Kahaani #1

I’ve decided to do Kahaani this year since I did not have the chance to do it last year. Let’s say I really want to garner the full UWC experience before leaving. So Kahaani involves Indian dance which I have never done before so this will be a new experience but I think that I can use my previous dance experience as a foundation to build upon. The steps are so far are pretty easy which makes sense since it’s open for everyone. My leaders place a very strong emphasis on rehearsal and being serious which makes sense since our dance is a representative of their abilities to lead but they’re being a little aggressive about it. But that’s only my opinion.

I think it will be exciting even though we are pretty pressed for time, especially with a 3 week break in between.

Culturama Reflection (2)

So Culturama is over and it’s really quite sad knowing that it is my last one. But I just want to take some time to reflect in regards of course to CAS.

Firstly I had to work collaboratively with my partner to face something neither of us have done before which was a big challenge in itself but I think with the guidelines and the whole load of documents the committee created for us to get organised really gave us a direction in which way we should steer our dance. I honestly a lot of the other dances were super organised whereas we were struggling. But the realisation that this was not the case and that everyone were struggling really reassured me. As I stated in my previous reflections, sometimes me and my partner clashed because of opposing ideas but we’re both really civil. We never ended a conversation in screaming or hair pulling even though there were times where I kept my mouth shut to avoid any conflict which made me quite mad on the inside but when her idea turns out better than anything I could have imagined, I calm down. It’s a learning process and I think I learnt throughout this process that not everything goes your way, sometimes you can change it but most of the time it’s acceptance that comes out.

Secondly, I had to plan and initiate a whole experience for a group of people which carries importance in itself. I was quite stressed because there are other people relying on you especially since I have never done it before and was assured that I did not have the courage to do it either. But having partner who knew how to talk to a group of people was good. I did more background stuff: filling out the forms from the committee, ordering costumes, getting everyone’s measurements and those fun things that is a part of it. There were a LOT of things to do but I’m glad there was, otherwise honestly I would have left things to the very last minute. Also, there were some last minute things that were stressful like returning the costumes to get the money which turned out to be not a huge issue (I got the money back) and collecting money from the dancers since there was an excess. But I sorted it all out in the end through the support of others and trying to organise my time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this experience even though I probably would not do it again. I’m really glad about how it turned out and got chocolate in the end so extra bonus!

Culturama #5

So we have dancers! I originally thought no one would audition since we never promoted much of it and Germany is a new country so you never know what to expect. Normally people want to get into more popular countries because they do more modern styles but people did audition and I’m glad for that.

Since we have to choreograph this and neither of us know anything about German dance or choreographing for that matter, we turn to Youtube for inspiration. Most of the steps are taken from existing dances which I am a little guilty about because it could be called out for plagiarising but once the whole thing is put together, hopefully it won’t look like any of the dances on Youtube. Also, I have ideas and my partner has ideas and sometimes they clash. I mean I am a little conflict avoidant so I don’t like saying ‘no’ to people but I don’t like people telling me ‘no’ either. I knew having to work with someone else on something neither of us have done before will be a challenge but we work it out and hopefully our combined efforts won’t be put to shame.

Also, I’m in charge of the costumes. I’m getting it from Taobao because my mom has an account and it’s just generally cheaper to get it from there. There might actually not be enough time to get it shipped here from China but my mom is good at online shopping and I think we’ve sorted it out. Hopefully they turn out to look good on stage.

Culturama #4

Culturama is back and this year I’ve decided to lead a dance with my friend instead of just purely dancing in it. Ever I came to this school, I’ve wanted to do it because the opportunity came up and it’s never before. The theme is “unexplored” so essentially the committee is “banning” dances that have been done over and over again. I originally wanted to do Chinese dance because I have been studying it for over ten years recreationally but I still wanted to share that. China however was on the list of over-used dances so I thought maybe Korea or Mongolia because it is technically also encased within Chinese Dance. After conversing with my fellow choreographer, we decided to go with something else, something neither of us have done before.

Made a list and everything and eventually decided to go with Germany because why not. The dresses look cute, the steps are simple so it was a good choice. We had to fill in a lot of documents for costumes and choreography. Mind you this was in Grade 11 so a whole 3 months before auditions. There is also an option with live music since the Music Department wanted to be more involved in these artistic ventures. So we want to consider that but nothing is set in stone.

This is something new I’m trying out since I’ve never done it before and I’m actually quite terrified that it will turn out to be a mess. I’m glad I’m doing it with someone and we will hopefully make quite a good piece out of this.

ITP – Piano #2

I am currently learning 3 pieces. One Scarlatti, one Handel and one Debussy (I don’t know the exact names of the pieces). I’ve been playing them for a while honestly and after a while it gets a little boring especially since it’s the same every week. But my teacher sometimes gives me a piece to sightread to switch things up which is fun. Mostly there is a little pressure whenever I see the piano because I feel compelled to play it since I have to do the grade 8 exam soon. I am honestly terrified but I know I’ll get through it. If I don’t pass, I’ll probably have to relearn a whole new set of pieces. I’ve got to learn my scales and work on my oral because sight singing and singing in general is not a strong point of mine. It will be a huge challenge for me since grade 8 is the highest level before you enter professionalism so good luck to me I guess.

Dance showcase reflection

Having these types of performances allows it to bring people together, people who I never though I really would meet in a classroom setting or just school setting. Doing something active is the best way to connect with someone because you’re working collaboratively. You’re all working towards a common goal that is completely achievable as long as the right amount of effort is put in by everyone collectively. The moment someone slacks off, it ruins the piece. So really using a positive attitude to overcome difficulties together and working cohesively as a group especially while collaboratively with the choreographer. The choreographer comes up with the choreography but really moulds it around what the dancers can do and what we are able to put out there. However  the challenges within groups may be that some people have very strong opinions and that sometimes doesn’t leave room for others to share but again the decision has to made among the group. If one person can’t do it, it shouldn’t be in the dance.

I have been dancing for more than 10 years and you never really stop learning. There’s always something new out there that’s different unique to what you have already done. Me, I’ve always done Chinese dance and have experienced a little bit of other genres but to really be in a full on contemporary piece and a contemporary fusion is different because a lot of it is very different. How it is more expressive and dramatic in the movements while Chinese dance may be more subdued and controlled. You never really want to stop learning because what’s the fun in that?