Review of progress in 'Dancing on the Street' a Kathak Dance project for Unit 13 and Unit 14

Physical Skills

Posture and Alignment 

The Greeting Sequence 

(0:30) - (0:45) 

Chakkars

Overall I feel that I was successful in my use of posture and alignment throughout the piece. Posture and alignment is the alignment of particular body parts and how you hold yourself either while moving or stationary; I feel that particularly in my stationary moments that I was successful in this, as seen above in the 'Greeting Sequence' video. My posture was overall consistently good throughout and I feel that my alignment matched this with my legs and knees being angled in such a way to match the rigid and angled style that Kathak is known for. 

However, I do think that I could improve on my posture and alignment particularly in the chakkar spins. When executing these spins, Kathak dancers are supposed to keep low in their posture and with their knees bent a great deal at a very fast pace; with the spins being done on the heel instead of the ball of the foot which is more common. I feel that my knees were not bent enough, meaning that I was not low enough in my spin to generate the amount of speed to carry it out fast enough. Looking back on the video too, I don't think I spun on my heel and instead it was on the ball of my foot due to every spin I have ever done in the past in dance being on this part of the foot. 

To improve on my posture and alignment, I will perform all of my movements slower in order to ensure that I am being as accurate as I can in my execution of them. After doing this, I will perform the movements to a peer and gain feedback from them on improvements that still need to be further made. I will improve this physical skill by our final performance on Wednesday the 14th of June. 

Co-ordination

Bols and Tatkar 

Co-ordination is the ability to simultaneously use one or two more body parts in succession with each other. I feel that I was particularly successful in this during the Bols and Tatkar movements. I was able to perform the movements to a high standard while keeping my hands in time with the rhythm which I was creating with my feet. 

My co-ordination could be further developed however, particularly between my hands and my head. Within the Bols and Tatkar, your eyes and in turn your head should follow your hands while they are being extended; when they a pulled back to your torso, you should look dead ahead towards the audience. This is something that overall I feel I wasn't very successful in this aspect of the dance and is definitely something I could improve upon. 

To improve my co-ordination I will begin rehearsing the piece at half the pace that it usually is, I will gradually increase the speed until it is at the correct tempo for the dance; after doing this I will ask a fellow member of my class to watch my rehearsal of the piece in order for them to give me feedback on what still needs improvement. 

Balance

The Greeting Sequence

(1:20) - (1:29)

Balance is the Distribution of weight on a smaller surface area than that of a standard stationary stance. In the greeting sequence of our Kathak dance, I feel that I was very successful in my balance; particularly in the final movement of the piece in which we balance on our left leg, keep our posture upright, with our right leg resting on the side of our left knee and with our arms out wide performing a mudras with our focus being on our right hand. This is something which I have rarely struggled with and I am able to hold this position for a long time with relative ease. 

If I were to improve upon my balance in the kathak dance, I feel that my back could have been straighter and that my right arm could also have been much more in line with my left arm; by doing this I should be able improve my balance further. I will engage my core too to make sure I have a stable centre of gravity. 

To ensure that my improvement on this is successful, I will perform these movements that require a great amount of balance in front of a mirror, this way I will be able to see which elements of my form may be causing me to lose my balance and in turn take away from the style of Kathak. 

Strength

The Greeting Sequence

(0:20) - (0:45)

Strength is the body's ability to resist a great force or pressure for a sustained period of time. I successfully used this skill in order to portray the Kathak dance more effectively. In the greeting sequence, you require strength to maintain the poses that are vital within the style of Kathak; having your heels together with your knees turned out and bent to create the rigid angles that the style is well known for. To perform this movement, you must engage your leg muscles and be able to bend your legs into these positions in a slow and controlled manner and hold them for an extended period of time. 

I could further develop my strength through making sure my abdominal muscles are engaged at the same time as my leg muscles, this would distribute the strain across a greater part of my body and in turn make it easier for me to perform the movements effectively. 

In order to develop this, I would perform movements in the dance that require a great amount of strength on a regular basis; by doing this I would be conditioning my body to the movements and in turn build up the muscles in those specific areas that are used in this section of the dance. I would then record myself doing the movements and identify further improvements and areas that still need developing. 

Stamina

Bols and Tatkar

Stamina is the ability to sustain physical activity for extended periods of time without tiring. I feel that I am most successful in my use of stamina during the bols and tatkar section of the kathak dance. This is a sequence which we repeat a number of times throughout the performance; the sequence requires a great amount of energy in order to complete it to the high standard that kathak dance requires multiple times. I feel that I was able to do this effectively throughout the multitude of times I executed those movements, with me not growing tired nor performing the movements with any less energy than at the start of the piece. 

To improve on my stamina further for the kathak performance, I will keep my breathing calm and consistent. By doing this it will allow me to perform all of the movements for a longer extended period of time and by keeping my breathing calm with deep breaths, my movements will be consistently at a higher quality with much more accuracy which is vital for the style of Kathak dance. 

I plan to improve on this through warming up using exercises that focus on stamina, through doing these I should see an improvement on this in the piece. I will perform these exercises before every rehearsal to ensure my stamina is as high as it could be for the movements in question. 

Flexibility

The Greeting Sequence 

(0:10) - (0:30) 

Flexibility is the range of unrestricted and painless movement at a joint or a series of joints. Through the greeting sequence my success in my flexibility is shown as I am able to have my legs turned out and bent in a way that could cause be restricted or painful to someone who is not as flexible. In this section of the dance, my legs are consistently turned out from the hip with a bend in the knee, this movement does not cause me any pain or is anything I find difficult. 

