 6 diploma in professional Musical Theatre. I therefore have a detailed knowledge of the work and skills required within the field. As a result of my previous training I am now working in the Musical Theatre industry and because of this have directed my inquiry to aim to specifically increase my skills as a practitioner within this area. My inquiry with look at the rehearsal process when working on Musical Theatre repertoire. Through this inquiry I aim to improve my skills as a dance captain and assistant to the choreographer in the company I currently work for, to improve the efficiency and productivity of the rehearsals for the entire company.

Further to my current position, my intentions for my future work are to continue within the Musical Theatre field. I am set to purchase an established Musical Theatre and Dance School in the coming year. The skills and knowledge I hope to acquire within my inquiry, I plan to continue to develop in the rehearsal environments that will take place within the school.

Any feedback from my fellow BAPP students is appreciated.

Group session with Paula 25/11/16

On Friday I rushed from rehearsal and managed to make it to a group session on 'Tools of Inquiry' with Paula and two fellow BAPP students, Megan and Lauren. I'm so glad I managed to make the session as it was not only useful to touch base about section 6 of this module but to start to think about consolidating my learning in the module as a whole.

We spoke about the tools of inquiry available to use to gather data and information to support and guide our inquiries such as interviews, focus groups and surveys. We were asked whether we had made any decisions about tools we would use. I had given this some thought and shared my initial ideas of using a focus group to discuss ideas with my current cast about their thoughts on the rehearsal process we take as well as interviews with practitioners working within the Musical Theatre field in different productions and companies. I also mentioned that I had considered how relationships within my company may effect question responses and had therefore decided to carry out a focus group with my current cast but separate individual interviews with our choreographer and our production co-coordinator. I have chosen to do this as I would not want the presence of management to effect my cast members willingness to answer questions and share opinions freely. Also, vice versa, I would not want the management to feel unable or unwilling to answer questions due to the presence of the cast. Paula added that when conducting these interviews and focus groups it would be important to stress that they are confidential and anonymity could be used where wanted and required. This would also help to remove any feelings of unease people may have at answering questions related to work within a work environment.

Looking at the tools I had chosen to use so far they were all tools that would acquire qualitative data. I intend to do further research and thinking into whether collecting quantitative data would be useful to my inquiry, if collecting some figures and data numbers will be useful in proving or disproving the effectiveness of rehearsal methods.

The session was useful as it reminded me that it is important to not only consider what you can learn from your inquiry but also what you already know about your subject. In order to evaluate how much you can learn from your inquiry you need to know how much you knew already. My inquiry topic on the elements of preparation required in a Musical Theatre rehearsal came about due to a change of job role in the company I currently work for. I have been involved in rehearsal processes from a young age, for instance for my local dance school production shows and nationwide competitions. Therefore I know what is expected from me as a performer in that environment. However when I was made Dance Captain and assistant to the choreographer, I realised how different it is from being part of to taking a rehearsal. I therefore chose to carry out this inquiry in order to improve my rehearsal practice and improve the rehearsal experience for everyone that I work with, now and in the future.

Another important realisation I had is that it is important for me to keep in mind throughout this whole process what my aim is. It is important that I have a narrow field of inquiry and to focus on a particular subject. This not only means that the work load is achievable in the time given but that the work I produce will be to a high standard and the most useful to myself and my peers.

Now as I move forward in the module I am looking forward to consolidating my work and putting myself in a positive position to continue with the process and begin module 3.

Inquiry Design

When thinking about designing my inquiry I have first tried to relate aspects of inquiry to other areas of my professional life in order to gain further understanding.

When looking at the four main research methods explained in reader 6 and thinking about my workplace, my immediate thought was on the methods used by my company to gauge audience reaction to our shows. They use both qualitative and quantitative measures. An example of a quantitative measure used is the company producing short surveys for audience members to fill out once they have watched a show. The questions asked cover aspects such as personal enjoyment and chance of returning to watch another show. Audience members are asked to answer the questions by choosing from five options covering very good - very bad. The number of each answer to each question is then added up by management and used to decide the popularity and success of a show. In contrast a qualitative approach they use is encouraging cast members to talk directly to audience members on their reactions to a show and then the cast members feedback their comments to management.

Looking at the both methods used I can see positives and negative aspects in both. The surveys allow for a larger range of opinions to be gathered, examined and compared. However by speaking directly to clients they are able to gain more in depth answer and opinions. I think in this instance it is a good idea to use both qualitative and quantitative measures in order to gain a fuller perspective on the audience mood.

My initial thoughts on my inquiry are to use qualitative measures of interviews and focus groups in order to gain information however I will not rule out considering the positives that collecting quantitative data could bring to my process.

