State of your Research propectus

At this point my research prospectus is coming along slowly but surely. I started with the idea of modern dance but I really didn't know where I was going with that. SO I tried to think of issue that surround that topic. I thought of a view but known really interested me until i thought of the African American influence on modern. The problem is the lack of acknowledgment when there is clearly blacks out there that have contributed. So I set out to research the topic and I was finding nothing. I was getting really frustrated with the process. I wasn't finding what I was looking for. I tried different journals and different search terms. Then I found a couple books at the library with some useful information. Before i found those I thought about changing my topic before it was too late. But after skimming through the books I found terms such as "black dance" "negro dance" and actual dance journals the topic started to look better. Each day I looked for different types of articles regarding the subject but with different content. I already knew a little history about my topic, and I already knew which theory I would use from "The Theory Toolbox," so it was just a matter of formulating enough sources with good information to do the literature review. I was already behind so I had to do double duty and work quickly. Any spare time i was reading information. i recently just finished writing majority of my prospectus and will be submitting it soon.

Reading the Literature Review

This literature review was similar to most reviews that I have read regarding dance. Most of them focus on the performance itself. They usually talk about the audience and who was in attendance and if it were a full house or nearly empty. Then they talk about the company, where they are from, how many members, the director, how many times they have performed at the venue, etc. Next I noticed they go into detail about each piece performed in the program. This can call for long reviews or short ones, depending on the program. This involves a lot of fact but also a lot of opinion. Determining the theme of the work or the ideas behind the work... all opinion. No can really know this information other than the company members or company director. I couldn't determine a particular form of organization. Maybe thematic. It wasn't very clear. In general literature reviews are very different than anything I have ever written. Most of my papers have been fact driven and very little opinion or input. But the literature review seems to me to be facts and way more input of the author than anything else. This could be helpful for a project proposal in the case of having a scholarly opinion. It would make the proposal much stronger.

Open Topic

This semester has been surprisingly better than last semester. I work less hours at work so I'm not as stressed out. I take two academic classes which are theater and English and since the English class is online it gives more freedom. I don't have to be somewhere at a certain time just to get the work done. My other academic class is theater 210. At first I was terribly nervous about it. i hate getting up in front of people and speaking or acting. My hands start to shake and I get really hot. In this class though everyone is really nice and there are people worse than i am so it makes me feel a lot better about myself. My dance classes are going well. I have a modern and ballet class with Susan Shields this semester and she is by far one of my favorite teachers in the department. She is really challenging but that's exactly what I need and want. At first she seemed a little scary and intimidating but now I'm use to her. She is a funny lady with the best of intention although sometimes it doesn't seem like it. I also Christopher this semester for modern. At first he came off as stuck up and not friendly, but after having my mid-term meeting with him and taking the class three times a week he isn't really that bad. I'm starting to like the class more and more each week. I won't say that it is my favorite class but it isn't my least favorite either. I also have to take sysmatics, which is so boring. On Tuesdays we do steps of yoga. Not a full yoga class like normal but it incorporates a lot of breathe, stretching, and a few yoga poses. Then on Thursday for this class we learn Thai chi. I feel like i am moving in slow motion the entire time. This class wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't after me dancing for 3 hours with Susan Shields. I'm usually exhausted and ready to go back to my apartment and shower and take a nap but nope we have to take that class as a requirement. After it is all over I will be happy that I had the opportunity to be exposed to something new and unique and something I probably otherwise wouldn't have done. Then there is choreography. Buffy is such a nice woman. She is always smiling and saying encouraging words and giving positive feedback. She makes the class a breeze. In a week or two we will be starting our finals. I'm a little nervous but since we did almost the same thing last semester in comp 2 it shouldn't be to bad.

