Malta 2018- week thirtytwo

Monday

After a long weekend, I know going back will be strange starting my body up to stop again (As tomorrow is a public holiday ANOTHER ONE) and the studios wont be open for me to do my own class.

Our first class was cancelled due to our teacher still being abroad, so we merged with the first years to work on their contemporary practice. It was really refreshing to work on new material and a way of moving. I LOVED the choreography and doing some of the most common 'tricks' at the moment to improve my movement vocabulary. I love when our classes are mixed as I can dance alongside my favourites and it feels like a break from exam stress (which everyone needs once in a while).

Ballet was ballet. I love it, I move, I sing along, I am free.

Tuesday

Day off

Wednesday

With our release teacher still abroad we had a cover teacher where we went slowly through our exam material. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HELPFUL THIS WAS. By having to teach, we see the gaps in our own knowledge. I am feeling more confident about the exam, and after watching some videos of me doing the exersise I am so much more positive than last semester.

The theory of release was brought into this class, where we could see the similiarities and differences in our teachers viewpooints of what they look for- whilst holding onto some fundamentals. The first classes were nothing like the release I expected, so to understand it more was vital to my development.

Thursday

Our release teacher was back. We went through the centre practices where more was added. Everything has been taught to the right meaning we need to flip everything to the left at home. I prefer this method as it means I am responsible for knowing the material, and now I have been present when new things are taught I can have a copy to rehearse with.

Ballet was a breathe of fresh air, where we went through our exam phrases to a piano. It definitely feels different doing the jetes off of the barre without a sassy song to sing to. This is where inner motivation and techniques come in, and Ill sing to get me through.

For our first body conditioning of the week we went through a stretching routine. To start opening the hips again after a while of not doing my turnout routines was so needed. It has given me the motivation to now start the third part of my turnout trial- or an intense 2 weeks.

In the healthier performer theory class, we went through injuries and how to deal with some. Having never been injured it was interesting to hear how others deal with it should it ever happen to me, as we also discussed the idiocrysy that all injuries are caused from no technique. My first aid training really came in handy as I knew all the ways to help reduce injury and even managed to give over a few.

Friday

I was excused from the first ballet class due to personal reasons and joined in for Improvisation. In this session we focused on only moving from the arms as a form of expression (as many people tend to be lower bodied motivated). With this being my natural way of expression i enjoyed being given different qualities to move between. For the whole class we couldn't put our arms down, where i was impressed with my upper body endurance by experiencing little fatigue.

We worked on contrasting slow movement with fast vocals and visa versa, alongside keeping in a duet with our improvisation by watching others of a different quality. These tasks i found more difficult as i either embody the qualities as movement memory so they become innate and i can focus on other things, or am solely focused on one task.

After class we had an extra hour slot of coaching, where we went over our release material for the exam. It was helpful to be able to finally film it to learn and know what I am doing, but found we were being pushed in dynamics even though we were marking and I didn't know what was next and so couldn't connect my movement as effectively.

Saturday

Knowing that next week my timetable is changing, with no body conditioning I have created my own core and arm routines every day that I know that I can do my own.

I have been getting my essays done, well log books, so now the harder ones are going to be finished in the next few weeks.

Sunday

I helped in filming for a dance with camera project today and then spent the rest going over material for Monday