At the beginning
of module two I felt drawn to the topic of performance with a view to discovering
how dancers project, express and present choreography. After a discussion in class
with my senior students as detailed in my journal, (Appendix – A) I found that developing
a sense of performance was a grey area for many. This gave me the initial idea
of investigating the many ways we perform and present ourselves in dance
performance.
I considered
how artistry commonly featured in the literature I had gathered surrounding
performance. After a discussion with my tutor and upon reflection of initial
ideas, I decided to focus specifically on artistry as the topic of performance
would be far too broad. I realised that performance as a whole in fact brings
together everything we work on in class to the stage.
I reflected how
students, particularly in the early stages of training focus so intently on
learning steps, positions, correct alignment and technique, that showing a
sense of artistry is often too much to manage. It is not until a level of
competence is reached that students are comfortable with adding artistic flair
to their work. In class I generally spend the majority of time on technique
unless exams, competitions or performances are imminent. I realised that this
is to comply with the marking scheme of ISTD exams, as artistry is only worth
10% of the overall mark.
I discovered
that in order to express themselves freely and share their work with an
audience, dancers must possess a certain level of self-confidence. Through
discussions on my special interest group ‘The Art of Performance’ I identified
how artistry is the first thing to suffer when performing under pressure in
exams, competitions and performances. This therefore led me to source
literature on various ways to promote students’ confidence and deal with issues
that have a negative effect on artistic performance.
Describing artistry
has been a difficult task and it’s hard to put into words, through my research so
far I have realised that it means something different to each of us. There are
many ways to explain it and many ways to use it, artistry is how we might interpret
a piece of music, create a mood, convey feeling or tell a story. We use it to
communicate what we are trying to say through movement, and the ultimate aim is
to connect with the audience and make them feel something.
I have now come
to realise that artistry is personal to each individual, it is something that
continually evolves along with competence and experience in dance as well as
life. It is therefore up to the teacher to develop their own means of educating
and encouraging this aspect of their students training and this is what I plan to
achieve through my professional inquiry.
