Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I'm proud of my activity, I think everyone had fun and it was a new experience for everyone. I was also proud of how much I have improved this year because I think becoming better is what I needed. 

(2) Questions to Consider

 What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)? Why?

AE because I had so many things that I went through especially my injuries and I still went through it. I also had to add some material to my 2-hour because of what the teachers said during exit interview. I never knew they wanted professional ballerinas mentioned because thats not my EQ but I still added material to my 2 hour. 

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)? Why?

AE because not  only did I do what was asked but I believe it went well and that I reached above and beyond material. 

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

My service learning helped me so much and it was really fun!

(4) What didn’t work for you in your senior project?

3 column chart didn't work because I didn't even use it. 

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples. 

It is helpful because I know I will continue dancing my whole life and it helped me improve. 

2-Hour Presentation

Link to Plan

Service Learning

Literal:  
Log of Hours
Laura Maruna-Roach (ask for number)

Interpretive:

The thing I most gained from this experience was all the training and practicing. I like that it was an actual ballet class and it helped me improve so much. My teacher also helped me so much by showing me right from wrong. I believe this class was so important because not only was I learning these things from research, but I was experiencing it. 

Applied:

It helped me answer my EQ because I was actually experiencing my topic through this. Everything that I was researching about my EQ, I was experiencing it through my service learning. It also helped answer my EQ because I would interview my teacher from the class and I also interviewed other ballerinas from the class. Service learning let me experience my answers literally and it helped me observe other ballerinas in their dancing also. 

Independent Component 2

Literal:
I, Erika Cortez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work. I practiced for 33 hours. Usually at least 3 hours per week.

Interpretive:
I practiced my dances that my teacher taught me during my dance class. At the beginning I was practicing and preparing for the March show and towards the end I practiced for the June show that I am in. It’s hard dancing on the floor at my house because it’s not special dancing floor but I would do it either on pointe or flats. It demonstrates 30 hours of work because of all the practice that was put in every week.

Applied:
It applies to my essential question because in order to perfect your performance, you need to practice over and over again! It’s a major part in dancing. I needed to memorize the steps well and also perform them perfectly on stage. Practicing is what makes the performance perfect in emotion, coordination, and of course the steps.

Log of hours: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iarBkoZEsrQ-A8UmXFpIek-cH0ePVECkh2rsATmCjfw/edit?pli=1

Helping 2013

(1) What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

• Photography because I like to take pictures, i’m already in ROP, and I already have a service learning place. I’m going to work with Jack (as mentor) on outside events and maybe I could help him during ROP classes.
• What feedback did you offer when you heard the topic ideas?

As long as you have service learning then you should be set!

(2) What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning (working with an expert) which is due prior to senior year starting?  Note: They also have to complete the 50 hours during the school year.

• I plan on working with Jack from ROP during the summer. He already told me that there’s an event on June 1st so I could go with him to observe.
• What feedback did you offer them in response?

Just make sure you have enough hours for the event.

(3) What do you hope to see or expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?

• I’m hoping to see fun and interesting topics that I would like to learn about.
• What suggestions did give them regarding how they should approach watching the 2 hour presentations?  

I told them to look for examples that they could use for their senior project.

(4) What questions do they have about senior project?  What additional recommendations would you give the 2013 student about senior project?  Be specific and note what you told them.

• What’s the independent component?
• How do I get the service learning paper?

I told them that there are 2 independent components/ 30 hours each and it’s basically making your own component. For example: Mine is practicing for 30 hours. And I have whoever is watching me sign off hours everyday that I practice. So basically you just need another way to show that you are experiences your topic.  

• What additional recommendations did you give them?

I told them to start working on service learning as soon as possible because it is a lot of hours. And you want to make sure that you have enough for the grade.

Answers

Answer #1: In order to perfect the role of a ballerina you must train and practice enough so that, every step and position is perfected.

Answer #2: In order to perfect the role of a ballerina, you must have the appropriate ideal body so that weight isn’t what is stopping you while dancing.

Answer #3: In order to perfect the role of a ballerina, you must be "immune" to pain so that pain doesn't stop your dancing.

Answer #3

EQ: What is most important for perfecting the role of a ballerina?

