Alys May-James BA Professional Practice Blog

Earlier on in the week I joined my second module one focused skype. It was nice to have some stability and familiarity with the uncertainty of the world right now. We discussed 3 main topics- Diagrams, Ethics and Literature. Diagrams We spoke about how some of us were struggling to come to terms with the idea of what a diagram actually was. It’s not clear cut, like an essay that we could have had plenty of practice doing from time at school. At first, I was really confused about it, but actually its ambiguity is what I’ve really enjoyed. I have been able to create what I want that reflects me. It’s personal to me and my own practice. It’s very rare to have opportunities like that.  We also spoke about how it’s visual. We already have our essay where we use words and theories to explain and explore our practice. The diagram is a visual representation that goes along side our essay. The two should work together. Something that one person mentioned that I hadn’t thought about...

What a few weeks it’s been. Corona Virus is everywhere. It has started taking over our lives so quickly. Many people are concerned and rightly so. Our livelihoods are at stake. With the announcement today, of schools closing on Friday, I won’t be teaching dance for a while. My other jobs have also been cancelled which I won’t be paid for. I know of many other people in the same position as me, if not worse. It’s very easy to get caught up on the negatives and the worries, but I’m doing this post to try and lift some spirits and help in times of need. Sometimes things get overwhelming and this is an overwhelming situation for society. I have put this together for anyone and everyone to use. It has tips and ideas which you can all expand on to suit your own situation and needs. These are things I use myself from the lessons of many wise and wonderful people in my life. Set out a plan for your day Get a note book or sketch book and write down or draw 5 things you want to achieve in ...

‘Art has the power to upset, to disturb, to make us question our assumptions, to change us.’  (Berys Gaut, 2007) Working in the arts there are a lot of ethical considerations that need to be taken into account. We are creating things for an audience, whether it be a dance, a song, a play, a painting… With this comes responsibility. By creating this ‘art’ we are having an impact on people around us. But is this a good thing? Upset Art can and undoubtedly will upset some people. People can be triggered by many different things that can lead to sadness. An example for me, is Damien Hirst and his use of animals as ‘art’. Personally, I don’t believe work like, ‘Mother and Child (Divided)’ are ethical. He has used real animals, in this instance a cow and a calf, and used them for his art. Sometimes he keeps them whole and sometimes he bisects them. He then puts them in glass cabinets with formaldehyde (Biography, 2014). Consequently, many innocent animals lost their lives...

What is my Professional Practice? The past few weeks I have been looking into how to describe what my practice actually is. I have been finding it hard to describe because there are so many factors to it. I have done this word cloud below to help me pin point my specific practice. By just using one or two words, rather than a sentence, it has helped me see what is important and given me some clarity. As you can see in my word cloud, not all the words necessarily connect to dance or the performing arts. This is because as I was creating it, I found that there were words I really wanted to include as they are part of my identity and they felt important to me. It made me realise that my practice is unique to me because I am unique, and all these factors that may not seem relevant, are relevant because they have shaped me to be who I am today. Therefore, it affects how I approach my professional practice. The knowledge I have gained from all my experiences in differen...