WonderKeevs

My teaching days started when I was sixteen years old, starting out assisting a ballet teacher with her tiny tots class (3 - 4 year olds). As a teenager who wasn't around younger children that much, I am proud of how much I have grown in teaching not only young kids but all ages as well.

When I started my university course, I stopped assisting at the ballet school to focus on my own studies. That was until after the COVID-19 pandemic that I was invited to take part in a teacher training course for aerial dancers. This training included how to make a plan for your class, roleplaying what to do in a situation when students don't get along/would misbehave in class, and how to speak in a way to keep the students engaged with what you are teaching.

The teachers around me in the Irish Aerial Creation Centre really helped me develop my teaching skills to this day as an aerial dance teacher. The way they incorporate creativity into the technique training is vital as it helps the students learn of their own individuality. Their styles of teaching tend to crossover many different styles, such as - practice style, inclusion style, and reciprocal style.

Now, with different age groups, the teaching styles do change. Reciprocal style is only used for older students, such as teenagers and adults as the age groups tend to be more careful when moving in the air. Whereas younger kids (especially kids between four and nine) would normally be better being taught through the other teaching styles mentioned.

The Inclusion Teaching Style is quite important in aerial dance teaching as it is very rare when everyone in a class is at the same level. So, as a teacher, I must adapt to how they progress and what they are capable of doing at this time. Normally when teaching, I would always have two versions of a move which I call "option 1" and "option 2". I would demonstrate both and encourage each student to try the harder option as they might surprise themselves.

Practice Teaching Style goes hand in hand with aerial dance technique teaching. We would start by demonstrating the moves first and then guide the students as they try the move at their own pace. This is a good teaching style as the student gets the time to explore ways that make the movements comfortable in their own bodies.

What I enjoy about including creativity in the class is that the students are given a chance to have the freedom to come up with something new.

Games I think are important in teaching. I tend to lean towards play-based learning for kids. In my teacher training, we were shown a few games and even got to create my own. I believe that games are great for getting the students to engage with the activity and, depending on the game, it gets the gears turning in the brains. Strictly, games are best for the beginning and end of class time, integrating them into warm-ups and cool-downs. According to danceedtips.com (a dance education blog):

"Your students love your creativity but they also need brain breaks and activities that aren't direction instruction from their teacher. Sometimes too much information can be overwhelming for dancers trying to grasp certain concepts and we need to switch up to regain their attention."

I believe that we can mix creativity with gameplay. Before I finish my class, I play "The Animal Game", which the younger students love to play. After teaching the technique class, I would set a task for the students to come up with a move or a shape within their apparatus that represents an animal. Then after a few minutes of coming up with their animal, everyone would take turns presenting what they have created while the others must guess. This pulls so much creativity from them as they get excitement and fun from the game but also the freedom to make decisions. And if the students wanted to team up, I encourage it as it builds teamwork among the class.

From working with primary school students for a workshop, it was more difficult to work with them as they didn't have much of a choice to join in. So, when I was teaching I tried to make it as inclusive as possible by incorporating games for warm-ups and then allowing the students in my group to make their own movements. This sparked excitement, even among the students who didn't want to be a part of the workshop.

What I have learned from my time teaching is adaptability. Adapting to the type of students you have as no student is the same. This is an important skill to have. When it comes to game-based learning, changing up the games is what's important as sometimes the students can get overexcited, or might have a hard time focusing.

Aerial dance has been a future career for me since 2020 when I started studying dance as a professional career. Since I started on my first day climbing and flipping in a cocoon, I’ve been addicted to the fact of flying. 

When I was a kid, I was obessed with fairies. I mean, in a crazy way. My favourite movies were the Tinker Bell franchise. I would go into the woods beside my childhood home and go searching for fairy rings. I would leave tea and oat biscuits by great chestnut trees and say the fairy spell for good luck. When I was 20 years old, for Christmas my parents got me a book about fairy folklore all around the world. To this day, I enjoy the tales and folklore of fairies in Ireland (my home country) and read up on them. 

