Katie Malone BAPP ACI blog

 I have now completed 4 semi-structured interviews for my inquiry topic- 1 more to go! What went well: - I kept the interview on/ around the area I wanted to explore - I used follow up questions that responded to certain words and topics that arose to expand answers - it felt like a conversation more than an interview - I completed each interview in an hour - I think I have come away from them having learnt so much already about my inquiry topic and the dance world in general. what didn't go as well: - struggled to phrase some questions because I was conscious about not asking leading questions. - when a question resulted in a dead end, the flow of the interview was halted slightly while I asked the next pre-prepared question to encourage them to talk about another topic. This may not have been as much of a bad thing as I had initially thought, but I think this could have been improved. - i feel like I haven't picked up on some topics in the interviews, so I think next time, av...

 I have conducted two out of my five semi-structured interviews so far, with the rest to be completed in the next few days. I have to say it hasn't been as stressful as I thought it would be. I did a test run interview to see if my questions were effective, which I think really helped to highlight what I needed to reword before the interviews, and that I needed to prepare more sub questions to help support me in the process (I found that I initially struggled to phrase following questions without making them leading, which left me fumbling over my words).  After this learning curve, I conducted my first interview. I feel that it really helped having a bank of possible follow up questions that I could refer to if a word said sparked a line of questioning. In these first two interviews I have noticed that a few common themes have been raised but from different perspectives and view point, so it is very interesting to see what direction my other interviews take in the next few da...

 Starting back into module 3 is extremely daunting but I am interested to find out how I manage with the new challenge of conducting the inquiry. For my inquiry topic I will be researching literature to aid future analysis and interviewing 5 self- identified professional dancers/ people who have trained at a full time dance school, about the topic of self-belief and performance. I am a professional dancer (specialising in Jazz/ MT), currently lucky enough to have been working this year throughout COVID. Prior to getting my first professional contract, believing in myself and as an artist has been challenged along with trusting my own artistic  instincts and individuality both on and off stage. From reflecting on module 2, I have come to the realisation  that self-belief isn't just a singular entity but instead  intertwines  and weaves between multiple different aspects like trust, confidence, motivation, performance, success/ failure- among others. My first cour...

For my proposed inquiry topic (still unsure), I would like to look at external and internal influences or situations on self-belief and how they can affect a dancers performance. In module 1, I referenced mental health throughout. Upon reflecting and going through my essay I realised comparison to others was a factor that linked the topics together. After thinking deeper about the topic of 'comparison', low self-belief and confidence came to mind as one of the root causes leading to comparison (or could be consequences of comparing oneself). from my experience, this comparison can initially prevent full commitment to performance and the quality of movement.  This lead me to explore possible influences that could build or destroy your view of yourself and your self-belief.  Throughout this I refer to performance, so I think I should say what it means to me in relation to the dance industry. I believe it can be a representation of how well/ confidently a dancer expresses themsel...

 In this call these points were discussed: Research validity- the validity of sources and how can you tell if a source is just opinion or fact? This raised the topic of the ethics of Web 2.0 and who decides what is right? the point was brought up that everything is down to perspective and what could be a useful and a truthful source for one person may not be for another due to how personal this course is and how subjective information on web 2.0 is. Cross reference and looking up other sources that are on the same topic can help clarify whether what is being said is more factual or an opinion. It can still be hard to know 100%, but it can provide some confidence and an avenue for discussion and mindful comparison with your own experiences and opinions. The relationship you have with the information is important, as there are different realities for different people, so don't get too hung up on proving a point during this course. Methodology vs Methods - methodology is the approach...

 Throughout the past 2 weeks I have read through the handbook, brainstormed some very vague ideas for the topic of my future enquiry, and have read the first few chapters of 'Doing your Research Project' By Judith Bell and Stephen Waters (highly recommend this book), along with beginning reading the Kortext book for this module. This module is definitely over-whelming especially with the amount of literature required to read and the increase in workload, and I found it difficult to put down various ideas, but here are my initial thoughts.   Some vague ideas for topics for my enquiry are: - How nutrition and exercise/ movement can impact our mental health this could flow into social views/ diet culture/ how it can impact performers going from being employed and active to being not/ how being this active can impact both the body and mind and what people feel like helps/ the 'ideal' diet - perfectionism and how this can affect dancers/ performers becoming the best artist ...