Literature and more

Over the course of this module I have been researching literature in order to help me decide on an inquiry topic and then to use as resources to guide and inform my inquiry. My research as well as the rest of the work in this module has meant that I have chosen an inquiry topic of the elements of preparation of performance in Musical Theatre work and the obstacles this can face.

This is relevant to my current practice as a performer as I currently work for an Entertainment company that produces Musical Theatre shows to perform in various venues around Spain. I have worked for the company for 18 months but have recently been promoted to dance captain and the choreographers assistant. My role involves taking rehearsals with the cast when the choreographer is not there and to offer advice and help to the choreographer when needed. I aim to use my inquiry to increase my knowledge on the rehearsal process in order to improve the rehearsal experience for the entire cast and to act as a greater aid to the choreographer. In my future career I aim to own an independent dance school in partnership with my Sister, a fellow performer and dance teacher. The school will teach children from the age of four through to adults. Although my inquiry will not focus on working with children, I intend to use what I learn about the rehearsal process and input it in the future teaching of my students so that they are used to and can benefit from a good working rehearsal environment.

I plan to look at what elements are present in a rehearsal of Musical Theatre work that gets the work from rehearsal stage to performance ready. As anyone who has been part of a rehearsal process knows it can take hours and weeks of rehearsal for a few minutes work on stage.

I plan to follow an active inquiry in my own place of work, observing rehearsals and carrying out interviews with my fellow cast members and managers. However I wish to look at other elements too. I plan to look at rehearsals of work throughout the age of Dance and Musical Theatre. I will compare examples of rehearsals from different eras to the rehearsals carried out by professionals today in order to see how the elements have developed. I hope to see what elements have stood the test of time and see what is is about them that enables them to help achieve what is necessary with the work to put it on stage. An example of the literature i will use is work by Jennifer Neville on the rehearsal process of opera theatre in med-seventeenth-century Italy. She mentions that there has been evidence found that rehearsals used to entail  practicing in the performance space, the use of costumes in rehearsals and the importance of communication between the creative collaborators. (Parergon Volume 28, 2011 pp. 135-153)

Another focus of my inquiry will be on the element of ethics within the rehearsal. I plan to investigate what elements are present in a rehearsal due to ethical reasons and how much they contribute achieving what is needed in the rehearsal. I have been looking at different companies and organisations codes of conduct. One example I have found is that of the RAD dance education and professional organisation. Although its focus is more on teaching certain elements are still valid for a rehearsal environment. Please find a link to the document below.

https://www.rad.org.uk/documents/about-docs/code-of-prof-practice-for-teachers-en-web.pdf

I intend to look at what work has already done on my inquiry subject in order to see whether my work finds similar results and also what is different and what this means to my findings. An article of interest to me is 'Practicing perfection: How concert soloists prepare for performance'. Although this is not directly based on Musical Theatre work I believe their findings will show similarites to my own. For instance they talk about an element of rehearsal is the extensive repeating of work in order to memorise what will be performed. (Advances in Cognitive Psychology Volume 2, 2006, pp.113-130)

I am continuing to research and read relevant literature to my inquiry. I appreciate any feedback from my fellow bloggers on the work I have done so far.

Personal, professional and organizational

When considering ethics and my inquiry there are lots of levels to consider. I must of course ensure that my inquiry is carried out ethically correct in terms of my interaction with the participants of my inquiry. For instance I must handle all data I collect fairly and safely, I must ensure that partcipants understand how I intend to collect the data and then how it will be used. However there are many other ways how ethics will effect my inquiry. My own personal ethics will effect how I choose to carry out the inquiry, the environment that my inquiry will take place in will have ethical implications and the ethical values of other people involved is a factor that must be considered.

In order to begin to consider how my own ethical values may effect my inquiry I first brainstormed what I believed to be the the values I hold and work towards in my life as a professional performer and general person in society.  This then created the premise for my own personal 'code of conduct'. I can use these points to refer back to when carry out my inquiry to ensure I uphold ethical standards. When looking at reader 5 it mentioned the teaching of Aristotles believing that morals are human standards created between two extremes. I decided to create a spider diagram listing my morals and also listed what I thought the two extremes were, shown by the different colours of pen used. I chose to do this as I felt it would work as a good warning method for myself. If I begin to see any of the ethical extremes in my inquiry I have a visual tool to help remind myself what I should be aiming for within my work. Below is a picture of the diagram I created:

