MIDTERM

College has truly opened up my mind to a whole new level of thinking. There is so much more to dance, than just pointing your foot as hard as you can, or being able to kick yourself in the face. Each movement is controlled and isolated by different muscles, but the energy is whole body. I had a very hard time understanding this at the beginning of the year, and now I think I'm starting to get it. I am feeling the energy more, and starting to understand the parts I need to strengthen.

As a whole, my class works very hard to reach our full potential. I honestly can say I haven't seen one person slack off while taking Richards class. I believe one thing that we do well as a group is put in effort to be better each class. The level of confidence has gone up. With that said, the level of performance needs to start coming into play. I feel that in order to be able to perform we have to have some essential things; whole body energy, feeling light but also being engaged and not gripping, and lifting up in the pelvis and knowing how to use it in combinations traveling and in place, breathing, and feeling the music carry you from one movement to the next even when it's something that is seemingly simple like pliee, even if you forget a combination keep moving and don't get frustrated, let your body feel the mistake and correct it. Dance is suppose to be relieving, even when it's challenging, not frustrating. All of those aspects contribute to how we feel when we are dancing, and if we can master those, or at least have the idea and continue to practice the key components, we have room to truly be happy, which will bring out the personality and passion for this beautiful art.

I have a lot of different things that I feel like I've really improved on. Engaging my core has been an issue through out all my years of dancing and though I don't remember it all the time, I now know what it feel like, and looks like to engage. This helps me feel my allignment and know if the rest of my body is in its correct placing. Something I've also discovered is what it really means to lengthen and have energy coming up out of the head. When you lift up the energy through your head, it doesn't require you looking up to the ceiling more, it's about elongating the neck going from the back up through the back of the neck, and pressing the shoulders down, while engaging the back muscles, but not gripping. I have also become aware of the fact that my body is not semetrical, and won't ever be, and I can't try and force my turn out to be perfect because I am just not built that way. I have been focusing on staying true to my second. The one combination I am not terrified of, and actually enjoy to do now, is the fondu combination. Earlier in the year my hips would be cracking and popping and I'd be in so much pain, but I feel real improvement due to the fact that I know how to drop the pelvis, lift up through the whole body, engage my abs, stay true to MY turn out, and dance the movement! Never in all my life would I have thought that one "simple" movement required so much thinking. For the first time, I have been able to turn fairly well. I need to work on the stopping of the turn and what I need to do in order to do 42 pirrouettes in a row, and land oh so lightly in fifth position. One thing I really need to work on is finishing out movement completely, and finishing combinations completely and beautifully, even when I mess up. And if I do happen to screw up, not giving up and showing it on my face.

Overall, I am very happy with the improvement I've made. I am learning new things every single day and putting in all my effort to think, feel, and become a better dancer. I am excited to continue on this journey to use the lessons I learn in order for me to blossom in the dance world.