CAS Experience 1 (Kathak)

KATHAK – CREATIVITY , ACTIVITY

Keeping up with my online kathak classes – (CREATIVITY AND ACTIVITY)

To begin with, I have been a Kathak dancer since grade 6 and have been attending my regular classes, but all of this came to a halt due to the pandemic.  With strict lockdown guidelines , it was impossible for me to continue with my classes and give my 4th year’s exam; Until my teacher began with the online classes on a regular basis from the month of July. This meant that I could learn new things, cover up my exam’s syllabus, and be regular with my dance sessions. Yet, it was not so easy to cope up with my dance lessons online -net issues, my exam getting postponed – but it was successful at the end.

So, the following are my learning outcomes- 

LO 1 – Identify own strengths and develop areas of growth :

During my online kathak classes , I realized that I was always lacking in my steps or posture , my hand mudras or my footwork while practicing , since I practiced it online without the keen observations made by my teacher . I realized that these were my mistakes to not be able to adapt clearly and swiftly with the online method of teaching but simultaneously I realized that I was able to cover vast syllabus in the online mode due to extended meetings and timings . For m examination , I was able to cover and memorise almost all my syllabus for kathak 4th year examination in a short span of time though not absolutely perfect . When I look back and realize about my weaknesses and strengths , I try to improve my weaknesses as much as possible under the guidance of my teacher and ask her as many doubts as possible . Since Kathak is majorly about the correct posture , stance , and footwork , it became immensely necessary for me to work upon my weaknesses as quick as possible .

LO2   – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process :

The challenging part in this activity was to keep up with my teacher on all my kathak classes online, like I was being taught an entire new addition online but offline sessions were required , they weren’t possible during the early months of the pandemic. Through those past 7 months, I attended my classes online and learnt a lot of things; I was also informed that I will be giving my 4th year’s practical exam offline, it meant that a good and strong prep was needed. The only way to overcome this challenge was to practice rigorously, revise daily and clear as many doubts with my dance teacher as possible . After I was done with my preparation I was confident and a little sure about myself that I was thorough from my end and after the exam took place, I felt relieved and confident that my hard work did pay off. This taught me that in any situation like in my case attending online classes and giving an offline practical exam, what needs to be done with determination, focus and hard work can be done. This turned out to be more of a discipline routine where I followed a schedule to balance my studies and kathak together. 

LO4 – Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

For this activity, to keep it going and not leave it in the halfway ,commitment and perseverance was necessary. Many a times , during the online classes – I used to face net issues and sometimes it became quite difficult to keep a tab on every new thing that was taught to us online , but still with determination on both the ends and the commitment – I did not give up halfway ,I kept on going and at the end what I learnt helped me discover a new potential in me to stay in for the long haul and practice in for good seven months. Daily practice did demand commitment and I had to be persistent throughout the process.

LO 5 – Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Kathak is not about being a soloist performance but also a group which represents the academy and hardwork of years’ practice . But due to the restrictions , I couldn’t meet my other members of the class and practice and perform along with them . But , me and another candidate who were supposed to be giving the exam , made sure to work collaboratively with ourselves and other members as well . We used to schedule the meetings at non-regular days and clear each others’ doubts as many as possible . I found it very helpful when my peers solved my doubts and when I could clarify theirs , it sort of provided me enough confidence to present and perform myself in front of the examiner. Those sessions where we would revise everything from the beginning till the end boosted my progress and interest in this field .

LO 7 -Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and action –

When I enrolled myself for the examination during the pandemic with such high unreliability , I sort of knew what I was signing up for . It was challenge with which I had to put up myself with and was successfully able to do so . There were several instances where I was exhausted enough to drop out of the course entirely simply because I thought I won’t be able to cope up with . But , other than slacking off there was no other option for me but to work hard and stay committed to my own choice and not give up in the midst of it. I religiously practiced and improved my weaknesses and noted down all my teacher’s inputs and grasp it as much as possible.

LEARNER PROFILE ATTRIBUTES – The learner profile attributes which I was able to identify myself with are as follows:

Communicators : Classical Dance is a form of expression which helps the performer to convey his/her message and communicate with the viewers. I have always loved this aspect of Kathak which also requires a team effort in a class with other students and the teacher to make it a success . While participating in this experience , I realized the same and enjoyed my practice sessions with the same notion of a communicator communicating his/her ideas .

Principled : To be regular during the online classes was a task and to continue learning with discipline , I clearly took responsibility for my actions and knew the consequences for the same.

EVIDENCE –

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