I have been a dancer for as long as I can remember. Dance is my favorite activity and I am very passionate about it. I used to perform professionally in competitions and events, but during lockdown it became difficult to continue to dance as much as I used to. So when I saw that our school’s dance club was recruiting new members and choreographers, I knew that I had to apply. I became a choreographer for Indian classical dance and worked with other choreographers to teach the members. I am very glad that I decided to do so, because it was a great learning experience, an amazing opportunity to enhance my skills, and helped me understand how to work collaboratively.

Learning Outcomes:

 LO1: Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth

I have been dancing for a long time now. It’s a talent of mine that I am very proud of. Joining the dance club encouraged me to dance more often and improve my choreographing skills. Also, looking at other choreographers’ unique dancing styles motivated me to bring out my own uniqueness and originality to my choreographies. 

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

I was told to choreograph a routine in Western-Classical style, since I do both the styles. However, it was more difficult than I thought it would be to make a routine that consisted of both styles. My fellow choreographers and I struggled with picking a song that would fit both styles and finding a balance between both. But since we discussed all our choices and opinions with each other, it became easier over time. Also, all of us were experienced dancers, but we hardly had any teaching experience. It was difficult to teach the routine to the members at times- mainly because we found it tough to explain the moves and correct their mistakes over online meetings. However, after a few sessions, we developed a good rapport with the students and were able to help them practice.

LO3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.

Before having our teaching sessions, us choreographers made a point to come up with ways to make the process of learning, practicing and polishing the routine easier for the students. We also planned to make the routine relatively simple so that people who did not have much prior experience would not find it too difficult. 

LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experience

Choreography is not a simple task, it takes time and effort. From picking the correct song, finding the right style, to finding moves that fit- it takes perseverance. All of us met up every day before the teaching sessions for 1-2 hours to work together and practice and dedicate ourselves to doing our best and making it a good experience for all the members.

LO5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.

Although I’m an experienced dancer, I have never worked collaboratively with other dancers. I had practiced and learnt routines with my friends, but never choreographed with other equally talented dancers. Working in a team helped me learn from others’ personal styles and brought me out of my comfort zone. Also, as a new student last year, I didn’t know many people, but working with others in this club allowed me to make new friends as well.

LO7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

We ran into a lot of problems in the process of choreographing. Many times, we felt tempted to look up other choreographies online and add some of it into our routine to make our work easier. As much as it would reduce our workload and we’d save time, it would compromise our originality. It would have been wrong to take credit for someone else’s hard work, so we made sure to keep our art completely authentic and original.