Next I considered the environment that my inquiry will take place in. Firstly, the immediate environment of my place of work. As I will be investigating the elements present in preparation of the performance of Musical Theatre work I will base some of my observations and interviews within my own rehearsals and company. I will also want to branch out further and look at practitioners working in other companies. Therefore the ethical values of the performance industry as a whole as well as organisations within the industry will play a part in my inquiry. Below is an initial brainstorm of the factors that I believe will be relevant to my inquiry:

 I have also found my jounral extracts helpful when considering the ethics of my inquiry. I have been able to reflect on incidents that have occurred during my rehearsals and consider the ethical implications. A good example is considering the thinking of Hobbes (1651) that in order to have a good working society there must be a set of rules to follow. I can relate this to a group of performers working together to put a piece of Musical Theatre work on stage as their own small society that functions due to the rules that they follow. An avenue that I will focus on in my inquiry is one element of preparation of performance is the relevance of a 'code of conduct'.

Another example relatable to my rehearsal experience is the beliefs of Immanuel Kent (1779). He writes that a set of moral rules are not breakable. That a person must follow them even if their personal opinion does not agree. This I can relate to a cast having to follow the instructions a 

choreographers instructions no matter what. An example of this was shown in my journal. Recently 

my cast lost our main male singer in rehearsals and shows for a week due to illness. We only had a short time, an hour and a half, to implement changes throughout an entire show in order to perform without him. I wrote how well my team worked together despite this adversity as they all were focused, listened to all instructions given by the choreographer and quickly implemented them. This meant that the show was able to be completed and performed that evening well whilst missing one key cast member.

My reflections on ethics have formed a good base for my inquiry. I plan to blog shortly on the inquiry title and sub title that I have decided upon and the work that will follow. Any thoughts from my fellow bloggers are greatly appreciated.

Talks about preparation for performance

After my last blog I wanted to develop my ideas on preparation for performance further. I decided to share my thoughts with my Sister and gain some ideas and information from her on the subject. My Sister is a professional dancer and now dance teacher. She danced on board cruise liners for seven years for Carnival cruise lines as well doing many other short term contracts for other companies. She has now transitioned into teaching dance full time at various schools, teaching both children and adults.

I first started by discussing with her the professional rehearsal environment she was used to and she covered a wide range of points. When we spoke about preparation some of the things she mentioned were:

• Learning the choreography
• Auditioning for roles
• Setting spacing
• Practicing with props/costume/lights/sounds
• Safety briefings - e.g. piro demonstration 
• Cleaning choreography 
• Rehearsing swing roles

When I looked back at the list something that stood out to me is that there is no mention of practicing technique or performance skills. This is something that is already expected of the dancers as they are professional and  have been chosen for the job. You are given the basics of choreography and spacing and then you  are expected to make it a memorable experience for the audience.

We then moved on to talk about her teaching work and how she prepares her students for a performance. We focused on her younger students as she is currently preparing them for a showcase in February. When we spoke about her preparing them for a performance some of the points she covered were:

• Practicing steps from the choreography in exercises during class
• Recapping choreography before adding more
• Practice with costume/props
• At least one rehearsal in the space they will be performing in
• Spending at least 4 months rehearsing as only get 45 minutes a week
• Encouraging the students to practice outside of class

These points show that with children you must give them more tools in order to create a performance. They must be given the knowledge of technique to complete choreography. They need time and opportunity to practice. 

I found it very interesting to talk to my sister as we have had similar careers so far but still very different experiences. I feel that in future research I do for my inquiry she will be a good candidate to interview as she has experience in both a professional rehearsal environment but also in teaching children.

Direction of Inquiry

I recently had a tutorial with Paula to discuss my progress in the module and where I am at with choosing a topic for inquiry. I talked through my initial ideas and that I had decided to focus on the similarities and differences between a dance class environment and a dance rehearsal environment. I came to this conclusion because of the current work I am doing and the work I plan to do in the future. I am currently rehearsing in Spain with Mediterranean Hotels Entertainment. We are rehearsing four, one hour production shows that we will perform in four venues until March 2017. I participate as well as take certain rehearsals as I am dance captain. It is my responsibility to run rehearsals when the choreographer is not there. In previous blogs I have spoken about the teaching work I do whilst I am in England. It currently looks like my future work will be heavily based in teaching as myself and a fellow business partner are currently in the process of purchasing an established dance school by September 2017.

My first thoughts where that I wanted to look at the similarities and differences between a class and rehearsal environment as I want to be able to best prepare my students for the different circumstances they will find themselves in so that they can always work and perform to their highest ability. This came from a place of personal experience. I felt that when I made the change between going to dance school from the age of 4-16 to professional dance college to study for my Trinity London diploma in Musical Theatre, the expectations of my work and the environments I found myself in where a shock. It was very different to what I was used to and I had to work to adapt in order to develop as a performer. I want to be able pin point aspects of a professional working dance environment such as a rehearsal and investigate its significance in order to pass on this knowledge to my future students and possible incorporate changes in my teaching.

