Our performance period officially started from 16th May, 2016, however, we had already started working on our final major project from 14th April, 2016. For the final major project we are working with two choreographers who have decided to collaborate with each other in order to create this piece. The choreographers we are working with this term include, Lucy Palmer and Jasmine Andrews.

 

We started by conducting a team meeting where the concept of the piece was explained to us and we also touched upon the topics of costumes, props and music. We also discussed the length of the piece and whether or not everyone in the dance company would be willing to commit to this work. This piece was aimed to be 20 minutes long. The next day, we started by working on the piece and each choreography assigned themselves a section to choreograph.

 

By the end of  6 weeks, we had completed choreographing the entire piece and in the 7th week we got the opportunity to rehearse our work in the theatre where we were performing in a week's time. This helped us a lot as we could understand how long it takes us to walk/run around the back of the stage if we have to enter from the other side of the stage. This also helped us in positioning our dance on the big stage prior to the technical or dress rehearsal. Being in the theatre also aided us in building up our stamina, because the stage was bigger than the dance studio we have been use to and so we used more energy on stage than we used to in the studios.

 

For the final week, we were in the theatre everyday till show day as we only focused on cleaning and drilling our piece. Some students still could not master the floor work choreography and therefore, they were asked to step out of those sections. One of our main aims in these final rehearsals was to work on our facial expressions and our intentions as performers. In this week, we also had to understand our characters, before, during and after the war and understand their behaviour and emotions during those moments of history. This would enhance our performance and help the audience to form a connection with our movement.

 

One of my biggest advantage this term was that I was present and punctual for each and every rehearsal that was conducted and because of that I was able to learn the movements quicker and with the correct technique. Also another a strength I feel I showed was my commitment to the piece and my confidence which helped my choreograph sections with regards to my character and also in performing this work on stage. I was able to develop my character successfully and showcase this in my performance.

I feel I positively responded to the feedback given to me by my choreographers, Lucy and Jasmine which was to bring my character to life through my facial expressions and through my movement motif.

I was successfully able to use props which included, suitcases and letters in my dance. Initially, I found it difficult to dance with a suitcase as it was broken and quite heavy, however, with practice I managed to use the prop efficiently. The use of letters were moments of reflection in our piece, despite the emotional value, paper usually has its own mind and no matter how much you try to control it, paper will try to fly away or go in a another direction. I managed to overcome these obstacles and use the letters and suitcases in the piece.

Also one thing that helped me throughout this rehearsal process was having a reflective journal as this always reminded me what sections or parts of performance needs work on by me and personally, I feel that this has improved me not only as a dancer but also as a performer because it encouraged me to make bold decisions on how my character would behave and to express further on stage. It also motivated me to perform more physical activities such as, gyming and swimming in order to increase my stamina.  

 

My biggest challenge this term was to focus on my work and to dance to my full potential as many members of the company were not present in rehearsals. Due to this, we kept repeating choreography, this always slowed us down and therefore, we could not finish the piece in desired time.

Another challenge for me was that my duet partner was not regular in rehearsals and therefore, the choreographers would focus on other students who were present in rehearsal and I could not move forward as it was important for my partner to be present in rehearsals.

Towards the end of the term, in the final week, I fell ill and could not dance to the best of my ability which created panic amongst dancers and also between the choreographers, however, I managed to perform on stage to my full potential, which resulted in great response from the audience.

 

My main target would be to emote the piece/ character through my movement. I felt that in some parts of the choreography, I failed to maintain my character and therefore, the audience could not connect with my character or my movement.

 

Overall, I felt this performance period has developed me as a dance artist and also as a person. It has taught me life lessons of always being positive and not to let the bad affect you. As a dance artist, it has developed me into a performer with the understanding of facial expressions, choreographic intentions and also the importance of choreographing movement for meaning. I enjoyed being a part of this choreographic journey, which had an essential concept. This performance has lead me to further discover the theme of dance theatre and how it is adapted for stage and films.