In order to help me achieve my short, mid and long term goals after this programme I have chosen to work on skills I believe will help me with auditions and with professional work.
The technical skills I have chosen to work on are; flexibility, cardiovascular endurance and ankle strength.
The interpretive skills I have chosen to work on are; dynamics, facial expressions and vocal phrasing.
My Research.
Technical skills.
Flexibility.
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Ways to improve overall flexibility.
Maintain good posture.
Sit on the floor- stretch in second.
Include flexibility in workouts.
Spend 20 minutes at least every day dedicated to stretching.
'7 expert tips for improving flexibility' Forbes health.
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Warm up thoroughly to avoid injury and strain.
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Stretches for all areas of the legs.
Lunges knee down and up.
Sat single hamstring stretch.
Butterfly, for hip flexors.
Pigeon stretch.
Standing quad stretch.
'19 simple stretches that will improve your flexibility'
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Stretches to improve hamstring flexibility.
Stretch in pike position.
Standing hamstring stretch.
Standing forward bend.
'6 easy hamstring stretches to do at home' Very will fit.
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Stretches to improve hip flexibility.
Sitting glute stretch.
Both legs bent pigeon stretch.
Frog stretch.
Lunge, back knew down.
Knee to chest stretch.
Knees to chest.
'The 21 best stretching exercises for better flexibility'
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Stretches to help with the splits.
Consistently stretch hamstring, hip flexors and glutes.
Stretching consistently for a few weeks will see create a noticeable improvement.
Lunge, back knee down.
Seated hamstring stretch.
Kneeling abductors stretch.
Pigeon stretch.
Butterfly stretch.
'How to do the splits with this 5-step stretching routine'
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Ankle Strength
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Stand in parallel with a tennis ball between your ankles, just underneath the medial malleolus—the bony bump on the inside of the ankle.
Rise to relevé while squeezing the tennis ball in place and keeping the alignment of the legs.
Lower and repeat 20 times.
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Try to practice the art of balancing by standing on one foot for one minute.
When it is done, then try it with another leg. By doing this, you will be able to know how much you can balance your posture.
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Start at the barre, with your feet together and flat in parallel position. Hold on to the barre as you rise very slowly onto demi pointe. When you reach demi pointe, hold this position and count to 5. Then lower, again moving slowly through demi to flat and minimising any wobbling through the transition. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
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Cardiovascular Endurance
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You should aim to push yourself slightly more than your normal movement level. Bump up your speed or distance no more than 10% to 20% each week. You should feel challenged, but not completely exhausted. For every 10 minutes you exercise, add 1 or 2 minutes weekly.
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e an
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1-4 times/week
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70-90% of your maximum heart rate.
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15 to 20 minutes to avoid overtraining.
Running, walking, cycling, and swimming — include any type of exercise that increases your heart rate for a prolonged period of time.
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Dynamics
6 dance dynamics-
Collapsed- loosen body, relaxed posture.
Percussive- hit, strike, pop, punch.
Sustained- smooth, even, constant.
Vibratory- wobbling and wiggling.
Suspended- holding yourself in a particular posture for as long as you can.
Swinging- circular and arch like shapes.
'Dynamics in dance' Twinkl
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Direction – Does the movement travel towards or away from the audience?
Length – How long is the movement
Speed – How fast and quick is the movement?
Rhythm – What kind of regularity? Does it reflect an upbeat or a downbeat, or other patterns?
Weight – Is the movement light or heavy?
Energy – Is the dancer’s energy high or low?
Force – Is the movement in general strong or soft?
Quality – What characteristics are within the movements? – swinging, suspended, vibratory, sustained, percussive, collapsed.
'What are the dynamics in dance? The six different qualities of movement.'
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Ways to improve dynamics.
Stay in your time zone.
Respond to what is happening- let your body move.
Fact check your thoughts- let go.
333 rule. 3 things I see. 3 body parts. 3 things I hear.
Let everything become one.
'10 ways to add dance dynamics to improve the quality of your life' Jan Ford
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Facial Expresions
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Relax your jaw and your tongue inside your mouth. Lift your eyebrows a little—like you would when you’re having an interesting conversation with someone.
Take in your surroundings with your eyes.
Breathe in through your nose, and let your breath escape through your mouth, which will be slightly open due to your relaxed jaw.
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Stretch- get your face used to being stretched and exaggerated. Use the scream, widen your face as much as possible then scrunch as tight as you can.
Massage your face muscles, use your fingers to massage all over your face to warm up the muscles.
Exaggerate all facial expressions to be able to make tone downed versions when it coms to rehearsals.
Open your mouth into an “O” shape and place your fingers just over your cheek muscles. Smile, lifting your cheeks, hold for 20–30 seconds, and then release. Do this exercise 10–15 times using varying amounts of pressure to prepare your muscles for performing.
Start by pressing two fingers just under each eyebrow and pushing upwards. Keep the finger pressure up as you try to lower your eyebrows. Hold for a few beats, then release. Repeat 15–20 times.
Choose a spot about 10 feet away from you and focus on it. Use your eyes to trace an imaginary infinity loop on the spot for 30 seconds. Then, switch directions.
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Vocal Phrasing
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​Playing a beautiful legato with a «singing» tone. Playing a gradual crescendo and diminuendo. Learn specific arm and wrist movements to begin and finish each phrase, to help with visualization.
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Well thought out phrasing can add lots to characterization and character choices.
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Phrasing can include back and front phrasing, crescendo and decrescendo. It can also come from adding emphasis to certain words or notes.
