Task 2d inquiry


My enthusiasm seems to constantly gravitate toward the teaching of dance. I extremely enjoy teaching dance to students who are still learning about their bodies and limits. For example, I looked back on my personal journal and picked a short sentence from this which express my need to teach, "After work I go and teach a short tap class which helps me cope through the beginning of my week. The teaching doesn't reach advanced stages and the students may not become the next Vera-Ellen. However the children i teach are inspirational"  I find great comfort in passing on my knowledge and experience within dance to youthful minds, to watch them excel in something they never knew anything about, and to think, yes I did that, I taught them how to do that. I find the person I admire and look up to within this field of performing arts is no-one famous, but someone who has earned and gained respect within the community as a experienced and motivated practitioner. My old dance teacher brought enthusiasm to the class and made every class better than the last. When I have the chance to see her teach or go to one of her classes my enthusiasm returns, a flashback to the little girl I was occurs and I feel the impact of her teaching once more. She is the teacher i admire, if a small part of my teaching techniques compare to hers I will feel accomplished.

I do feel there is a stereotype within dance that is increasingly damaging to young children who are finding a passion for dance. This stereotyping of dancers does make me angry. Not every female dancer is thin, tall and flat chested, Not every male within dance is homosexual. I feel this stereotyping is effecting young dancers wanting to make a career of performing. Talking from first hand experience, I have never been tall, and I have curves. Graduating from college I found the companies with the industry were saying no, because of the way I look. The reason being is every person that got that job was tall an thin, no matter to talent. One audition we all had to line up and they said yes or no with a simple point of their finger. I felt so angry and hideous in myself, I was only eighteen. No child or adult or anyone for that matter should be made to feel not good enough by the way they look. I have yet to find some quotes regarding this matter, however this is very interesting to me which I will look further into. There is no one specific person who I admire regarding this, however my close friends have  expressed their feelings too, which shows it is a recurring problem within the industry. I admire my friends who look on the situation with enthusiasm, and find the courage to carry on with being looked upon not for talent but for their appearance.



'If the dancer dances, everything is there.' The Impermanent Art. Merci Cunningham. I found this quote when studying for my National Diploma and it stayed with me. What i love about dancing is, there doesn't have to be a spectacular scenery or outstanding costumes, those components only add to the the spectacle. Even though the scene and props add to the dance, What makes the performance and choreography is the dancer. In junction with this, I feel one performance from Gene Kelly in Summer Stock backs up my statement. He choreographs a dance around the most simplest of props, and creaky floorboard and a newspaper. This is a link to the recording http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw-qlHuktJs This performance along with two other dance routines in the film was choreographed by Gene Kelly, he used the props indeed, however the brilliance of the choreographer and movements tell the story.

 "You Wonderful You, The dance turned out to be one of the breakthrough numbers of his career." 

(Gene Kelly (2001), Watson-Guptill, Yudkoff, Alvin)

I have found this task more approachable with the questions provided, another technique I can use toward my practice. My line of inquiry at the moment, doesn't seem too clear. however i have pointed out two specific areas of dance I have a great passion and love for. Teaching toward children and dance within films. Both areas I have experienced. I started teaching a few ears ago, and every since my first lesson I have found myself to be more expressive and have gained new skills. However, dancing within films, I have grown up from an early age watching these movies and have loved every one, I have enjoyed watching the growth of dance used within films from a film like Easter Parade to Step Up.