Well,
as I find myself sitting here shortly after ballet, I realize that it has been some time since I last wrote. The past few weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday were a fit of a flurry for me, so I will try in the following three entries to describe some of the things that went on.
I suppose one thing I can remember is that in these past few weeks, we have really started working more and more on the choreography for our final performance!
It's hard to believe as I sit here that the semester has gone by so quickly, and by next week we will be performing. I'm both excited and anxious. I still have quite a lot of work to do, especially (I confess in jazz). Ballet has not been so hard as I don't have a lot of choreography to remember and work on, so it's easier to focus on perfecting it. Yet, for jazz, I find that I'm still struggling with remembering all the piece. Partially this is due to the fact that we haven't to date completely finished the choreography yet; so, there's still some things to work through. And also on my part, I will admit that I haven't spent as much time practicing for this piece as I should. So, I have a lot in the coming days to work on!
I think it is a fun piece though. It's got a nice feel to it. We're doing the song by Donna Summers: "Last Dance." This song has a fun disco sort of feel and we're defenitely going for that!
In the past week, I went costume shopping with my fellow dancer Che. We had quite a time trying to find exactly what we wanted.... in our price range! The place we went to had a great selection of all kinds of costumes for various occasions, but finding things that we could affoard became quite a challenge. Initially we had hoped to get a shirt, trousers, and maybe a jacket or vest. Yet, as things progressed, we realized that we would only be able to manage a shirt. But, after a good hour's investment, I believe we both left quite satisfied. Che's shirt was a black sequin shirt, and mine was a gold one that looked something like that from "Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat" or "Jesus Christ Superstar!"
Anyway, it was a fun time! And for now, I believe I will finish this entry at that!
Don't forget your hat,
The Dancing Devil Dog
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Journal #20 Jazz Technique III Class #20
Well,
here I sit rather tired today Tuesday (my longest day of the week)! I'm reflecting on my choreography in ballet today as I write this. It has been a bit of a challenge of late, particularly with lifting. I'm about to head off to the gym after I write this, so I can start bulking up a little before our performance!
Regarding this past Thursday, of last week, it was another busy day of choreography in jazz. The first part of the sequence I think I got down, but as we added more to it this past class, I found that I was having some trouble with the movements, particullary one of the leaps. It's one where you chasse (turn once) and then leap in the air with one leg extended and the other one is underneath you. Yet, in addition to this, you are spinning in the air. So, for now, I'm still working on that.
Aside from that, though, I would say it's been going fairly well. I've really enjoyed the dance so far! I think all of us are starting to get the end of semester jitters, and are all ready to have this year over with. So, it's kind of nice that we're a smaller class, and can accomplish more in a shorter amount of time!
In other dance related news, I'm looking into taking classes with the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet, which is across the street from where I work! I spoke today with one of the instructors (whom I will likely take ballet under) and she said that as a male dancer, I will likely be able to dance on scholarship, as there is such a need for male dancers. If this works out, it could be a great opportunity for me to be able to grow more quickly in my dancing, so that when I return in the Spring, I will be more prepared for dance here at Quad C. And too, I should think that I will be more prepared to transfer following the Spring semester, to UNT! So, that's what's on the horizon for me! There is still much work ahead, but I'm excited!
Oh for the joy of dance,
The Dancing Devil Dog
here I sit rather tired today Tuesday (my longest day of the week)! I'm reflecting on my choreography in ballet today as I write this. It has been a bit of a challenge of late, particularly with lifting. I'm about to head off to the gym after I write this, so I can start bulking up a little before our performance!
Regarding this past Thursday, of last week, it was another busy day of choreography in jazz. The first part of the sequence I think I got down, but as we added more to it this past class, I found that I was having some trouble with the movements, particullary one of the leaps. It's one where you chasse (turn once) and then leap in the air with one leg extended and the other one is underneath you. Yet, in addition to this, you are spinning in the air. So, for now, I'm still working on that.