GIF by pale-grunge-dark

With this, when I first tried aerial dance, all I really felt was the pain from the apparatus. My mentor said it was something I had to get used to, which I did eventually. During my first summer after my first year in university, I attened the Irish Aerial Dance Festival. Originally it was hosted in Letterkenny, Donegal, but due to the results of covid, it was hosted in the home of Ireland’s aerial dance company Fidget Feet in the Irish Aerial Creation Centre, Co. Limerick Clare. 

Here, I tried counterweight harness, when the dancer is linked by two wires hooking into either side of their harness. You are brought up and down in the air by a rigger who is your counterweight. When the rigger climbs down the ladder, you fly up. This was the first magical flying feeling I felt from my aerial experience. 

You Cannot Eat Money - Choreographed and Created by http://www.youtube.com/@hannahemory

This experience was a great addition to our BA course. The module was Choreography and the task we had was to pick 2 or more dancers from our class and make a choreography for them.

Hannah Emory is one of my classmates, who picked me and another girl, Alice, from our class. Her theme for her choreography was the battle of climate change and thought that Alice and I's dance styles would fit perfectly. Alice came from a background in ballet, she was particularly light on her feet when she danced and had floaty-like movements. I, on the other hand, came from a street dance and hip-hop background, which made my movements quite powerful and full of energy. In the piece, Emory had cast Alice as our Mother Nature and myself as The Human.

The story of the piece follows the relationship of Mother Nature and the Human. How we were given so much from the world and so on began to take more and more from Mother Nature, as all she could do was watch idly as the Humans destroyed her creation. This event led to the end of the world.

The ending of the piece showed that no matter what the Human had done, Mother Nature still cared for them and was there to help pick up the pieces of what had happened to her earth.

As I am just finishing my first semester in my last year of university, here are a few things about my journey and what I have learned.

First off, a little about myself:

I am a student at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, studying for my BA in Contemporary Dance. I work part-time as an aerial dance teacher locally as well. For the last three years, I have lived in the local city, growing as a dancer and performer. I have performed quite a few times and through this winding journey, here is what I have learned:

Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses.

There have been countless times when I have felt so bad because I could not do the same things others could do. I did not come from a background in contemporary dance or ballet training, so my first 2 years were a massive struggle. I wasn't as flexible as the others or as physically strong. However, I realised that my own street dance background made my dance unique and it actually impressed the other students as well. Even though they all grew up with lyrical and ballet dance, they did not have experience in street dance or hip hop. It was then I realised that everybody is good at something. We have subjects that we struggle with and subjects that we find easier than others.

2. Give yourself time.

Something I always struggled with was resting. Finding time to rest. Using free time to rest, because so much of my free time was used to finish assignments or practice/train more. I used to stay in the studio after hours in my first year of study just to practice everything that I had done in class that day and would keep practicing until it was perfect. Sooner or later, I would be beaten. I would end up missing classes because I'd be so exhausted. This leads to my next point.

3. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Read that again, please. Over and over. As performers, we are perfectionists from the very beginning. We're used to being told by our mentors growing up that we had done something wrong or off-beat or that we did not deserve this or that. I am here to say now that it is okay if things are not perfectly done. I look back on my old training videos and think "Oh jeez, that is horrible", "I didn't point my toes on that jump", and "I thought I was going full out why do I look lazy?"

I'm telling you now; it's okay. You're doing great. We are all works in progress. I have teachers who are professionals and have performed and taught for 20+ years, and THEY are still learning and correcting.

We are artists. Performers. Creators. Crazy animals. The only perfection is acceptance.

And on that note. Those are the main 3 things I have learned from my journey so far. I hope this has been beneficial to others and yourselves.

xx

"The world is not in your books and maps. It is out there."

Hello Hello! It's so good to be back!

We've been on countless adventures so let's leave it with some photos.

When the rain falls, the snails and slugs come out so that they can travel to new places for foor and give them water. In hot countries, animals and people rely on it for a water source to drink and bring them food. 

The rain is a beautiful thing. Let’s appreciate it more. 