When I spoke to Paula about this she pointed out that if I were to look at the similarities and differences between a class environment with children and a professional rehearsal I would need to observe both environments in detail.This would be virtually impossible as I will be living and working in Spain till at least the end of March next year so well into my module three work. After thinking through this I have decided I will need to focus mainly on the rehearsal environment and less on the comparison element. I will still be able to implement my findings in my teaching so the inquiry will still impact my future career. Paula also pointed out that it is very important to consider the age of the participants in the environment I am studying. The type of learning and work of college students would be very different to that of young children. I think now I intend to focus on a professional rehearsal process this is less relevant as the term professional denotes that it will be adults participating, at least in the case of the rehearsals I will be able to observe personally. However thinking about children in the environment is something I can consider with further research without personal observation.

Now it was time to narrow down the inquiry field even further. A word that sparked my interest in my talk with Paula was the word 'preparation'. We spoke about it in terms of what the very nature of a rehearsal is, the preparation of a performance. I wish to look further into what is meant by the term 'preparation' particularly in terms of performance. Questions that I am considering and will research and develop further are:

What elements must be present in your preparation in order to be ready for a performance?
What elements effect the preparation for a performance?
Is preparation the key to a successful performance?

I would very much like to hear from everybody their thoughts on my current line of inquiry. I will now be looking at other practitioners work in order to consolidate my inquiry.

Current ideas and talks with a fellow BAPP student

So as I mentioned in an earlier blog, last week Lizzie and I managed to arrange a Skype session to discuss our learning on Module 2 and our possible lines of inquiry. In preparation for the session I looked back on all my notes so far so that I would be able to put across all of my ideas to Lizzie clearly. I found this a useful task as it brought myself some clarity on my ideas and enabled me to create more focus and direction within my work. I have found I have three main areas to look into and develop.

1. Motivation and a career in performance

This is something I have touched on briefly in an earlier blog. I am interested in identifying the factors that motivate someone to pursue a career in performance. Also if it is possible to identify the factors, can these then be used to improve your career in anyway. An area that I could focus on is investigating if there is a link between motivation and success. So if I were to look at this area I would look at what are the motivating factors but also what is meant by the term 'success'. Below is a link to my earlier blog with other ideas on this topic.

http://westchloe.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/if-you-have-taken-time-to-read-some-of.html 

2. The similarites and differences between a dance rehearsal and a dance class

This is a topic that is very relevant to my current line of work. I am about to start rehearsals for a winter contract, take class regularly as a professional and also teach dance classes in various schools. I would like to look at the similarities and differences between a rehearsal and class so that I can improve how I act and develop in both environments and also to pass on this learning to my students. I have started work on developing my ideas through mind mapping 'what makes a successful a rehearsal', which I posted an image of in an earlier blog.

http://westchloe.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/a-possible-line-of-inquiry.html

I then completed a similar process for 'what makes a successful class'. By looking at both mind maps together it is easy to see that there are many similarities. This motivates me to want to take this topic further as I think my initial thoughts on wanting to improve in both environments with one study will be possible. Below are images of both mind maps.

3. Preparation in Musical Theatre colleges for a professional career

My third and final possible inquiry topic would focus on the training received at musical theatre colleges and how it prepares students for a career in the performing arts. I have found a fellow student following a similar line of thought whilst reading her blog. Rebecca talks about the struggles she has faced in her career and questions whether she could have been better prepared for these obstacles in her training. Please find below a link to her blog.

http://rebeccajones387.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/4a-mass-of-questions.html

Once I had all of my thoughts organised I was ready for the Skype session with Lizzie. It was really useful and reassuring to share ideas with someone on the course. Our current ideas for topics to follow are not similar, however we found we would need similar methods of inquiry in order to gain information that we would need. For example we talked about my idea of looking at behavior in rehearsals compared to behavior in a class environment. Lizzie and I discussed how discipline is a main factor in both of these areas and how I would need to look at what exactly 'discipline' is and that one way to do that would be to question different practitioners on what they believed discipline is. We then looked at Lizzie's idea of what makes an 'intelligent' dancer. We discussed how she could question different practitioners to see what they look out for in auditions and rehearsals and stands out to them as an intelligent dancer. 

