Taught Chair Motif PMD2

We were taught a phrase of movement to memorise until it became embedded in our muscle memory. To do this we could use a number of rehearsal strategies to digest the material including the following:

• Setting a rehearsal schedule
• Draw up a schedule for the week that allows for 15 minutes of practice each day, being specific about the aim of the session and what technical or performance skills that you aim to develop or improve.
• Share best practice
• Watch a peer perform and notate the successful aspects of the performance. Look at how you can emulate these in your own performances. 
• Focussed/Unfocussed Post-Show Discussion
• Focussed: Ask peers for critique on specific areas and perform it for them.
• Unfocussed: Perform the material and ask for feedback regarding any area of the performance. 
• Feedback from teacher/peers
• Draw a dance graph
• Create a graph to track the dynamics of the performance, labelling areas where technique, safety and other performance elements should be particularly prominent and what these should be/how to impliment them.
• Counting aloud
• To consolidate timing
• Using mirrors to watch own movement
• Record performance and review from an audience perspective
• Draw a Dance Grid
• Create a grid to break down the material in the performance into timing, weight placement*, action, direction and guidance to identify the technical and performance skills required for the performance and bring clarity to the movement. 

*Weight placement is important for demonstrating accurate posture, balance and technique, in a way that is safe, and reduces strain on the body during a performance. Dancers with hyperextention, like myself, should aim to find the closest thing to straight, by engaging their muscles and 'lifting' joints to prevent them from falling into the bow shape that tends to be created. Furthermore, weight placement also allows a performer to prepare for the next movement, reducing the time and energy to transition into the next movement.