One discovery found was the connection to the breath when exploring dynamics as “it relates to vitality and enhances the dancers’ movement qualities” (Kong, 2021). This was present in Contemporary exercises where we had to be constantly in the flow state because the use of breath helped the soft dynamic quality required (Video 1). A realisation I encountered was how as a performer I enjoy sharp and staccato qualities meaning I struggle when it needs the opposite style. This is evident in the video when carrying out the swings because once I finish one swing I strongly finish the move rather than smoothly transitioning into the following exercise. To improve this I need to utilise my breath and relax my arms to avoid sudden stops within the soft dynamic quality. 

Another style which helped me improve this challenge is Ballet because “as you align your body and refine your technique, you’re also practicing breath awareness, focus, and embodiment” (Downing, 2025). The relation to ballet as a ‘swan’ benefitted my understanding because they are known for their “graceful gliding, and majestic presence” (Devon Wildlife Trust, 2021), yet, when swimming, their feet are moving with a sharp and fast quality. This links when performing Glisses (Video 2) which is “a sharper, more dynamic version of a battement tendu, with the foot coming off the floor for a moment, like a quick jeté or dégagé” (Italia Conti Virtual, 2019). However with port de bras, “graceful, flowing movements of the arms” (Rosenzweig, 2014) it is challenging to portray both contrasting dynamics at the same time. From analysing my performance, I noticed that having greater core strength will help this exercise especially in centre barre as “the core plays a central role in this coordination by linking the upper and lower body, allowing for seamless transitions between movements” (Mayes, 2024). Classes such as Body Conditioning as well as having a Gym Membership have helped me develop my core strength making the exercises easier as the term progressed demonstrating the significance of maintaining good physical strength outside of classes. 

As well as building on soft qualities in Contemporary, I have been developing sharp and staccato dynamic possibilities in order to select suitable qualities in choreography to help make my work more interesting for an audience member. In styles such as Jazz and Commercial I have been focusing on having a percussive movement quality that conveys the performer as “strong and often assertive” (Bellerose, 2025) which can be useful in certain scenarios. In Commercial we have been carrying out an arm exercise weekly to increase strength to develop the strong quality in choreography (Video 3). I found that the detail and precision in my arms improved as time progressed as well as maintaining a bounce in the upper body adapting to the style. Originally I struggled to keep the bounce in the exercise as it contradicted the arms and this was evident in video footage from the first sessions yet from analysing these videos I progressed. Upon reflection it is an exercise I can continue developing as it hasn’t reached the stage I would like it to and in order to improve this I need to practise chest isolations when warming up so that I can isolate my body whilst concentrating on another set of choreography improving my versatility as a performer. 

In addition to dance, I found the dynamic scale of Screen Acting challenging compared to Stage because of how the scale of performance alters. I used techniques learnt from previous years but realised the need of “refining it to fit the intimate, detail-oriented world of the camera” (Acting Coach Scotland, 2025). As the term progressed I discovered tactics on how to make this transition effective such as 5C’s (described in the image) and the use of eye contact within a scene. I managed to record multiple different styles: teen drama, musical and a coming-of-age period drama. This led me to realise the contrasting approaches required to be successful. 

Another scene I explored was from “the multi-award winning new British musical” (Rubasingham, 2023) Standing at the Sky’s Edge (Video 6) which was helpful when comparing the scale from stage to screen. When previously looking at this scene for a stage setting, I used actioning,  “the process of allocating an action or intention to each line or idea in a script” (Stafford-Clark, 2016), to analyse the text and discovered how I used aggressive transitive verbs to suit the large scale required for stage. However for screen I took a more desperate and soft approach for the character which helped build an intimate setting as well as another layer to the character. A method I used to accomplish this would be including utterances and flustered mannerisms to help convey nervousness and desperation which I would argue was effective. To improve, I would say that it is occasionally too big of a scale for screen because of volume and tone when delivering lines so if I were to film it again I would attempt to be softer at the start which then makes the climax of the scene “I’m dying Poppy” more climatic. 

