Scarlett Pinder
Over the past couple of months, I have noticed a significant improvement with my skills as a musical theatre performer, particularly within my technique in ballet and jazz as well as a strong improvement with singing and acting through song.
In my last feedback session I had with my Jazz dance teachers, Rachel and Damien, I was informed that one of the main reasons to why I was struggling was because my core strength was very weak. over the past couple of months i made sure to really work on the strength of my core. i did this by incorporating exercises such as planks, crunches, leg raises, Russian twists and push ups into my gym routine and examined my progress.
As i’ve only been doing this for a couple of months the changes in my technique as a dancer has only been small. however i have noticed that my balance and stability has massively developed and some of our warming up routines, such as balancing on one leg (which I really struggled with previously without wobbling or falling over) are starting to get very easy.
as well as jazz, i have also noticed a significant improvement in technique with ballet. My balance specifically when we go into demi plies in first, third and fourth have developed so much. at the start of the academic year I specifically remember my legs shaking and my knees caving in as i couldn’t keep my balance no matter how hard i tried. however, with all the commitment and work i have done on my core strength, these movements feel correct and stable. my posture and alignment are now in a more secure and better place, meaning that i am able to execute my steps in a more precise and coordinated way that is in time with the music. An American in Paris Orchestra – Topic (2015).
Over the past couple of months, i have really understood and realised the importance of core strength as a dancer and it has really helped me understand why i was making all the mistakes i was making: I didn’t have the balance or the stability to maintain my strength through exercises and routines. however, i am working so hard on maintaining a strong core and i know that if i commit, i will be a stronger dancer. “Without a strong core, it becomes challenging to maintain proper alignment, execute movements with precision, or sustain the stamina required for long rehearsals and performances” Mayes, I.M. (2024). This really exaggerates the importance of maintaining a good core as it’s important for the high intensity and long rehearsal periods of theatre. An American in Paris Orchestra – Topic (2015).
with this strength, i have noticed improvements in leaps and kicks, exercises and the “I got the power” routine for body con and especially with pirouette’s as i have worked really hard with incorporating my flexibility into strength.
I have had a very hard time with kicks, I really didn’t understand why I couldn’t seem to perform a good quality kick. i always suspected that it was a fault in my flexibility as my body felt stiff and i was failing on getting my leg high. so i worked really hard on getting more flexible in my legs and hips. however the more i practiced, the more i realised that flexibility wasn’t the problem i needed resolving.
In my body mechanics class, Carly was teaching us about the importance of technique before we push off from a leap. she highlighted the importance of pushing off and preparation. I found what she said very significant for my training with kicks. i came to the realisation that to perform a highly effective and precise kick, my preparation had to be precise. i worked on making sure my arms were sharp and straight, i was engaging my glutes and my core was properly engaged. with this precise preparation, this meant that my posture and alignment was neat and tidy. despite my kicks being much lower than they were previously, technique improved massively and this strength offered me a better awareness of my body, which felt much less tense and relaxed as the sharpness of my movements tricked my brain into feeling more confident with my ability as a dancer. DisneyMusicVEVO (2021).
I have also noticed how these improvements in jazz and ballet and having good technique have had a significant improvement with body conditioning exercises, for example, press ups and push ups. the constant practice and strengthening of my muscles have led to these exercises feeling easier. in our body conditioning class, i can see a huge difference in the routine “I got the power” that we do with Shakeel. during early September, i had to take breaks through the dance to breathe and most of the time i felt like i couldn’t catch up with the rest of my class. however, as my strength has improved in jazz and ballet, my strength with body conditioning has improved to, making this routine feel effortless. i am now able to fully commit to this routine and get through each exercise with precision and stamina.
An exercise that i’ve been really struggling with recently however are pirouettes. i find this very challenging, as pirouettes require precise coordination and timing as well as having the ability to quickly spin your head round and fix your eyes on a certain point (spotting) which i really struggle with as i commonly get quite dizzy, and as i am still in the process of strengthening my core, my stability and control during the turn is weak, meaning that its hard not to fall over. although, i have really seen a difference from september. my balance is getting better and i am now currently focused on how to land my pirouette after successfully turning round. during pirouettes, the core muscles help you maintain balance and control as you spin, allowing you to complete multiple turns with precision.” (Mayes, I.M. (2024) this highlights how its not the spinning motion that is important, it’s the foundational strength and stability. this shows me how important it is to engage these muscles properly and maintaining an upright posture to achieve more controlled and precise turns.
