Critical Appreciation of Own Work: Performance

Chapter 4: Critical Appreciation of Own Work: Performance

  • Understand the importance of self-analysis: The ability to evaluate and critically appreciate your own performance is a crucial skill. This includes understanding your strengths and areas for development.

  • Consider choreography: Analyse the impact of your choreographic choices on the overall effectiveness of the work.

  • Reflect on physical skills: Review how your use of dance techniques, strength, stamina, flexibility, and coordination has influenced the success of the performance.

  • Evaluate interpretation: Reflect on your interpretation of the choreography, such as your expression, communication, and projection.

  • Consider musicality: How well were you able to use timing, rhythm, and musical interpretation to enhance the performance?

  • Review performance skills: Reflect on your focus, energy, spatial awareness, and group interaction skills, and how these affected the quality of the performance.

  • Reflect on stylistic awareness: How well were you able to portray genre-specific characteristics, such as movement style, dynamics, and performance quality?

  • Evaluate communication and meaning: Review your ability to communicate the theme or concept of the dance to the audience. Did you effectively portray the intended emotion and meaning?

  • Apply feedback: After each rehearsal or performance, utilise feedback from instructors or peers to make adjustments and improvements to your performance.

  • Document the process: Keep a reflective journal or logbook documenting your thoughts, progress, and the revisions you have made along the way. This can serve as evidence of your journey and growth as a performer.

  • Reflect on costume and prop use: How did these elements contribute to the overall performance and interpretation of the dance?

  • Review the technical elements: Consider how factors such as lighting, sound, and stage layout contributed to the overall performance.

Remember: The aim of critical appreciation of your own work is to see how each individual element contributes to the whole. Reflecting on these different aspects allows for growth and development as a dancer.