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.