Task 3C: My 5 sources of information

I was quite stuck on how to begin this blog, so I looked through a few fellow BAPPer's tasks to gain some inspiration! 

As it turns out I have a variety of sources of information accessible to me:

Firstly, I think it would have to be the internet. It's my focal point of call whenever I want to 'google' something for more in depth information on a subject matter. The interenet is so easily attainable and I can more or less look up anything I wish. I particularly like using an online thesaurus for all of my BAPP work,it enables me to quickly flick through to different variations of words I want to use instead of the old fashioned book- lazy but nesessary at the moment!  

My phone... Is something I feel I am virtually attached to and couldn't live without. Even now I am blogging from the 'blogger' app! I have so many apps on my iPhone; the mail online and the guardian is something I regulary look at every morning when I wake up, my virtual newspaper. I like to know what's going on in this world we live in, especially with the election round the corner. I use Skype from my phone for the BAPP group sessions as I am normally on the go and not always in one place at one time sat infront of my laptop. 

YouTube is a great visual source of information. I am still a bit of a ballet geek at heart and I love to spend hours watching endless clips on YouTube; either from ballet stars or promising ballet students from such competitions as Prix De Lausanne or the Youth America Grand Prix. It's intriguing to see what new fresh talent is out there. I'm also obsessed with makeup as I do work in cosmetics, so I turn to YouTube videos to update myself on the current trends- bloggers tutorials are quick and easy to follow. 

The theatre.. I absolutely love the theatre and fortunately for myself one of my friends works at our local theatre so I can usually get tickets for about £5! It's imperative to still be involved with the industry even though you aren't not currently in it; after all it is my passion. This year I have seen Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissor hands,Wicked, Singing in the Rain, ENB's Coppelia and Carlos Acosta's production of 'on before'. It is so inspiring to see new works at the theatre, and in addition to Ballet I am just a little bit obsessed with musicals! It really does motivate and compels me to keep going, and it's also such a breath of fresh air to actually physically watch a performance, rather than heavily relying on the internet to observe new work. 

Blogs.. This has been such a new experience for me. At first I found it very difficult to get a grasp on the blogging world, but once I had experimented with a few I was good to go! Communicating and engaging with other students on the course has facilitated my learning and also opened my mind up to how different people think and interpret things. The Blogs have enabled me to reflect on my thinking and learning pattern for the first time, which has been a real eye opener for me. Being online has it's advantages of being so easy to use, but also the disadvantage of not having that one to one attention with your tutor. I am thinking of possibly travelling to London for a few campus sessions either this module or when module 2 starts in October, it isn't too far away from me and I think it will definitely give me peace of mind. 

Task 3B:Theories relating to networking

Cooperation

"Game Theory" - The decision to cooperate or not.

"The Prisoner's Dilema" game was a funny one to get my head around at first. My initial reaction on the game was that you have to cooperate with the other player to achieve the final goal, and if you abide by the rules and don't cheat you achieve success. But how much are people willing to cooperate with each other, and are they just playing the game? Robert Axelrod explains his theory of "tit for tat":

" Cooperation based solely on reciprocity seemed possible." (Axelrod, R.1984 Pviii)

This 'Tit for tat' strategy basically means you copy what the other person did in the round before you, something that Axelrod found a success in testing out this theory in a series of games.

"Cooperating fully with others until you reach a point of maximum benefit and then to defect." (Axelrod, R. 1984)

This means that you will cooperate with someone until they are no longer beneficial to you. I myself have never used someone as such to get what I want out of them then end it- I believe cooperation with one another is very important and I don't see myself personally as a 'user' of people. This exploitation of the other person is where I can see a relation in the dance industry. On some level dancers do cooperate and communicate with each other to obtain information for auditions, what social media sites to search for jobs and to get the inside scoop on the dance world. Further more, the termination of the cooperation or the 'defect' is relevant in the industry, however vicious that may be. As you are relatively out there by yourself, the 'defect' in an audition is to get yourself noticed, push others out of the way and in the end, to get the job. You are not cooperating with others by that point, you are purely by yourself. However, in a contrasting workplace such as my job in retail, I believe you do have to cooperate with one another to achieve success. My colleagues and I help each other out if one of us hasn't fulfilled our sales target for the day. We cooperate with each other to reach our final goal, we are a team and it just wouldn't work if we 'defected'.