My Research.
Interpretive skills.
Smart Targets
I have created smart targets for each of my chosen skills. These have been collated through research, analysis on professionals and proven training methods. Outlining smart targets is a way to ensure progression in each skill.
During this training programme I will work on my flexibility especially within my hamstrings and hip flexors. I will designate 4 session times throughout my week to stretch for at least half an hour. To measure my progress, I will go into all three of my splits after each stretch session and measure the distance of my lowest point from the floor. I will also carry out the set kick sequence from our jazz class. I will film it every few weeks to see the improvement of my flexibility showing in my kicks. If I see that one leg or muscle area isn't improving as fast, I will tailor my stretch routine. I will also change and add stretches to improve my hip flexibility. I hope to see a significant improvement with my splits and the height of my kicks by the end on the programme. As mentioned in my career aspiration I hope to one day join the ensemble of A Chorus Line. Flexibility is especially important in the ensemble of this show to make the ensemble look as in sync as possible, as demonstrated in the kick line at the end of this video.
A Chorus Line (1985) - One Scene (8/8) | Movieclips - YouTube
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Another technical skill I have chosen to work on is cardiovascular endurance. The definition for cardiovascular endurance is how well you can do exercise that involves your whole body at moderate to high intensity for an extended amount of time. I wanted to work specifically at improving my overall stamina, which would in turn help me performing in physically demanding shows. I will include my cardio warm ups in my jazz class as a training session and also allocate another two times within my week to train this skill. I will measure my progress by increasing my workout time over the weeks. This will allow me to track my progress my seeing that I have completed extra seconds each week. This is achievable as I will start for first training with a moderate workout time, therefore this isn't starting too ambitious. I will only add on a short amount of time after each workout so I don't try to do more than my body is capable of. I will definitely be able to see lots of improvements throughout this programme as I have lots of opportunity throughout my week to implement training for this skill. For example, within my jazz classes at college I will be able to record our cardio warm ups which directly target my skill. Another reason I want to improve this skill is because I know how important it is within the industry to be physically fit enough to be able to perform 8 shows a week. It is also essential to have the stamina level in order to complete dance routines whilst maintaining harmonies and sustained singing. An example of this is in one of the dream shows outlined within my career aspirations.
You Can't Stop The Beat | HAIRSPRAY Live! - YouTube
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I identified ankle strength as an area to improve because I thought about all of the technical skills that can also improve as a result of good ankle strength. I am going to train this skill by going back to basics and strengthening the foundations first. After this I will progress and undergo exercises that will require strength from the ankles. I will be able to measure ankle strength by timing skills such as rises and relivees, before progressing and seeing the improvement within pirouettes and other exercises. I think this skill will be achievable for me to improve by consistently working to strengthen the ankle joint and muscles. I think this skill is an essential foundation to be able to apply and modify to enhance other skills. This skill will be at the foundation of many dance styles, it is essential for allegro in ballet and can be seen in many jazz elements such as kicks, leaps and tendues.
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The interpretive skill I want to work on is the use of dynamics within my performance. I will specifically work on my understanding of music and how that will affect the phrasing of my movements. I will train this skill in 2 one hour slots throughout my week. I will designate time to fully understand the types of dynamics and the components needed to create each one. I will work on the full execution of my movements, creating contrast within my performance and challenge myself with new choreography. In this video the dynamics created by the ensemble in both their movement and vocals, create an intense and engaging atmosphere essential is grab the audience attention from the start of the show. I will be able to see an improvement within this skill through it's transference to new dances, and my ability to identify which dynamic would be most effective and be able to apply it smoothly.
The impressive use of dynamics is clear within this video in both the singing and the movement. I hope to achieve this level of understanding and execution of dynamics in order to be part of the ensemble in dream shows like this.
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My next skill, I feel is one of the most important to have a successful career within the industry. Facial expressions are a necessity in order to elevate performance in all of the three disciplines. I believe that a performer can have the best dance technique or amazing singing voice but if they cannot portray a story well enough to evoke emotion from an audience the performance is unsuccessful. I will train this skill 2 times a week for an hour each time transferring what I have learned for this skill over all three disciplines. I will measure the growth within my performance quality through the use of facial expressions when I dance. I hope to be able to see a significant change in how engaging my performance is through the use of facial expressions and characterization. I hope to explore how the use of facial expressions can create several different emotions such as anger, sadness, comedy.
I have attached a video I believe demonstrates the perfect use of facial expressions in singing and dance to provide humor. It is also keeps the audience fully engaged and due to the commitment on stage they forget about the horrific topics mentioned within the song.
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The last interpretive skill I have chosen to work on is vocal phrasing. Phrasing can come from a change in rhythm, crescendo, decrescendo or specific emphasis. I wanted to focus on how to train this in order for it to positively benefit my connection to a song and improve my story telling. I hope to see a difference in my connection to the words and the melody and how I use this skill to add meaning. I will measure this by first of all breaking down a song using the research I have found about to what to include to improve the phrasing. I want to use this programme to gain more of an understanding for what vocal phrasing is and how to implement it into every song I sing. I think that will be achievable for me, therefore I want to feel as though the training of this skill will help me to approach material as I progress within my career.
I stated in my career aspirations that I hope to one day be apart of the Phantom of the Opera. I think this clip helps to pinpoint the power that vocal phrasing has when telling a story.
'The Music of The Night' Ramin Karimloo | The Phantom of The Opera - YouTube