a short note on the re-invention of the Rubik´s cube

So just a fast update from me after haven spoken to Paula yesterday and before jumping into a bus to drive to the lovely city of Heilbronn, where we will be guesting with "Blaubart" this week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UIM9bZPM4qM

I have been going easy on the Uni work, as last week-end´s meeting with my dancer friends as well as meeting with the managing director of the transition centre had really worn me out and I felt, like I needed to let things settle in my head a little, before pushing on.
I have a lot of information at hand now and I need to organise it and write it up in a manner, that is understandable to my audience.

Also on the matter of the audience of my professional artefact I have made some ground. The lady from the transition centre was also a great help in supporting my idea. As I am looking into what happens to dancers once their shelf-life has expired and they cannot dance any longer for various reasons, I have been looking at the theatre landscape in Germany in general and what funding is available, also to the so called "Stiftung Tanz Transition Zentrum Deutschland" that was founded in 2010 in order to assist dancers in their transition. I am hoping, that once my professional artefact is ready in form of a small booklet or flyer, the audience of dance performances (who generally seem to be very interested in that topic, as the question always has arisen of late, when members of the public came to watch rehearsals, etc.) will feel inspired to donate to the Stiftung, as it can use every penny available and I have observed members of the ballet-loving audience in Germany being extremely passionate about dance and happy to involve themselves in such matters where they feel they can make a difference by giving a couple of pennies.

I have also experienced some glitches (I would call them). Firstly I have not been sending out my survey, as I am too much of a perfectionist and keep on checking it and re-writing it and making a Rubik´s cube out of it. As I am not a professional social scientist, but rather a curious professional dancer I think I should lay off myself a little here. As I spoke with Paula yesterday- it is quite late in the process to be sending a survey out now, but through my discussion with the transition centre last week-end I also made some changes to it (in order to get some answers for them). I think my whole inquiry ought to be regarded as an update as to where things are up to in the world of transition in Germany and hopefully be seen as suggestions and inspiration to further research into the topic. (maybe I need to do an MA...after all?? ((O;)
I also made the mistake of giving the transcript of the interview I made to my interviewee. Enough said- as I want to stay within my ethical boundaries...but it has made everything somewhat more complicated and has also wasted my time, as I also transcribed almost every word that was said during the one hour interview I led. Actually in the Blaxter, Hughes Tight book "How to research" (2010) there is even a health warning to doing this....!! Oh...silly me.... ((O;
Ok. It´s all part of the learning process.
Keep courage and battle on, right??! So long....

don´t know, how he does it, but my canary always gets apple all over my desk

Because last night´s blog was written at such a late hour and I have a lot of crumbs in my head at the moment, that are waiting to turn into bread I am going to make another little entry at this point.

One thing I wanted to mention was the use of documents for qualitative data. Mr. Flick writes a great deal about it in the book I mentioned yesterday and I have been having some thoughts about it. 

Documents are a way of storing people´s experiences. In a sense they are the memory of our culture. Whilst some documents, say Anne Frank´s diary are of vital importance for the memory of the entire western world, my own ambling on in my adolescent journal about how terrible my dance teachers treated me, might be interesting to me one day and to a few select readers.

I have a book written 7 years ago, in which an author interviewed former dancers on their lives after dance. The book is written in narrative form, so therefore the accounts given have already passed through the interpretation and world- view of the author. Now, that I am analysing and using this document, the original experiences will again be interpreted once more by my own views and distorted by, what I am using this particular document for, in order to enhance let´s say a theory I have.

As I was listening to the radio this morning I came across an interesting project called "Highrise" from the Canadian National Film Board.

http://highrise.nfb.ca

I thought it represents a good visual to what I am trying to express with words, how the same thing, looked at from another point of view, in a different city, or coming from a different social background can look totally new.

Although I have not had the time to read it in it´s entirety I am once again taken by Peter Bryant´s latest blog entry. http://peterbryant.smegradio.com/?p=256

I would like to share it here with everyone reading this, because it offers great thoughts on the psychological aspects of learning and connecting to your fellow students on line- exclusively.

Thank you Peter at this point!