An aspect in dance that i have always struggled with is my confidence. I am a strong actor, and i can confidently deliver a truthful meaning performance during a scene or a song as i’m very confident with singing. however, coming from a non dancer background, i have always felt very weak and uncoordinated as a dancer meaning that my face while i’m dancing is either a very stressed or scared expression or really puzzled and confused. this feeling stems from feeling like im unsure with the routines, i have always felt behind with the choreography, meaning i don’t have the confidence to act when i dont understand what i’m doing.
recently in Damien’s classes, we have been working on three contrasting routines – “The Nicest Kids in Town” from Hairspray, “Dead Ringer for Love” from Bat Out of Hell and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” these pieces are very contrasting to each other and require a different acting style for each piece. i concluded that hairspray must have a portrayal that is “bright” “cheery” “colourful” and “bubbly”. In my last assessment i was told that my portrayal of this character was cute, however the character wasn’t bold or big enough. to fix this issue i worked hard on creating a character profile using Uta Hagen questions, so just like in acting i really understood the basics of who my character was, why they were there but most importantly delivering a bright bold and bigger performance. “Hagen developed 9 core questions (later condensed to 6) for actors to use that will guide them through their character & text analysis process.” victoriaanntamez@gmail.com (2024).
by creating characters for each routine in dance, it allowed the dance to feel more memorable and clear to me as there was a new layer of meaning to the choreography. i have also discovered that creating a character or expressing emotion through learning routines, the better i am at remembering the steps. i have noticed a huge improvement in my picking up skills as a dancer, i am really noticing that it’s taking a shorter amount of time to memorise routines as my coordination has developed so much. at the start of September, we learned the “Nicest Kids in Town” routine and it took me around a month to memorise it, currently we have learned “Dead Ringer for Love” and it only took me just under a week to memorise. In one of our classes, we performed this in an audition style class, and Damien picked me and four other people that he would choose to put in a ‘recall’ audition. This was a huge step for me, as I’ve never been picked to advance further for anything dance related. Damien mentioned that my characterisation and energy was very heightened, movements were sharp and precise and my confidence has developed so much since September. I felt really proud of myself with these notes, as i have struggled so much with confidence. I have recently been challenging myself by placing myself at the front when learning dances as i do get into the bad habit of copying the person in front of me, but it’s really reassuring to me during my training that I have improved in this area. To develop further and make sure that i’m still progressing, i will continue to put myself at the front as much as i can so that i can actively engage as it pushes me out of my comfort zone. i will also continue to practice the videos in my own time to make sure my movements are precise and comfortably make bold decisions for my characterisation. “Value effort over outcome: Praise yourself for showing up, trying your best, and learning from mistakes.” Guardado, Y. (2025) I think this is really important for me to take forward in my training, to help me with my confidence, it’s important for me to remember that being the best within a group is definitely not the most important thing, i should value how far i have come and tell myself that whatever happens in an audition room, i have tried my best.
as well my progress and clear development in dance, have noticed a huge development in my training as a singer. At the start of my training, as an actor I had the mindset that acting should be the most important aspect with every performance. however, as I’ve worked with Sarah and Aaron I have recognised the importance of vocal health and correct technique within every song. as an aspiring musical theatre performer, consistency is very important especially if i’m doing a show that lasts around six months. i have realised how important it is to maintain a healthy voice as it means you can sustain powerful notes without straining all while connecting with your emotions and telling an effective story. “Consistency is what separates great performers from average ones. The ability to deliver a high-quality performance repeatedly ensures professionalism, builds credibility, and keeps audiences engaged. A lack of consistency can lead to unpredictable performances, affecting career opportunities and long-term success.” Chaplin, R. (2025). this exaggerates the importance of reliability in the industry, the audience is expecting the same level of energy and vocal quality and if I as a performer is inconsistent, the unpredictability can make it harder to be cast in future roles. Judy Holliday – Topic (2014).