The session was also extremely helpful to me as I had to unfortunately miss a group Skype session with Adesola on 07/10/16 on 'Developing Lines of Inquiry'. Lizzie had written a really useful blog summarising the session but it was helpful to speak to her in person. She informed me that Adesola had said it was important to not make assumptions in the questions you make in your inquiry. They can not have a personal opinion in them as they will influence the responses you receive. The questions need to be open and without bias. It was also mentioned that it is ok for your ideas to be broad topics to begin with and to be reassured that as the module continues the work you do will narrow down those ideas. 

I found the session with Lizzie very helpful and I look forward to future session both with individual members of the course and group sessions. I now plan to refine my ideas through further research and thoughts into what will be most effective in helping me in my career.

A Possible Line of Inquiry

I have taken time to look back through my Module One work, in particular the questions asked in Task 2D. It helped me focus some of my thoughts and decide upon a possible line of inquiry.

A continuing theme throughout my work on this course has been the importance of psychology when working with others. I have mentioned in previous blogs how I struggle to find the balance between teaching work and performance work. That is something that has continued to effect my decision on possible inquiry topics. It is important to choose a line of inquiry that is relevant to your work. However if your work is constantly changing it can be hard to focus your ideas and options!

For that reason I would like to, if possible, look at a line of inquiry that would effect both sides of my work. With the key theme of psychology within team work in mind, below are some questions that I have brainstormed.

What types of learning must you consider when taking a rehearsal in order to get the best performance out of the entire cast?

How does the teaching and learning experienced in a class differ to that experienced in a rehearsal?

Does a performer have to conduct themselves differently in a rehearsal environment than they do in a class? If so, what are the reasons for that difference?


I looked at my questions and decided I needed to start with a broader approach to help gather my thoughts and help provide my ideas with a direction to go in. I thought about, 'What makes a successful rehearsal'. I started with what I thought were the four main factors - The choreographer, the rehearsal members, the rehearsal space and the material. Below is a picture of my brainstorming.

I also found a useful article on the topic. It is from the point of view of someone in charge of a rehearsal, something I will be doing often in the coming weeks so definitely something for me to consider.

http://www.danceadvantage.net/rehearsal-management-tips/

I plan to take these ideas further by directing my first questions to a fellow peer and blogging my thoughts. I am plan to brainstorm in a similar way as I did for a rehearsal with a class environment and compare the similarities and differences. Any thoughts from my fellow bloggers are also appreciated!

Module Two - Developing lines of inquiry

If you have taken the time to read some of my previous blog posts you will notice that there is a very big time gap between this post and my previous one! Since the end of Module One and receiving my results I have been continuing with the work I built upon in the module and developing my career in the meantime. I have read the Module Two handbook and readers and for sometime been thinking of possible inquiry and question options. However I struggle to consolidate these ideas into blog posts to then share with my fellow peers. I have notepad after notepad of jotted ideas, diagrams and lists but often feel uneasy about how to portray them in a post. This is something I need to improve upon in order to be a part of a successful SIG this module!

My struggles initiated a line of thought which could lead to a possible inquiry. I began to think about the relationship between motivation and independent learning. As a self employed performer and teacher most of my work is self-motivated and relies entirely on my own decision making. I want to look at what triggers there are for self-motivation and the affects this can have your work. Here are some questions I have developed.

What different methods are there to discover what inspires and motivates your work?

What effect would discovering what motivates me have on the work I do?

Are there any changes I could implement in my work once I discover these motivating factors?

Would changing the way I think about my own work process effect the people I work with amd the work they produce?

Now I have developed a line of thought for inquiry I am going to  research in order to develop some further ideas. I have been in contact with a fellow BAPP Module Two student Lizzie and have arranged a Skype session for next week. I look forward to developing my ideas over the weekend, sharing them with her and seeing what we can develop together.

Routes of inquiry

I am just over a week into rehearsals for a new dance contract. I feel like I often forget just how busy the first few weeks of a new contract are, full of learning new choreography and making new friends. I have found this transition from home life to dance life quite different from my other experiences so far. This is because I have spent the majority of the past 5 months teaching and not performing. I need to get my performance head back on! I have also been thinking a lot about the inquiry part of this module. There is a lot of questions to consider and therefore a lot of thoughts running through my head. As a result I have decided to list the questions out as headings and answer them individually as a way of trying to organise my thoughts.


What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

When teaching and in a rehearsal situation what gets me really enthusiastic is witnessing how using different teaching techniques gets the best results out of different students and practitioners. It really interests me that in order to get the best physical performance out of a person you must first understand their psychology and the best way for them to learn. Like the work of Gardner shows, people learn in different ways from visual to auditory to kinaesthetic. To be the best teacher that you can you can not just adopt the style of teaching the best helps your learning, you have to consider also the learning styles of all of your pupils. I like the idea on Gardner's theory of looking through multiple learning 'lenses' as a tool of looking at how people learn.