#5 Open Topic

My theater class is actually really fun. I thought I would hate it but its not bad at all. In class we had to bring two items that were meaningful to us. Well I forgot so all I had was my cell phone and some lip gloss. We lined up and put our first item on the table. Then we cycled through again and place our second item on the tbale then cycled trough again and pick up one of our item and another persons item. Then he gave us like 10 mins to come up with a story for each item. It was great. After everyone came up with there stories we got in a big circle and told both our stories one by one. I get kind of nervous when I have to speak in front of people but it wasn’t that bad this time. So for my first item I told the class that first semester last year and few friends and I took a trip down to Georgetown for the first time and I went to the store Sephora and bought the lipgloss. It was great lipgloss because it came in handy for dance performances. The the second story was the summer before coming to mason I was helping my grandparents clean their house and I found this keychain and my grandpa told me it brought goodluck and that I should keep it. About half the class voted for the lip gloss and the other have the keychain. It proved that I was a semi good lier. Other people were very obvious and others were really hard to discover. It was hilarious. Some people over described and other undescribed but it was a good activity.

#5 What did you see on your way to work/school/etc.

Well on my way to class this morning I saw a squirrel rummaging around in the trash can area by my apartment. I only remember this because it scared the shit out of me. Then I walked through the buildings and water fell onto my forehead from above. Then I saw a few people walking. One girl had to books in her hand and I wondered why she wasn’t carrying a backpack. Other people had big back packs some girls just had purses. Almost everyone had on boots. There were several cars parked in front of sub2 because of the construction. There were construction men outside as well. There was the taco stand truck parked and a man got out with a carryout container. Not sure if he was delivering something or what but im not sure who would want taco at 9am in the morning. I walked through the parking garage and saw very few parked car. Two or three passed me as I walked through. When I first walked into the garage I saw two men sitting in there car with the car on. They didn’t leave though. I passed a really gross trash can as I exited the garage. Then a lady came up and was walking behind me. As I opened the door to go into the dance department I saw a girl smoking a cigarette. Then I open the door and held it for the lasy behind me. She said thanks to me and good morning to the girl outside smoking. I walked through the music department. All the music rooms were full. Someone in each one playing different instruments. I can remember a piano player and that’s about it. All the other instrument are a blurr. I walked up the stairs passing the vending machine and made my way into the dance department. I passed lots of people in the hall way filling up water bottles, getting ballet shoes, taking of exess clothing, generally getting ready for class then I did the same thing.

#4 Types of Writing in your Field

In the dance field writing seems rare. It is such a physical field of study it was very difficult to think of when writing is required. Sometimes because it is a physical activity people believe dancers to be dumb or mute. This is truly not the case. Granted I do prefer to communicate non-verbally it doesn’t mean that I am unable to. After doing some research I found that one form of writing that is well known in the dance field is dance critics and reviewers. These occupations are very popular in that almost every dance performance is critiqued or reviewed. It gives the reader a since of the show and common opinions regarding the show. Another form of writing in the dance field is notation. There are various forms of notation that dancers use to keep count, record choreography or measure out music. I personally don’t know specific techniques of notation; however, it is common among dancers. There are also dance historians as there are historians for all other fields of study. These people do tons of research and analysis to relay the important information that readers otherwise wouldn’t know. It is also important to know the history or where something originated. The last form of writing I could think of was writing memoirs and biographies. There are several books around about various dancers and choreographers. My field of study is very physical; however, there are some forms of writing required.

#2 What are your strengths?

I have many strengths to contribute to the dance field. One is my well roundedness. I have studied many forms of dance such as ballet, jazz, tap, Horton, graham, lemon, release techinique, and I have also worked with amazing choreographers from all over in varying styles. I have also spent the past 7 summers doing dance intensive where I was able to gain so much knowledge and experience. Personal strengths in dance class include I am very rhymical. I am usually on the music and counts, I pick up movement and choreography quickly, I am a good jumper and I balance rather well most of the time. I have improved my turn out and flexibility over the years. I also bring my education to my field. A lot of dancer choose not to go to college before embarking upon their dance career but I decided to go. Now I have more technique training and over discipline. I know what is acceptable and what is not. I have good work ethic that I’ve learned here in college that many don’t have. Once im ajunior I will also take a course called dance history. Not only will I be a well rounded dancer physically I will also have a wealth of knowledge about where and when and how and why dance evolved. I also will patience to my field. A lot of dancers give up after not making it immediately but I am passionate enough about dance to no matter what keep trying. It is hard out there being a dancer but it requires patience to really succeed and be happy.