...Tips continued

Good afternoon all

Continuing my research into what makes a better performance, I came across this page giving good advice and food for thought, we should all try to install this into our practice and performance. Enhancing our performance will create better shows, this is my line of inquiry. I'm investigating into what makes a great performance for an audience...

Working on performance

I was also looking on a public speaking page and ideas and advice on how to 'wow' your audience, although all the pointers didn't associate with shows, I managed to pick out some key points that could transfer into my profession:

1.Know your audience, I believe this is important to your performance, not knowing what an audience is wanting could result in a failure of performance, in order to create successful shows we must provide for our audience.

3. Keep your eyes focused on your audience. 

7. Stay focused on what is happening in the moment. Humorous situations are much more humorous when they evolve. Similarly, you will be a much better speaker if you truly focus on what you are saying and how your audience is reacting. You will also be less nervous if you dig down into the content of what you're presenting rather than thinking about how nervous you are or how much you'd like to get out of there. Experts advise people with performance anxiety in music or sports to get into the "flow" and the same is true of public speaking. It's also helpful to find your maximum level of arousal so that you're not too scared, but not too laid-back either. Similarly, don't allow yourself to suffer from "imposter syndrome" in which you convince yourself that you don't know enough to be up there talking. No one would have asked you to speak if they didn't think you had something worthwhile to say.

10. Practice, practice, practice. If you're not a natural entertainer and feel overwhelmed at the thought of public speaking, you can buy yourself a great deal of extra confidence by going over your talk in front of a sympathetic audience of people who you trust.  Allow yourself to accept their feedback, which I'm sure they will do very gently if they truly care about you. If you want to go the extra distance, make a video of yourself, and then force yourself to watch the video. If you don't like the first attempt, do it over. You don't want to make yourself too self-conscious, so I wouldn't advise obsessing over every imperfection. However, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised when you realize you did a pretty darn good job.

Public speaking isn't so much an art as a science, yet there is some art to being able to win over an audience. Following these rules is a great start to becoming a great speaker in any situation, but it's your unique personal qualities that will ultimately make it all come together and have your audience coming back for more!

A few other pointers I would like to present are some thoughts I've had from reading some other sources and piecing some things together...

-You should never dance alone, even in a solo, you should always engage your audience.
-Make eye contact, direct your energy to one person, respond to the energy that others give you.
-Truly see, look and take in the world through your eyes as you dance.
-Dance outside your kinesphere, break the fourth wall and push through your bubble.

After reading these various pages and articles, I think it is very important to understand who you are, discovering yourself may not have already happened and we are continually learning and growing, but becoming mature and demonstrating this in performance takes you to a whole other level. Dance just isn't about the steps.

Tips for performance

I like this page of answers for various opinions on what makes a dancer stand out, the first answer is probably the one that drew my attention most; I think it is very important to understand and start discovering who YOU are. This may not happen as we are continually throughout our whole lives learning and growing from experience, but attaining a degree of maturity and being able to demonstrate this in dance, takes your performance onto another level. Dance isn't just about performing the steps.

What makes a great dancer?

How can we better our performance?

Basing my inquiry on finding out what makes a performance successful, exciting and entertaining for an audience I have found this article on how to make your performance super. It has naturally occurred to me that I want to base my inquiry on this as my WBL has led me in this direction, I have found that this is a big learning curve for me, contrasting my current second cruise dance contract with my first, I am focusing becoming a better performer with the audience as my goal and target.

Here is a literature example that I am getting to utilise:

Super performance formula

In particular I like the line: 'Truly see, look and take in the world through your eyes as you dance'. For me this fits into being mindful, I like to read and research into mindfulness, I think this is very good practice for everything that occurs in life. Being mindful of everything around you helps you deal and develop into a better person I believe.

I also like the section on musicality, I find that I respond and pay far more attention to the live band that perform throughout the shows, they bring a true depth and rhythm to the show that simply makes me dance with compassion. Listening to the band and interpreting beats really adds a different dimension to your performance. Its good to notice this and use it.

I really like the following quote from the article describing how we as dancers must incorporate ourselves as actors into performance:

 Long experience has taught me that the crux of my fortunes is whether I can radiate good will toward my audience. There is only one way to do it and that is to feel it. You can fool the eyes and minds of the audience, but you cannot fool their hearts.
~ Howard Thurston ~

Article on the coming of the revolution- Ethics

Similar to what I posted in my last blog about literature for part 5, here is an article on diversity on stage and how we should accept it and that the coming of the new revolution is here and how we have to deal with it. I agree! Thoughts?

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2014/mar/03/theatre-middle-class-white-male-diversify

WBL experience of Ethics

Using my place of work, the ethical standards and boundaries that are applied are to show equality and respect to every guest and crew member regardless of age, ethnicity, religion or sex. This happens on a daily basis as I go about ship life. We are formally trained with Carnival in equality and respect for both crew and guests, we take training in becoming a 'family' and having to learn to live with our team for our time onboard, this is very important and is compulsory training for all team members. We are told to treat the ship as our home, and the people as our family, we are told to greet and be pleasant to all whom we pass and come across during our day. We are trained on what is going over the top and across the boundaries of what is acceptable with treating male and female crew and guests.