Aside from that, though, I would say it's been going fairly well. I've really enjoyed the dance so far! I think all of us are starting to get the end of semester jitters, and are all ready to have this year over with. So, it's kind of nice that we're a smaller class, and can accomplish more in a shorter amount of time!
In other dance related news, I'm looking into taking classes with the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet, which is across the street from where I work! I spoke today with one of the instructors (whom I will likely take ballet under) and she said that as a male dancer, I will likely be able to dance on scholarship, as there is such a need for male dancers. If this works out, it could be a great opportunity for me to be able to grow more quickly in my dancing, so that when I return in the Spring, I will be more prepared for dance here at Quad C. And too, I should think that I will be more prepared to transfer following the Spring semester, to UNT! So, that's what's on the horizon for me! There is still much work ahead, but I'm excited!
Oh for the joy of dance,
The Dancing Devil Dog
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Journal #19 Jazz Technique III Class #19
Well, here I am sitting relaxing in the library on campus as I reflect on this Tuesday's past dance class. It went fairly well I would say in spite of the fact that most of us had taken the entire previous week off from jazz, as I think I had mentioned before.
Well, it was a fairly quick warm-up period before we got into the choreography for the final! Originally, the plan was to combine all of the musical pieces in addition to the choreography that went with them. However, this changed as our instructor noted with the limited time we have before the performance, it would take a little more work to try to edit the pieces together. So, we have decided to do the song: "Last Dance," instead (which I think works pretty well).
So far, the choreography hasn't been so hard for me to pick up! I think it's going to be a lot of fun! I'm really looking forward to it to see what all we can accomplish, during our classes! I think all of us are starting to feel a little down as we reach the end of the semester. So, it's refreshing to be able to work on a piece that's fun, goofy, energetic, etc.
Anyway, I'm also starting to feel like I'm learning quite a bit in ballet as well! It's taken most of the semester to start feeling like I'm picking much up, but it looks like I'm starting to make some breakthroughs. Plus, I'm looking at taking some other ballet classes outside of school, which looks promising! So, next semester could be both challenging but exciting too! We'll have to wait and see!
One step forward to success,
The Dancing Devil Dog
Well, it was a fairly quick warm-up period before we got into the choreography for the final! Originally, the plan was to combine all of the musical pieces in addition to the choreography that went with them. However, this changed as our instructor noted with the limited time we have before the performance, it would take a little more work to try to edit the pieces together. So, we have decided to do the song: "Last Dance," instead (which I think works pretty well).
So far, the choreography hasn't been so hard for me to pick up! I think it's going to be a lot of fun! I'm really looking forward to it to see what all we can accomplish, during our classes! I think all of us are starting to feel a little down as we reach the end of the semester. So, it's refreshing to be able to work on a piece that's fun, goofy, energetic, etc.
Anyway, I'm also starting to feel like I'm learning quite a bit in ballet as well! It's taken most of the semester to start feeling like I'm picking much up, but it looks like I'm starting to make some breakthroughs. Plus, I'm looking at taking some other ballet classes outside of school, which looks promising! So, next semester could be both challenging but exciting too! We'll have to wait and see!
One step forward to success,
The Dancing Devil Dog
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Journal #18 Jazz Technique III Class #18
Well,
I must admit it's been a little while since I was last on here. Last week we had no jazz classes at all due to some sort of high school dance week. The dance classes were cancelled for that event. Which, I must say in a way was a relief for me as I had many other things I was worried about that week. For one thing, it was my drill weekend for the Marine Corps, and I had the Marine Corps Ball that weekend (an expensive venture, yet enjoyable nonetheless).
So, really I suppose my last official dance class to reflect on would have to be my jazz class on the Thursday prior to last week.
On that class, both myself and the other male dancer in our class both taught our choreography. I was a little nervous I must admit as I was not completly confident in my own steps. But, after observing the way my former taught, I saw that there might be hope for me. (We both had very similar styles dof teaching - both hands on, extemporaneous). I felt better as I saw the class starting to get the hang of it and enjoying it! That was rewarding for me to see that.
I can't really remember a whole lot more that we did that day as it's been a little while since then. I seem to remember we had a good stretch that day as well, as many of us were a but tight from not dancing that past Tuesday. I suppose that is all.