Here we are, once again! Feeling lost but now and then!🎵

Another journal prompt. I have been searching through all my old journals for more ideas and here we are. This one might be shorter than my first journal ideas post. So, let’s get to it!

1. The wORry page. (write down what you’re worried about)

2. Decribe yourself in one word.

3. Write about someone you love.

4. 10/10/10 Worksheet.

5. Mood sheet/tracker.

6. Affirmations (I am...)

7. Playlist page.

8. What does love/respect mean to you?

9. What movie scene do you constantly think about?

10. Write about your pet peeves.

11. Write your day as if it were a book prologue (give it a title).

12. What would you love to experience but don’t think you ever will?

13. Who’s your celebrity/fictional crush?

14. What do you need more of in your life? How can you change that?

15. Write about a childhood memory when you were unhappy.

16. What’s pissing you off in the world right now?

17. Vision board.

18. Plan the best day ever with your friends.

19. Numbers with meanings (angel numbers, etc).

20. What is something about yourself you wished people noticed?

21. Beliefs that mean something to you.

22. Study planner.

23. Class/work Schedule

24. List of somethings you want to learn more about.

25. Your favourite recipes.

26. Where do you want to be in 6 months?

27. Are you a go with the flow or a planner? Why?

28. Three projects you want to focus on right now.

29. Write about your favourite hobby while you were growing up.

30. If you could live in any timeline for one week, when would you go?

Here are a few journaling ideas for your new notebook that you are promising to fill this time. I don’t know what time of journal any of you want to do (personal, bullet, just a writing me-time journal, etc), but here are a few ideas if you are ever stuck.