However, during shows and conducting choreography I have to remember and adhere to respects for all cultures and religions, we have to remember to always salute under our hats as a verification of US standards and also make sure we never make crude/distastful/disrespectful moves on stage, its easy to mix up a two finger point to the audience, mistaken with a gesture that would imitate a gun.

Its interesting also to note, the audiences reaction to two of our cast members, as their races are both black, one is south african and the other is from the islands, I notice that the male from south africa which is our Dance Captain, gains a lot of support from the audience when he does a dance where he showcases his cultured roots of dance, he looks fantastic and as a result, the audience really encourage him. I notice however that in some parts during the show, our female singer who is from the Islands seems to lose respect from the audience, as some songs are not originally sung by her race, for me, this doesn't take away from her talent and how she sings the songs, but I feel the audience show some dismay at her, compared to when I watch other singers perform the same songs. However, with that being said, when she sings 'Motown' songs, the audience go wild. Its interesting to see how the audience perceive what may seem right and wrong and how it causes a reaction and a feeling.

The more I perform the shows the more I notice a difference in reaction comparing the white people to the black. A simple and easy observation, it happens almost every show, our audience which consist of the white people do not hoot, holla, cheer or encourage us half as much as what the black audience do. For me, they are our best audience, I love and am grateful for the encouragement and enthusiasm from our black guests, they even dance in the shows whilst were performing, they always applaud us the loudest too. This makes a difference to MY performance, if I know someone is enjoying my performance, I try and strive even more to perform the best for them. 

Motivation

Hi all

Came across this very brief blog on actingcoachscotland again, Mark's blogs are very good and can be applied to anyone in any vocation. Anyway the following article contains the message of motivation, don't set yourself up to fail. Whether you can apply this to your inquiry or just simply to yourself at this very moment to your uni work or day.. I like this very brief pick up:

Failure? Don't set yourself up...

WBL experience and lines of inquiry

During my time with Carnival Cruise Lines I have noticed a development and change between my first and second (current) contract. The way in which I approach other members of my cast, my rehearsals, dedication to ettiquette and fitness, health and well being, application of corrections and the will in which to produce entertaining, memorable shows has now advanced and I feel better as a dancer and a person for this.

As well as a definite feeling that I have progressed in all areas within my work, guests have pinpointed me as a charismatic, watchable dancer and have personally approached me to pass this on to me. This has reinforced my confidence and thinking on my progress as a performer. I feel far happier and healthier than I did in my first contract.

A point I raised before about noticing the shows as a team effort to producing successfully is noted here in Acting Coach Scotland in an article about 'Its not about you'. The very first line itself reiterates my thoughts on how I feel I've become a more advanced professional due to noticing, appreciating and respecting that the show isn't just about my part. The confidence I now feel shines through in performance where I am now genuinely interacting and connecting with the audience. I will take in the mass of people, look for their attention and spot their eyes and actively engage with them. In the article Westbrook advocates 'when we are insecure, unsure and anxious, we focus on ourselves' he goes on to say that 'when we are self focused, we are clumsy, defensive and tense' 'when an audience sees the truthful exchange taking place beneath the surface of the lines, they become drawn in and they are affected by it on a gut level'. Something I've discovered most recently is that keeping within company choreography, I find that when I dance 'me' and give my personality to the dance, I find myself being the greatest dancer I can be. It gives me a real buzz and true sense of appreciation and pleasure.

Reading through various blogs the person that caught my attention was Gabrielle Fairhead. Instantly I noticed a connection and shared interest on her thoughts for inquiry. I particularly like her light bulb post about stimulates dancers, and why do dancers dance?

I'm heading my line of inquiry with a mix of this, I'd quite like to research how we can make the best of what we hold tacitly within ourselves as dancers. A mix of our genetic make up, backgrounds and formulas for success. This could range across points of view from both dancers/performers and audience viewers. What perhaps stimulates/entertains us as performers and the comparison to that of an audience member. Which is more important? What is more valuable?

I like Gabrielles use of words for describing ourselves as performers' 'I believe the vitality of a dancer is what is key to the utmost enjoyment of this demanding yet most exciting lifestyle' and 'generally dancers dance because of enjoyment' if we ourselves are not enjoying our work, how are we supposed to show this to an audience? We must find a balance, which means finding ourselves. The obstacle we face however is at which point do we find ourselves, when do we discover our niche? Or will we forever be on the journey to finding and perfecting it.. Thoughts fellow BAPP's?

Reaching out to you

Morning all

Hope everyone is doing well and feeling like they are all heading in some sort of direction with lines of inquiry. I would like to ask you all to assist me with the following question:

Depending on your background, whether you are a performer or not; what makes a show successful and entertaining for you?