OK...nouff said....cheers for reading ((O;

that moment, you see that crumb you have been seeing sitting on your keyboard keys disappear into your computer

As I not only seem to be the only one panicking about the fact, that due to work commitment issues I am not blogging as much as I want to and probably should, I feel it unnecessary to mention here again, that we are all trying our best to put demanding dance careers under one roof with fulfilling elements of study. It is not easy, but a challenge we will one day be proud to have mastered!
Strangely enough I was relieved to find myself not cast in this season´s guest choreographer´s piece, because I thought that would leave me with more time for my work on module 3, but somehow dashing to the library to work in piece and quiet and then back to rehearsal again; or sitting at my desk post performance are not really giving me that calm I was hoping for either.
I conducted my first "proper" interview last sunday. It went really well and although it took me three days to transcribe I already know, what data to use and how. Although the act of transcription seemed a rather painstaking process I think it has been worth taking the time, as I was already able to analyse the data in my head. I can already see myself needing to knuckle down for december entirely to be able to complete my work to my own satisfaction...
I also competed my survey, had it checked by a sociologist, who in turn suggested I use another programme (I was using the monkey) that would facilitate easier evaluation at the end. However I am not happy with the amount of advertising in the final questionnaire, so I am currently putting the questions back into the monkey. Hopefully I can send the survey out this week-end.
As a great chunk of my Critical Review and artefact will be coming from the literature I have been reading I am not too worried about keeping the survey running for two weeks and conducting the second and final interview thereafter.

I have been reading a lot of Jennifer Mason´s book "Qualitative Researching" and Uwe Flicks "Qualitative Sozialforschung- Eine Einführung".
Both books I highly recommend. Mr. Flick´s book (which is of course also available in English- it was on the Module 2 reading list) expands a bit more on what Adesola wrote about on her blog about campus session 2. Ms. Masons´ book offers a more philosophical approach towards qualitative research and also has made it clearer to me, what "school of thought" I am from and how I want to bring that into my critical review.

I have also been having many thoughts on the audience of my enquiry. As the author of the book on dancers AFTER their active career suggested and recent conversations with peers and colleagues have also brought to light, along with my observations of audience members in the studio, I think it is necessary to inform the dance and ballet- loving audience that come to our theatre on a regular basis and bring forward a lot of interest as to what happens to us dancers after we have "passed our sell by date". I am thinking a little booklet that can be on offer as members of the theatre- going public attend a performance, maybe even sparking their initiative to donate to the "Stiftung Tanz Transition Zentrum in Deutschland" that facilitates the transition of dancers in Germany??
I have also identified family and friends of dancers- especially of those in transition, as a key audience.
So I think I am moving away more and more from the fact, that I want to improve existing possibilities for dancers, as a lot is being done already, it just misses the funding and the public awareness.
The end of a dancer´s career is also a subject that needs more attention in the dance world in order to prevent dancers of falling on their face- especially, when forced to quit unexpectedly, but there is only so much I can do in the format of this degree course.

This week I also had another brain storm to clarify, where I am going with this.
Out came a mind map...

...the topic remains in the centre (orange IKEA gel pen). Four pillars of what it´s about: 1-Where did it come from?, 2- What it looks like today, 3- The in´s and out´s of what´s available and 4- What do my colleagues know and think about it.
In green I added, what research is going into what pillar and then two more topics I am concerning myself with. What justifies a dancer´s right to ask for help (ethical and philosophical) and why is this such an important topic the German dance world (and audience, thank you very much) has ignored for too long?? Hope it makes sense..?

Please excuse my un- academic style of this blog. It is 20 to midnight after a performance, as I am writing this...I hope you enjoyed reading this far anyhow ((O;
Cheers and good night!!

Fione Rettenberger • M00388626 • Critical Reflection

In my first blog of this module (Appendix A) I started comparing the journey we are taking in this BAPP course to a Soyuz-mission of the late 50s. Whilst in Module one we were shown what bits we need and how to assemble our own private spacecraft, in this part of the course we were able to take our first test-flights in the the vast universe work-place study has to offer.

Developing lines of Professional Inquiry

In order to develop my professional line of inquiry, I started off by having a brainstorm and producing a mind-map on where I was then and making it clear to myself, where I would like to go. (Appendix B)

Thinking about the future inevitably leads me down the road of the past, so this is also the time I started reading “Apollo´s Angels” by Jennifer Homans a fine piece of literature about the history of ballet. In this book I found many references to where ballet is embedded into the story, and society of the time. (Appendix C)

Like on any long journey it is important to take a great deal of reading material with you, so I read as varied and as much as I could in the limited time available to me. Having identified a heightened interest for the social sciences I looked for literature on the sociology of dance, sociology of the body, neurocognition of dance (Appendix D) and other various cultural themes surrounding dance.

