Jazz Lyrical Mirror Dance - Week 5 [7/2/24]

   Jazz Lyrical Mirror Dance 

DANCE DEVELOPMENT

Our Jazz Lyrical Dance - Progress

• This lesson was all about finishing the dance and neatening up some of the sections that needed work. We also adapted and changed some of the choreography and placements towards the end of the dance as we wanted everything to run more smoothly as in Jazz Lyrical it is a key element that a dancers movements must be smooth and continuous. With our teacher, Rob, we also broke down the dance break section to tidy up some of the movements so that we are all coordinated with one another and working as a team. We also, as a group, needed to refresh our minds on the choreography in this section as some movements were lost during our first run-through. 

 VIDEOS OF THE DANCE

7/2/24 - Section Breakdown 1

7/2/24 - Section Breakdown  2

What Went Well?

• Section Breakdown 1: When I watched the video back, I believe my timing on the ball change went well as I hit the movement on the right count which is "and 1". This movement happens 3 seconds into the clip. I also think my timing for the remainder of the video is really good as I am hitting the movements on the right count Rob (dance teacher) is saying. I also think my arms flow nicely in the video and are moving at the right point in the music. My arms extend well and look effective. To link to this, my eyeline follows my arms 5 seconds into the video and onwards. Changing my eyeline to follow my arms looks effective as it makes an audience want to follow my eyeline too. It also adds to the dance and keeps even the most simple/subtlest movements interesting.  

Even Better If?

• Section Breakdown 1: At the very start of the video, I think I could extend my leg more and maybe kick for a bit longer as in this clip it looks like I'm just throwing my leg out and that looks untidy and goes against the style of Jazz Lyrical. Jazz Lyrical requires flowy and smoothly transitioned movements and the way I kicked my leg didn't do this. Our timing as a group also needs to be better for that kick as when I watched back the video, everyone kicked/moved their legs at different times and this makes the dance look lazy and unaesthetically pleasing. At th start of the video, I also think I could improve my eyeline as I noticed that I was staring at the floor until I added a specific arm movement where my eyeline followed my arm. 

What Went Well?

• Section Breakdown 2: As a group we were pretty in-sync when we did the first movement in the video as well as the first behind-side-front and second arm at 7 seconds in the video. At 4 seconds in the video (on the ball change) I think I successfully swept the floor with my hand and I fully lunged/bent down into the movement which I think looked really effective. I also think my balance at 11 seconds was also good but could be slightly stronger. 

Even Better If?

• Section Breakdown 2: What could've been better in 'Section Breakdown 1' also applies to this section breakdown. When I watched the video back, I noticed something new, our turns at 10 seconds aren't coordinated as everyone spins a slightly different times, this in turn throws this section off as it looks unclean. I also think my eyeline is worse than it was in 'Section Breakdown 1' and could be improved way more. 

7/2/24 - Teacher Formative Feedback

• Before we did a complete run-through of our finished dance, Rob (dance teacher) gave us some formative feedback to think about and apply to this next run-through. The main thing he wanted us to focus on for this run is our style, expression and our engagement with the number. 

7/2/24 - Full Finished Dance

What Went Well?

• Full Finished Dance: Compared to last week, I think my facial expressions have vastly improved and I feel that I am engaging with dance a lot more. I also think my eyeline is good as my eyeline follows my arms. When it came to my partner and I's duet section, I felt that as a whole we were pretty synchronised with one another, there were some hiccups but compared to last week, we have improved. As a pair, I also think our timing was good with the music and lyrics and with one another. Our timing was only off in 2 places: 1 minute 52 seconds and at 2 minutes and 29 seconds. As a group, I think we have all improved in the way we transition one movement/pair or group of 3 into the next. When we are all doing our individual duet sections, the transitions into the next pair/group of 3 is very smooth and makes the dance look very neat and tidy. Our group synchronisation was good and has massively improved at the instrumental part of the song at 3 minutes and 29 seconds. Our claps are basically all in unison which creates a satisfying sound to the dance. 

Even Better If?

• Full Finished Dance: The main thing that needs to be improved and tidied is the dance break section when we are all positioned in a cross at 3 minutes 39 seconds in the video. Our timing and coordination with one another is off and makes the dance look messy. All leading up to this moment, we are all rather synchronised in our little pairs/groups of 3 but we lose our group connection once we do the dance break. With practice and attention to detail, we will be able to get in-sync. On a more personal note, in my partner and I's duet section, we did keep falling back into our original timing which was when we went through our movements fast making them less floaty and smooth. One key thing we need to remember is to make sure we really lengthen our movements and extend any arm or leg movements to the max. Doing this makes the dance fit more to the style and allows us to express our movements more. 

AREAS OF SUCCESS - 6 Physical Skills 

1. Balance - I think my balance has improved compared to last week as my relevé was more precise and clean. The same goes for my duet section when I turn on one leg or balance on one leg, I hold my positions much stronger than last week. 
2. Strength - Linking with balance, I was using more core strength much more to help hold myself when balancing. Core strength is key with balance as it helps you. I using my core strength particularly at 3 minutes 50 seconds into the video. 
3. Posture & Alignment - At the same point, 3 minutes and 50 seconds, everyone, as a group, has good posture and is well aligned and we are all holding that movement strong. We are also very aligned when we hold the position just before the dance break section at 3 minutes and 40 seconds. During the lesson, we worked on our alignment and posture for this position to make sure we are all holding our bodies in the correct pose so that we are all similar to create a tidy effect.

AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT -6 Physical Skills 

1. Stamina - For this particular lesson, my stamina was definitely an area for development as I got very physically tired throughout the lesson. During the lesson, we paid close detail towards the dance break section and repeated it many times, This physically drained me as I was putting a lot of effort in. I think it was the most times we had repeated this section in one go. This meant that my body isn't used to doing this dance section often and that's why I got tired quicker than usual. The more times I practice and go through this dance section will improve my stamina as my body will get used to the dance and physical challenges that come with it. 
2. Flexibility - Flexibility is something I am trying to work on at home individually to help improve my ability in this skill. I want to aim to improve my flexibility around my hip joints to help me to be able to achieve higher kicks. When I watch back the videos, I can really notice that my leg is lower than I thought. 
3. Coordination - Our group coordination is near to perfect when we are in our pairs/group of 3 as it easier to be coordinated with fewer people. When we all come together for the group dance break section, we lose our synchronisation. This section of the dance is the part that is the newest in terms of when we were taught it so that is why it still needs to be cleaned up. The group coordination will come with practice and over the next few lessons before the final performance of it we can really pay attention to the detail of the section to get it nice and neat.