Evaluation.

Within this evaluation I'm going to explain what I feel went well and what could of gone even better with the showcase. I'll explain the process and the build up of the show.

During the 9 weeks leading up to the showcase I was very nervous. At the beginning of the tasks I was unsure about a few of the pieces of choreography but after a while I began to feel very positive. The thought of doing a showcase with lots of different pieces excited me. There were lots of ups and downs in the lead up to the show, for example getting the rock and roll piece done was so good because I've never danced that before. However, being told a week before the show to create a street solo was a major low point. Even though there were low points I tried to keep my spirit high and not let the low points out weight the highs. I found keeping the logs a very easy task as when I was on my travels home I would just get them done straight away so they were fresh in my mind and it wasn't made up. I also made sure that within the past 9 weeks I not only ran my pieces at college but in my own time aswell. I would go to the gym and spend time in the studio there to ensure I knew the pieces inside and out. 

Towards the end the ninth week of preparation for the show I completely changed my attitude towards the show. I became more chilled out and relaxed, even though a few things worried me I was very calm. This definitely played in my advantage because I was able to give it my all in the dress runs and the actual show. 

My main targets I set for myself at the beginning of the preparation for the show were definitely to make sure I got all of my pieces done in enough time so that I didn't freak and get flustered towards the show. I think the rehearsal schedule helped me do this because I like to have things in order and planned as it helps me stay calm. Part of this aim was to not panic and give up. I have a habit of giving up on myself as soon as I panic or have a really negative day and I can proudly say that I had a few hiccups but nothing major and I feel very positive with my results. Another aim of mine was to step outside of my comfort zone. I definitely done this with the rock and roll piece and the finale piece. I've never danced rock and roll before but I love the feel of it so that's why I wanted to do it and the finale piece we had to sing and I've never sang I from of people before let alone on stage. 

If I was to compare this show day to the show day we had in December I would say this one was miles better. I feel as though within the last 9 weeks I have come a long way, not just within my dancing but personally, which showed on the show night. 

The Showcase. 

Before the show I wasn't nervous I kept myself very calm and collected, I tried not to think about anything other than just performing. So when it came to the time when we had to perform I was mentally prepared. I feel as though this showcase was the best I have ever performed anything in my life. 

My first piece was of the show was contemporary, this piece went alright. I wouldn't say it went amazingly well but it wasn't awful. I was kicked in the face/shoulder in part of the routine as someone was in the wrong spacing which annoyed me as it made my timing slightly off for the leap. Apart from that I think it went pretty well. 

The piece I was in next was the rock and roll piece. I was so happy with this piece as I was very smiley the whole way through and I danced it to the best that I could. There was one little part of the dance where I wasn't very happy but that's because Tj didn't catch me properly in the double cart wheel but it was right at the end and adrenaline carried me through that hiccup. 

My next piece was my 'Crazy in Love' solo. I gave this piece my absolute all whilst performing and I could feel it because my dynamics were sharp and I felt good doing it. I went wrong at one point I didn't roll on the floor but I just improvised and carried on. I hadn't realised I'd gone wrong until I had finished that little section. 

After my solo I had the ballet piece, I absolutely love this piece. I think this was the best I've ever performed this piece aswell as I attempted to give it emotion and I tried to feel like a 'ballerina'. 

Straight after the ballet piece was my drama piece. This was a complete nightmare as I forgot to put my mic pack on before the ballet and it was a quick change to go straight back on for drama. I completely stressed out at the side of the stage and I broke my outfit but I pulled it together with a lot of help from Kelly and automatically changed my character as soon as I walked on stage. I forgot a few lines but I improvised and I'm so thankful the girls were able to pick up on it and just go with it. If I was to do this piece again I would make sure I had my mic pack on first as this is the main reason it went wrong. Apart from that I don't think it was an awful performance as I heard the audience laughing at parts. 

Then it was the street piece. Half way through this piece something hit me and I went from just dancing the piece to actually performing it and giving it. Part way through my bandana fell off of my arm but I didn't let it phase me I just carried on dancing and ignored it. I feel like this is the best we as a group have ever performed this piece and judging from the audiences reaction it looked good aswell. 

The last piece of the first half was Candy store the musical theatre piece. I have always loved this piece because I get to be someone else on stage and I've never done a dance like this before. I think it went really well and I gave it a lot of attack and I made sure I lip sang some of it aswell. I was just disappointed that I put my leg down to early on one of the holds but that's because I've never fell out of it before.

I think the first half went really really well and everyone put there nerves aside and performed amazingly. 

Then in the second half I started back with my street solo. This is probably the piece i was most nervous about but I went on stage and didn't think about it I just danced. I loved it. I felt myself really enjoying the piece and I was smiling and just dancing. It made me feel so good that I didn't mess up and if I was to perform this piece again I would just feel it more. I've never felt like that whilst doing a performance before it was a strange feeling. 