Striving for excelence rather than mere perfection (which can drive one insane)
The Dancing Devil Dog
I must admit it's been a little while since I was last on here. Last week we had no jazz classes at all due to some sort of high school dance week. The dance classes were cancelled for that event. Which, I must say in a way was a relief for me as I had many other things I was worried about that week. For one thing, it was my drill weekend for the Marine Corps, and I had the Marine Corps Ball that weekend (an expensive venture, yet enjoyable nonetheless).
So, really I suppose my last official dance class to reflect on would have to be my jazz class on the Thursday prior to last week.
On that class, both myself and the other male dancer in our class both taught our choreography. I was a little nervous I must admit as I was not completly confident in my own steps. But, after observing the way my former taught, I saw that there might be hope for me. (We both had very similar styles dof teaching - both hands on, extemporaneous). I felt better as I saw the class starting to get the hang of it and enjoying it! That was rewarding for me to see that.
I can't really remember a whole lot more that we did that day as it's been a little while since then. I seem to remember we had a good stretch that day as well, as many of us were a but tight from not dancing that past Tuesday. I suppose that is all.
Striving for excelence rather than mere perfection (which can drive one insane)
The Dancing Devil Dog
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Journal #17 Jazz Technique III Class #17
The Jamba Juice Jazz Journal
Following a somewhat crazy weekend, as I aluded to in my previous journal, I returned to class on Tuesday! It was not the traditional class, as we were not meeting to dance, but rather for a mid semester council session at Jamba Juice!
It was a very pleasant day I must admit! The weather was supurb, and I was feeling good! Ballet had gone quite well that day, I had seen some real growth in class, and I was casually walking over to Jamba Juice, after a little down time at Starbucks!
How unusual it was to see my fellow dancers there in that place, in "normal clothes!" It was very relaxed, and I think we were all enjoying that very much! We had all (mostly) arrived quite early save our instructor and another dancer who were just coming from a dance class. Yet, soon we were all together standing in line ordering drinks, before settling in our chairs and one by one filing off to meet with our instructor to go over her personal assessment of our work thus far in the semester.
I'm not quite sure how I felt sitting there. At first, I think I felt a little anxious (naturally) and as I mentioned before, I was quite sure that I was about it hear that I had failed the midterm. However, to my great surprise, I had in fact not only passed but gotten 100 on the exam! That was certainly a personal confidence boost to the rest of the counciling session! And what followed too, were mostly words of encouragement. My instructor, told me that she had seen real improvedment in me over the course of the semester and that even though there were parts I wasn't getting, that over all I was really giving myself to each element of the dance! The major critisysm was, to work on smaller movements and especially to work on shifting my weight, and feeling what that felt like and learning to control my movements across the floor.
So, all in all, it was a good session! I left encouraged, yet challenged too, to continue and to continue pushing myself to another level!
Striving through the struggles ensuring success,
The Dancing Devil Dog
Following a somewhat crazy weekend, as I aluded to in my previous journal, I returned to class on Tuesday! It was not the traditional class, as we were not meeting to dance, but rather for a mid semester council session at Jamba Juice!
It was a very pleasant day I must admit! The weather was supurb, and I was feeling good! Ballet had gone quite well that day, I had seen some real growth in class, and I was casually walking over to Jamba Juice, after a little down time at Starbucks!
How unusual it was to see my fellow dancers there in that place, in "normal clothes!" It was very relaxed, and I think we were all enjoying that very much! We had all (mostly) arrived quite early save our instructor and another dancer who were just coming from a dance class. Yet, soon we were all together standing in line ordering drinks, before settling in our chairs and one by one filing off to meet with our instructor to go over her personal assessment of our work thus far in the semester.
