DMA Final Reflection!!!!!!!

At the beginning of the year, DMA appeared disconnected from the rest of my artistic training. As the classes moved forward, I began to recognize the common factors between DMA and my dance classes. Now, at the end of the semester, I can see how new media is essential for the construction of a dance portfolio and special projects. Ultimately, the goal of DMA and all other classes is to help me become a better artist. All of my class objectives fit under this banner.

DMA and Comp are both about the process of creating a work. For example, in comp we are typically given an assignment and spend time, brainstorming, drafting and revising our pieces. The same thing applies to DMA. Both share that first you create something, you analyze it, you tweek it to your liking, and then you have a finished product. Both classes find inspiration from things going on in the world. Dancers often find inspiration from things going on around them, especially things in society. It’s where a lot of the pioneers of dance got their goals for their techniques. DMA also utilizes this concept with the emphasis on blogs, Facebook and websites that offer unique perspectives on current events and ideas that may trigger a need to create.

Additionally, there are also many connections between Dance Perspectives Technique, Comp and DMA. All increase your awareness of self, society, and art. Dance Perspectives helps you brush up on your history. The way that affects me is that if I don’t know where I came from then I don’t know where I can go. As far as society, I feel it is important as an artist to be aware of what’s going on around the art and me. As far as DMA, same thing applies. DMA teaches us the evolution of digital media and how it can be incorporated into our life and art. DMA and Dance perspectives both provide an artist with a deeper appreciation and understanding for the two. I feel like once you experience something and understand the process; it’s easier to appreciate it more. That’s definitely how I feel about DMA. In dance, it wasn’t until I got to college that I truly appreciated what I had been training for my entire life. They both have affected my artistry tremendously. Dance Perspectives helps a dancer understand the historical importance and link between techniques, movements, works and which the time period in which they were created. Martha Graham is the mother of modern dance, without her it could not exist. Because of the boundaries she pushed and the issues she presented to the world is the reason for composition. The historical perspectives provided make it more comfortable for someone like me to choreograph about something I feel is important. Furthermore, Dance Perspectives and Technique both utilize the theory of practice. Without those who came before us creating these methods, not only would we not have them but, we would not know how to apply them. It is important that we link the foundation back to the technique.

Technique cultivates your personal style and interpretation. In Technique class, I often find myself using this to my advantage. We are constantly focusing on placement and moving within our body range. Once a dancer figures out what their body can do and what their range is, it’s interesting to play with how you want to dress up the movement that is given to you. Likewise, in DMA often when an assignment is given typically if its given within our art most dancers will create a dance, most film students will create a short film, drama a short skit…you name it…but me, I would so chose to do a video because that’s usually how I choose to portray the assignment. These two both reveal a consistent commitment to cultivating ones personal style and interpretation.

DMA, Comp and Technique also both help artists to create a solid foundation for learning. All have basic skills given as a common base that can be used as creatively as anyone could dream of.  In dance, with a good foundation, it’s easier to play with different ideas about how the body works. In DMA if you understand how to use all your tools you have more ways to choose from when it comes to how to interpret assignments when given. Comp is the outcome of technique. When in Technique you’re learning the pieces, the exercises and combinations, but in comp you’re streaming all the thoughts you like and personally choose to put together as a whole. Believe it or not it’s hard to have one without the other.

 The idea of pieces to a whole is the true purpose of a liberal arts education.  Reading, writing, speaking and thinking critically is the goal of any educational program. People think that all artists do is their art; but that is not true. We have to be able to present our work and ourselves in many ways. This is why DMA is so important to an emerging artist. It introduces us to new platforms for self-expression and helps us articulate the relationships between our art and our world. 

Entry 11:

 SO, I may have completely misunderstood the assignment however, I have learned that the world is pretty much the same everywhere. Based off the blogs I got my info from and re-reading the issues, these are just two things thoughts I found to be very interesting.