Next was the commercial piece and like most of my other pieces it went really well. My timing was off at one point and I think I had the wrong arm at one point but I just carried on. 

Show a little faith which was the tap piece was next and I can honestly say this was my worst piece of the night. I really didn't enjoy it and I felt myself hating it but I still carried on and finished the dance. I completely forgot sections of the dance and I could feel myself without any expression on my face. If I was to do this piece again I'd definitely give myself a character to be on stage instead of being me.  

Finally it was the Finale piece, all I care about is love. This piece went really well aswell. I could feel myself singing really loud and I want phased by the fact I was singing Infront of people which really shocked me. I think this piece could of gone a lot better if we had rehearsed it more and clarified tiny details. 

Overall, I think that the show went amazingly well and I was so happy with myself. If I were to change anything I'd make sure that I was more confident and I just went for it even more. Also if there was a piece I didn't quite enjoy I'd give myself a different character to be on stage so I didn't feel insecure and scared. If we were to alter something then I would alter the drama piece because it was hard to try and get our storyline across. I would of put another acting piece in of the women showing their crazy sides in more depth. In addition to this, next time I will make sure that when I have an idea I just stick to it and don't change my mind, therefore I can have more time to polish things.

I feel as though the past nine weeks have been a roller coaster and I'm glad that the show went as well as it did because we were able to show off our hard work. 

Rehearsal schedule.

I feel like we stuck to the schedule for the first term then in the second term we had a lot of time off of normal time table so the schedule was still in place but slightly altered at points. 

Show log week 7.

8/6/15

Today we started with the ballet piece, we recapped and clarified certain bits of the dance. In drama we speed ran our script a few times but we couldn't quite get the last bit of it in our brains. We went into perform to Anna. We got it wrong and Anna wasn't very happy with us because we shouldn't be going wrong at this stage. She said we needed to Intention the script and get to feel our characters a lot more. We had to go learn it all, then go back into Anna and show her once more. I really took Annas corrections seriously because I want to do well within this drama piece because it's funny and I enjoy drama. I think it's just confidence that's dragging my group down. We then done half of the lesson musical theatre and half the finale fan piece. Within the musical theatre part of the lesson I was absolutely fine and generally just enjoyed myself and the piece. The fan piece isn't my favourite piece of the show but I think it's different because of the fans of course. I made sure I asked Kelly what way we had to hold our fans because nothing will stress me out more than holding one fan the wrong way. The fan piece was also made harder as this was the first time we had ran it in heels. There was a section where we sat on the chairs and Kelly said I needed to point my foot as it didn't look good. I didn't realise I wasn't pointing it as I had heels on and I've never really danced in them before. Then we had studio time to sort out our solos. My solo has stressed me out from the beginning as I get bored of a song and choreography and I want to change it. I've definitely learnt that I need to just pick an idea and stick with it. In the afternoon my group ran the tap piece because I needed to get it into my head. Whenever we have spare time I always ask to go over it as I've picked up the choreography late and it's not my strongest area of speciality. We then ran the modern piece a few times just to recap and refresh ourselves. Then the other tap group came down the stairs and asked if we could show eachother our tap pieces. I was extremely nervous about this because I feel like I'm the worst person in the college for tap but after performing it made me feel alittle more confident and filled me with alot more positivity. I love the other tap number it makes me feel excited and it grabs my attention. I think it's going to look really good in the show because we have two contrasting tap pieces.

9/6/15

Today was spent trying to finish things of and polish them. We were able to finish the rock and roll piece which was such a great moment. We worked as a team to make sure we had it completed and finished for today because we all have other dances that need more work on them so getting this done and out of the way is a big weight lifter. There is just a tiny section in the middle with me and Tj that needs to be sorted out but we can do that easily. Tj suggested that we try the double cartwheel to which I agreed as I also really wanted to do it. We could do it so we put it in. We then attempted to get the street duet done. This piece is stressing me out as amber goes on holiday soon and we still have no choreography. I feel as though sometimes when one of us is stuck we both are. I think had time to get my solo done. I had a complete melt down to Zak so I helped him do part of his solo just to take my mind off of mine. I think decided it was best for me to go back to my original song and choreography just for getting it all done in times sake. Even though I don't really like it I want to have it all done so I don't stress out on the night of the show or within the next two weeks. 

10/6/15

Run through I done nearly all my pieces ( Contemp, solo, rock and roll, drama, street, musical theatre). The feedback for rock and roll was that we needed more energy and out spacing was an issue. We need to stay close to one another for it to look effective and just smile and enjoy it. For drama we needed to be way more confident and louder. When then had singing where we were learning and sorting out the so g for the finale piece. In Street started to put it all together but not with the music as it hasn't been mixed properly yet. We went over previous parts so that everyone knew them and then we sorted out certain formations. In contemporary we  learnt more choreography which is a good sign because I really want this number to be finished. 

