Blog 11: Lesson 1 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?

• The one thing that I am the most proud of in my lesson is the fact that I got more passionate about my topic than I thought I would. Right before my presentation I was so nervous that I kept forgetting everything I was going to say but as soon as I started, all the words just came to me. I knew exactly what to say without even thinking about it. 

2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.

• I do believe that I should receive at least a P. I not only made the time requirement but everything I said was in a way related to my topic. I used no "filler" information, and I also went really in depth as to how dance is so much more than what people think of it as. Hopefully after my presentation, a new found appreciation for dance among my peers would've sparked.

3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?

• If I were to go back, I would definitely change the amount of confidence I gave off when I presented. It was evident that I was nervous but even though I had known my information and had prepared everything I was going to say beforehand, I still ended up stuttering a lot during the presentation. This is going to help me in my next presentation because it shows me that I'm going to need to rehearse a lot more so that my words could come out more naturally and therefore solving my stuttering problem.

Blog 10 - Interview 2 Reflection

            

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)

• I am spending a majority of my mentorship at the same studio that I train at, Stylz Dance Studio. When I do go in for mentorship, my mentor usually spends most of our time teaching me different pieces and techniques that I could use to extend my knowledge of dance. I also learn different exercises that I must execute every day in order to fully condition my body into a dancer like state. I do believe that most of the tasks that I perform are meaningful to my topic considering the fact that I'm pretty much getting a hands on learning experience from not only my mentor but also from other experts that come in and visit the studio as well.

2.  How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?  

• My mentor, Liz Woods, is the director of a team called Nu Era of which I am also a part of. I joined the team just this summer and she was more than willing to help me expand my understanding of what it means to be a dancer. 

3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person

• At this point in time, on a scale from 1-10, I would say that me and my mentor are at about a 7. It's true that we train together and keep most of our mentorship time strictly professional but there are times when we just let loose and bust jokes at each other considering the amount of time that we've spent together through mentorship. 

4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?

• I believe that the interview went really well because, as a whole, it inspired me to try even harder than I already am in my dance career. She stated in the interview that it only took her about two months to progress as much as she had did, and I hope to push myself hard enough in order to make that same progress that she made. I really need to improve the amount of effort I put into my practicing because, in this month alone, i don't feel I;ve made any progress in my dance abilities. In order to address this, I will push myself to the limits  until I actually feel a sudden change has been made in my performance. 

Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).

• I do have a mentor and as of today, I have already completed my second interview.

2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.  

• The fields of dance that I plan to further study about would either be the process of making dance choreography or the actual process of teaching dance to a class. The reasons for why i plan to focus on one of these topics is because my end goal in the future is to have a teaching slot at any studio within the area. In order for this to happen, I would need to greatly improve both my choreography and teaching abilities.

3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

• Some sources that I believe would help me a little more would be videos such as interviews and dance tutorials. These kinds of videos are very accessible on YouTube so it shouldn't be too hard to find them.

4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

• What is the most important factor that goes into the process of making a choreographed dance piece?

Blog 8: Independent Component 1 Proposal

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

• For my first Independent Component, I plan to collaborate with one of my fellow peers, Isaiah Maylad. Together we were going to make a short film that utilizes dance to express the emotions of what the characters are feeling. I plan to complete my 30 hours through extensive time spent choreographing and rehearsing. I will also be the one performing as well as acting in the final product. Finally, my hours will also go towards things like location scouting, preparation, and also some editing done with my partner. 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

• Evidence that is to be shown as proof for my 30 hours will be done through pictures and short videos that I will take while I'm in the studio choreographing. I will also keep track of all of the days that I meet with Isaiah in order to keep our hours consistent. 

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

• This short film would help my exploration into dance because in the dance industry, famous choreographers tend to put out their work in the form of a "concept video". They showcase their latest dance piece while telling a story that's incorporated with the piece. What Isaiah and I plan to do is take this idea of a concept video and turn it into a full blown short film. This would give me experience as to how concept videos would be shot as well as what is required of me when I film my pieces in the future. 

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

• Done. 

Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

• My new mentor, Liz Woods, is a regular instructor at Stylz Dance studio. She is an expert in the field, not only because she has her own class but also because she is the co-director for a dance team called Nu Era. Her extensive dance experience and all her knowledge definitely makes her an expert in the field of dance. 

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. At what age did you start dancing?
2. How did you end up getting a teaching slot at Stylz?
3. Were any kinds of opportunities offered to you when you first started dancing?
4. How long did it take you to develop your specific dance style?
5. How much did you train when you first started dancing?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

  

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

• One thing that is going well for me this year is my introduction to the dance community. Before the senior project I pretty just danced for fun. Now I'm really starting to understand the dance industry and what it takes to become known in such a competitive field. I'm building connections with people that are in the same situations as me, trying to get into the industry, as well as those that are already deep in the field. This was a positive experience for me because dance has become a lot more fun for me now that my horizons have opened. I have the gained the opportunity to build upon different styles of dance and new moves from different choreographers that I wouldn't have been able to learn otherwise. 

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

• Regarding my senior project, the one thing that is difficult for me is trying to catch up with those that have been dancing ever since they were little. At my studio, there are a good majority of people that have been dancing for years while I've only been serious for a couple years now.  For example, if we're learning a routine, there'd be times where I'm the only one dying of dehydration while everyone else isn't even breaking a sweat. There's also the fact that I've only barely started taking dance classes. The only way I can adapt is  by practicing more and working 3x as harder than everyone else to catch up. The senior team might be able to help by giving less homework so I can practice more. (:

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

 

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

• The most important thing that I learned from my interview is the fact that dance is an extremely competitive sport. There are thousands of people competing to be the best and at the rate I've been working, I won't even stand a chance. This interview made me come to a realization that I will need to work 10x harder if I want to get anywhere in the dance industry. The only thing I would probably do differently in my next interview is ask more in depth questions about their own personal experience. This would allow me to see dance from a different person's perspective a lot more. 

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

• I didn't get any specific contacts but during my interview, I was told that without connections I wouldn't be able to get anywhere in the field of dance. My interviewee also told me about the value of knowing the history of dance. I do believe this piece of information is the most useful because it gives me some ideas to research but also because it'll help me with the essays I'm gonna need to write later this year.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

• My interviewee, Denise Cancino, is qualified to help me because she has been in the industry ever since she was 10.  She has performed in numerous events and continues to dance even to this day. She also specializes in a number of different dance styles of which include Tahitian, Hula, and flags. Cancino has been my instructor ever since I first started dancing. I do believe she is very knowledgeable and more then qualified to be the one to help me as my first interviewee. 

Link to a clip of my audio:

https://soundcloud.com/yujik-2/ipoly-dance-interview-1