At the same time I engaged the people around me in conversations about my ideas, most notably one of the ballet masters from work and the managing director of the Hessen State Theatre. Because I also took my fledging ideas away from my community of practice the discussions I had were fruitful and later on would lead me to my line of inquiry.

During the same time I also took an important trip. Back to my own roots to my alma mater. Travelling always has the amazing effect on me, that it clears my head and gives me fresh ideas and impulses to think about. Travelling back to where I essentially came from as a professional and even more so, being fortunate enough to meet some of the most important teachers I had and discussing my thoughts and studies with them finally also lead me to the conclusion of this part. I knew I wanted to discover more about the social aspects of dance, delve into the realms of the social habitus or public spheres of dancers.

Professional Ethics

As my Soyuz capsule was taking flight I took a look around the universe of ethics. A vast area to cover I started by identifying my own professional work ethics. (Appendix E)

With the “Anlage zum NV- Solo Vertrag” (Appendix F) being the legal basis of the contract I have signed as a soloist dancer with the Hessen State Theatre I also revised my professional ethics.

This in turn led me to think about the ethics of my own professional inquiry. I think the most important thing I ought to bear in mind, when conducting interviews and surveys are the addressed persons' rights, especially when dealing with such delicate matters, as the end of the much loved career in dance or concerning a person's social status. I also noticed in composing my pilot survey and conducting a pilot interview, that how the questions asked are set is highly important.

It was also around about that time, that my little spacecraft passed by some important items of literature, that would in the end lead me to the universe I have decided to further explore in my professional inquiry. (Appendix G)

Through a radio-programme I was led to the “Deutscher Kulturrat” (Appendix H) - the German Federal Cultural Foundation, providing me with ample information on the situation of dance in Germany and on the social habits of artists. (Appendix I)

Internet research (Appendix J) also led me to the “Tanzplan Deutschland” (Appendix K) , an initiative of the German Federal Cultural Foundation lasting from 2005 to 2010, that was equipped with 12.5million € to act as a catalyst for the German Dance scene to promote more recognition and equal value for the art form in public perception. Amongst many other things it set up the “Transition Centre Dance”. (Appendix L)

Reading, thinking and discussing transition with my peers (actually I was blow-drying my hair) led me to the universe of work-based research that I want to further explore, as I feel it is a subject still very much in its infant stage here in Germany and one plus-point is, I can talk to almost every dancer I know.

Tools of Professional Inquiry

So although I started feeling a little less like Laika the dog in the myriad of my ideas I still need to channel my research in order for it not to get out of hand.

Once I had heard the penny drop it was easy for me to go looking for the appropriate literature concerning the subject of transition. (Appendix M)

In reading I found many questions to ask, which I utilized in my pilot interview and in composing my pilot-survey. I also used a TV programme on a ballet school class from Vienna (Appendix N) as my observation.

Although it seems as though I have been on an extremely lonely journey, I have enjoyed the company of strangers in some special interest groups on linked-in and also was actively engaged with the blogging community, where I was able to receive support in moments of despair.

Discussions with my tutor, that made me feel like I was reporting back to Huston Space Center were also helpful and guided the little cosmonaut in me back on track.

I look forward to the upcoming research and my big mission into the universe of dance transition in Germany.

reporting to you live from Heathrow airport ((O;

