Well, we have certainly come a long way since the first In-Depth blog post; going from a physically awkward beginner dancer to a LESS physically awkward intermediate dancer. I consider that progress if anything! In-Depth night is just a few weeks away, and I am ready to show everyone what I have learned in this journey on Hip-Hop dancing!
Since my last post, I have met up with Kailey and Indah through ZOOM video calls once a week on Thursdays, to review our progress from the previous week, as well as learn a new portion of our 90-second original dance. So far, the mileage that both Indah and I have been gaining with our dance has been immense in the past few weeks. As of yesterday, May 7th, We have choreographed and learned more than 5/6 of our dance, and are planning to wrap up the routine by next Thursday, giving us plenty of time to practice, refine, and record our dance for the final showcase. If you may have forgotten, Indah and I are choreographing (with the aid of Kailey) and learning a 90-second dance using the song “Finale” by AJR. In addition to our hour-long weekly sessions, Kailey has also brought it upon herself to collect “progress videos” of both me and Indah showcasing how we feel about the routine thus far. As of now, Indah and I have both sent out two progress videos to Kailey, which she would then merge into one complete routine with some video editing. These videos have collectively helped and supported our learning, as we can look back at the merged videos to see how Indah and I might change certain moves or change the timing of a section to make an overall cleaner, more professional dance. In the actual Zoom meetings that we have every week, the structure usually consists of talking about our progress and any questions we had about the dance or In-Depth in general (20 minutes), implementing corrections and clarifications from the last week’s portion of the dance (10 minutes), and learning the new portion of our dance, which includes any questions asked during the mentoring (30 minutes). This format of video calling has been quite effective in our learning, and I hope to continue with this structure for the foreseeable future as well. One notable challenge that was quite apparent with online mentoring is the lack of space and communication when it comes to dancing at home. Rather than the large MPR facility we had prior to Spring Break, I have had to practice and learn our routine in the comfort/discomfort of my own living room. This has proved to be a challenge countless times, as my house has not proved to be the most spacious, especially for explosive dances moves much like the ones we see in hip hop. In addition to the space, communication between Kailey and I have been an obstacle as well, specifically when it comes to learning and correcting dance moves. Because Kailey is not physically here to moderate and comment on our dancing on all angles, it has proved to be a challenge to explain certain moves through examples and verbal speech only. Indah and I have had to adjust to this change and are trying our best to learn the moves as effectively as possible.
Regarding the final presentation on In-Depth Night, Indah and I have collectively agreed to share our dancing with the form of a recorded video. We will film ourselves dancing to our entire 90-second routine and share that as our final presentation. But with this decision came two options for us to take. Two days ago, BC Premier John Horgan announced that BC would implement its 2nd phase of its 4 phase plan to re-introduce a normal society over the May long weekend. More importantly, this 2nd phase allows people to meet up in small groups for events such as dinners for up to 6 people. With this in mind, Indah and I have an option to record ourselves separately and merge our two films together, or to record our dance in one final take as we meet up together. We have decided that taking both options would be the most ideal, as we can decide on what might look better once finished filming. Once the May long weekend is finished, Indah and I will meet up at Gleneagle Secondary to film our dance both ways.
In just a few weeks, everyone will be able to see the progress Indah and I have made with hip-hop dancing, and I cannot wait!
Below is one of our merged progress videos that Kailey made for us:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/i6nEYR8RXi6Pcrxc8