Someone who I admire and who made me enthusiastic at the different ways of learning was my head of dance whilst I was training. She always placed great emphasis on the fact that just because you might struggle with a step or technique, it didn't mean that you couldn't do it but that you just needed to be shown how to do it in a different way. This made for a very positive learning environment. She also gave me a greater understanding of my own learning style. I found that the use of imagery really helped my Ballet technique. Rather than  just explaining what needed to be achieved she would create images for you to associate with different concepts. It wasn't unusual for her to bring in a set of images to talk through with those of us that were visual learners before the class started. An example of image showing the lines of a dancer to be extended out like the roots and branches of a tree is shown below.

What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?

I have found in my recent teaching work I get both angry and sad when I see a child attending a class not because they want to but because their parents want them to. It makes me angry as I have witnessed that sometimes the child can have a negative attitude towards the class which not only effects their own learning but the learning and creativity of other children in the class. It also saddens me as it may lead to a child having a long term negative attitude towards an art form they could have loved if allowed to discover it at their own pace. As I reflected on my feelings on this I tried to consider different points of view. As a teacher I initially come from a place of anger and sadness as I have not only the one child to consider but also all the other children in the class. However from the perspective of the parent they may wish their child to continue with the class in order to develop their learning for later life, they wish their child to learn to adapt to a situation they might not initially feel comfortable with. I have listed below an article that debates the issue. I found it interesting to read the different arguments and after reflection can understand both sides.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/05/05/forcing-kids-to-commit-to-their-extracurriculars


What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

I love that in my work as a performer and teacher even when you are teaching you are still learning. It is a constant process, an idea that has become a lot clearer to me since starting this course. A recent example came from a piece I was teaching to a fellow performer on my current contract. I found that as I was teaching the piece my own usual self doubt on what I could achieve disappeared. I wanted to be able to show the choreography in the best possible light for the other person to achieve the maximum result they could. I developed more as a performer as a result of teaching the choreography.

Someone who I admire who loves what I do is my Sister. We have always both performed and have both started to teach, but have taken very different routes to get there. As a result we are able to empathise with each others situations but also give different ideas on choices or problems due to our different experiences. I really feel that by working together we get better results. I relate it back to the group skype discussion I had with Paula and other BAPP students. By working together we tend to carry out our own appreciative inquiries by being each others sounding board, we create a positive 'collective experience' in our learning, planning and reflection.


What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?

Something I feel I don't know the answer to is how to get the correct balance for myself between performance and teaching. I have a passion for both and believe one strongly links with the other. I think the more I perform, the more I learn and therefore the more I can pass on in my teaching. However I constantly struggle with the thoughts that the more time and effort I place on one side the other side suffers. For example now I have left England for a 6 month performance contract it has made it a lot more difficult to progress with my teaching qualifications.

I often find this is a topic discussed between my fellow practitioners, especially as a performance career can not always be one of longevity. Just today I was discussing future plans with people on my cast. Interestingly it was not just thoughts on career that effects people decisions on performance but factors such as time away from family, income and stability. There are so many factors to consider that I think it ultimately has to come down to personal choice and experiencing and learning from your own journey that gets you to that choice.


How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more generally in society?

I have often struggled with how much emphasis is placed on physical appearance in the performance industry. I realise that dance is a visual art form but often in audition situations you see the strength of a dancers technique being over shadowed by peoples opinions on the colour of their hair or choice of clothing. Further to this I think in the performance industry we accept comments on our physical appearance that other industry's would find strange and somewhat outrageous. For example it can be common place for a dance job to advertise for 'beautiful looking girls' but if a building company were to do the same it would be considered unfair work practice. I find in interesting to consider where this acceptability from performers comes from. Does it start in training? It is from peoples own experiences in the work place and assuming it is common practice?




I now look forward to consolidating these thoughts on many topics into one line of inquiry further on in the course. Lots of thinking and reflection to be done!

Journal writing experience

When I first learnt that we would be writing a journal as part of the course I decided I would be very structured in my approach. I went out and bought a specific notepad for my writings down and envisaged a very structured reflective process. However the more I tried to incorporate the journal writing into my lifestyle of teaching and auditioning the further this came from the truth!

I have always been a big list writer, from planning what I need to achieve in a day to listing what to include in a lesson. I think this really influenced my initial journaling style. I found that my day to day jotting down notepad was more helpful to me than my specially bought journal notepad. It was quickly filled with short thoughts on lessons I had taught and diagrams for choreography. I found that I would accumulate these throughout the day and then look at them all and produce a new list of objectives for the next day.