After my last blog was lost in the vast universe of the internet (screw Blogger...thank you very much!!), it has taken some time for me to pluck up enough courage to trust in this programme again.
With the first third of the module drawing to an end, I must admit that I needed the time I have lately taken to get back on track and focused, as I was rather feeling, like I was standing at the wrong suitcase-returns belt at Heathrow airport...waiting for my assignment ideas to come out at belt 3a, whilst my suitcase of plausible ideas was going round in circles on belt 2a.....
That´s ok...some talks to Paula and people around me, have made me turn my head and run towards my suitcase with gaping arms ((O;
I have just gotten off the phone with Maja Langsdorff, a very respectable lady, who herself was a dancer and was abruptly forced to stop due to a road- accident. In 2005 she published a book called "Ballet- and then?" (in German) that is having quite an influence on my assignment.
Now in her 50s her transition lies many years behind and it is refreshing to be able to talk to someone who has safely landed in a "non dancer life"many years ago and has the calm and the virtue to openly discuss, the problems dancers face in many different ways.
I have also had some vital conversations with a friend and former colleague of mine, who has just stopped dancing due to a neck injury and his girlfriend, who is at times finding it hard to cope with the situation of her partner´s adjusting and search of a new life.
This has also made me realise, who I am really writing the artefact for. Not only do I want to cater for dancers (who tend to disclose information they have found), but also for their close friends and relatives, who want to support them in their transition process. I think I will find another form of audience in the public, that comes into the theatre. Recently we have had a fair amount of audience come watch rehearsals in the studio. One question I have always observed is, that people are actually interested, how long dancers can dance and what they do afterwards and how! I think if I create a comprehensive artefact in form of a booklet, I can get a dialogue going between the consumer and the producer of this art form.
In all my thoughts I have also re-avaluated the necessity and thus justice that needs to be given to dance. Dance in Germany is part of our cultural heritage. It is a heritage, that is frequently being cut and admonished, because people cannot be bothered to challenge themselves to try to understand, what a primal form of their communication could mean to them? Because people do not want to search for the aspects of their emotions, that can be touched by dance?
I think it is important for me to take this into consideration, as it demands a fair amount of tax money for dancers to be educated, theatres to be kept up and dancers to be supported in transition at the end of their career (my topic), as I am rooting for the upkeep and support of dance and its practitioners.

As far as other organisational things are concerned- as I wrote about in my last blog (the one that evaporated) I have been getting up at 7am in order to get some work done before heading out to work myself- mainly reading and thus don´t have to worry about that during the day or can relax a bit more in the evening.

Here´s an impression of how lovely those mornings can be!!...followed by an impression of my desk- work in progress, a quiet moment I found to read in the park between rehearsals and an excellent view of the place I work at...!

Last week however I needed to give way to irregular working hours due to the upcoming premiere, so I was forced to do less work towards the final assignment.

As for the social media issue- I have been in touch with Katharina over Facebook. Right now we are looking for a way to meet each other, as we don´t live to far away from each other in order to liven things up a little. I am also noticing, that I am not cut- out for long term long distance study, as I need people around me, that I can have an active exchange with in order to enhance my learning process.
Although I´ve only been commenting on the odd blog I must at this point say, that I am always really inspired by Adesola´s blog entries. Not only do they challenge me to go that extra bit, but they also talk about dance from a metaphysical point of view, which is something I find very appealing.
In her last entry she comments on blogging as a form of communication- not only with the people on the BAPP programme, but also with the rest of the world! And it is true- especially now, as I am inviting people to interviews I quite frequently refer them to my blog, so they can get a quick idea on what I am thinking about.

So just to briefly review my learning experience on this module so far- I started off extremely motivated and charged right in. As I started thinking more and more about my assignment I got caught up with the "centipede problem"- by thinking too much about which leg to put forward first I could no longer decide, which one of the 100 to use first and was therefore stuck. Taking a deep breath and a short pause has provided me with the ability to see the right suitcase and I am now fully immersed in my assignment topic.

What more is there to say right now?? I hope no one is too cold out there...good journey y´all!! ((O;
...

Das Gute kritisch betrachten um das Bessere zu erreichen

The first Blog at the dawn of a new Module.
I just want to wish everyone all the best for the final push (feels a bit like a premiere after a good rehearsal period ((O;)...let´s hope we all come out of this at the other end with a suitcase full of life-enriching experiences!

I also hope everyone has had a great and eventful summer. It certainly sounds like it, with people working for the Olympics, travelling and getting up to many other inspiring things.

For my part I came to London for a couple of days just before the Olympics started and it was great to feel the buzz all about the city. I also managed to go to Middlesex´s Hendon Campus and have a snoop around ((O;
Here´s a photo in the spirit of the last module....I hope I can explore more possibilities than that of a crunchy...(no idea, why that got in the picture ((O;....but I do love and miss a good crunchy..)