11/6/15 

This morning instead of doing tap like normal we done modern with the other girls as we have learnt the dance separately so we have to do it all together now. Some of the girls have done the piece all together before but I wasn't there so it was a first for me. We ran it once and Kerry said she absolutely hated it and and made us do it again. We done it again and she said that that was better we just needed to put more effort in and actually perform it. We just needed to clean it and adjust things. We then had some studio time and within this time me and Tj decided to try and find some lifts to put in the little space we have in rock and roll. We spent the whole time experimenting and trying new and different things but we still weren't happy so I think we have agreed on just doing some partnered footwork and changing of hands instead. We started Emile's lesson with going over the contemporary piece once or twice and then we went straight into street. The aim of today was to get both finished but instead we concentrated on the street piece and we set it all apart from the beginning bit as Emile hadn't had the mix long enough to listen to it and be happy with what he had choreographed for us. We broke it down and went over the different sections whilst Emile was setting formations and positions. We then ran it a few times and then we went upstairs and recorded it. I'm feeling slightly more positive about the street piece now as we are nearly finished and there is enough time for us to do that without stressing. However, I am extremely worried about the contemporary number as we have 2 weeks left and I'm not great at the piece and I don't remember it very well. 

Stressed out helped Zak and done old solo. 

On the Friday I went to the gym and on e agai. Ran everything I took more time to run the rock and roll and tap piece today as I'm concerned about them. 

Show log week 9.

23/6/15

I was off of college yesterday as I was really poorly and I still felt poorly today so I didn't do the tap recording for the show, Mary stood in for me. We then ran through all trios and duets and solos. As I didn't feel well Mary told me I was only allowed to go 20% and didn't make me do my solos so I only done the rock and roll piece. In the afternoon we done a full 'stamina' run of the running order.. This didn't go to plan as there was an incident with Amber and Millie where they injured themselves. After that everything went down hill, the atmosphere was awful and everyone was in a bad mood. I forgot part of my solo and most of the group dances. I'm really not looking forward to Friday as I'm feeling really unprepared and unhappy about it all. 

24/6/15

Today we done a complete dress run of the whole show just to make sure there wasn't any major faults or massive gaps within the different pieces. We sorted all of our clothes out and wrote on our running orders how we were having our hair for each one. This helped me loads because I was able to organise myself which means I won't stress and because I've done it once it's now familiar. All of my changes were okay, a few of them were quick but I was capable of doing them. I made sure that if some of the girls needed help I would help then put there clothes on or help with there shoes. I think the pieces were okay, I have to just polish my ending and then finish my street solo. Mary and Kelly took notes which will be fed back to us tomorrow morning. As soon as we finished the run through we started to sort out our finale number as Claire was there. We done it once and they weren't happy so we just sat down and sang and then got up and done it again. We clarified the moves and what our cues were. Then in the afternoon we finished contemporary and ran street once. I made a point of asking Tj to go over a certain bit with me as I always forget it. We've had to slightly alter the piece as amber is concussed so she won't know the piece in time for the show, which is okay because I'm her partner for it so it doesn't make a dramatic change to everyone. 

25/6/15 

Today we started by listening to notes given to us from yesterday's dress run then we completed a dress run again and I made sure I set everything out like last time so I didn't confuse myself. Today was the first day we had amber back in college since her being on holiday and her injury so it felt good to have her back and it made me not nervous at all for tomorrow. I think it definitely showed in most pieces that amber was back as all of the pieces started to look how they should and everyone felt good. I made sure I took on all of the notes given to me this morning aswell as I really want to do well in this unit and I want them to be able to see the clear difference after giving me feedback. The run through went loads better than yesterday and I'm not very excited. In the afternoon when smile came in we cleaned contemporary and ran street. Now both pieces are done I'm so excited for the show. However I was so nervous about my street solo so I spent the next hour with Emile learning and choreographing the last bit of my solo. We got it done straight away and I've never worked and sweated so hard in my life. I think the reason behind this is because I want to prove that even though I've only had a week and it's only been completed a day before the show I can do it. I want to prove that I've come along way since September and that in fact I can deal with the pressure and still do well. I made sure I recorded me and Emile doing the dance so I could go home tonight and recap it. 

These were my notes from the morning...

Contemp - face and emotion 

R&R - hands& head. Lift in the middle. Leggings???

Solo- ending? Face, get angry. Kelly liked it. Emotions. Nails

Ballet - high skirts at the front. Look over the leg. Ballerina walks, they were good. 

Acting - make up pretend. Plastic surgeons fine home, hold it stronger. Lose some lines 

Street- converses for everyone. My face. Know it attitude. Accessories 

MT- more. Tuck or tie. 

Street - finish what am I wearing?? 

