Culturama

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gYzmL-93vLcvAZwdjOWnAgJDIaOh5e9_/view?usp=sharing

Evidence:

As of right now I am one week away from my Culturama show and we have been rehearsing to the best of our ability. We met on a weekend to practice the dance and set the light queues (which you can see under the evidence section). I am feeling far more comfortable with the place we are in right now and I think that the dance is slowly coming together. I feel like we need to polish the steps more and add a lot more grace to them, while making our transitions more smooth. All in all I am feeling like we have enough time to sort everything out together and get ready for the final performance!

Evidence:

Learning Outcome: LO1-Identify their own strengths and develop areas for growth // LO5-Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.

My progress in culturama has been going quite well. Last session we were able to do a whole run through where we linked the individual dances through transitions. This was very important because sometimes we forget that our coordination as a team will be very evident on stage, and how we move and organise ourselves backstage will affect our entrance which is also the first impression we give the audience.

I am in 3 out of the 4 dances which means I have a lot of planning and remembering to do pertaining to which position I must stand in for what dance. It also makes a difference where I exit off the stage because that then decides where I enter from. Only me and 6 other people are doing 3/4 dances (everyone else does 2/4) which means it is up to us to be ultra aware of transitional details.

In regards to my previous dance experience, I can transfer skills because the Iranian dance is very precise and controlled much like classical South Indian dance. It has been really great to engage in a more traditional slower dance type, because it contrasts quite well to the dance I am doing outside of school. Doing two very different dances helps me as a dancer holistically.

We have a dress rehearsal coming up the week after and I will not lie I am quite nervous because I do not feel ready for a dress rehearsal. We have been through a lot of the steps but the formations on stage (which are complex in this dance due to spins and such) are critical. I am hoping that over the next two weeks we are able to string all the dances together and have more practices so that we get comfortable with the steps.

Culturama has also been a great way for me to get some time away from focusing on school. I love getting a break at lunch where I do something productive but more so in the arts field. I have not been able to pursue a dance class outside school, but doing Culturama makes me feel like I am not losing touch with dance. I notice my positivity and efficiency increasing in the day, after we rehearse at lunch.

Evidence (I am in the white jumper):

Learning Outcome: LO1-Identify their own strengths and develop areas for growth // LO5-Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.

I was recently accepted into culturama which is essentially a performance put on by my school that entertains dances from all over the world. The theme for this year’s show is: Unexplored, which looks at more traditional and older styles that have not been performed in a while. I am participating with a group of girls in presenting dances from Iran. I am hoping that I can learn some of my own strengths through the way in which I approach things that make me nervous or even manage my time and also learn more about what I can gain from working collaboratively.

We started off rehearsal today by recapping a dance that we had learned when we auditioned. It was quite concerning that I needed to watch and follow the steps, which showed that I needed to dedicate more time. We then moved on to starting the final part of the dance that everyone is involved in. It was complex because we were in lines and holding on to each other while moving, which meant we were bumping into each other or stepping on people’s toes.

I was then selected with 3 others to do a special dance that involved the prop of drums. We know most of the dance but I am still quite nervous to get the prop involved as it looks quite big and I am afraid I could drop it or the steps may not look as graceful because I have to hold the drums. I am quite excited that I get to be one of the 4 people performing it, as they chose us specifically to do so! All in all it was a great rehearsal and I can’t wait for more.