What Dance Projects Have Taught Me

This article was written by Lijing, a TLE student currently in C class.

Just this year Y2020, I had taken part in 2 different projects under The Legacy Experience programme which had helped me grow immensely as a dancer and overall, as a person.

In replacement of Co-Exist (LDC’s bi-annual recital performance) due to the pandemic and restrictions of large performances this year, two different projects have been introduced to help us to learn more about the process of self-choreographing and performing to audiences virtually through technology.

We were all disappointed as we are not allowed to perform in large groups, as many of us had looked forward to dancing on stage with a cheering crowd. Still, the 2 projects had brought about new-found memories that will be etched in my mind, even after this year of uncertainties.

INTERNAL SHOWCASE PROJECT

*TYB Showcase with my team earlier this year!*

Each group was to piece together a set of choreography over a span of 8 weeks from end June - Mid September, with the finalised showcase broadcasted live on Youtube for our friends and family to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes. The project was spearheaded by the students of the TLE programme with some guidance from the mentors, our TLE instructors, along the way.

We were inspired to “learn as we experiment” after the first few online Zoom training sessions with our dance mentors. They introduced the feasibility of creating choreography through a live demonstration of impromptu dance moves pieced together right on the spot. They also experimented with playing with a set of choreography done to different music and song choices, so as to broaden our own perspectives on creating dance pieces and the way a set of movements could be paired with different emotions and feelings.

COMBINED VIDEOSHOOT

During the later part of the year, we had a video shoot dance project which took place from end September - Mid November. At the point of filming in November, measures allowed for up to a maximum of 30 pax to be performing indoors with masks on.

The video shoot project was equally meaningful as it was to help raise awareness for mental health issues and to encourage people in need to seek help professionally. It was a special piece amidst the period of increased isolation and loneliness due to the quarantine and safety distance measures imposed.

Through the project’s duration, we had to learn dance movements choreographed by the instructors, clean up the movements, understand the formations and express the right emotions according to the dance concept.

5 KEY TAKEAWAYS

The two projects were each different in their own ways; the internal showcase project required us to expand and work on dance concepts, brainstorm the choreography, edit music and clean up the dance item movements with formations ourselves, whereas the video shoot project required us to be able to learn and adapt well to what the choreographers had pre-planned and execute it accordingly as a collective.

Through both projects, there were a few key takeaways that I would like to share.

1 - Getting to know someone

For both projects, there were new people that I met along the way. These people whom I tend to see hanging around Legacy Dance studio are now people that I dance together with.

Initially when we just got to know one another, our interactions could be a little formal or polite, knowing that our first impressions count and last. Our own personal unsaid expectations of the project and of our project group mates tend to linger and we often leave our opinions left unsaid for fear of being seen as controlling during the first few meetings. Despite it being easier to not talk about expectations, it is still important to have these kinds of mutual conversations and understand the different reasons for joining the project to minimise future tensions.

Such projects help us to not just to grow in terms of personal dance skills but also gain a sense of community where dancers get to know people in the same space. Because of that, it is important to take time to understand teammates beyond just dance, to build a stronger bond and understand them as more than just dancer but as human beings. Based on personal experience, most of the time these bonding moments happen when dancers make the effort to eat together before or after practices. That’s why one should not underestimate the power of such informal gatherings.

Stage 2 - Overcoming Obstacles

This often happens during the ‘dry’ and tedious process of ‘cleaning’ dance steps after learning them. This is where people tend to get demotivated and lose sight of the purpose of the item, or the ‘bigger picture’ of coming together as a result of being too focused on the tiniest details. These details usually require extra patience and effort to remember and achieve.

It could also be a result of members being too focused on the details and getting frustrated at themselves or others for not getting it right. In addition, the struggle to match the timing of the dance to the music along with details of the steps is one that all dancers will go through in every project.

Perhaps the biggest struggle is learning to separate one’s criticism from the identity of the person and for individuals to receive feedback in a positive manner without being defensive. I definitely had to grow through the experiences and not see criticisms as a form of personal attacks but trust that at the end of the day, the people most often than not are saying these out of good intentions. However, it is tough when your effort does not seem to result in direct progression, but surely some words of encouragement from the people around you can go a long way.

Stage 3 - Trust

By showing visible signs of effort by turning up for practices and being accountable for the lack of presence, if any, does help to build that trust too. Trust occurs when members start seeing themselves as a collective rather than having a ‘me vs them’ mentality, which is extremely unhealthy within the group itself.

In every project, there will be dancers who have more performing experiences than the rest and this might cause a gap in skill sets across different dancers. Rather than comparing or being condescending, I had always been told that as dancers, ultimately our characters matter more what we can do or perform. Trust will be built when direct feedback is given to the person in a constructive manner rather than talking behind the person’s back. Dance, afterall is the platform to show good sportsmanship and treat one another with respect, no matter how different we could be in our skill sets.

Stage 4 - Performing

Every moment of the performance for both projects felt surreal to me, as if I was part of something beyond myself. It is one of the most amazing feelings to be able to serve, give energy and impact the audience watching the performance.

Performing is also about empathising with the audience and characters inside the dance piece and to release the right emotions.

During the internal showcase, we had experienced technical difficulties and had to repeat our item a few times and each time that we performed, we had to do it just like before, if not better despite the accumulated physical tiredness. This is similar to the video shoot project where we had to perform the same piece several times in hopes of that perfect run.

I think these two projects has pushed all of us to pursue excellence and to perform it like it is the first time every single time as from the audiences’ perspective, they are watching the performance for the very first time. All our roles matter, no matter how big or small because at the end of the showcase, it is not just performance for people to applaud, but also the impact it makes along with our character building.

The Last Stage - Getting to grow as humans

“It never gets easier, but it does get better.”
- Jordan Hoechlin

The inevitable last stage is often met with bittersweet feelings as goodbyes are imminent at end of every performance or showcases. While people come and go, the memories that stay will last and hopefully, the friendships made as well. Knowing that this stage is not avoidable, I felt that I wanted to be fully present at all my practices, rehearsals and meal-times with my dance mates without any moment of regret.

Though the feeing of saying goodbye is bittersweet, the special thing about THE LEGACY EXPERIENCE is that I will get to dance alongside people who have been and are on the same dance journey as I am. Even if we had chosen different paths later on, we knew that the project was a notable dance milestone and from it we had gained new friends and evolved as better individuals as dancers and human beings.

Come join our future TLE project for Y2021!

Upcoming: TRY YOUR BEST FREESTYLE BATTLE

Watch our previous dance videoshoot project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSX3CIyDgKQ&ab_channel=LegacyDanceCo.