1. What does a dream day in your life look like?

2. What lessons are you currently learning?

3. Write a letter to your past self.

4. List 15 things you are grateful for.

5. What’s holding you back from living your dream life?

6. What do you wish others knew about you?

7. Yearly bucket list.

8. Cleaning routines (daily, monthly, yearly)

9. What emotions do you try to avoid? Why?

10. What makes you proud of yourself?

11. What drains your energy?

12. To Do List (life, personal, school, work, household)

13. What is your best/worst quality?

14. What are you jealous about?

15. When do you feel most alive?

16. Write a letter to your older self.

17. What do you love about each season?

18. What are the flowers in your favourite season?

19. What is your current obsession?

20. Write a letter to someone who has hurt you.

21. List 5 things that make you happy.

22. If your life had a playlist, what would be on it?

23. Describe your dream house.

24. If you could escape/go anywhere you want, where would you go?

25. If you lived in (insert fan universe), what would your life be like?

26. What’s the nicest thing someone has done for you/said to you?

27. What is an idea that has been stuck in your head lately?

28. What does your dream wedding look like? 

29. What does a dream date look like?

29. What was your dream job when you were a kid?

30. Recent dreams.

31. What is your favourite colour and why?

32. What is a random fact you know?

33. Write about your favourite animal.

34. One word page. (this page is for one word only).

35. Write about your favourite person.

36. Lyrics to a song you’re obsessed with/you’re favourite song.

37. Who inspires you at the moment?

38. Describe your room (diagram/planout)

39. Write about your pet.

40. Upcoming events this year.

41. Who would you travel the world with, where would you go?

42. If you were a natural phenomenon, what would you be?

43. What’s your earliest memory?

44. What’s a funny story that happened that you always think about?

45. Book/Movie/Series Review.

46. It’s the end of the world, who are you spending it with?

47. What superpower would you have if you had a choice?

48. What mythical creature would you be?

49. What’s your comfort food?

50. To 5 places you would visit in the world?

51. What is your dream pet?

52. If you were an animal, what would you be?

53. What day of the week would you be?

54. Write yourself in the alphabet (A is for Anime, B id for Bookworm)

55. Movie/book/series Watchlist/TBR

56. Write your favourite poem.

57. Collage page.

58. If you could change anything about the world, what would you change?

59. Set a timer for 5 minutes and write, do not let your pen leave the page and continuously write ‘til the timer stops.

60. What skill(s) do you want to try?

61. A dedication shrine page to your idol/favourite charcter.

62. Ships page (characters you ship, you fangirl).

63. Character profile of your favourite fictional character.

64. Introduce your friend group.

65. Quotes page (fill the page with favourite quotes).

66. What was the perfect day when you were a kid?

67. Doodle page.

68. Diary.

69. Annotations from books.

70. Favourite things said today.

71. World Events happening at the moment.

72. Favourite film and why?

73. What do you pack in your bag every day?

74. What’s your comfort time?

75. Wishlist (about ANYTHING)

So, there you ahev it. 75 pages worth of stuff to write about. I understand the pain of blocks when it comes to notebooks and journals. I hope this helps you and if you have any more suggestions, repost and put them up. I’m always looking for ideas. 

I have recently made a list of things recently to make my day a little better. I started back at university 3 weeks ago and to say it was chaotic. I have so many readings to do and preparations for projects and presentations! Every day was getting a little bit sluggish and messy. I’d show up to class either forgetting to have something done or physically something needed. The stress was building like mad, so I made a little list in my free time to do little things either every day or every two days to make my day a little better and to feel good about myself.

Here are those Little Things:

1. Wash Your Face

This is so necessary, even if it doesn’t make your day better (though I doubt that to be true). One of my favourite feelings in the world is having a clean face. Washing your face once to twice a day is so refreshing and it keeps the acne and all the gunk away.

2. Wake Up Early

I know, I know. “But I do like a lie in.” And that’s okay, I’m not saying don’t have a lie in and I’m not saying do this every single day. From my experience, whenever I wake up early I feel like I have more time in the day. I love it. I’m very precious about my free time. It’s a need.

3. Do a Little MakeUp

Recently, I’ve started doing some basic makeup every day or two. It feels nice to wake up early and get ready for a good day. It’s makes me feel good to put on a little mascara and foundation. It also stops me from picking at my acne. 

4. Buy Flowers for Yourself

I’ve recently taken up the challenge of owning a vase and never leaving it empty. I find that if you’re like me, who lives in a large town or city, surrounding yourself with nature tends to brighten your mood. 

5. Dress Up Nice

In this video I explore the different ways of exploring space in movement.

In class we talked about the reaching and moving into the space as well as exploring the different planes in your own space while moving. These planes and ways of movement can actually play a part in your day to day life.

The three planes:

Transverse plane - horizontal plane of the body (table)

Saggital plane - vertical plane of front and back (wheel)

Frontal plane - passes from side to side at right angles (door)

As a popper, I tend to dance very "in with myself". My shapes and movements are not big and expressive but usually tend to be in my frontal plane and horizontal plane.

In this video I explored making my shapes big and small while varying between flowing and sudden movements. The song I chose (Yalla tnam nada by Bachar Mar-Khalife) helped with that as the song goes between heavy beats and a flowing voice.

The first time using spiral I was over excited but my expectations were very high. I was not aware of the hollow metal and how it is basically like a giant spring, very shaky and sensitive.

Here's a clip transitioning from my first time on spiral to yesterday's session on spiral:

It was a surprise for myself that I felt more comfortable the spiral a year later.

What I really enjoyed was exploring the space with the spiral. The movement I automatically do is slow and sustained. If it was sudden and quick that would effect the spin in a bad way and likely cause the dancer to lose balance within the apparatus. I seeing how far I can reach within the apparatus, it helps me find bigger shapes to make. Because of the spiral shapes of circles I find myself using all three planes of Laban's studies (frontal, saggital and horizontal) as it is compulsory to have a place to grab for safety.

Spiral is an apparatus I'd like to explore more, and even some day make a choreography on. There's no certain or proper way to move on the spiral as it is still a newly invented apparatus.

Lyrical Contemporary Choreography by my Cunningham technique teacher, Noi.

This choreography is a little different from what I am used to, but that does not mean I love this way of movement.

In Cunningham, dancers focus on moving into the space and gathering the personal space around them. When first learning about Merce Cunningham's way of movement I wasn't too fond of watching the dance style. But now that I've danced Cunningham, I very much enjoy it and have been analysing the way of movement as well as body parts that activate the movements.