Placement Complete

This weekend I finished my placement with Jenna at Kenilworth Creative Dance.  I've really enjoyed my 5 weeks on placement and Jenna has said that I can continue with the classes next term.  

The first class has children between the ages of 2-5 years old and their parents.  The sessions are very creative and involve lots of storytelling.  These classes are so much fun and the children have a lot of say in what they want to do.  One participant made an 'Ideas Box' so the other children can submit ideas for future classes. 

The second class is for 5-7 year olds.  Most of the children in this class have some kind of disability and parents also take part.  This class can be more difficult at times.  It seems that there are good days where the children are very interested and keen to take part but there are also bad days when one or two children decide they do not want to be there so it can be struggle to make progress in the session.

I've loved every minute of my placement and it has most certainly reminded me why I want to be a community dance leader.

First post of 2012!

I am now well into the second term of my second year and things feel back to normal after the craziness of Performance Projects last term.  This term we all do our optional modules and I have chosen 'Artists in Education and Community Settings'.  For this module, I have to do a placement for 5 weeks and write an evaluation.

My placement is on a Saturday morning in Kenilworth.  It is 2 creative classes for children and their parents.  I started my placement last Saturday and I really enjoyed it.  Before coming to Coventry University, I had spent 6 years teaching these kind of classes so it was great to get back into it.  I was meant to spend the first session observing but when I got there, it felt more valuable to join in so I could really get a feel for the class and the children in it. 

The first classes went really well and I can't wait for next week.  Being back in that creative, playful environment instantly reminded me what I love to do and that it is definitely where my future lies.  I've thought for a while that coming to University has taken me back 10 steps.  I felt that what I was doing during my gap year was my dream job and that spending all day dancing around a studio here at Coventry was disappointing and a waste of my time.  I know that sounds harsh but coming from working for companies like DanceXchange and Youth Dance England doing project management and teaching classes with DanceFest, to suddenly being a student and having to spend all my time in class and not 'out there' has been tough.  Taking part in this module and being able to be back out in the community has been great. 

Hopefully the next few classes go just as well, if not better than the first!