Task 2d - Gaining understanding (third instalment of task)

Task 2d seemed huge to me and once I started writing I did not stop.  As a result I have made the decision to post the answers to the questions posed in the task in instalments in the hope they will be more manageable to all.  In each post I will specify the question(s) tackled.

Questions I will attempt to answer in this blog:

• What do you feel you don't understand?
  
  
• Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making you understanding it interesting or beautiful or has asked the same questions as you?

I have previously blogged about various things I don't understand. Some additional things I don't understand, which could be possible further lines of inquiry related to my understanding, or lack of it are:

• Are turns luck or technique?
  
• Why doesn't your body always do what you want it to?
  
• Anatomy beyond the norm (the hip bone's connected to the...)
  
• How can you excel in one genre, and fail in another?
  
• Why some students just don't 'get it'

I was a late starter in the dance world taking up Modern and Tap at the age of 11 and Ballet and Jazz at 13. However this didn't stop me excelling as I had a wonderful teacher who gave me a secure foundation in dance.  Despite throughout my formative years and as a student being a strong all-rounder with equal results in all genres Ballet is a discipline I chose not to major in many years ago, and although qualified teach minimal lessons instead choosing the Tap and Jazz (Modern) route. As a genre Ballet continues to intrigue me as it is where I feel the greatest deficit in my general dance knowledge lays. I question both myself and my ability a lot. 


During last academic year I decided it would be beneficial for me to attend regular classes and lectures in all disciplines and in addition I took a Ballet course during the summer to try and deepen my knowledge of the subject. During this time I was fortunate enough to work with some great professionals and gained a lot of knowledge, but there is so much still to learn. Some teachers that standout from last years experience are:


Jayne Cooper. Jayne is a DDI/DDE coach and inactive examiner for the ISTD. She also holds her Fellowship with the ISTD, trained at Elmhurst and is currently a JA coach for The Royal Ballet School's Associate Programme. Jayne's knowledge on the teaching of ballet is incredible, she is a wonderful dancer and I could listen to her talk for hours. I undertook my DDE training with Jayne, and therefore spent a lot of time in lectures. Some of my favourite lectures with Jayne were:

• Turns are technique
  
• Hitting highlights
  
• Getting ready for pointe work
  
• Training outside of the syllabus
  
• Training turnout
  
  

I admire Jayne's confidence in her work, and the extent of her knowledge. She helped to highlight and fill some huge gaps in my knowledge.  Jayne's lessons were mentally exhausting, but incredibly rewarding. 


Amanda Frescura. Amanda has lectured in anatomy and physiology, is qualified to teach Pilates and Ballet (L.I.S.T.D) with the ISTD and trained at The Royal Ballet. Lessons with Amanda were more practical based than Jayne's lessons and we were given a many corrections to take on board and maintain. I found Amanda's lessons difficult yet took away a lot of knowledge from these classes which I use everyday in my own practice. Amanda explained that there were just certain things my limited facility (which I think I have developed through lack of use over the years) in Ballet wouldn't let me do, and ballet at Advanced level was always going to be a struggle. She pulled me up on a lot of faults I had developed over the years and helped to enhance my knowledge of:

• Execution of movement
  
• Vocabulary
  
• Kinaesthetic awareness/proprioception
  
• Co-ordination of ports de bras

I think I have professional respect for Amanda, rather than admiration. She has achieved a lot, and very well. Personally, Amanda did not inspire me to dance or reignite my love for Ballet, instead giving me valuable additional tools and skills to transfer into my everyday teaching practice.


Kathy Plaster allowed me to dance, without judgement, and I have always said she could teach me to count peas and I would enjoy it. I love everything about her lessons. I felt that my personal development as a dancer was best when I was with Kathy. She allowed me to put into practice, without fear, what I had learned in other classes. Kathy has also been my main mentor in my advanced dance and higher level teaching qualifications in Modern and Tap, both genres in which I have excelled. There are so many reasons why I admire Kathy:

• She is my oracle
  
• She has given her life to her school/college
  
• She is a great teacher
  
• She has extensive knowledge on dance
  
• She believes in people

Whilst studying I discovered that my anatomical knowledge is lacking, past the basics required for the job. I was desperate to find reasons as to why I was no longer able to execute my ballet in the way I previously had as a student. One obvious answer is maybe I was never as good as I thought I was. Whilst trying to improve my turnout and general hip mobility and flexibility I had a conversation with a friend, who happens to be a personal trainer, about the bone on the inside of my thigh between my groin and my inner thigh and how I was was stopping me getting any further in the box splits. There is, of course, no bone there. I just have what we as dancers would call tight muscles. Between Lisa Howell and Adrian Pell I have gained a greater understanding of both anatomy and flexibility and how knowledge, correct training, massage and yoga can fix pretty much anything. I find this all fascinating and would love to look into this further, along with how different countries look at the training of strength and flexibly within the industry (not Ballet specifically), how they help their dancers to achieve in this area, what is proven to work and how strength and flexibility go hand in hand.


Something I have particularly struggled with in my training as a Ballet teacher is asking the pianist for specific music. Having been fortunate enough to have a pianist during both my initial and further training and having worked with a pianist for many years in the early stages of my career I am good with the classroom management of using a pianist, and am able to sing what I require whilst marking it through so the pianist understands. Having studied both the flute and piano in my youth, and having an A level in music I also understand time signatures but am unable to ask for, say, a Polonaise, and count it. However this experience was not as broad as the teaching qualification required and this aspect was setting me back in my training – I needed to be able to state the specific rhythm I wanted.


During the Ballet course this summer we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with a very experienced ballet pianist. Kate (I am currently unsure of her surname) was fantastic in her explanations, and was able to provide immediate examples of how a particular rhythm sounded. She understood dance far more than I understood music and immediately knew whether something would work on a certain rhythm. This really was an unmeasurable experience.


In my experience there are also things you once understood but loose along the way. The importance of posture is something that I have always known and always taught and referenced in class. However during my Licentiate examination the examiner said to me “that child will never get an 'A' with posture like that” I was devastated as the examiner had no idea how far this child had come in a year, or how hard she had worked. The girl in question has a very difficult body and had done so well to get to where she was. This made me think about whether I had worked hard enough on posture in general over the years? Did I fully understand its value to movement? I thought I did. It is interesting that the school I am currently working at talks almost non-stop about posture. Am I noticing this because of the criticism? Or is higher emphasis placed on it here? It is certainly something I took on board.


I often struggle understand why a child can't achieve something which I might consider basic at that level. I have enough experience to know what is and is not achievable for an age group and to have a variety of ways to help different learners. I also know my students well enough to understand their limitations and capabilities. But sometimes you have a child who just can't get something. There are also times when things just look strange and I can't work out why, or think of a way to correct them.


I once read on twitter, under the @LaineTheatreArt hashtag #BabsQuotes with reference to Barbra Evans F.I.S.T.D “I don't know why but you just look weird, sort it out” And thought to myself, I don't know how many times I have thought this whilst teaching. Barbra Evans is an incredibly well respected teacher at one of the UKs leading dance colleges. She is also holds the Fellowship qualification (highest teaching qualification available) with the ISTD. I obviously don't know if this quote is factual and have never met the lady, but it makes me feel so much better that a teacher at this level working with some of the most talented students in the UK doesn't know what to do on occasion and allows me to understand and accept that I don't need to have all the answers.