So, what have I done to start exploring the possibilities so far?
I have changed my approach towards the work I want to produce for university. I understand, that I am not some supernatural super-alien with the ability to stretch time. I am working full time and life seems to be pretty busy otherwise too, so I need to set aside certain hours of the week geared towards studying (I´m actually thinking 7-8am, so I don´t have to worry about it, if the plan changes at work, as it so frequently does).
I also need to continuously make sure that I don´t go off along the wrong track, as there is really no time for that now. (So no more browsing interesting sounding pieces of literature, that are not in the line of my inquiry)
I have made a plan until the submission deadline on jan.7th. Luckily we already have our free days, performances and, when we are going on tour, so I can plan around that quite comfortably!Here´s what I see, when I sit at my desk and turn my head left ((O;

I have identified three broad chapters of work: Data Collection, Evaluation and Writing.

As there are three months I will work in periods of 6 weeks each, each overlapping by two. Simple, right??

I have also decided to go back to working primarily with paper and pencil. In the previous modules I was very avid at trying out iCal, Merlin, BibDesk, MindNode and what have you, but you can´t teach an old dog new tricks and I seem to be getting old. (I am still waiting to grow fur and a tail)

After several attempts I always find myself printing the documents I produce out and editing them with pencil. I have since I am 6 years old used a paper calendar and as now I even make my own, why should I not use something that has proven worthwhile and I always carry with me???

I also changed, how I write my learning journal. I purchased a smaller note book in which every page is dedicated to one day of studying. Instead of trying to be creative in my writing, I just jot down quick notes on the manner of "Wrote e-mail to....", "Read pgs. 13-19, real world research....", "wrote blog..."Das Gute...""...simple and easy to revisit for me.

So basically all I am trying to do, is to keep it all as simple as possible to me.

Other than that I also re-read my module 2 assignment and the feed-back given in order to get my head back into the mode I was in, when I wrote it and to now adapt it to the development my mind and situation has made in the rather long and eventful summer-period.

I hope I am now ready for the final leg of the journey and that I have made adequate provisions.

I am looking forward to the discoveries I am about to make and the challenges I stand before and hope for an enriching learning experience.......((O;

Regulations steering the ethical framework at work

 Following items show an excerpt of the German NV (Normalvertrag) Bühne. Every dancer employed by a German state theatre has signed this contract and I have added the index as well as two pages specifying the laws for dancers in German theaters.
I think the most important ethical aspects in this case are the working hours and hours of rest and recuperation (Proben / Ruhezeiten).
As you can see, the NV law is very intricate and often leads to discussions amongst employees. Although we are all aware of certain aspects- let´s say woking hours, not many dancers actually know this documents detailed ins and outs.
I am actually just questioning the ethics of people signing a contract they don´t really understand, or know of it´s existence. Many dancers are not German nationals and therefore not necessarily in command of lawyers German.

ballet meets design

http://www.behance.net/gallery/NIKE-ARC-ANGELS-(Pointe-shoe-training)/3346353

hey...this made me think about the BAPP program, where dancers are researching side-by-side to a group of talented young designers and learning from each other....hope you are all doing well

thick as a brick !!!

...much to my surprise...it came to me, as I was blow-drying my hair. Although I must admit to having had an inspiring conversation over the breakfast table shortly before I can advise anyone as stuck as I was to go by every day life and wait for the genie to come out of...um...the hairdryer (I´m thinking Hoover might work as well).
So my topic and what my research will be based on is "Transition in Dance".
Transition of dancers from their dance career to a non-dance life. I would briefly like to illuminate historical points with August Bournonville being the first to support his dancers to find another career upon leaving the stage. Another aspect I will be dipping into is the social habitus of dancers and the psychological impact the end of a career has. In my research would like to question dancers about their current view on their life after their career and former dancers on how they perceived and what they experienced in their transition time.
One thing that really motivates me, is that I feel that I am coming to the end of my dance- career and it´s a subject us dancers are all concerned with. Another thing is that whilst in the UK dance transition is already well established in Germany the first dance transition foundation was founded in 2010!!!

So this is just a quick overview...what do you guys think??? Do you think I have found what I was looking for...

Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away. And yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall there with a sigh.