Answer 3: In order to perfect the role of a ballerina, you must be "immune" to pain so that pain doesn't stop your dancing.

Facts: Pain overcomes a ballerina everytime she puts the pointe shoe on. Every time they dance, there's always a certain amount of pain in their feet. Pain also comes when a blister is formed or popped, when you have a current injury (ex. tendonitis), when the pointe shoe is worn out, when a toe nail is a little too long, and lastly when your feet/ankle/legs are too exhausted.

Example: John, Emma. "'I Was Doing a Solo and I Heard My Foot Crack'" While the ballerina was dancing onstage, she broke one of her bones but she still finished her performance without any emotion of being hurt.

Evidence and Sources: #1 Article: John, Emma. "'I Was Doing a Solo and I Heard My Foot Crack'" http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2006/sep/05/dance. #2 Article: Ballerina's dance with current injuries. This article is about common injuries. "IADMS." IADMS. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. . #3 Life evidence: The girls in my dance class and I all are hurting during class sometimes and some of us take our shoes off but some of us stick it through the whole class time.

3-Column Chart

3 COLUMN CHART

Room Creativity

(1) How do you plan to address the room creativity expectation?
I'm planning to have the room look like a studio. For example: mirrors, pictures of ballerina's, pointe shoes, costumes, leotards, skirts, maybe a bar if i could find one.
(2) What activity ideas do you have for answer 1 or 2?
For answer 1: The beginning of bar work for training, maybe learn a routine for practicing.
For answer 2: Have scenario's asking which one would have the best chance according to their body, a game to guess what the perfect ballerina should have. I'm still thinking of other ideas.

Answer 2

In order to perfect the role of a ballerina, you must have the appropriate body weight so that weight isn’t what is stopping you while dancing.

Evidence: #25 and #57 show Natalie Portman’s diet while training to be a ballerina. #51 and #52 both tell me the ideal body weight of a ballerina. #50 tells the perfect body of a ballerina. Basically you need to have this perfect body weight/body type so that you could dance perfectly.

Sources:
"Ballet Exercise – Get a Dancer’s Body on ELLE.com
"Met Dancer Spills on Natalie Portman's "Extreme" Black Swan Diet, Training
Ballet: Ideal Body Type
"The Ideal Weight for a Ballerina." LIVESTRONG.COM.
"The Myth of the Perfect Body: Seven Gorgeous Dancers Talk about Why They Are Far from Perfect."

The Product

My product: I have improved in my dancing. I believe just from last year that I have actually improved a lot. This year for my studio’s March recital, I was the lead role in our ballet. I also believe that my research helped me become a better dancer. I have learned many other ballerina’s experiences and I have improved from them. I have applied what I learned from my research to my dance skills. Regardless of my injuries, I believe that my legs and ankles have also become stronger; therefore helping improve my dance skills on pointe shoes. I have also learned from my research that facial expressions are an important qualification for performing on stage; which made me apply it to my performance.
As of right now, my recital has recently passed and I haven’t gotten the video that I ordered from my studio. I will just post up an already used photo for this blog because I do not have a video to post.

Fourth Interview Questions

1. Why is it important to practice?
2. When you practice, what is it that you help gain?
3. What happens if you don’t practice at all in one week?
4. How many times a week do you believe a ballerina should practice per week?
5. Why is it important to train?
6. What do you think training helps a ballerina gain?
7. What happens if you don’t train at all in one week?
8. Why do you think body weight is an important factor for a ballerina?
9. How does body weight help a ballerina in her dancing?
10. Why do you think facial expressions are important while on stage?
11. What do facial expressions make an audience feel?
12. What do facial expressions add to the routine/dance?
13. How do facial expressions add to the routines/dance?
14. Why are body proportions (perfect arms, legs, torso) so important?
15. What are the consequences of having bad body proportions?
16. What makes the ballerina look perfect on the stage?
17. What’s most important for a ballerina to look her best on stage?
18. How do ballerinas become so graceful?
19. Why is it important for ballerinas to be graceful?
20. Why is it important for ballerinas to become their character?