It's not so much the aping of culture, except that in this case, much of the culture is unacceptable in essence. The idea of young Muslim girls putting up posters of Sami Yusuf in their bedrooms, screaming his name at concerts and so on is not a manifestation of Islamically acceptable behaviour. There's a need for Islamic entertainment to be Islamic in essence, not just in the words or images that appear.
Ultimately, while many will revel in this fun, and find it a place amongst their other music listening, what has this really done to address the serious issues within the soul of one for whom these idols are their be-all and end-all? It's not so much a ruling here, as a request for the exercising of wisdom.
Someone made a fantastic point recently, weren't the entertainers in days gone by, the lowest of the low, slaves, or paid servants? Yet today, it is the entertainers who enslave the watchers.

Posted by: Saracen | 04 May 2006 at 04:43 PM

 

As-Salaamu 'alaikum,
Lyrically, the songs are so basic and in your face. The best of Western music is poetic with a lot of the hidden meanings. There isn't that depth yet to the Islamic stuff.
That's actually the thing that grates on my nerves about just about every English-language nasheed that I've heard. Sometimes I've walked into an Islamic shop and wanted to run out when this sort of thing is turned on. I find the crudity of the lyrics (they sound like they are aimed at children, but shops play them to their mostly adult clients) just painful to listen to.

Posted by: Yusuf Smith | 04 May 2006 at 07:04 PM

Trendy Islam through Islamic mass media:

I am going with Option 1: The theme I chose was Inspiration. It's seems that no matter where you are people will always be inspired by what 's around them. I will be making a video of how America and the Islam culture is very similar in the ways of how the media inspires as well as influences alike. For example fashion, based on the article on the 1st blog source I found the everyone is inspired by everyone. The fashion photos that I found are very similar. Here's a photo I will modify for now but these are some photos that will be in the slide show.

theres more to come!

Entry 10:

1. I learned that in Javanese society young people play a central role. The persons blog I got my information from says that her concern lies in the social construction of identity where young people take an active role. Just like every other young person around the world, their social structure is a representation of how broken their process of identity-formation in such a perplexed world. I found this to be quite intriguing due to the fact that, It  seems the world is in constant  cycles and the the people have so much more control than they are aware of. Islamic faith may play a strong role in  what adolescents, especially the youths committed to it, however  there are other aspects of their lives to be negotiated which are not as easily ordered by religious faith alone. 

Due to the rapid socio-economic transformation, transitions to adulthood are increasingly damaged.

Young Muslims combine lifestyle characteristics, such as consumption practices, with religious faith. 

Not only do the frame their identities in relation to in their eyes western lifestyle products and trends but also in relation to influences of global Islam.  The same cycles exist every where.

2. I do think the idea of basing academic learning on identifying  and addressing real-world problems,  is the best way to learn. people learn best through experience. It's almost like having a teaching hospital. As humans, we learn from experiences.If I want to crochet it's hard for me to sometimes read a pattern but if I watch a Youtube video and go along with the demonstration or even talk myself through it I'm so much better off. It's important to be "a doer" If we and others could continue t to train in anything through experience, were better off.

HERE'S THE FLYER!

Entry: 9

Wow! This was so interesting! So I ended up beginning my kickstarter, however not in the timely fashion that I wanted to. You see Kickstarter takes about a month to do and I would not have been able to show any progress of what I did in just a week. What I ended up putting together was a flyer advertising my wonderful crochet creations, Keysocs! Among other things, I crochet dance warm-up socks. They are really awesome! I hope to use this flyer on the dance boards in the dance buildings. I would like to post the flyer this weekend and have it posted until Intensive Arts. From the list of people who sign up I crochet the socks over Christmas Break and will deliver the orders the first week of Spring Semester. Here are some socks I've crocheted and here's the flyer. My goal is to raise $2000.00! We'll see what happens!

The flyer will be posted soon!