I'm not quite sure how I felt sitting there. At first, I think I felt a little anxious (naturally) and as I mentioned before, I was quite sure that I was about it hear that I had failed the midterm. However, to my great surprise, I had in fact not only passed but gotten 100 on the exam! That was certainly a personal confidence boost to the rest of the counciling session! And what followed too, were mostly words of encouragement. My instructor, told me that she had seen real improvedment in me over the course of the semester and that even though there were parts I wasn't getting, that over all I was really giving myself to each element of the dance! The major critisysm was, to work on smaller movements and especially to work on shifting my weight, and feeling what that felt like and learning to control my movements across the floor.
So, all in all, it was a good session! I left encouraged, yet challenged too, to continue and to continue pushing myself to another level!
Striving through the struggles ensuring success,
The Dancing Devil Dog
Journal #16 Jazz Technique III Class #16
Well,
here I am yet again, a little behind this week! I put off journaling for a couple of days, as I wasn't feeling up to it (quite honestly). Yet, times moves on, and here I find my self in need of catching things up. So....
Last Thursday's class what an adventure for me! I had so much on my mind that day, as not only did I have to take my midterm in jazz, but I also was heading up to base that weekend for my drill with the Marines!
So, that morning I packed up all the gear that I would need for base, and set it aside for when I would return home late that evening! Then, I headed off to ballet. That class went fairly well as I recall! I was actually in a rather relaxed mood as the weather had started to cool down at last, and it was pleasent to be outside! Never the less, after a brief few hours to spend catching up on things, and a haircut to prepare for drill, I was off to jazz!
That class we started out with a fairly normal stretch; although, it was a bit shorter due to the fact that we were learning a new set of choreography in addition to taking the midterm after that! The choreography was lyrical based this time with a lot of movements! Some of them were beyond my technique as far as some of the leaps and turns especially! I tried to go with it nevertheless. And then, it was time to take the midterm. I was in the first group. We had two times to perform it! I don't know what or where I was, but I was obviously not feeling connected with the music or the dance that day! I tried to do the best I could, but before I knew it it was all over, and there I was resting on the floor as I watched the second group perform the piece! How well they danced, I thought for a moment, how nice it would have been to be like that, to have had all that training to move with style and grace! But, that day I felt as though I had failed! I felt as though, I had given what little I had, and in the end it had made little difference.
As some days, this was just "another day," and I would shake it off and in time I would return to take a fresh look at myself and start again.
This was Thursday, and the weekend hadn't even begun!
Moving through a maze of emotional craze...ah these are the daze...these are the daze,
The Dancing Devil Dog
here I am yet again, a little behind this week! I put off journaling for a couple of days, as I wasn't feeling up to it (quite honestly). Yet, times moves on, and here I find my self in need of catching things up. So....
Last Thursday's class what an adventure for me! I had so much on my mind that day, as not only did I have to take my midterm in jazz, but I also was heading up to base that weekend for my drill with the Marines!
So, that morning I packed up all the gear that I would need for base, and set it aside for when I would return home late that evening! Then, I headed off to ballet. That class went fairly well as I recall! I was actually in a rather relaxed mood as the weather had started to cool down at last, and it was pleasent to be outside! Never the less, after a brief few hours to spend catching up on things, and a haircut to prepare for drill, I was off to jazz!
That class we started out with a fairly normal stretch; although, it was a bit shorter due to the fact that we were learning a new set of choreography in addition to taking the midterm after that! The choreography was lyrical based this time with a lot of movements! Some of them were beyond my technique as far as some of the leaps and turns especially! I tried to go with it nevertheless. And then, it was time to take the midterm. I was in the first group. We had two times to perform it! I don't know what or where I was, but I was obviously not feeling connected with the music or the dance that day! I tried to do the best I could, but before I knew it it was all over, and there I was resting on the floor as I watched the second group perform the piece! How well they danced, I thought for a moment, how nice it would have been to be like that, to have had all that training to move with style and grace! But, that day I felt as though I had failed! I felt as though, I had given what little I had, and in the end it had made little difference.
As some days, this was just "another day," and I would shake it off and in time I would return to take a fresh look at myself and start again.
This was Thursday, and the weekend hadn't even begun!