However, if I were to improve on my flexibility I would want to achieve being able to turn out and bend down even lower, much more consistently in order to portray an even more of a sharp angle within my legs that is very prominent and a very big feature of the Kathak dance style. 

To improve on this, I will perform exercises and warm ups which help to improve your flexibility. I will perform these often and film my progress on this section of the dance in order to see my level of improvement in portraying these particular movements. 

Performance Skills

Projection

Paragraph 2 

(0:10) - (0:30) 

Projection is the strength of speaking or singing where the human is used powerfully and clearly. I feel that I am successful in this during moments of our performance, particularly in the second paragraph of our Kathak performance. There are times within the recording in which I can clearly hear myself reciting the words of the paragraph which we have based our movement from and I identify the words within it. 

However, I do feel that my projection could be improved a great deal throughout the piece as there are lots of moments where I feel that my voice is lost and I can't identify the words which I am saying in the recordings. Due to the story being an incredibly important aspect of Kathak I feel this is something that definitely needs improving the quickest in order to achieve that vital aspect of the style. 

To improve on this, I will recite the paragraphs as a part of my warm up before each rehearsal to ensure that I am as confident on them as I can be. After doing this, I will record my rehearsal and listen back to it in order to measure my progress and if I need further improvement. 

Communication

Paragraph 2 

Communication is the ability to use gestures or language to provide information to others. This is something that I feel I am overall successful in doing, particularly my gestures or "Mudras" I feel that these were an effective part in communicating the story of the piece which as mentioned earlier is an incredibly important part of Kathak dance. I think that many of these gestures could be recognised alongside the words of the piece to create clarity when watching. 

However, I do feel that my communication could be improved upon, I think that I could make my use of speech in the piece much clearer and despite my Mudras being clear, I feel that I could make them flow much better while making them more defined. By doing this, I will be improving on a very important part of the Kathak style if I am able to communicate the story of the piece to a higher standard than I already am. 

In order to improve on this, I will rehearse the piece at a much slower pace with both my speaking and the movements; this will allow me to define each movement a great deal more and match it with the corresponding words from the story. After doing this, I will perform the piece to a fellow classmate and ask for feedback from them on what further needs improving. 

Facial Expressions

Paragraph 2 

(0:15) - (0:30)

Facial expressions are a form of non verbal communication that uses facial features to convey messages and emotions. I feel that as a whole, I used this very effectively with there being multiple instances throughout the performance that I could identify particular facial expressions that linked to parts of the story where I felt there were certain emotions. 

However, although I do feel that my facial expressions were good I do think I could improve on them throughout the piece to help with the story telling aspect of the piece. Although I recognise and can identify the facial expressions that I made in the recording I have to acknowledge this may be because the camera was quite close to us while we were performing the piece. I have to keep in mind that my current facial expressions might be too subtle for the entire audience to recognise. 

In order to improve on this, I will make notes in the paragraphs of where different emotions are shown and in those moments of the performance I will add more exaggerated facial expressions that will allow me to properly convey the story better to the whole audience. I will then show this to a fellow classmate with them standing far away and then get feedback from them on whether this was successful or still needs further improvement. 

Focus

The Greeting Sequence

(0:10) - (0:30)

Focus is the ability to have your mind on one subject, object or thought and exclude anything that does not involve the topic at hand. I think that I am overall successful in my use of focus, with my most being seen throughout the majority of the greeting sequence. I am able to keep myself neutral and in the moment of the dance which allows me to complete it to a high standard. 

In saying that, I do feel that my focus does require some improvement as there are moments where my focus breaks and in turn my execution of the movements falters as a result. This is something that I noticed a few times within my performance however I feel that one of the most prominent examples is during the greeting where my timing noticeably differs from everyone else. 

In order to improve on my focus, I will pick a particular point within the room to bring my focus to, by doing this it will keep me calmer and my mind clearer to execute the movements of the Kathak piece. 

Extension of Limbs

The Greeting Sequence 

(0:55) - (1:29) 

Extension is the physical positioning that increases the angle between the bones of the limb at a joint. I feel that my extension overall was very successful with me being able to execute many of the movements to a high standard; particularly within the greeting sequence towards the end of the sequence, by doing this it highlighted the mudras a great deal more which added to the story telling aspect of Kathak that is so important to the style. 

However, I do think that my extension of my limbs could be improved. I think that many of the times in which this happens is due to a lack of confidence on my part in the movements themselves. As a result I feel that this can make some of the movements seem quite lack luster which in turn diminishes from the story telling overall. 

To improve, I plan to rehearse these sequences much slower in front of a mirror to highlight movements that particularly need improving. I will then show this to a fellow classmate to see what further needs work. 

Dynamics

Paragraph 1 

Dynamics is the use of variation between different phrases and certain lyrics. I feel that I use it particularly effectively within the first paragraph with my voice being very varied throughout the sequence in order to aid in the story telling aspect of the Kathak dance and the style all together. 

However, I do think I could improve a great deal on my dynamics throughout the piece as a whole. I feel that by doing this I will again be improving the story telling aspect of the Kathak dance which is incredibly important. I will be adding much more emotion and variation overall to the piece and create a more engaging performance. 

To improve on this, I will identify moments within the paragraphs where the emotions change and then I will add inflections within my voice to match the emotions I identified in the story. I will then record this and listen back to it in order to gage whether I need further improvement.