Task 2d: Inquiry

I found this task quite challenging so I did put it off for quite a while. Personally, I find it hard to sit down and think about my passions and to evaluate them. But luckily I have a journal now that has helped me with this task.

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

The one thing that makes me really enthusiastic in every aspect of my life is music. Of course, as a dancer I used to "work" with music, dance to it, feel it, enjoy it. But it's not only when I dance that I love it. The one thing that is so special about it is that there's a song for every mood you're in. I wouldn't even be able to say which song is my favourite but I have music for every aspect of life that I enjoy listening to. It helps me to calm down at the end of the day, to reminisce about things that have happened in the past or to remind me of funny, sad, exciting times. One of my all-time favourite things is to get into a studio, turn a song on and to just dance. This sounds probably like a pretty bad cliché but I'm afraid I have to confess that, in that aspect, I'm a cliché dancer!

The one person I really admire because she's not only an amazing singer but also a great entertainer is Adele. Yeah, I know what you're thinking .... me and 5 million other people. But I'm not an obsessive Adele-fan, I just appreciate her as an artist and feel inspired by what she's achieved in life. Another thing I like about her is that she has various styles, it's not like she's just doing pop, rock, hip hop, ballads, etc. When I listen to her album I find a song for every mood which I feel makes an artist so special. I love making choreographies to her songs or to those of Ed Sheeran who I feel is the male equivalent to her: fantastic singer, songwriter, musician and not to forget, both from the great UK ;)! Their music really inspires me and helps me discover new sides of my dancing.
Here are the links to Adele's and Ed Sheeran's homepage:
http://www.adele.tv/home/
http://edsheeran.com/?loc

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

I wouldn't say that I'm somebody who's angry a lot, not like REALLY angry. Of course I have my moments when I feel like the world is having a laugh and trying to kick me when I'm already lying on the floor but that's nothing like being really angry with someone or something. Generally, I try to keep my feelings and emotions to myself and try not to carry them out in the open. It's the same thing with feeling sad. I tried really hard to think of the last time I felt sad, like literally sad but I just couldn't think of it.
Thinking about it, the main reason I would get sad or angry is, if something bad or unjust happens to somebody near and dear to me. I can't it when my family or friends get treated badly without reason or for the wrong reasons. That makes me really angry. And if then, I can't do anything to prevent that or to help them that's, I would say, is when I feel helpless and sad. But thankfully, that doesn't happen often. One of my favourite quotes in terms of feeling angry and sad is from a TV-show called "How I met your mother" where one of the characters, Barney Stinson, tends to say

"When I'm sad, I just stop feeling sad and start feeling awesome!"

 

... WELL, if it just were that easy!!

The one person I admire because she's quite similar to me is my mum. We are both aries, both stubborn and are generally quite similar therefore she understands me and tries to help. I wouldn't say we have a "best friends" rather than a "mother-daughter" relationship but she always helps me put everything in perspective.

• 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?

The thing I love about dance is that there is no wrong or right. Of course, there is technique, like stretching ones knees and feet, but when it comes to the interpretation of dance there is absolute freedom. When I'm teaching, I use tell my student to make every choreography we do class their own. They learn the steps first and once they know it, I tell them to think about a way to put their signature style on it. It always makes me love teaching a bit more when I see a student lose him/herself in the choreography and when I feel like they are enjoying and loving dance as much I do.

On one of my best friends from dance college and flatmate is probably the most driven dancer I know. She loves it so much and everytime I felt down in college or was depressed after an audition she used to pick me up and remind of how much I love to dance and the joy it brings me. I admire how she always keeps looking forward and how she puches herself so hard which ultimately makes me want to keep up with her and therefore makes me a better dancer.

• 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?

The one thing I REALLY don't understand are auditions. Seriously, every time I go to an audition I do my best, try hard to impress the panel and perform 100% but not it's not paying off everytime. I don't think I'll ever understand how the whole dance industry works. I mean you can dance the routine perfectly and perform it amazingly well but still be kicked out in the first or second round and another auditionee, who maybe is not as good a dancer and performer and dancer as you, might end up getting the job. I know it's often based on looks but honestly, I think it would help all the dancers in the world if there was a book or a list that would say what company looks for what kind of dancers. I'm not complaining because every audition is an experience and learn and grow with it but it would make life so much less frustrating at times. My teacher at dance college used to say that there is no way you can figure out the dance industry and that there is no point in obsessing about auditiond and the way they went but still .... I think it's just in our nature to try and figure what went wrong and to, yes, to reflect upon what happened.

I ams ure every dancer on the planet has been in the same situation before, the "What went wrong? Why didn't they pick me?"- situation. On the bright site, it's a problem of a whole profession group and not one of an individual. Though I do have to admit that it's getting easier the more auditions I do and I am keeping my hopes up that at one point I'll just move from asking the big "What; Why; How"-questions and just move and focus on things ahead. THAT would make life so much easier!!!