When reading the suggestion on ways to write a journal in Reader 2, I reflected on the journaling style I had used so far. It was positive and productive in that the thoughts were fresh in my head and therefore I was able to write a productive list of aims for the next day. However the adhoc nature
of the notes meant that as I looked back on the lists from the several days earlier I struggled to remember the intentions behind some of my notes. When I considered that I will need to use my journal throughout the course to reference and show understanding of my learning and development, I knew I needed to experiment with different writing styles.

I looked at the list of suggestions and considered which ones would require me to write in a more structured and 'full' style. I decided to try the descriptive approach and to be more analytical by asking the 'What if?' questions. I struggled at first as I was so used to writing my thoughts and ideas in quick bursts when hit with inspiration. Writing in this way meant I really had to slow down my thought process, considering each point carefully before moving onto the next. I found that writing in this way made my day more like a story that I was telling. This meant I would go in to great detail and as a result would think of things that my earlier style of reflection would have missed. For example in one entry I summarised a day of teaching a routine to my cast for an upcoming show we are in. I started by describing what had happened in the day and then asking the 'What if' questions to reflect on what I wished to achieve the next day. By taking time over this entry I considered not only how the piece went as a whole but how each individual dealt with learning the piece. As a result I then factored in an extra practice for the next day for the people that had struggled at picking up the choreography. Had I taken my usual quick approach at writing a list I think I would have established that the piece was not yet ready but not the specific reasons why as I would not have asked the 'What if' questions.

As I continue with the journal process I think I will try and develop my style by incorporating both styles of writing into my reflection process as I can see both positive and negatives for each. I think it depends on what is going on in each day of your life for whether you need a really in depth reflection or not. Quiet days may only require a short list whereas some days may turn into a 4 page story!

A Learning Cycle

What type of learner am I? This is a question that I hadn't considered in some time, probably not since I graduated from college. From reading the Reader 2 and further reading of related articles I have seen how important it is to look at and reflect on your learning in order to evolve and improve the work you are doing.

'Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of evidence' (Kolb 1984 p.38)

Reading about Kolb's learning cycle I was immediately able to relate it to my own recent work of teaching dance. Kolb's learning cycle is about the process of learning from your experience and comes in four stages. Before reading further and reflecting on my own work I would have said I entered the cycle at the 'Abstract Conceptualisation' stage. I like to really think things through before I act. For instance before teaching a class I like to think up all possible outcomes of a class and come up for a plan for each of them. I will make a list of what I am going to include in a class but also make a second and third list for if the class goes in a different direction because of reasons out of my control, for example if the standard and knowledge of the children is different than I expected. Although this way of learning makes me feel prepared it has the negative aspect of time wasting. I could plan two thirds of a lesson that will not get used.

I believe the environment you are put in can have an effect on the way you reflect and learn. Recently I have been teaching lots of new different classes as I covered a colleague's work due to sickness. This meant that I often did not have an in depth knowledge of the children and their abilities before I taught them. Due to the amount of classes I was taking it was not possible for me to come up with three or four different lesson plans for each class 'just in case'. Therefore I was taking each first class with each group as a learning experience. I would try out lots of different things with them and then go home and consider what worked well and and what didn't and use this as my basis for my next class with them. I entered the learning cycle at the 'Concrete Experience' stage. I used an actual experience to reflect upon and gain knowledge from and then altered my future work accordingly.

Looking at the learning cycle further I am able to see where I regularly complete the four stages of learning in my work as a dance teacher. One example I have comes from a new class that I have been teaching once a week for nearly a term. The class has a lot less structure than other classes I am used to teaching as it does not follow a syllabus. I found that the younger children were struggling to keep their concentration with the lesson plan I had in place. During my time teaching the class I was asked to cover a different class which came from a franchise. This franchise uses a lot of imagery in order to involve the children in the class. After teaching the class and seeing how well it went, I reflected on why the images worked and thought of ways to introduce them into the regular class I taught. As a result the next class I had with my regular group I used images in a special 'Sports Relief' themed lesson. The images I used broke down the individual steps that the children had to put together in a routine. The change in the children was remarkable. They were engaged from start to finish and their level of creativity increased. An example of an image I used is below.

I am looking forward to developing my knowledge on reflection and different types of learning. I think it is important for me to have a wider knowledge as a teacher in order to cater to the different learning styles of the children I teach.

An article I found helpful to read further to the information provided in the Reader 2 was - 

                                                 http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html. 

A whirlwind few weeks - lots of need for reflection!

