I found this experience immensely
rewarding. Our audience was a group of older people who had all
decided to attend our performance of music, song and dance. They
really were a very special and enthusiastic group. The space that we
had to dance in was fairly restricted so we had specifically
choreographed some dances for the occasion. It was important to take
into consideration the fact that the residents would be sitting all
around the space that we would be dancing in, so when choreographing
we tried to ensure that everyone would feel involved and integrated.
It was also essential to consider the costumes and show as much
colour and variety as possible. The residents seemed to be especially
impressed by the tutus with enthusiastic gasps emerging with each
entrance that we made!
Because we had never performed at
this venue before, I paid a visit before the event just to get a feel
for the floor in my pointe shoes, which although not a dance floor,
was in fact surprisingly good. It had a feel of spring to it, which I
think is slightly deceptive because it is actually concrete
underneath. It had a very nice non slip feel to it which was lovely
for turning.
When performing in this situation, I
began to think about what a good audience really is. I have found
that those who are most appreciative and open are easiest to perform
to. Someone with a critical eye is always hard to perform to and hard
to please. I have found that I am much happier when I am giving to
people who do not usually get to see ballet or dance. Indeed one of
the male residents told us afterwards that he had never seen ballet
before and that he thoroughly enjoyed it. This made me exceptionally
happy as I feel like for him to have experienced something new and
enjoyable at a late stage of his life, whilst at a care home is
something very special.
I also found myself reflecting on the
different ways in which we can give out when we dance. How for an
audience at such close proximity such as this one, it is more
effective to think of making eye contact with people and consider the
performance as a sort of sharing of love and generosity. I found
myself thinking that I would like to do more events like this one.
For ethical reasons I am unable to
post any images of this event.
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