Running Through Act 2 And Dances For 'The Cinderella Pantomime'

We started the day by running through Act 2 of  'The Cinderella Pantomime'. As I recorded myself reacting in this scene, I could see how I needed to improve. I need to work on my posture and I also need to maintain 'the tonic state' which refers to steady, rigid muscle contractions with no relaxation and a lot of tension. I need to vary my facial expressions more and make them bigger.

We rehearsed some of the dances. I have recorded myself doing all three of the dances in the mirror that we have done so far, so that I can see what I need to improve on. The most significant things that change the way in which I dance are the amount of energy I put in and my posture. When my shoulders are back and my head is up, my delivery is much cleaner that otherwise. During rehearsals at college I must apply the same energy that I do at home. The best way to ensure this is to warm up thoroughly before attempting the routines.

Here is a youtube video of me dancing the 'I Gotta Feeling' Dance:
https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=tAXjww_p4e0&video_referrer=watch
I need to put more energy into the first part and I must remember to smile.

Here is a youtube video of me dancing to the 'Price Tag' Dance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpupkRWVEkU
The part in the middle, when I point to my left and then right needs to be worked on. I can improve it by making my body more tense and making the movements stronger. Some parts of the dance need more energy and I need to learn the exact timing of every movement.

We also had a singing lesson, where we mostly focused on the importance of  using the correct breathing technique and posture when singing. Your feet should be parallel, your spine must be straight (you may have to push the hips forward to achieve this). Your shoulders should be down and relaxed. Your knees mustn't be locked, but instead, relaxed. Your head should be pulled up ,but should be facing straight forward. Here are two examples of bad posture and one of good posture on the right.

 

 

 

 

 



We participated in a few breathing exercises, to help us to control our voices, especially when dancing. It is important that you are engaging 'the anchoring muscles' when singing. The anchoring muscles include the diaphragm, abdominal muscles and the back muscles.

 

Here is a link to a web page about correct breathing and anchoring muscles:

http://wonderofvoice.com/2010/12/07/anchoring-breathing-vs-bodywork/

 

Here is a link to a web page that tells you how to develop the correct posture:

 http://singingself.wordpress.com/category/technique/

 

Here is the link to a video that demonstrates a breathing exercise, similar to that which we done today, that helps to improve your breath capacity:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31gNi8FIV2o