A final example of my understanding of Screen Acting is when I filmed Jo’s monologue from Little Women which was a challenge due to the vulnerability of the character for one of the first times. As a performer I usually lean towards comedic roles so this monologue was a challenge yet after analysis and my learning from the term, I feel that it was successful. As an individual, I connected to this monologue as in this moment in the film there is “a shudder of recognition and a new reason to empathise with Jo” (Tovey, 2020) as she opens up about the pressure women face within society. A significant technique required in this monologue is the use of pause and space within the text to show the character’s thought process. Due to the large variety of emotions Jo is facing, it was important to show how she processes this situation. From watching the first recording, I realised that I could leave more space for the character to think so when refilming the monologue I made sure to list the reasons for this outburst in my mind between the lines so that there was enough space as well as to connect with the character’s situation. This was an effective method that assisted in building to the climax of the scene as stakes were raised. An additional approach I found beneficial in screen acting was the use of eyes to help make subtle choices. For the majority of this monologue I looked down to help the character focus yet this cannot be a choice on stage due to the audience needing to see all the expressions and with my understanding of this comparison helped me be a versatile performer. In the first of couple takes I altered my eye contact at a fast pace to show her confusion when trying to balance her emotions. I evaluated that it was helpful to also have still moments so that the audience could focus on the power of the text which I could utilise in both stage and screen. 

Whilst in training, I have noted that when learning new choreography I depend on the counts so that I remain in time with the music and accent the appropriate sections. When working with an ensemble it is important to consider that “counts provide a rhythmic structure that allows dancers to stay in harmony with one another and the accompanying music” (Dance Project Studios, 2023). This method is mainly helpful with styles such as Jazz and Commercial because it commonly consists of sharp dynamics linking with the counts. This was present in a Commercial routine (Video 8) which was fast paced so it was beneficial to follow the counts in order to stay in time whilst remaining specific to the details in the music. It also assisted me in retaining the choreography due to having a strong awareness of the structure of the piece. This method was a greater challenge in Contemporary when we were not given counts as you had to connect with the music as an artist. I discovered that this was an area I needed to develop because due to being heavily reliant on counts I struggled to retain the choreography (Video 9) because I did not know the music meaning I did not know what was next.

Another element I have considered this term due to the benefits it will have in the future is developing my pick-up ability. When in the industry, “dancers who are able to pick up material quickly can make the creative process smoother and less time-crunched” (Boland, 2022) meaning if I am strong with this skill I will be more employable for casting directors and choreographers. In addition to counts, I noticed that when given choreography I immediately look for the shapes created and then replicate it with my own body. This includes every detail and I make sure that I analyse the exact shape the choreographer is hitting so that I embody the precision from the start of class in order to be consistent. It has shown positive in feedback from choreographers as I have been told that I am detailed when picking up choreography demonstrating my method is effective, which is also visible in this video (Video 11). 

An area where this method is not dependent is in tap because it is more about the action than the shape. I am confident when picking up the upper-body movement as I can clearly see the shape required yet with the feet I find it challenging as I can see the shapes but I don’t comprehend the action. To combat this, I instantly create the shape of the feet as that is my strength and then focus on the sound that links to the shape in order to accurately perform the choreography. When given a routine in class (Video 12), I attempted this methodology to analyse the effectiveness and I came to the conclusion that it was successful when needing to retain choreography at a fast pace. Yet it doesn’t apply when I want an accurate and detailed performance because I was confident with the shapes but I didn’t hit all the sounds given. This method does take longer so my pick-up ability in tap is weaker than other styles showing that I need to practise this skill more frequently for tap in order to develop my ability. 

A class where I could evaluate my learning methods for screen was when we did an audition mock for Casualty (Video 13). This allowed me to notice my instant reaction to a scene without a strong understanding of the character or their relationship to other characters. A method I found effective was noting the script with places to pause or emphasise so that I was prepared with some offers to combat nerves. This proved successful as when redirected I altered my placement of emphasis in order to alter the intention and as I labelled my previous marks I made sure to change my tone so I selected different offers. Luckily in this case we were allowed the scripts but I discovered from another lecturer this is not always possible suggesting I need to try practising without the text to enhance this skill further making my versatility stronger in screen auditions.