Student Characteristics
1. a) I pay attention and always listen to instructions about things we are doing in rehearsal. My eyes and ears are more acutely alert when we're learning choreography because it's more complicated for me. If I'm having any difficulties, I know I can ask a friend or ask Mrs. Keast to repeat the dance move.
b) Listening and communication within the group is crucial because without it, everything would be a mess. I'm not one for interrupting people and I don't talk very much, so that helps with efficiency in practice.
c) I wouldn't say I have loads of energy ALL the time, but I do try and I think that is still important. Most of my energy is put into my singing. I never slack off with my parts. I always use good air to improve the sound and try my best with notes and rhythms.
Goals
2. a) My first goal is to improve my dancing. I have never been a good dancer and I never truly enjoyed it, but I know that it is inevitably a part of musical theatre and it's nothing I can't deal with. I can achieve this goal by practicing the choreo along with the CD at home, asking friends for help, practicing with a friend, and memorizing specific moves that prove to be difficult for me. I believe that by doing those things, my dancing will improve gradually. Practice makes perfect!
b) My second goal is to be more expressive and work on my acting skills. It doesn't matter that I have no lines because the background is important too. Reactions, facial expressions and body language shape a persona. Sometimes I care too much about whether I'm looking silly or not, but I realize it's stupid to focus on that. I can do these things by channeling my character and thinking of other actors that I've seen and admired their abilities. Remembering great plays I have seen helps me become a better actor because I look up to those people. I like to think from an audience member's perspective: If I was watching and saw someone who looked, for instance, troubled or bored in an extremely happy scene, I'd be confused and wonder what was wrong. I don't want to be that person, so I try my best to be convincing.
c) My third and final goal is to be able to fluently dance while properly singing my correct part. Sometimes I think that I tend focus too much on the singing and stumble on the steps, or think about the steps so much, that I'll realize I wasn't singing. I'd like to be able to be so confident on the dancing that I can fully sing my part. In order to do this, I'll have to practice, practice, practice! That's really the only way I see it getting better. Doing this, combined with dance practice, I hope they will come together.
Last year Vs. This Year
3. I was in last year's grade nine musical which was an awesome experience! I am one hundred percent sure that I have improved by a ton compared to the beginning of "And The Winner Is." When it first started, I was incredibly shy, not wanting to have a large part, lines, or a solo. As the semester continued, I realized there was nothing to be afraid of because everyone was so supportive and kind. At first I was terrified about having a duet with my friend Megan, but it became really fun later on. My acting improved just by being surrounded by awesome performers. In middle school divisional musical I was too timid to go all out, but last year was so fun, it was impossible not to be fully engaged. I hope that I can improve even more during Happy Days, because this is also a really fun, feel-good musical that I'm glad to be a part of!