Its been a few weeks since my last blog and my what a few weeks it has been! Since I last wrote a post I have taken part in a group Skype session with Adesola and fellow BAPP students from all three modules. Initially I didn't realise that the session would involve people from all three modules and it turned out to be very helpful. It was interesting to hear the different directions the course has taken people. It varied from discussions on the positives and negatives to working abroad to talks about healthy eating and body image in the performance industry. I was able to ask people on their thoughts about what they learnt and took away from Module 1 in order to check that I am heading in the right direction. The main point they brought up was that they were able to learn new ways of doing things using technology that they then used in their own careers. It was advised that it is important to always relate your learning to your industry. This is something that I am trying hard to do and I am finding it one of the main positives of doing the course. There are things that I knew existed, such as the power of social media and Web 2.0, but had never truly considered their full impact on my career and the industry that I work in. Through reading different peoples points of view on topics such as the power of Facebook in gaining a job in the performance industry it has made me think about and take a look at my own online profile and make amendments where I think necessary.

Since the Skype session I have had a few important decisions to make. I was offered some new performance contracts with companies that I have not worked with before as well as a third contract with a company that I have performed with for the last two summer seasons. I was left with what felt like the impossible task of deciding which opportunity to take. There were so many different factors to consider. Some factors linked to previous things we have considered in Module 1. I thought about what I would like my CV to look like, whether it was important to take a new job so that I had another company on my CV or if I continued with my previous employer that it would reflect positively on my character and work that they wish to re-employ me. I also considered the type of work I would be doing whilst completing the contracts. Ultimately I made my decision by looking to my future. I know that I wish to ultimately go into teaching dance full time, if you have read my previous posts you will know I have recently been involved in the setting up of a new teaching business. I have chosen to work again with my previous company as I have been given a position with more responsibility which will involve taking rehearsals with the cast and teaching choreography. I think this will be most beneficial for me considering my future plans as I will be able to learn new teaching skills and different ways to approach different teaching scenarios. I am now really looking forward to leaning more about different ways to reflect on my work from the next part of this module in order to take away the most learning from the job that I can. For example I am interested to see what different approaches I will take to teaching choreography when it is meant for professional performance compared to teaching to improve younger children's dance education. Perhaps there will not be as much of a difference as I currently think there will be!

So I now embark on a journey to Malaga next Sunday where I will be living for the next six months! I will be completing the rest of this module from a slightly further distance but believe the course will work very well along side the work I will be doing this Summer.

Ethical Considerations - Ownership of Images

From looking at my previous blog I think it's safe to say that I use images in many aspects of my life, from sharing and posting on social networking sites to using them in my teaching. However I have to be honest when I say that the ownership of these images is something I had not really thought of and had little knowledge of. Perhaps an even fairer statement to make would be to say that I actually didn't realise the legality involved and hence hadn't given it much thought.

I witness everyday, as many of you will, people sharing and posting images of people, places and text on sites such as Facebook and Instagram. Considering the amount of photos that must be posted on these sites on a daily basis by such a wide variety of people, I think it very much becomes an online world of 'whats mine is yours' when it comes to images. Someone will see a photo of a destination they think is beautiful or a quote they find inspiring so they will save it and post in to their own page, as they want their own family and friends to see it and share their opinion on it.

However from my own research I have come to find this is very much not the case. The rights to a photo almost always remain with the person who takes the photo. The further use of the image must always be agreed by the owner and person who wishes to use it. It can be quite a complicated subject to try and understand but I found a good article that made the basics simple to understand.

          https://alpineinternet.com/2013/10/how-do-photo-rights-and-ownership-work/

The article shows that although you need rights to use photos these can be very easy to get using something called 'Stock Photography'. This is where agencies such as Getty images will license photos in large batches so that you have access to a wide variety of photos at once. I found this information very useful as I have been considering what images we will need on our website. I think looking further into using an agency like Getty images will be a good and safe way to go.

Setting up my Flickr account also furthered my understanding of the rights to images. The site has a very useful community guidelines page. This states that you can only post images that you have created.

                                      https://www.flickr.com/help/guidelines

I am taking this into account with my own new Flickr account. I am still planning to use it as a tool to share images related to my work within teaching and the new website creation I am involved in. But I will be far more careful at considering whether the images are rightfully mine. I've posted the link to my Flickr account below if you wish to follow and see my images.

                             https://www.flickr.com/photos/139806139@N04/

I want to further look into the ownership of images to fully understand what you are allowed to post and share because I think it is especially important within Web 2.0 sites. The power that Web 2.0 holds is the collective intelligence but I think that it means that users have a higher responsibility to educate themselves on the 'netiquette'. Something I now aim to do!