As my blogging activity is rather dismal, it must seem, like I am not really doing too much...on the contrary....I´ve been rather busy...still searching for the grains of inspiration for my final enquiry....as the module commenced I was already chatting with friends about my ideas...stirring things up a little. I made an appointment to talk to one of the ballet-masters at work and I also had the wonderful opportunity to talk to the new financial director of the "Hessen State Theatre" where I am employed. I am trying to approach the subject with open eyes, looking into many fields around me and I am sure come autumn I will be able to harvest and bake a nice bread out of my work.
I´ve been looking into the structures of the German cultural scene. Where does the funding come from, what is considered important and how are cuts and closures affecting society.
There´s the German culture council to start off with. It is responsible for political decisions concerning the arts including drama, opera, music, dance, literature, architecture, design, film and cultural education. Many enquiries are initiated by the council...and I was able to print some of personal interest and read through them.
I took a look at the German governments web-site and found answers on how the German government views the necessity of dance at this day and age.
Then there are also several associations concerning the german theatrical landscape. The "Deutscher Bühnenverein", the "Bühnengenossenschaft" seem to be the largest ones- then there´s the "Vereinigung Deutscher Opernchöre und Bühnentänzer", responsible for choirs and dancers in Germany. There are two dance specific archives. One in Cologne and one in Leipzig. Their sites also operate in English...
I´ve been putting a lot of thought into the social aspects of dance, or more specifically ballet and modern dance as we know it today, as I would like to look at the rather unknown field of dance-sociology for my final piece of work. Maybe I am falsely attempting to land on the wrong branch of the tree here...not sure yet.
The financial director of the theatre advised me to look into the sociological department of the TU in Dresden- especially at Dr. Rehberg´s work concerning culture, which again in turn lead me to a highly interesting book about the arts in society. Basically this book is what I would like to take a closer look at- but from a dancer´s point of view. Something like "The dancer in society". Or "Dancing with Society"....something like that.
Concerning research I am actually getting slightly worried...I am advised not to query the audience of the Hessen State Theatre. I could however ask my colleagues....dancers, as well as actors, opera singers, choir singers and the entire technical department. I am also able to draw upon my professional community...but I am also aware of the fact, that that will not be scientific research, as from my subjective point of view. Conversations with a sociologist have led me to GESIS, the German institute of social indicators. Maybe I can peck out some more ideas here??
So long so far...a quick glance at the creative mess I am looking through at the moment...maybe the birds of spring will help me untangle it...

PJs vs pointe shoes

Having let my thoughts spin out of control in their soyuz capsule over the past weeks I am trying to learn how to knit the tangled wool of ideas into something with shape.
The place I started thinking about ethics in the workplace was the stage, as to me, my professional setting consisting of the theatre-building, the ballet studio and my fellow company members, the stage is my church. It´s the place you enter and you immediately quiet down and look up.
Maybe my rather rigid classical education ingrained certain values in me. For example I was taught not to put my hands on the tutu I am wearing and although my ballet-days are gone I still respect my costumes, hanging them up (unless there´s a "fast change"during performance), when taking them off and not carelessly throwing them into a corner. Respect for principal or senior dancers is something you grow up with- never failing to leave them their preferred space at the barre.
I also learnt that the ballet-studio is there to work, not for eating and even now it still troubles me to take a bite of my kitkat- even when starving.
A thing that really opened my eyes was the program "Agony and Ecstasy" about the English National Ballet, kindly recommended by Alicia some time ago. In one episode a young dancer is literally being yelled at for being 5 minutes late, being called "dis-respectful" and "un-professional". In my own professional environment being 5 minutes late certainly would never prompt such an outburst.
My surrounding being a dance company of contemporary german expressionist dance, it struck me that there are considerable differences in values- especially to the ones I grew up with in a "classical" surrounding.
Another example that sprung to mind was how in classical companies such as the Hamburg Ballet, I have observed a certain dress-code. Clean and tidy, hair in a neat bun or french-roll and tight fitting dance-wear. In the more modern milieu I move in wearing your pajamas or covering yourself in thousands of layers to keep warm is more convenient and adds to a "certain kind of cool". Or I should rather say- it´s a kind of uniform. ((O;

this little world has quite captivated us your joys and sorrows have refreshed and touched us