Affiliation

"The relationship resulting from affiliating one thing from another."

Affiliation is the psychological process that operates in our brains when people form close relationships with one another.
It provides us "with a network of support that will help us when we are need" ( Crisp and Turner, 2007, p.266).
I think it is extremely important to form close bonds and relationships with people in all walks of life, as Crisp and Turner stated, you never know when you are going to hit rock bottom and need people the most, so I truly believe that what you put into life is what you get out.
One of the principles of the affiliation theory is that of " Homeostasis". (O'Connor and Rosenblood, 1996). It means that our need for affiliation within each one of us may differ, but we each seek to balance our interactions with others to a preferred level. O'Connor and Rosenblood suggest this may link to relative and preferred levels of human stimulation ( introvert and extrovert).
When I was studying at Dance college I was extremely shy and introverted, which I think deferred my development as a dancer and as a person. The more confident and extroverted students seemed to exel in their dancing where I was always on the sideline, and I do believe this has been a set back for me as dancers and performers are naturally quite confident and extroverted. However, my experience of my hardships at dance school and rejections in the industry has slowly but surely toughened my skin, and my naturally quiet persona has had to learn (even though uncomfortable at times) to be confident in any given situation. Although this might of been a negative for me at dance school, these experiences have been invaluable life skills for me so I now count them as a positive.
The Homeostasis principle is something I can really relate to in my practice. I rely on close relationships with people and being away from my loved ones for 7 months at a time on the ship was extremely difficult to me. I prefer to be around friends and family all the time, and it is very important to me especially as I have got older. The privacy regulation idea ( Hofstede, 1980) is where individuals seek to maintain privacy at preferred levels. This is what I found difficult on the ship; you are living and working with your cast members 24/7 and as an introvert I respect my privacy profusely, I found it hard to balance my privacy and social time, and that frustration led to homesickness. Perhaps this has been a defect in my career? Maybe if I wasn't so homesick would I have progressed on ships or in my career if  I had continued to work abroad? Forming close bonds on the ship were imperative to me as it was a network of support whist I was so far away from home. It got me thinking, if you are introverted and respect your privacy, will that stop your development in networking in your professional career? I believe professional networking is an extension of our need to affiliate to develop our careers. In the Dance industry it's all about forming bonds and networking with other dancers and directors. What you put in is what you get out, and generally it is about who you know in obtaining work.


Social Constructionism

Humans construct meanings of the world and their experiences of it. " What constructionism claims is that meanings are constructed by human beings as they engage with the world they are interpreting"(Crotty, M. 2005).  So in my professional practice, and in my everyday life I engage with the knowledge I already have to gain meaning of a situation. For instance, when I first started rehearsals in Florida for the cruise line, I had no idea what was going to lie ahead of me, it was a completely new situation. But as I socially engaged with others and interpreted more knowledge through interaction, I began to understand the 'meaning' of the situation more. I guess this relates to a new job or a new home- you have no understanding of it before you start but you will eventually gain a meaning for it. 

Connectivism

This is really what the BAPP course is about. The online network enables students to engage and learn from one another, reading blogs and Skype sessions have facilitated my learning. This way of learning is completely new to me, it is based on concepts and ideas of others but it really compels you to think for yourself, relate it to your own practice and even question the theory. It is very different from the teacher to student method in the classroom; where you absorb the information given to you and then memorise it.  

"Technology is altering (rewiring) our brains. The tools we use define and shape our thinking." (Siemans, G. 2004).

In the article "Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age", Siemans explains that we are all constantly learning, and throughout my career I have learnt through experiences and other dancers.