Hope you can all post your comments below, just a quick answer from my part:
for me, a successful show is about diversity on stage, a sense of real individual passion from every performer. It is an artist who gives 100% of themselves to the audience. Even though i specialise in dance, I have complete and utter respect and time for any sort of performer who possesses an outstanding quality. An example in my work placement here onboard the cruise ship is that we have a fiddle player which does a solo set mid show, he blows the audience away each time, has them under a spell, gets them up on their feet with a standing ovation, he steals the show every time, and although i feel i will be working 3 times harder and shown a lot more on stage throughout the show, i have utter respect for him, he works the audience and he transforms them. Another example within my work place, is our dance captain Collin, he does a small solo which is really cultured at the beginning of a number, he is south african and his body relinquishes this soul and passionate culture. Its fabulous to watch and is rooted within him.

Whats your answers?

Ideas from audience viewing

Hi all

Just a quick blog about my perceptions and discoveries from watching the shows aboard the ship...

Focusing on knowledge and understanding of the arts, it has been interesting to see that the audience were most impressed by the least technical number in the show. A number that uses simple/basic puppetry made a lady sitting in front of me go out aloud 'wow thats fantastic!' she was genuinely enticed and entertained by something that seemed so simple to me. as a dancer myself it was interesting to see a propelled reaction from what I would see as the easiest number in the show. It is all about perception. To a non dancer, entertainment value is key to a successful show, and to be quite honest, it is all about the audience. If we as entertainers do not do our job to fulfil the audience needs, then we have failed no matter how technically trained we may be. Our number one priority is to entertain the guests whether that be top dance critics or a clueless dance audience- it is all relevant and important to fulfilling your job within the arts.

Thoughts?

Initial ideas for Part 4

Hello everyone, firstly I must apologies for my bare blog that has been sitting here for a long time now. For the past 5 weeks I have been in America, and the past 2 have involved my big move onto the Paradise ship as a dancer for Carnival Cruise Lines. So I have been extremely busy with rehearsals, this also means I have limited Internet access. Thankfully I have been finding the time to read up on the literature and managed to screen shot some pages when I have been able to access the net. Through doing this, which has seemed like such a long process, I've finally got a few posts I can put up for our benefit!

So getting into the work for module 2, initially before starting on the contract, whilst spending time in the US I really liked the idea of perhaps finding a niche into my inquiry being based upon yoga. As a general topic, not being sure quite what I want to research about yoga but I've been on a very inspiring, life changing journey since experiencing my first yoga class last November.  Yoga has literally transformed my life, I don't know if any other fellow students are on the same wavelength as me? For me, yoga has taught me to calm down, to look at life as a whole, to listen, to understand, it has been both a mental and physical breakthrough. It has even improved my dance technique and performance skilled and has helped with many aspects in my lifestyle. I only want to keep this yoga section brief as I have a lot to post today and little time on the net, but if people would like to share and expand this as an SIG or just something got a small connection and genuine interest, feel free, I would love to hear from you. I met Melanie canon in a Bikram yoga class held in Liverpool in December last year, it was great to meet Melanie. Bikram yoga has definitely been my favourite yoga class so far!

Having started with Carnival, I have now changed my thoughts on yoga being my primary focus for my inquiry. Relating to issues based on audience reception, the following lines of inquiry I have had are as follows:

- how do we get an audience to appreciate dance?
- does our audience have knowledge and appreciation of dance training and career scope?
- comparing an audience appreciation to that of a dance/entertainment knowledge based group/individual to that of a non knowledge based group/individual.
-the difference between someone with no knowledge of dance, small understanding and greatly skilled/definite understanding of dance.

Watching the shows during cast change the first show I watched from the front of the auditorium and had a clear, focused view of the dancers from stage left and them only. The second show of the night I watched from afar in the upper circle amongst the guests and the view and experience was totally different. Not only from a dance perspective but I was looking at the show as a whole. My seats were directly behind the lighting  and sound booth, I could see the tech guys working hard and distributing their attention and efforts from backstage to the floor. I could see the band pit where I watched the live musicians sometimes for a whole number in the show noticing their commitment, dedication and teamwork. During the show a fiddle player comes on stage for a 10-15 minute solo piece, his talent, precision and passion blew me away! After noticing these aspects which I'd never done fully before it came to my attention that each role which contributes to the show as a whole is equally important to my own role as a dancer. We should commemorate, support and appreciate each other every show. I find that whenever on stage doing my bit, my focus is solely upon myself. It has now occurred to me that I form part of a team, working together to create entertainment whether that be visually, technically or musically.

The following link is to Dancers Career Development about the 'Transition within your career and your Identity' this is a YouTube clip, please scroll down to find it on the following page. I particularly find interesting Isabel Mortimers speech on how she's perceives dance and what it did for her and the point at which it all became apparent and definite to her. If this is not based upon your inquiry, it might be of interest anyway as I like the expression and notes on our lifestyles and what dance can do. DCD.

Feeling a little better now that I've loosely been able to tell you all my lines of inquiry I hope you will assist me and support me as you've all done already. I just want to say that reading various blogs, some people are really inspiring and interesting individuals, I like that although you can trace similar lines of inquiry, we can all be inspired by one another.