...sitting in the extremely crowded reading-room of Wiesbaden´s State Library (yes, education is a "thing to do" these days) I take a look out of my little soyuz-capsule, which lately took a detour past planet "Romeo and Juliet" premiere...now that I am managing to bring my little rocket back in to it´s proposed orbit I am finding the right brainwaves in order to compose the next blog.
A lot of thinking and some discussions have been going on about the award title I would like to propose for myself. Something that has been following me my entire dance-career (also in school days) is that of social structures of dance-companies (hierarchy) and in theaters and social backgrounds of dancers. I enjoy looking at the consumers of the art we produce, having had many discussions with friends I have introduced to dance or the theatre full stop about how dance and the theatre can be made more accessible and "a la mode" again.
I am also reading an extremely inspiring book on the history of ballet "Apollo´s Angels" by J. Homans. Who knew, that the classical corps de ballet actually sprung from the French Revolution? Or that the figures still practiced today in classical ballet class are representations of how people thought the planets moved in the 16th century??
Thus this book is opening my eyes once again to how much the creation of art is linked to the time it springs from.
In my own mind I have often drawn links between the origins of a choreographer, the time he or she created in and the nature of his or her works.

Coming from this the title I would like to propose for myself is 


BA (Hons) in professional practice in dance sociology/ philosophy.

Another thought has been to translate the German "Tanzwissenschaften" (a BA uni subject here, thus making it a


BA (Hons) in professional practice in dance science.


What do you guys think of my ideas??
Is my rocket spinning out of control?Do we have to call Houston?? Are these also questions you have asked yourself at some stage or would like to know more about??

I am always thankful for honest answers and feedback!!

Feeling a little like Laika the dog...

moonwalking with einstein

When a week ago, last monday I packed my little computer into it´s cozy travel-bag, sharpened my pencils and set out to hit the library in my lunch break, I felt enlightened and relieved to have a reason to think again...especially about my work, which I love very dearly.
A week later...again in the library, I find my mind spinning with ideas much like a soyuz rocket. Let´s see, if by May I somehow manage to return the rocket back to the planet earth and come up with a plausible line of inquiry.
I decided after the past panicked January coursework essay hand in-time to approach Module 2 slightly differently. Thinking of the choreographer George Balanchine, who would choreograph the end of a piece first and then work his way backwards (so he knew, where he was heading) ("Dancing on my Grave", Kirkland, G.) I drew up a map of what the final hand in will be about. At the beginning of the last Module I was still busy registering and so on, so this time around I am much more relaxed and more focussed on the things, that are really important.
Working through the fourth reader I brainstormed, what I already know and what competences I have. This gave me a pretty good idea on how big the field is, that I could potentially choose something to research on, from. As a classical dancer trained by British, French, Danish, Russian and American teachers, I have a fairly good understanding of the different aspects of the various techniques taught all over the world. I understand that research in dance/ballet technique is an interesting subject already quite frequently mentioned and has already been done a lot.
Recently a younger dancer in the company approached me for help in search for the right pointe-shoes for her. Many years of experience have taught me, what different brands there are, how they are made and how each dancer has their own perks in sewing and preparing her shoes. Sharing this with her made me feel proud and also think of an interesting point(e) of research.
Work as a dancer has given me a sense of movement and space, musicality and acting skills.
In being a company member and belonging to a theatre I have learnt a lot about social dynamics in groups, social structures and behavior. Ever the observer, I am fascinated by human psychology and find the psychological and sociological aspects of dance highly interesting. A book I stumbled upon some time ago "The Neurocognition of Dance", compiled by a famous dance teacher Martin Puttke and the neuroscientists Thomas Schack and Bettina Bläsing has opened my eyes to new paths ahead.

Next thing I did was draw up a mind-map in order to sort through my jumbled thoughts.

This gives me a pretty good overview and I can modify it as the Module progresses and I am (hopefully) kissed by inspiration.
Now that my soyuz-rocket has been launched, in flight I feel like reading a lot of literature, looking around the vast expanses of the universe..um...web and playing a good deal of ideas ping-pong with colleagues, friends and actually any one who will play with me.
Last sunday I meet up with one of the ballet masters from work. Some years my senior, but from a very similar background to me, the conversation proved very interesting and in many ways inspiring. Although we did in the end drift away from my question of research I can say that our little excursion gave me some more clarity on the area I would like to concentrate on.
I also find Peter Bryants blog extremely helpful. This one really hits the nail on the head to me- especially the five points on what a research problem needs to be!
So, as my journey through space and time is continued and I look out of my rocket´s little window and hope that Einstein was right... ((O;