Modern- drop to the floor??? 

Commercial - legs apart? 

Tap- nothing was said. 

Fan - just learn it and be confident

26/6/15 

Today I got into college and we all sat down and started to discuss what song we wanted to use for our finale piece. We tried thinking of songs that reminded us of the college and finally came to the conclusion that we were going to dance to lunch money lewis. We then went into the studio to start creating something it came really easy to us all to create something. Everyone was in such a good mood as it was show day. We then went over a few piece we were unsure of just marking them. I then went into the studio upstairs with Imogen to run my street solo as we had only just finished choreographing it the day before. We then showed Mary our finale piece and got our costumes into piles making sure we had everything we needed. I was so worried that I was going to forget something or break a costume before the show so I just left them in the pile from the day before because I made sure it was all there yesterday. We then loaded all of our stuff into the cars and made our way to comberton. When we got there I picked a corner of the room with lots of space and put the running order up Infront of me and started to put all of my costumes out. I found the best way to do it is by working my way from the bottom of the running order to the top. We then had a run through on stage not with costumes but with shoes just so we could get to grips with the flooring we were now dancing on. Everyone was really nervous at this point and I was surprisingly really calm and cool. I think I felt like this because in the run through I didn't mess up bad. I forgot my street solo but I didn't freak out. We then went to do our make up and then it was show time!!!!!!

Show log week 8.

15/6/15

This morning we warmed up and then rehearsed our Ballet piece. Kelly said she wanted to run it once and then keep running through it and stopping when she wants something correcting or adjusting, so we did. I like it when we do stuff like this because I like to know if I'm doing something wrong. At the end Kelly said a few things she wanted adjusting and then she said about me looking stiff and needing to loosen my wrists. I'm glad she said this because I noticed & have previously logged the fact that I feel like I look different whilst doing that move but I didn't know how to change it.We then went and got all of our props and outfits for drama. We all went into the studio and I volunteered our group to go first and perform Infront of everyone. The only reason for me doing this is because I knew everyone in my group was nervous and we are the least 'ready' drama piece so if we were to watch everyone else we would of given a half hearted performance. Once everyone performed we individually gave feedback on the other two groups ( not our own groups) our main piece of advice was to be more confident and louder and make sure we know our lines. Also, within the performance Tierney has to put some tights on and it was taking forever so I took it on my shoulders to just improvise and told her to take them off. As our group went first we were the first group to stay in the studio with Anna and perform on our own. We performed a few times with Anna telling us what we did wrong or what line to go back to if she wasn't happy or connected with what she was seeing. After doing this she made us stand at the back of the studio and pick a line and project it with volume and confidence. I feel like this helped me personally because now I'm not nervous to do that and I know that I don't feel like the only stupid one. We then ran it once more. After drama we had musical theatre. Me and Tj said to eachother before we started we were going to go full out because we are coming up to the show and we need to get used to feeling confident with the piece. We then performed it once and then Kelly said we all needed to put more effort in but she praised me and said well done because she thought she'd never see me lip singing. This made me feel good about the piece so I continued to maintain the same amount of effort and confidence throughout the rest of the run throughs. There is still one bit of this dance that just doesn't stick in my head which is very frustrating. After doing the musical theatre piece we spent the last 10 minutes going over the finale fan dance. We found a karaoke version of our song instead of using the one with people singing. I always forget to sing when the people are singing on the track aswell so it's a good thing that we are now rehearsing with that music. We then ran it a few times to make sure we remembered it. I'm really looking forward to this piece! We then had studio time and me and amber spent it doing our duet as we have a new mix and she goes on holiday on Wednesday so we need it done. We listened to the mix and amber taught me some choreography she already had for it and then we were stuck once again. I watched some videos on my phone for inspiration and we added on a few more little bits but nothing major. We are going to take our old choreography and try and place it within this mix. Amber had the idea of having a song each from the mix and choreographing to it and then coming back and teaching eachother. So we then went into separate studios and started. I didn't get any done as I couldn't get the track on my phone before it was time to go to modern. Within modern today we ran the piece twice and then we recapped the tap piece quite a few times and then discussed outfits for tap and got ourselves measured for the costumes. Kerry said that with the tap piece we sound really nice but our faces are blank. We need to give it some more and actually perform. I really struggle to perform with my upper half whilst doing tap as I'm concentrating so hard on my feet.We then got the girls from the other group to come in and run it with us as they are in it and we done this multiple times. I think we all now this piece now it's just a case of making an effort when performing it.

