A reflection of my choreographic process so far

So far, I have made 6 minutes of my choreography and I am satisfied with where it is heading. Despite being busy with other academic work, I am proud of myself for being motivated and proactive with the free studio space that we were given last half term. Reflecting on my last blog, I mentioned that I have a fear of disappointing myself and being anxious about what other people think of my work. This emotion was challenged in the final week of term, where we performed our choreography and received feedback from our peers. 

In order to get myself prepared for the showing, I used the Schón reflective cycle to put all my worries and doubts into perspective. During these last few weeks, I felt underwhelmed with what I had achieved. which led to a lack of self-belief and motivation, however, using this theory aided me in readjusting my thoughts and focus. 

 (EWSUK, 2020)

 I am on target in my choreographic process as I don't want to rush my creativity and become stagnant in repetitive movements. By taking time out of my choreography, I have been reflecting on my achievements so far, but also aspects that I need to improve on. Furthermore, by using the Schón reflective cycle, I have been immersing myself in new examples of work, such as 'Shadows' by the Phoenix Dancer. I don't want to limit myself within my chosen practitioners and this work inspired me as 'the movement expressed the story', instead of it being all about facial expressions, (Rehearsals: Revealed: Christopher Bruce's Shadows, 2015). I know that my performance is powerful, however, I don't want that to take away from the movements I have created. 

Looking back on the requirements for this module, I believe that my work has achieved a strong visual impact which enhances the message of my chosen stimulus. I have demonstrated a significant amount of creativity within my work with the help of different primary and secondary sources that have inspired and influenced my movement style. My time management has been used effectively in order for innovative results to appear and I have reflected on contributions from my peers and teacher, so I can perform my work with accuracy and a professional level of authority. 

With all of this information in mind, it was time to perform the 6 minutes of the piece that I created. I was anxious due to my peers possibly criticizing my work, but excited to show everyone what I had accomplished. The feedback I received is below: 

Getting this feedback made me feel very proud of myself and I was overwhelmed by the support of my year group. I was equally admired by the people who gave me constructive notes and the way they offered their interpretation of what I could change was extremely beneficial. Looking back on my feedback, I can see that people admired my intricate movement style and that it correlated well with my stimulus, however, it would be a nice contrast if I challenged my movement style more often. Following Christopher Bruce's statement, I want to be "engaging the audience, taking them with me,"(Rehearsals: Revealed: Christopher Bruce's Shadows, 2015). I want to do this with movements that will make my work become more diverse. Challenging my style will be difficult and I will have to learn to be more spontaneous as "spontaneous movements are more closely related to emotions...", (Burrows, 2010).

Thinking about my final minutes of choreography, I want to carry on with the same focus and energy as I did at the beginning. I am going to be more spontaneous with my movements and not be dismissive of any material as everything that is created is of value. With that in mind, I don't want to pressurize myself due to me only having 4 minutes, therefore, I am going to take Burrows idea in mind and remember that, "having the discipline to stop is the greatest discipline," (Burrows, 2010). I have made an action plan which consists of re-assembling my piece as I would like to add a section at the beginning to show the audience what the relationship was like before the abuse started. I will be using my constructive feedback and making this section more fluid of movement which I am excited to explore. I am confident with the ending as I want to repeat the 'siren section' and return to how I started my piece with me kneeling down and crying. I have left the audience in suspense from the beginning as this section is at the start of my piece and throughout my choreography, I have uncovered what happened.  Do I want to expose the truth of what happened? Do I want to keep it hidden?  Throughout the weeks leading up to the end date, I will have to evaluate these questions to make sure the audience are gripping their seats.

Reference

Burrows, J., 2010. A Choreographer's Handbook. Oxford: Taylor & Francis Ltd, pp.54-5

 EWSUK. 2020. Schon Reflective Model. [Online]. Available at: https://essaywritingserviceuk.co.uk/advice-and-guidance/schon-reflective-model [Accessed 9 January 2022]

Rehearsals: Revealed: Christopher Bruce's Shadows. 2015. [video].

The Choreographer Mats Ek. 2014. [video] Directed by B. Eriksson and A. Söderberg. Sweden: Moment 22 Film & Video AB