From training and pushing my body, injuries occur from tightness in the muscles to pulled hamstrings and general aches and pains which generally put me off a performing career path. Recently, I pulled my right hamstring causing tightness and frustration when performing run through and simple technique phrases knowing I have to keep my leg low and missing the enjoyment of moving. Keeping the legs low but energy up, honing in on the foundation of my technique, to feel each muscle work, are simple efforts which, at the time, felt forced and not giving my 100% within a class; however, the benefits where the opposite. I began to understand the natural turn out of my hips, focus on the alignment and muscularity of my head tail connection as well as discover weaknesses disguised by using my full range such as "the flexibility of my back", which was also noticed and feedback from Gemma Nixon. I have a habit of ignoring injuries and dancing through aches and pains unaware of how serious injuries can become and I have learnt that injuries are inevitable when pushing the body and myself mentally, to improve. Furthermore, the lack of awareness and understanding of my own body, neglecting simple injury prevention techniques. Overall, from keeping legs low and lunges higher off the ground enabled me to discover a new dance level and energy behind what movement can become.
Going forward, I have become more aware of my body and its needs, for example: before a morning class I need to engage my quadriceps muscles and roll over my spin in order to feel prepared and ready for class; after a class has concluded a roll down to downward dog to child’s pose enables me to compose my thoughts from the class to begin a cool down. This is essential for establishing myself as a freelance artist, to be aware of what my body needs when performing opportunities will be in various performing locations. Even though, during the trimester, injuries occurred and I became de-motivated within applying to company auditions, my interests have since changed and grown after performing on the stage through tour. As the audition season is coming to a close and company auditions including Company Chameleon, Motionhouse, Phoenix Dance Theatre, I am actively looking for performing opportunities available in the north west through funded projects. The dance infrastructure in the UK between 1969 and 2009 saw a progression of investment within National Portfolio Organisation (NPO). More recently, in 2020, NPO's fluctuated and stood at over 800 in the UK alone (Wood, 2021, pg. 604). Furthermore, with new interest within performing within a company, seasonal or contacted, and from reviewing Northern based companies and potential partnerships (Company Chameleon, Cheshire Dance, Curious Minds, Phoenix Dance Theatre and Weird Aerial Dance Theatre) within Arts Council England Data (The data: 2018-22, 2022), I aim to network and build professional relationships with these companies through freelancing and being more aware of which companies have on going projects.
Bibliography:
Arts Council England Funding (2022) The data: 2018-22. Available online from <https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/national-portfolio-2018-22/more-data-2018-22>
Wyver, K. (2021) Motionhouse: Nobody review – keep your eyes glued to this incredible ensemble. The Guardian, September 23rd. [Online] Available from <https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/sep/23/motionhouse-nobody-review-peacock-theatre>
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