16/6/15

Today we started off by doing a run through and Mary made notes on things like the length of the piece, what we would be wearing, if we needed any props and if it was completed or not so she and ourselves knew where exactly we were at with everything. I wasn't very happy with the pieces I performed as I completely forgot the rock and roll piece my mind just went blank, my solo was surprisingly okay, all of the group dances were mediocre. The street duet went awful and I didn't do anything as we have changed it so many times that nothing is sticking in my brain with it. I really frustrated myself after the street piece and it put me in an awful mood but I still continued. We then spent an hour cleaning up the street piece, going step by step over things making sure we all knew what it was. Maddy has injured herself so she couldn't dance. She sat down and watched us and was brutally honest when parts were awful. I made a point of asking Maddy to go over a certain part of the dance with me as it isn't sticking in my brain and she did. I feel a lot more confident with it all now and I feel like it's loads more cleaner. Mary then came up and watched us and again went through it all step by step and then we performed it. She said she was happy with the dramatic change we all had made and then asked me and amber to go into the office. Mary said it would be beneficial to everyone if we were to cut the street duet and it's not finished and amber goes on holiday tomorrow so we won't have any home for it. She then said that she'd like me to create a street solo so we can still keep the running order the same. This has stressed me out a little bit because even though the pressure is now off because of the duet but I now have 3 days to make a solo. I went into the studio and i completed my other solo and got Mary to cut my song. I'm so happy that my crazy in love solo is done now and I can just keep going over it making sure I know it but now I have to get this other solo done. I then sat down with Zak and we discussed some songs I could use for my other solo and he suggested.. The rhythm mnek. I've got to go home and have a listen to some songs but that is definitely a possibility. I then asked Mary if she could just walk through with us and tell us what pieces need what costumes as that is another thing that's stressing me out. I need to think of costumes for both my solos and we need to know what we are wearing for the street piece and I need to find something for the musical theatre piece. I asked Maddy previously in the day if she could go over the rock and roll piece with me as I messed it up this morning so we all went into the studio to rehearse it a few times. We rehearsed it with our  proper tops on to make sure we feel comfortable and I felt fine. Went to the gym and done my solo & stretched

17/6/15

This morning we started with our finale piece. Mary has cut the music so it isn't so long now which helps because we can rehearse with the proper backin track. I don't know why but I always forget to sing the first two lines and it's just not sticking in my head. That aside we completed the dance today even though tensions were kinda high. I had to point out that when we come out of the circle me and Tierney physically couldn't get there in time so we ran it again and tried it with me and Tierney just walking straight away which didn't work as it looked awful so we changed the timing of the circle. We then finished the piece and ran it a few times. Everyone was really down this morning but I think it's because everyone is stressed out. We then had 25 minutes studio time so I just ran my solo making sure I knew the ending confidently and cleaning it. We then had singing where we had a huge dilemma. The song itself and the cut is fine, it's just we've been dancing to different lyrics but it's easily changeable & we kind of sorted that out amongst ourselves whilst in singing anyway. We then go the last line of the song where Claire wanted us to do an optif leap and go higher than Zak. I made the point of saying I couldn't do it after we'd tried it multiple times, so I then tried to do the lower version which felt more awkward. Everyone wasn't feeling it and felt like we needed to sing in the middle of both of those notes. So Mary came in and made us try both and she said we needed to have some different harmonys going on because it sounds weird us all doing Zak's part.We came to the conclusion that we definitely needed to find a middle note and sing at that so we tried it out and it felt so much nicer apart from the last note so we changed it again but then it sounded good. After getting over that hurdle we then couldn't quite find the right note to go straight into it so I recorded Mary singing it so I can listen to it and try and remember it. We now have three harmonys on the end with Maddy doing Zak's bit, Tj and Mary doing the high bit and the rest of us doing the middle note. I'm glad that was sorted because it was so stressful. We then had a chat at lunch about costumes for everything and we discussed it for street, the list has been out up and I really need to sort out what I'm wearing for my solos. I spoke to Emile about my street solo and he's helped me pick my songs so he's going to mash them together for me and help me. We then had street where we learnt the beginning bit and the ending and got it finished completely! That was such a good feeling after running it because everyone was sweating and was so happy with themselves because it's one more thing to tick off of the list. I continued to ask questions as I didn't want to mess this street piece up like I did with the other one. 

18/6/15 

Studio ran out stuff, solo & rock and roll got to remember.  I asked to be taught the bit of contemporary, modern then tap twice then contemporary. In the evening I went to Emile's house and he helped me created my solo. I told him some songs I'd like to use and then we picked three. We choreographed the whole of 'freak of the week' and he showed me a few steps he'd like to put in the other two songs. After rehearsing this solo I recorded smile doing it all so I could go home and watch it so I know what I'm doing. This piece is making me really nervous for the show.

Show log week 6.