 Communities of practice

Communities of practice are apparent both professional and social situations. (Reader 3, 2014)

"A community of practice is a set of  relations among persons, activity, and world, over time and in relation with other tangential and overlapping communities of practice." ( Lave and Wegner, 1991). 

I recently had a Skype session with Paula Nottingham with other BAPP students and we discussed our own "communities of practice". I realised I had many different circles, both social and professional, and discovered that these communities all aid my learning in different ways. Members of a community of practice come together because of a mutual interest, and generate a shared experience of engagement. This relative knowledge between one another in the community of practice enables learning and is beneficial to the members in the circle. It can be hard to break into other circles though. I realise I will have to make new networks if I am to go down the teaching route which is something I want to go into after the BAPP degree. I could possibly make new connections through my existing circles, to break through to a new network of teaching.

References

Axelrod, R. (1984). The evolution of cooperation.London:Penguin

Crisp, J & Turner, r. (2007) Essential social psychology.London:Sage

Crotty.M. (2005) The foundations of social research: meaning and perspectives in the research process, London:Sage

Hofstede (1980)

Lave, J & Wenger, E. (1991) Situated learning. Legitimate peripheral participation, Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press

O'Connor & Rosenblood ( 1996 pp267)

Siemans, G.(2004) Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age 
http://www.elearnspace.org/articles/connectivism.htm (assessed July 2012)

Task 3A: Current networks

My current networks are really based all online. I use web 2.0 in my everyday life, either for professional networking or for my social reasons. As I am currently injured my main focus at the moment is to concentrate on getting back to full fitness, so my professional networking as a dancer has taken a back seat. I am also working full time so my university work is my number one priority in my spare time.
However, that doesn't stop me from using social media tools to explore the dance world. I am very passionate about dancing, dancers and their lives, food,and music so I use Instagram on a daily basis to feed me with information! It's also a great way to keep in contact with friends and to see what their up to. Facebook is an invaluable tool for me. As well as keeping in touch with friends who live abroad, it provides me with many different social groups to extend my current networks. For instance, I used to use the "Hustle" whilst I was auditioning, which posts upcoming auditions and the specifics of what the director's requirements are. I particularly liked Danielle Austen's blog about this; she stated that she travelled to London for an audition costing her a vast amount of money, only to be cut straight away, and then realising that they were only looking for boys in the first place. She then discovered how she could join different networks such as the Hustle on Facebook, where people in your line of work can freely communicate with each other. These groups on Facebook was only something I identified by my dancer friends- so word of mouth and connecting with other people was imperative when I was looking for work.
"The Stage" was also a tool I used in searching for auditions when I was fresh out of college before social media became such an important part of networking, and it's strange to think how the power of web 2:0 has quickly become such significant part of lives as dancers.
I also had to look for other work to fund myself travelling to auditions in London, so "Promo Fo's" on Facebook was a brilliant way to pick up any flexible, well paid jobs on the go. It was extremely difficult to work full time when I was auditioning so I had to work for a number of different promotional agencies. There is a brilliant app on the iphone called ' Stuck for Staff', where you upload your previous experience in the promotional world and update your availability, so agencies can freely contact you when a job pops up in your area.
So it got me thinking of my current networks at present. I have found the BAPP blogs extremely useful as a networking tool, connecting with other students and communicating with them on their blogs has given me piece of mind, especially as this course is distance learning! Of course I use social media on a daily basis for my own personal use, but my professional networking is something that I really need to work on. Realistically, I need to be proactive in engaging with others to develop my ideal network. I intend to work with my BAPP degree in either adults or teaching, or go down the route of dance therapy. But like many other students I still don't know what I am going to do! I need to know more about my desired field:
- Searching the web for more information on my acquired field
- Perhaps if I was going to open my own dance school I would need my own website and advertisement tools?
- What would I need after my BAPP degree to go into dance therapy?
- Would I need to use Youtube to make a video to promote a potential dance school?
- What other social networking tools do I need to be apart of?

This has given me food for thought- I need to be proactive so I can engage with others and extend my current professional networks. 

