Olympics

So I had some brilliant news this week, I am going to be a pointe dancer in the closing ceremony of the Olympics in August!

I originally went to the open audition in February, where there were quite a few people who just did dance as a hobby and had never been to an audition before. I really felt like I had the upper hand, and I felt so much more confident than I normally would do in an open call.

They then asked me if I could do pointe work, and invited me to another audition later in the week at the same venue, with the same people running the audition. This gave me lots of confidence as I felt familiar in the space, and knowing the style of the choreographers.

Looking back and assessing the situation, this has made my decision clear for my enquiry about confidence and stakes.

I was so much happier being in a situation where I knew my surroundings, and it being familiar and this is what I would like to look at in my enquiry.

Bring on August! :D

Understanding ethics from the module handbook

Understanding ethics from the module handbook:

Plagiarism

Never copy anyone else’s work, must cite any references to give credit to researcher. 

Only ask when necessary

Only relevant questions to the inquiry. Must have a valid reason to ask.

Covert vs overt observation

Overt observation can cause the subject to change their behaviour - this can only be mended over time when the observer becomes ‘part of the furniture’. Is it ethical to watch people without their permission? 

Maintaining objectivity

It is easy to go off track and collect data that is unnecessary. Any leading questions can cause data to not be valid as it will then be subjective not objective. 

Reporting data

Must include all data, cannot pick and chose which data to use in order to keep with your trend.

Protecting data

Must keep data safe at all times, password protect your computer. Do not need to keep it after study.

Preventing harm

Should not affect anyone so much it impacts their quality of life or future.

Permission

Must have full permission from the subject, and from employer if at work. We should brief the subject and tell them they have the right to pull out if they want to.

I hadn’t really thought about security of data before. I do not have a secure password for my files, therefore that has been my first task of the day! It has been nice to have a refresher since my psychology a level which looked into these ethics. From my a level I found it most difficult to maintain objectivity, as of course, we each have our view of how the enquiry will turn out, therefore that will be something this time I shall look out for! 

5a - ethics

ethics |ˈeTHiks|

pluralnoun

1 [ usu. treated as pl. ] moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior: Judeo-Christian ethics.

• the moral correctness of specified conduct: the ethics of euthanasia.

2 [ usu. treated as sing. ] the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.

I wanted to get a concrete definition of “ethics” and I love definition one. Moral principles are key to a good working life as you have a mutual understanding of key principles. This creates a healthy lifestyle which optimises employees. 

Ethics in the work place:

I think the following ethics apply to all work places, not only the performing industry:

1. Arrive punctually 
2. Look presentable and ready to work
3. Be approachable
4. Be prepared (bring appropriate tools for your trade with you)
5. Keep your senior updated if you cannot make it into work for any reason
6. Adhere to contract rules for booking holidays, appointments etc

To the performing industry I would redefine these by:

1. Arriving punctually - if you are late, not only does it affect your reputation, you could miss out on some vital choreography/harmonies, which will affect your performance.
2. Looking presentable and ready to work - our industry is all about image, and that is initially what ‘sells’ you. It is the first thing that a casting director sees and makes a judgement on, therefore, you need to keep up your presentation to keep up your look.
3. Be approachable - it is especially important taking direction and learning different styles to be open to feedback and taking it in a graceful way.
4. Be prepared - it’s important, especially in an audition, to be prepared and bring everything you need. For example, shoes - you could be asked to do any genre of dance - and without your tap shoes, this could ruin your chance!
5. Keep your senior up to date - if you are injured it is protocol to tell them so that they can re-block or prepare the understudy/swing. 

Campus Session

Today we had a small campus session with Rosemary to cover the basis of reader 6 and the final module 2 piece. It was really helpful to discuss in detail methods of investigation and asking about the 3000 words we have to write!!
I took some notes on my iPad (which might not make sense to you!) but thought I would post them if it could help anyone.

Any questions about it please comment and I'll try and answer asap!

campus session notes

My Award Title

Dancing and musical theatre have been a huge part of my life since the age of 3. It has always been my dream to have a long career on stage, and eventually teach within the arts. I trained solely for 3 years in MT at Urdang, and after looking at other peoples blogs and reading the comments, it seems the verdict is keep it simple and fairly broad. 

Therefore I would like to put forward:

BA (Hons) Professional Practice in Musical Theatre 

Very simple, and actually a no brainer for me!

Its been a while.....

So this term has been very difficult to try and balance work/auditions/uni.
I have a lot of hand written work which finding the time to type up has proven difficult.

I have various ideas to play on for my enquiry but the initial questions I asked myself were:

1) Do I have the correct qualifications to become a successful performer?

2) Do I even need qualifications to be in this industry? (Inspiration from talking to many auditionee's)

3) Does it matter where I train?

4) How do I change my reputation or build a reputation in the industry when I have a limited amount of contacts?

5) How do my actions in my day to day life affect me as a performer?

6) How does my performance level change with certain performers in class or auditions?

In module 1, I touched on confidence and knowledge, and how we relay this to various people in different scenarios, and this is something I feel I would like to take further.

Therefore in my next blog I will post my mind map of this topic.