1/6/15

In ballet today we completed a floor bar making sure we were warmed up enough to start the dance. As soon as we were finished we ran the dance to see what we could remember. Everyone was okay until the last little bit as the timing confused people. I think the reason was simply just forgetting what we had previously done and what part of the music it went to. We then clarified the ending and ran it a few times. I asked Kelly to just go over a few bits and what the turn were as I was doing it but I was 100% sure exactly what it was I was suppose to be doing. We then showed Mary and she have us feedback. She said she really enjoyed it and she likes we just need to clean the timing up now. There is a certain bit in the ballet piece where I feel awkward and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but it may be because I don't know the choreography very well. We then had drama where my group started in the down stairs studio we

told Tierney what the staging is as she wasn't present in the previous lesson. We then ran it slowly with staging and scripts.After that  we went through the lines together, and then we tried to remember it all. We achieved the first page and a half without the scripts but I couldn't remember my line so I had to look. We then went in with Anna and we ran through it all twice. Once with scripts and a basic judgement of the staging, then without looking at scripts and Anna adjusting and altering things to make it look better.  I'm nervous about the drama piece because there are parts where we have to be very natural and laugh and I find it very difficult to do that without making it look fake. After that Anna said we had to be completely without scripts by next week and when we go into her we have to do it like a performance. Finally we went into the other studio and just went over our lines. In musical theatre today we done a quick warm up with Kelly leading it then we stretched ourselves out for two songs. Like we did in ballet we ran the piece to see what we could remember. I honestly couldn't remember much as it was so long along we had done it that I'd forgotten it. Kelly made us do it again as she said not everyone was putting in enough effort. Kelly then added on and finished the rest of the piece and then altered the beginning bit to be more astetically pleasing to the audience. I also in the lesson asked Kelly to just clarify the steps in the middle section of the dance as I was very confused on what leg we stepped on and if it was a ball change or a step. Once again Mary came up to watch us perform and said that it's good we just need to decide what we are wearing and clean it. I also need to go over the middle bit as I just can't get it to go in my head. In studio time today I decided that I am going to change my song and so I sat down with Zak and I let him listen to the songs I was thinking of using. I then asked Mary and she agreed to me changing my song and helped me pick one. I'm happier now that I have changed my song as I feel like I was just getting bored of the other one and so I lost the connection with it. I'm going to use the choreography I created and just alter it to this music now. I also made a rough idea on what I want to wear for it. We then had modern where like all the other lessons today we ran the dance to see what we could remember and then Kerry taught me the last little bit of choreography as I wasn't in the previous lesson. We ran the piece multiple times and then Kerry decided she didn't like a certain part so she slightly altered it. This isn't a problem for me as I'd just learnt it so I was able to adapt to it quickly. 

At the gym today I started to create some new choreography for my solo and I added in my old choreography to fit the tempo of this song. 

2/6/15

This morning we had rock and roll where we just ran it to see what we could remember. I personally couldn't remember the last bit as it was so long ago we done it. We then continued to add on more choreography. Before that we decided to take the lift out as we both couldn't do it so me and Tj will do it but later on in the dance. I personally have never done rock and roll before so I couldn't really help majorly with choreography but I have a rough idea. Today was really good as I had an idea and then everyone went with it and then the girls added on a classic rock and roll move and it looked really good. I also suggested we all say the word 'woo' out loud as I feel like it just needs to be said and will bring the dance even more alive. We have a total of about 50 seconds of choreography in total. We also had our song cut today. I then went into the studio with amber where we only had enough time to remind ourselves of the choreography and run it a few times. We didn't bother adding on anymore as we just watched some videos for inspiration as we both had a mental block. At 10 o'clock we done a run through of all solos and group dances we were choreographing ourselves. However, I didn't perform my solo as id only changed it yesterday and I didn't want to make myself look silly as I haven't got it all put together yet. I did perform my rock and roll piece and the street duet. For the rock and roll piece we discussed that we were going to wear leather, wet look high waisted leggings and a shirt tied up and for the street duet we are still unsure on what we could wear. Mary and Kelly said they are very impressed with the dances so far we just need to get ourselves into gear and finish them all. Mary has set a deadline for the pieces to be finished for next thursday. This does worry me a little bit as my solo is not finished and neither is the street duet, I'm not too worried about the rock and roll piece as we have a large amount of choreography already. We then went into commercial and ran the routine. For ever dance we have we are literally just running it to see either what we remember it how clean it is. Everyone was a bit unsure on the end of the piece but we went through it slowly and Kelly clarified bits and changed one step as she didn't like it. Kelly picked up on the fact that I wasn't pushing before I turned at the beginning so I was able to change that. I did once again ask Kelly to just clarify the end for me as I know what the dance is but I was just fluffing the moves. I like to be able to know the moves precisely so I can execute them correctly without having the fear of going wrong. We then ran it full out two or three times and then ran the Musial theatre piece. For the musical theatre piece we now have to wear heels which I am very uneasy about as I don't feel confident enough to be wearing heels. I really enjoy this dance but now I'm worried for it. We only ran it twice to make sure we could remember it. Mary changed things up this afternoon and we didn't stick to the timetable as she needed to work with the girls on their song and dance trio. In this time I went into the studio and started to choreograph my solo. I kept getting swallowed by the music and forgetting what I was doing because there are so many different beats and accents. Therefore, I sat down and wrote down exactly what times the music slightly changes tempo or there is a dramatic change in the beat. I then wrote down key moves or references to phrases I know I want in there but I'm not sure where and I started to locate them to certain parts of the song. I work better by writing down what the timing is as I find that easier for remembering it. We then had 45 minutes to do our duet. Mary cut our music for us today so amber and I listened to it and then started to create some more choreography. We both kept coming up with ideas but we weren't sure on them so we would do it to see and if we liked it we'd use it. I feel like we worked really well together because we kept bouncing off of each others ideas and for instance we both had moves we liked so we combined them to make it work. We then got Millie to record it for us. Overall today I feel like it's been really successful in the amount that has been done and I'm looking forward to getting everything done. 