Entry 7&8:

Hello All. This week I chose to really focus on altering my blog and e-portfolio by actually focusing on colors and fonts that were aesthetically pleasing to the eye. When think of a website I wanted to drawn to it instantly. I feel my original blog was very dark and now it's bubbly and fun. As far as my e-portfolio I decided to change fonts and add a highlights to my "10 things I care about in the world" and I added another photo I feel that better represented me as a dancer. I like the changes I made. I think I spent a lot more time adjusting these things now than I did initially. I'm glad I made these changes and I feel it makes my work better.   

1. Summer dance intensives are a great way to improve your technique and gain perspective from different dance instructors. Sometimes hearing the same correction in a different way, or from a different teacher, can make a world of a difference. Being in a different environment will help you learn to adapt to new surroundings. Dancing with different dancers and teachers will almost feel like you are getting a fresh start. Sometimes when we are away from common distractions (like our friends at the studio) we are able to absorb corrections and information better. This is what will help you improve as a dancer. So, The project I am very interested in pursuing is the kickstarter! I would like to use this to raise money for the summer intensive programs of my choice. I would like to attend Cedar Lake contemporary Ballet  summer intensive and Complexions Contemporary Ballet Summer Intensiv
2.  On Monday I plan to create a clear goal, like making an album of dance pictures or putting together clips of me dancing. A project will eventually be completed, and something will be produced by it. A project is not open-ended. Starting a business, for example, does not qualify as a project. On Tuesday, I will share my project with friends, family, and followers. I will also Offer rewards to attract donors, which are required when posting a project on Kickstarter. The reward I chose to share are my sock s that I crochet. Many donors will be encouraged to donate to my project if I am offering interesting, once-in-a-lifetime rewards. On Wednesday, I will Tell a compelling story. Most people that donate to projects on Kickstarter are compelled to do so because of the story behind the project and project creator. People want to have a good idea of whom they are donating to. Providing potential donors with info on who you are, what my ideals are, and what exactly my goals for my project is will greatly increase the chances of encouraging donations.
3. On Thursday I will split project funding into stages. If my project has distinct stages of development, I may be able to split funding into multiple projects. This can make it easier to reach funding goals for each stage of my project.This can essentially allow me to extend the amount of time my project is able to receive funding and also allow me to start creating the first stage of my project to use as incentive for potential donors during the next stage.
4. On Friday I will set realistic funding goals and deadlines for my projects. All projects on Kickstarter have a dollar amount funding goal and a time limit from 1 to 90 days. Don’t just expect to receive your funding in 1 or 10 days. If I am realistically able to wait the full 90 days before starting my project, that will be my best chance of receiving 100% of your funding goals. Remember, no money will change hands if you do not meet your funding goals.
5. On Saturday, I will set a realistic dollar amount. Setting your dollar amount too low may scare off donors who are unsure whether the funding is enough to actually complete the project. Setting it too high may result in not being able to fulfill your funding goals. I will also create a first-person video and answer donor questions; people like feeling like they know whom they are donating to. Some potential donors may be unsure of who I am and not full confident in me as a project creator.

• This is why it can be extremely helpful to create personal, first-person videos introducing myself. It’s also important to answer any questions that potential donors may ask me. If donors ask you questions and you do not respond, the chances are they will decide not to donate.

• I hope to learn a new way of fund-raising. For the past three years, I have used traditional media fundraise in the past. I usually write letters with an attachments : 1 recommendation from a teacher, a photo and an attached breakdown of what the money will be used for. In the event that the kickstarter is not successful I plan to revert back to this method. I'm very confident in the kickstarter though!!!

Entry 6: Numerical Representaion!!!!

This week I decided to use something I've never used before! IMOVIE! YEA YEA, I have a mac but I just got access to it! Ha.. Anywho, as I stated in my last post, I had a friend tape me doing a movement study based on poses that I just felt were aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I then created transitions based on counts to manipulate the movement. The first movement was slow using half-time which is more of a glacial pace and the second time I used double-time, doing the movement as fast as I can as clean as possible. The principle I used was "Numerical Representation" Using space, shape, sound and even graphics, I created video to represent my principle. Voilà!!!!!!