Dance After College by Charlotte Bateman

Whilst thinking about the different ways to gather information and statistics on my topic I was thinking about the different methods I could use. As I am looking into body image I feel this is a very sensitive subject to talk to someone about face to face. I feel I could gather more honest and valuable information by producing an online survey which people can fill out anonymously. I think there would be more engagement and people will feel less uncomfortable and less pressured.  I can across a really interesting article about Mobile Ethnography which is a research method whereby participants are asked to use their mobile phones to record images that they can include as part of their evidence. I think this will help me collate some really interesting research and I know that the majority of my participants will love adding pictures etc  When thinking about what questions to ask I need to make sure I am being understanding of peoples feelings. For example I am not asking questi...

  After having the zoom with Sam on how to tackle the literature review I feel I am at a better understanding on how to approach this. As I move through module two I am constantly developing my inquiry proposal. For example I am looking at body image within the arts and on this zoom I took inspiration from what sam was saying and I will now also compare statistics and findings on body image in everyday life also. I feel this will give me a broader spectrum to work on and I will have more data to collect.  From listening to my peers on todays zoom I have also had the idea of looking into sports literature and how this compares with dance. I have been looking at reports and articles on my topic and I am starting to see the same reoccurring theme that body image has a huge impact on people in their day to day lives, especially dancers. I will continue to research and look at different types of literature until I feel satisfied with my findings. If anyone has anything to offer or ...

Starting Module two I felt very overwhelmed as I am sure many others did. I have been reading through the handbook and trying to make sense of this module. After having the zoom with Sam I feel more at ease and have a better understanding of what it is I need to do in this module.  In this blog I am going to be talking about my "little wonders". One of the AOL I covered in module 1 was body image within the performing arts industry. I spoke about how through my college experience I felt pressured to conform to the "norm" when speaking about body image. I have been asking myself what my little wonders are regarding this topic.  Is there a stereotypical body type required for a dancer? Do teachers use the correct vocabulary when speaking about body image? Does every dancer suffer with negative thoughts regarding this? Are mirrors a necessary object within the dance studio? Is there enough support within the industry surrounding this topic? I need to also consider priv...

  Today I finally submitted my portfolio. I never thought that 6 weeks ago I could have done so. Being late to join the course was hard and I really struggled initially on what even was my Professional Practice. Looking back now I have learnt so much from this project that also transfers to my Professional Practice:- Not to give up - important for a dancer as you get No a lot I understand more how I learn - essential really !  I’ve downloaded the audio version Twyla Tharps book The Creative Habit. I have the book but realised my method of learning probably suits an audio book. ( This is a must read - or listen - if you haven’t already) The importance of Professional Networks - can anyone recommend any for dancers ? The importance of challenging assumptions mine and others What I want to do better in Module 2:- Blog more - every week and interact with others blogs Research more Attend more zooms and have the confidence to contribute Get someone to comment on my blog to help me ...

I don’t mind admitting that at first I was struggling with module 1. Never haven written a reflective essay before I didn’t really know where to start. So I did what I always do - I googled a lot and I just got on with it and hoped for the best. Having discussed my draft with Helen and reflected on it I realise that this course really suits me.  I have realised that I do learn best through experience - I always have. But now I am beginning to understand that by reflecting on those experiences, thinking about how I felt and looking back with a critical eye I can use the experience more fully to help shape my Professional Practice going forward. Discussing the mapping diagram really helped. I think I have said before- my dyslexia means I think in quite a straight forward  way when it comes to academia - I take things and instructions quite literally. So originally I had planned a diagram or a piece of choreography, but after the discussions I really wanted to develop my tree ide...

Talking about mapping our Professional Practice in the zoom last night led me to probably the most obvious way of representing growth - a tree. I had originally thought about doing a family tree but whilst reflecting on this I came across this amazing tree - The Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree. It’s a real tree native to Papau New Guinea & Indonesia. It’s bark is actually rainbow coloured. This led me to think how this could reflect my Professional Practice as the roots of a tree absorb what it needs to live and grow. In a similar way I absorb what I need to grow and influence my professional practice. The rainbow trunk is an outward representation of all those different influences.  How to craft this into a representation then was my next thought. Again I googled and came up with a mind map in the form of a tree and then inspired by someone’s idea last night to model something I thought could I create an actual 3D tree that looked like a rainbow tree? I have an idea 💡 and will share ...

 Having started my essay and looking more closely into Kolbs learning theory and Downes connectivism theory I began to struggle with the factual learning I often experienced whilst at school. Being dyslexic is a problem for me learning in conventional ways. My dyslexia presents itself as being unable to process what I read - Yep - so that makes it tricky for conventional learning. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed and given help and advice on how to learn that my grades began to improve. It was explained to me that I learn in a different way and that my brain prefers doing / or watching something rather than reading.  So I nearly always search for videos first. Having done this on this topic I have realised this is exactly what this topic is about. What a relief !  By watching someone else explain to me what the theory is I feel more able to go back and read the text books. Although to be honest in school I didn’t always do that - I just relied on videos ! Here are some use...