3/6/15

This morning we started the day with  a warm up then we went into musical theatre which I was really worried about. This was going to be the first time we all done the dance in heels. We marked it first in heels just so we could get a feel of it and then we ran it properly. I generally thought it was going to be worse than what it actually was, I think I just worried myself. We then went through the dance breaking it down bit by bit clarifying the moves precisely and then re running it from the beginning to whatever point we were currently at to make sure it was clean and up to the standard it should be. I finally got the step that has been bugging me all this time and I'm able to do that bit confidently now. Kelly altered a few things to make it look better but I picked them up quite well. I'm glad that we went though the piece like we did because it helps me get it in my head properly and I can now give it 100% every time we perform it as I know exactly what the moves are. We then performed it once full out to Mary and Kerry to which we then discussed costumes. I'm struggling to think of something to wear for this piece as I don't have anything of that genre, but I'm sure I'll find something. We then had some time to go over the street duet. We both had brain block and couldn't think of any new choreography to begin with but we finally added on a count of 8 and clarified our piece. We then ran the piece just stood there and I asked amber if we could try something else formation wise as I think it'll look better. We tried it and we've stuck with it because it looks better being behind one another than to the side of eachother. For the first 20-25 minutes of singing we started to look at and learn our finale song/piece for the show. I had never heard of the song before so I made that known to Claire to which she then put the video of it on. To begin with I wasn't keen on the song at all but towards the end of the lesson I actually started to like it. We began by learning the female section at the beginning and then we all learnt Zak's first verse and sang it with him. The second time round we all sang the first line of the verse and then we all went quiet and Zak song it all on his own. We were all so happy that he'd done that and I think it was after hearing Zak sing on his own it made us all feel excited and buzzed for the show. I think I felt like this because it's something I'd never done before! In the afternoon we had street, to begin with I asked Emile to just clarify what sections we actually have that make up the piece as I feel like there are so many. We started of by going over bang bang as not everyone knows that and then we went into truffle butter and then into trini dem girls. I really wish that we would have had the whole same blocked today so we could clean it next week but there are a few members of the group who have been absent so we had to re-teach choreography. I'm glad that emile had to re-teach the pieces as it helps me to know what the moves are exactly so I begin to execute them more. Before the end of class Emile asked what other section we wanted to go over so I said peanut butter as I thought it would be beneficial to make sure we all have it in our heads still. 

4/6/15

Today we started to off by doing some fan work for our finale piece. I haven't worked with fans before so I was glad we were getting used to them first before we started putting anything together for the finale. I struggled to begin with about how I should be holding them but I asked Kelly and she said there is a fan specifically for the left or right so they both drop the same way. Once we done that Kelly started choreographing the finale. We started a piece and then Kelly completely scrapped it and decided to use stalls instead. I definitely prefer the second piece of choreography to the first one. We learnt the dance for the women's bit and then Zak's first two verses I think it is. I absolutely loved dancing with the fans once I got how to hold them and I really learnt how to make my fan work instead of the fans over taking me. We also recorded it aswell. I'm really excited for the finale as the choreography created today was really good and even though we didn't sing I don't feel bothered by it. We then had contemporary where we recapped the piece and Emile had to slightly alter Tj and Tierneys section. As there are four different things going on at once it's taking a long time to get through everything. We added on a little bit more choreography today but not a lot. We mainly spent time cleaning what we have and clarify counts as it didn't add up to begin with. The contemporary piece is starting to stress me out a little bit as we have three weeks left until the show now and we haven't finished it and because it's such an intricate piece it'll look awful if it's rushed. We looked today though and we have 1 minute 30.

Show log week 5.