Moving through a maze of emotional craze...ah these are the daze...these are the daze,
The Dancing Devil Dog
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Journal #15 The Semester so far
And so, as I come to the midterm of this semester, I want to pause and reflect on where I began this semester and where I see myself now!
When I first started out, I had high hopes of what I might learn and how my dancing would develop. Yet, as the semester drew on, I discovered that I was having more challenging than breaktroughs! I felt very distant from the dream that I had made for myself! I started to really wonder if there was any hope of really persuing this dream of becoming a dancer on stage! Yet, in these recent days and weeks I have discovered a few things. For one, struggles are a part of growing as a dancer (as a performer). Without them, perhaps the growth in dance would not be nearly as delightful! Let me say it another way. One would not appreciate the discovery of their growth without first enduring the pain and hardship of failure! I think those lowest times for me emotionally as I dancer were what really caused me to look at myself and really think about who I was and what I was trying to get out of what I was doing. Initially, I found myself constantly comparing myself with my fellow dancers. I would often feel very small in comparison to these grand performers, who seemed to glide across the floor with ease, and rarely seemed to have any real struggles with their dancing. Yet, over time, I came to realize that if all I did was focus on these other dancers and how much better they were than me and continued to be jealous of what they had, and what I was lacking in, I would never have gotten anywhere! At last, however, I came to the realization that I may never be as good as them, but then again I would never be them! I was in fact holding myself back from my own potential! And so, I strived to learn from the areas that they were good at, and pluck up courage at times and ask more questions when I truly didn't understand!
Today, I had a great breakthrough in my ballet class! I was finally started to get some of the steps down in one of the phrases we had worked on for a couple of weeks! Then, at the end, we were working on leaps across the floor and the steps in between, etc! I really wasn't quite getting it down. Then, as class was letting out, one of the older more experienced dancers pulled me aside and challenged me to try the move again! Then, she proceded to break it down for me and show me step by step how it went! In the end, I not only learned each part of it better, but started to combine the steps and see them develop as a phrase! It was then that I started to see, the importance of patience and perseverence in performance! That truly gave me hope of achieving even greater things in the future!
Practice without patience and perseverence gives no perspective to performance,
The Dancing Devil Dog
When I first started out, I had high hopes of what I might learn and how my dancing would develop. Yet, as the semester drew on, I discovered that I was having more challenging than breaktroughs! I felt very distant from the dream that I had made for myself! I started to really wonder if there was any hope of really persuing this dream of becoming a dancer on stage! Yet, in these recent days and weeks I have discovered a few things. For one, struggles are a part of growing as a dancer (as a performer). Without them, perhaps the growth in dance would not be nearly as delightful! Let me say it another way. One would not appreciate the discovery of their growth without first enduring the pain and hardship of failure! I think those lowest times for me emotionally as I dancer were what really caused me to look at myself and really think about who I was and what I was trying to get out of what I was doing. Initially, I found myself constantly comparing myself with my fellow dancers. I would often feel very small in comparison to these grand performers, who seemed to glide across the floor with ease, and rarely seemed to have any real struggles with their dancing. Yet, over time, I came to realize that if all I did was focus on these other dancers and how much better they were than me and continued to be jealous of what they had, and what I was lacking in, I would never have gotten anywhere! At last, however, I came to the realization that I may never be as good as them, but then again I would never be them! I was in fact holding myself back from my own potential! And so, I strived to learn from the areas that they were good at, and pluck up courage at times and ask more questions when I truly didn't understand!
Today, I had a great breakthrough in my ballet class! I was finally started to get some of the steps down in one of the phrases we had worked on for a couple of weeks! Then, at the end, we were working on leaps across the floor and the steps in between, etc! I really wasn't quite getting it down. Then, as class was letting out, one of the older more experienced dancers pulled me aside and challenged me to try the move again! Then, she proceded to break it down for me and show me step by step how it went! In the end, I not only learned each part of it better, but started to combine the steps and see them develop as a phrase! It was then that I started to see, the importance of patience and perseverence in performance! That truly gave me hope of achieving even greater things in the future!
Practice without patience and perseverence gives no perspective to performance,
The Dancing Devil Dog
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