Independent Component 2 Plan Approval

1) I plan on doing a diet like what the ballerina's do. I will try to find an accurate diet plan for myself and make sure that ballerina's do it also.
2) I'm not just going to do my diet for a little over a day(30 hours). I'll probably do it for a month and I'm sure that's good enough to meet the requirement.
3) I'm thinking that this will be one of my answers. A perfect ballerina has to be able to have the perfect ballerina body.

Independent Component 1

LIA:
L: I, Erika Cortez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work. For this component, I made sure I practiced 3 hours a week for my dances. I practiced my dances that were taught to me at my dance class, at my house, different days of the week for 3 hours.
I: In order to dance well and memorize all the steps, you need to practice a few times a week so that you are able to perform it at home. For this component, I am practicing for my recital in March. I probably practiced more than 3 hours some of the weeks but I made sure it was at least 3 hours. Because of my practicing, when I returned back to my dance class the next week, I knew all the dances.
A: This component helped me on my EQ because I chose it to be my first answer. This component is a perfect example of my first answer: Training/Practicing. Practicing is a huge key factor to being the perfect ballerina. Each professional ballerina dances about 6 days a week 5-8 hours a day. I didn’t go that extreme but I did practice more than I ever would. An example would be my third interview said she always used to practice and that’s how she was always perfect at everything. My component helped me understand the role of a perfect ballerina by practicing.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10-Wn3mOAege6WYH_Dof5SRHIV7aS95gZzr1-RUUMVWw/edit?pli=1

Presentation 2 Rough Draft

20 Minute Presentation Plan:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rip-uThprXdeB-EKUI6oqymCgBlmeYSgTyr9k3CI-GE/edit

Answer 1

1. What is answer 1 to your EQ? Be specific in your answer and write it like a thesis statement.
In order to perfect the role of a ballerina you must train enough so that, every step and position is perfected.
2. What possible evidence do you have to support this answer?
In my research, ballet training begins between the ages of 5-8 through a ballet school and usually become professional by age 17 or 18. They train for 6 days a week for about 5-8 hours a day. (Dancers and Choreographers, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
For an example: As you know Natalie Portman starred in the movie, Black Swan, as a ballerina dancer. She had to train with Mary Helen Bowers, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet. Mary Bowers had said she started training Natalie a year before her rehearsals started, 5 hours a day, 6 days a week. When they started filming the movie, they'd squeeze in sessions in the monring and evening on set. (Ballet Excerise: Natalie Portman's Black Swan Workout, Interview with Mary Helen Bowers)
3. What source(s) did you find this evidence and/or answer?
Dancers and Choreographers, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ballet Excerise: Natalie Portman's Black Swan Workout, Interview with Mary Helen Bowers
Ballet Dancing, kidzworld.com

Service Learning

Where are you working for your service learning?
Laura's Dance Academy
Who is your contact?
Laura Maruna-Roach
Summarize the services you have performed to complete the 10 hour requirement.
I have been attending dance class since the summer. In the dance class, I have been practicing the steps and trying hard to make everything perfect.
How many hours have you worked?
I have not calculated it, I need to talk to me dance teacher to count my hours. I'm sure I have done more than 10 hours just in the summer time.

ESLR'S

L: I am currently focusing on communicator and learner.

I: I have done this already by interviewing my interviewee and getting her information. I have been learning by some of the information that my interviewee has given me. I also have learned a lot through my research. I have learned so much that I didn't know.

A: Communication will help me educationally because I need to learn how to get out of comfort zone in order to get an internship of ask questions involving academics.
Learner will help me because I am learning other ways in which I can learn. I can just research things that I need to know.

Third Interview Questions

Questions:
1. When did you start dancing? And how?
2. Do you think starting early would help the ballerina more than a ballerina that starts around her teenage years?
3. How many times do you practice per week? Is it constant?
4. Do you consider yourself dedicated? Why?
5.What do you do to perfect all the steps in a routine?
6. What do you think is the key factor to be chosen for the front line?
7. What key factors do you believe are important to perfect the role of a ballerina?
8. What do you hope to accomplish in life from ballet?
9. What do you believe you have accomplished?
10. Why do you think it’s important to perfect a role of a ballerina?
11. Do you apply what you learn in ballet in your everyday life? If so, how?
12. What do you believe is most important for perfecting the role of a ballerina?