18/5/15

Today we started with our solos as there were a few people coming in later on so there wasn't any point doing a group routine. In this studio space time I ran over my solo. I was contemplating whether to change my song as I wasn't feeling it, so I sat down and had a little to a few different songs and tried to put my choreography to those songs. It didn't work with two of the four songs id picked but then it was time to go so I couldn't try work out which one I preferred. I think the main reason for me wanting to change my song is that I've listened to it so much that I've just lost the connection to it and I'm now getting stunted for ideas. We then had drama where we staged our piece. Tierney wasn't in for drama so me and Millie had to read her lines as we went through the scene. Anna mainly  staged it all but we put input into it as to how we think we should move or if we could of done this. By going through the lines and staging it it's helped me remember the lines a lot more and because I half heartedly know Tierney and Millie's lines I know when I'm due to say something. We clarified what props we would be using and what we would be wearing. I'm looking forward to performing this piece as it's going to be funny but at the same time very nervous because I'm not used to playing a funny character. We then had musical theatre where we warmed up and stretched then ran the routine. After we'd ran the routine a few times we had to clarify a few things towards the end as everyone had kind of forgotten or wasn't sure of the exact movement. We then added on abit more choreography and recorded it. I'm glad we recorded it because the choreography that was added on yesterday kept getting me as I couldn't work out my feet properly. In the afternoon instead of modern we had studio time as not everyone was here and it makes sense to do it with everyone. So, I ran over tap with Tierney as I don't know the beginning section very well as I joined in late. There are two or three parts of the tap routine that keep catching me and I really can't get my brain to work with my feet but I got the rest of the choreography. It was really bugging me that I couldn't get the steps because in theory they are very simple but if I keep practising then I will hopefully be okay for the show! For the last ten minutes I ran my solo with my original song as I'm still unsure what song I want to do it to. 

19/5/15 

Today we in ballet we had a quick warm up and stretch and then we ran the routine once. I'm glad we ran it first so I could refresh myself of the choreography because we haven't done it in a while. We then completed the piece. There are a few moves that I can't do but I know with abit of practise I should be okay. We then ran it two or three times and recorded it, once again I'm glad we recorded it so I can have a look at it if I get confused or lost on a step. This piece is very simplistic but I love it, I may not be able to do a move or two but I really enjoy it. Kelly corrected me on my leg in one of turns which I hadn't even realised I was doing wrong which is good. We then done our solos, I done my solo to the other songs again today and I've decided that I'm just going to stick with my original song as I actually do like it now. I think I was just having an off day the other day. I then got Zak to watch it for me and he said it's good and he suggested a move I could do because I was stuck for ideas which has helped me as I was really stunted. I think ran it a few times and Millie came in and watched it and then I watched hers, we gave eachother a few ideas which was nice as having others ideas helps you think differently. We then went downstairs and we all showed our solos to Mary and Kelly. They said that it was good I just need to get a move on and start added more choreography to get it completed so I can start perfecting and cleaning it in time for the show. 

20/5/15 

Today in commercial we warmed ourselves up and stretched. We then ran the piece and I stopped towards the end as I didn't know the choreography as I wasn't present last week. Kelly then taught me the section they learnt last week, there were two bits that are very similar and I kept getting them confused. I made sure that I stopped Kelly and asked her if I was doing it right and to just clarify certain bits for me. After running it and breaking it down a few times I got it. We then added the last bit of choreography on which is basically the beginning bit but slightly altered. We ran it once to get it into our heads then twice full out. When we done it full out the first time Kelly recorded it and the second time Mary watched. The end is very simple but it confuses me a little bit as I've trained my brain to turn left but I now have to do it on the right side aswell. There is a section where I have to freestyle and walk to the front which is out of my comfort zone but I'm feeling confident about this piece overall. We then had half an hour to do our solos, in this time I ran it once. after performing it yesterday I realised that when I am really nervous I speed things up so I was early on a few parts so today I added in a few moves to prevent me from being thrown when I perform it if I go fast. I watched a few dance pieces on YouTube to try and get some inspiration and I liked a few things so I altered some of it and put it in my solo. I think by tomorrow I should have my solo nearly finished. I'd like to get Mary to watch my solo and tell me what she thinks of it. Today we also had street which was really good. We learnt a new section and ran through all of the other pieces we have previously learnt which was extremely helpful as I'd forgotten parts of a few of them. Today I finally mastered how to do the section I couldn't do in peanut butter and work it. We just continued to recap over each section and then at the end we ran it all for Mary to see. We have now learnt nearly all of the sections for the piece we just have to learn one more and have it put together and cleaned now. Today I feel like I've improved in most of the pieces and I've understood things I previously hadn't. 

21/5/15 

Today i only had rehearsals for contemporary as I came into college late due to me having physiotherapy. In contemporary we done a warm up as usual and then we got on with doing the routine. We got quite a lot done today and Emile made sure we knew all the little details so that when we come back from half term we can get straight into learning more of it. I love the theme and idea behind this dance and I love the story it tells. I think it's going to look really effective when it's finished and this is probably my favourite dance so far for the show.