Task 2D: Inquiry

What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

I am enthusiastic about movement and music, I always have been. I am currently injured and I have been out of the dancing scene for a few years. I really miss the adrenaline rush of performing , learning a new dance and the amazing sensation of executing it. It is incredibly frustrating for me to not be able to dance, so I spend a lot of time at the gym pre and post injury, and that is a form of release for me. I am very enthusiastic about classes at the gym, what muscle groups I should be focusing on and researching nutritional benefits in food to speed up my recovery. It is a tough one as I am not working in my preferred field at the moment in dance, I am working in retail, but I am always very interested in dancers in companies, I follow them on social media to see their progression.



What gets you angry or makes or sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?

Auditions. Countless and countless auditions I have endured throughout my career, I cannot even count on one hand how many I have attended! The thing that gets me angry is when talented, very able dancers are not given the chance they clearly deserve. It frustrates me so much; the money, time and effort spent at an audition, usually from 10-6pm with no breaks for lunch, just a few red bulls and chocolate bars to keep you going until the very end.
One article which brilliantly defines the audition process is from the life in the theatre:

http://www.lifeinthetheatre.com/dealing-with-audition-rejection/

It portrays my views entirely:

" Performers must be picked apart through the process- analysed fully. We are naturally exposed, naturally broken and often (if we have worked hard throughout the casting process) absolutely knackered ( emotionally and physically) by the experience. We have demonstrated who we are. We have given our all. "

In some cases you battle to get to the final round, conquering some other 100 dancers, and you don't make it. You feel so damaged and hurt, and think that the whole process was for nothing. Eventually as you do more and more auditions and this happens, you stop feeling the pain as much, as if you are going through the motions. I definitely didn't wear my heart on my sleeve as much and began to accept the rejection and moved on to the next one. But how is this a way of life? To be brutally analysed in such a way to feel pain and utter exhaustion afterwards? I believe the Dance industry is extremely biased and favours the ones who have credentials to their name, rather than the ones who don't, however equally talented. I have been turned away from auditions before because I was too short; I am 5 ft 3 and they wanted girls who were 5 ft 5 and above. That makes me sad. It makes me think, all of my training, years of sacrifice and discipline have been for what? How is that fair? Are the audiences really seeing the best dancers out there who have been given a fair chance? This industry is cut throat I understand that, but I believe the system is unjust. For example, my best friend is also a dancer and she is on the petite side of 4 ft 10, and she finds it extremely difficult to find work that caters to her height. She is as talented even more so than others, but her height is a major restriction for her. We have these frustrations in common, and she too has had dance injuries which have stopped her progressing in her career.
However, she is extremely motivated and is taking positive steps, which is something I admire most about her. She isn't stupid and knows that her height will always stand in her way, so she has recently changed her outlook on the future. She is training in tai boxing 5 days a week to obtain her stunt license in television and film. So this way she has used her height to her advantage; she is apart of an agency for small people in film work, and has recently body doubled for a 14 year old for a major Sky TV series.

There are many themes I can go into here for the Dance industry. Here are a few questions that I can use for an inquiry:

You can only get an agent if your have credentials on your cv, but without a good agent you don't get the auditions? A vicious cycle??

Why is the industry size-ist? Why does is matter that who you know is sometimes the way to get a job in the industry?

Why do budget cuts affect the dancer's salary and no one else's? How is that fair??


What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

I have to admit I just love dancing for the pure thrill of performing, there is nothing better for me. The adrenaline rush is indescribable. However, as I am currently injured, my job working in retail ( cosmetics) enables me to feel empowered by making people feel good about themselves, which I love to do. In the future I intend to use my BAPP degree in the teaching sector of dance, either with children, dance as a therapy or working with adults. I am very excited for my future so far on this course.
One dancer who I admire the most is a prima ballerina with the Royal Ballet company, Marianela Nunez.
http://youtu.be/PrHHQQ1tPrw
Whilst I was growing up she really stood out to me. Her technique is impeccable, but I really applaud her sense of performance, she really transports you to a different world and leaves you feeling euphoric after watching her- that to me is what dancing is all about.


