Professional Inquiry Triangle- Interests

The course on deciding my field of interest I would focus on in Module 2, has allowed me to open up my box of ideas and allow myself to question what is most important to me, how can I learn from it and and how can this help other people?

A lot of our sources and learning 
experienced and work based learning (WBL), which is why it is so important that our inquiries match out needs. The approach is personal. I must be able to take myself 'out of the box' and view this needs as the student I am, the dancer and aspiring choreographer. Just by doing this I have already instilled a basic theme in which I would like to direct my research. As a very general, that would be overcoming the fears in your career and the importance of taking a risk when necessary.


But in order to have a collective, unbiased and all rounded result, it is vital to get in touch with other people and their feeling or opinions on the subject of matter. That means getting involved in the network of communications taking work into consideration, school, family and friends, so that greater ideas are shared. The more we share with one another the more we learn and it will make the process much more fun and rewarding in the end. That idea itself, makes me want to make a change, and I question:

What is it I want to achieve?

Work Based Learning will build a personal approach to my practice investigation while relating it to my working environment, which will keep me motivated and interested and will hopefully create an honest result so help myself and a wider community.

----I would like to take the example of the company I am working with at this moment. After leaving a company that is known for keeping strong to it's traditions of function, management and classical repertoire for many years now, I have entered a company which is going through some drastic changes if we consider the choice of contemporary/experimental repertoire. 

>As a dancer I question: how will this affect me?

>As a Middelsex University Student I question: what can I learn from this change? How can I apply my WBL skills to my Professional Practice? 

Both cases have been left with at least 10 dancers leaving the companies, by their own choices, for opposite, yet related reasons. Which makes this an issue to be presented.----

The issues of fear in change, sticking to traditions vs embracing innovation and their effects, are topics that have triggered my concern and I would like to dig more into how we can create a good balance.

what we have to take into consideration will be:
-company dancers
-audience
-funding
-the country's situation
-the year, generation we are in  

I look forward to hearing your views on this!! 

References: 
Reader 4 (2015-2016)

Developing a Professional Inquiry

Reading through the handbooks and Reader 4 has really helped me plan out my process into engaging with my second module. I have been so conscious what I would like to base my topic, since there are too many things I would like to discover, that my mind was just just a fuzz of disconnected information. I decided to start from the beginning using the previous Readers as guidelines to help me focus on what I feel most passionate about. 

Through planning out my thoughts on my professional inquiry, via a Spider Diagram, I feel like I have achieved a clearer view and discovered the importance that the Professional Inquiry will have for the end result.

By writing the basics of an Inquiry (with the help on the links mentioned below) I have come to realise the impact this project will have, maybe not just in my career, but aiming to help and influence other people in the Artistic Circle. 

Things I will need to consider during the process of my Inquiry are:

1) Explore: how to discover topic of interest?

>art of questioning

>reading

>discussing 

2) Investigate: what will my sources be?

>tutors

>learning from fellow BAPP/ex students

>friends + peers

>Blogs + comments

>past and present experience

>work based learning (WBL)

>same interest groups (SIGs)

>internet

>literature

3) Process: how will I process my information and analyse ideas

>diagrams/mind mapping

>surveys

>interviews

>Blogging experiences

>commenting and learning on other students/tutors blogs

>discussions with tutors/peers/colleagues 

...............all for grater understanding! (bearing in mind ethical morals)

4) Create: how will I present my work? 

>communication with the audience > who is my audience? 

>create understanding in all sides of an opinion/arguement

>What impact will the Professional Inquiry have?

>Besides myself, how can the inquiry help other people?

as the Reader 4 mentioned : 

"The ultimate goal of the inquiry will be to explore a topic that will benefit your work and the work of colleagues and fellow professionals, including any work organisations with whom you are affiliated."  (Reader 4 , 2015-2016)

References:

https://inquiry-learning-representation.wikispaces.com/What+is+Inquiry+Learning%3F

http://library.queensu.ca/webedu/gdpi/index.html

At Risk of Fear

‘There’ nothing to fear than fear itself’, wise words once spoken by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

It had struck me when the soloist of the company had whipped out 6 pirouettes en pointe, effortlessly, without a moment of hesitation, and looked like it was the easiest and most fun thing in the world. I had asked myself: ‘what is it that makes her turn like that?!’… No, before we jump to conclusions, ‘the answer is not sushi’ … but ‘FEARLESS’.

A few months ago, I had decided to make a move into finding another job. Somewhere where I knew I could grow artistically and professionally, hopefully without any external financial support. Any dancer can recognise that this is easier said than done. The process is pretty standard: including countless auditions, added pressure, facing competition from all around the world, a lot of the time just to fight for that one contract the company has to offer. A lot of the time, this might not necessarily mean the person with the most talent would be the one getting the job in the first place. A job could be offered simply because you fit in the company’s criteria, for example if you are the right height, or you have the right look that the director opts for a certain production. Connections with teacher, choreographers, directors and common relations are also very important when reaching out for opportunities. But, in my experience, I feel that it is a lot about being in the right place at the right time. Many would describe it as ‘luck’, but I would say that ‘being at the right place’ means, being in the right state of mind.

Even in failure; that means, to be able to accept rejection, realise that path perhaps was not meant for you, and have the courage to stay strong, confident and look forward to the next opportunity that comes your way. A little birdy, being my father, once told me that if you put your full heart into something, the hard work will pay off, as long as you truly believe in yourself. If it’s not this door, it could very well be the next bigger one. It may seem so that, I have achieved this mentality, however, as failure is something that any performer- or any person really, will encounter more than once in their life, it is definitely something I need to keep reminding myself.

What has sparked my interest in focussing on this idea of overcoming your fears has to come from a question raised by a fellow BAPP colleague, Megan, mentioning the importance of taking risks, after having gone through the same journey of taking a risk by leaving her job, which I really salute her for her bravery.

This has also been a major topic discussed with peers and friends, which go through these emotional trails day to day in their careers, including myself.

WHAT is stopping us from taking risk in class, reaching out for more turns, aiming for higher jumps and higher goals in our career?

IS IT fear?

WHAT is fear?

Do we base our decisions on fear, if yes, WHY is that?

I could do this forever. Raising questions like these to myself has really helped me direct the course of my focus point in my studies, aiming towards what I feel more passionate about. However, it has also done just that- raised so many questions that I just can’t wait to dig deeper into exploring in my Second Module! I feel that I can relate into my own past experiences to analyse this idea of ‘fear’ and hopefully this will help me as well as influence performers, choreographers and directors and help them into overcoming any difficulty in their career that they might face.

Themes I would love to relate my work to would be

-Breaking boundaries

-Inovation vs Tradition

-Fear of change

-‘Safe Place’

I will be aiming to relate my research through past experiences of my own (WBL-Work Based Learning), as well as dancers/performers/leaders in order to achieve an all rounded result.  Below I have included a link to Megan Louch’s Blog, which I believe will be very interesting to read and learn from! 

references:

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/

http://meganlouch.blogspot.be/2016/10/sigs-education-work-home.html