recently, I have been working on the song “In LA” from the musical Fame for my assessment pieces. Maintaining good vocal health is significant for this song. I have been really struggling with the big belt notes towards the end of the song, as I really struggle to get through this song without crying. When i sing these notes, it can often sound like i’m losing control slightly or sounding quite strained as i’m letting my emotions as an actor interfere with technique. As a method actor, it is very easy for me to lose myself in the song, which i have recently noticed after a conversation with Adam Stadius, can be quite challenging for my mental wellbeing as it would be difficult for me to stay consistent with it. The Method technique has being a really effective tool for me as an actor however, I sing this song a lot and it is hard for me to stay emotionally safe, to fix this issue, I have being practicing singing this song at home but i have decided to really focus on the singing itself and technique rather than the acting. “This immersive process often results in a genuine and powerful performance, but it can come at a serious mental cost to the actor. Mental fatigue, blurred boundaries between fiction and reality, and even lasting emotional distress are challenges many actors quietly face.” Health, M. (2025). the “Blurred boundaries between fiction and reality” stood out a lot to me, as I realise that i had spent too much time and emotional energy trying to ‘become’ a character and it can often be difficult for me to switch back to myself which is often exhausting.
As well as clear improvements made in acting with dance and singing, I have noticed my work and studies in acting with Esther really improve. We have been looking at the play “The Ruffian On The Stair” by Joe Orton, and it’s been really interesting to analyse the playwright and script. I have always enjoyed analysing plays, however recently I have noticed that i have been getting better and looking into things further and noticing things about the play that might not always be clear. For example, Joyce’s attachment to her fish might have been perceived as comical, but I found it quite sad. I was curious to why I felt this way and I began to understand the reason to why she was so attached: The fish doesn’t ask anything of her in return, it doesn’t use or manipulate her in any way, and that’s why she finds so much comfort in it. From these images of my notebook below, it is very evident how interested I have been at the time of when it was written and how this may impact the character of Joyce. Royal Court – Living Archive. (2023).
For the past two months i have been drinking lots more water than usual, and although this doesn’t directly improve the notes I sing, i have noticed how it’s improved my ability to sing these notes with clarity and better control. i have been really struggling recently with legit and my mixed and head voice, as I have been trained as a contemporary style singer. i have received great exercises to do from Aaron and Sarah to improve this. for example singing “Whee” “Ghee” and “fwee” to improve my head voice. This didn’t seem effective to begin with, but as i drank more water, my vocal chords felt hydrated and flexible, making it easier for me to hit and sustain notes in an accurate and powerful way. i also felt like i had a better control over my voice and notes felt more twangy. “water is really what your body needs for the vocal chords to vibrate with maximum efficiency” voicecouncil (2012). this video was very interesting to me, the air that we breath on stage is very dry which can contribute to the dryness of the vocal chords, it’s also clear to me that consistent water intake will allow a performer to handle the demands of a show.
Alongside the ‘whee, ghee and fwee’ exercises, i have also started working on “Dyin Ain’t so Bad” for my assessment to develop my mixed range. The notes are sounding clear and resonant due to the amount of water i’ve been drinking and comparing my vocal health now to how it sounded during september, my improvement is strong. Before Christmas, i attempted “Wishing you were somehow here again” however this sounded vocally weak as at the time i didn’t have good understanding on larynx positioning and posture alignment to produce a good and powerful sound. To develop my training further as a musical theatre performer, i tried singing this song again as i feel that my vocal agility and positioning is in a much better and stronger place than it was previously. singing this song now feels slightly easier and i feel less tense when approaching these notes.
in my last ATS class, I sung In LA where i was told that my performance wasn’t believable as i didnt have a good understanding on my objective and what i wanted to achieve. instead i had just let my emotions take over and as i used the method technique, I was told that there were times where it sounded too much like I, Scarlett was singing the song rather than Carmen, as i was using emotional recall and incorporating my own experiences from my life in every line which made it not very believable as the context of why i was singing the song was differed and projected in a different way. from this ATS class i realised that i have performed every song like this and that i needed a change in acting technique so that the context of every song would be contextually accurate and emotionally safe to sing. over the past couple of months i have tried incorporating stankislavski’s techniques in this song as an attempt to not fully lose myself in the emotion of the song. i think to myself how i would feel if i was in the characters shoes.
Although this technique feels unfamiliar to me, i have enjoyed experimenting with different acting techniques and how different audiences react to different portrayals. i had an overall positive reaction to Stanislavski’s method as although the emotions weren’t as heightened, the storyline was captivating and was easy to follow. to improve my techniques as an actor, i think it would be beneficial for me to carry on experimenting with different acting styles to find one that works for me. i have recognised that feeling emotionally safe as an actor as consistency within the industry is very important.
Bibliography
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