What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?

I agree with Danielle Austen, (a fellow BAPPer); I am also a little lost in where I stand in my career. It is hard enough trying to find work as a dancer when you are fit and able let alone when you are injured and you are unable to dance. I feel quite frustrated that my body can't do things it used to do, and sometimes it makes me wonder if I should still be on this career path. But I am passionate in this field and adamant to have this as my chosen career, physically still dancing or not. Being on the BAPP course has been a really positive step for me so far, I am surrounded by like minded people and I don't feel so alone or helpless anymore! It is a huge relief to be able to communicate with other BAPP students who have endured injuries and hardships in the industry like myself. It has made me think of some questions in relation to dancer's injuries:

Are dance students provided with sufficient education at vocational schools about injuries in their career and how to deal with them? 

Going on from this, I believe every vocational school should be provided on their curriculum, education on being self -employed; how to do your own tax, what to keep for when you do your tax return, etc. I know many musical theatre colleges currently have this, but as I went to Ballet school I unfortunately was not educated in self employment which I think is very wrong. The main focus for ballet school students was to progress into a ballet company, however that wasn't the case for me and I found myself becoming self-employed as a dancer and really struggling when completing my yearly tax return.

Why is it not compulsory for dance students in all vocational schools to be educated on self employment??


How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more generally in society? For example, what level of physical contact would you deem appropriate (and not) from another professional that you would find unacceptable more generally? Why?

I think there are certain rules and guidelines you have to abide by in any profession, and experience in the work industry has provided me with knowledge and more importantly common sense in responding correctly in any given situation. As a dancer my training was very hands on with physical contact, as teachers sometimes have to show you on your body physically the right way of doing something; holding a position, improving your turnout or your flexibility, and this approach is something which I am very used to, and believe to be imperative in teaching dance. However, teaching in main stream schools is a very contrasting matter. It is a completely different approach to dancing and you do have to be careful in physical contact with children, for obvious reasons. I was intrigued by this and googled to see what guidelines there are for teachers and children in mainstream education. For instance there are a few 'codes of conducts' on the internet for nurseries and primary schools:

http://www.littleacorns.hampshire.org.uk/policy%20conduct.pdf
 This code of conduct clearly states the do's and don'ts of physical contact between staff and child in the nursery.

Skype session

Last night I had my first ever group Skype session with Paula and other BAPP students looking into part 3 of module 1. We initially discussed our thoughts about the course so far and our views on task 2, reflective practice. It was interesting to hear others talking about how they perceived the task and I was relieved I am on the same page as them and I'm not as behind as I thought!!

Paula then talked about a concept which emerges in part 3 which was communities of practice and networking. To really grasp this idea we were given a short task, to produce circles on a piece of paper of our own communities of practice. I realised that I had many different circles in mine: 

Once we discussed our 'circles' within the group, someone pointed out that she had separated her peers in her workplace into different circles, which I found intriguing. Catherine also added that she has produced the same idea; she would turn to different colleagues in different situations, therefore they are in their own circles. 

It got me thinking about my own. I have many different aspects of my life, uni work, gym, friendships, and it can be a struggle at times to maintain an equal balance. We talked about how survival and competition is apart of professional life and you are constantly juggling your networks. Tom discussed how he finds it difficult to find a balance in these circles, which I totally agree with. You come across many dancers working in the same field as you, practically part time or flexible jobs such as bar work or promotions, aswell as constantly networking to find and even attend an audition. At the moment I am trying to find a happy medium between my uni work and finding a sufficient amount of time to go to the gym, as I am recovering from an operation and it is crucial that I keep my ankle moving to improve it's strength and mobility. Distance learning has proved difficult to me as I have to be so disciplined in my spare time and prioritise my work load so I can still pay attention to my other networks. The task really got me thinking about the relationships I have in my life and how they affect me. 

I am about to embark on task 3, however I can't seem to find reader 3 on my learning?? I don't know if anyone else have had this problem? Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated!! 

Thanks, 

Katrina x