The boy.

I live with an aspergers teen. This has many facets.

Sometimes it's fantastic, he is articulate, and very bright - too intelligent for his own good. He can be funny, and witty, he can be kind and helpful, he can be down right fantastic.

Sometimes its tricky.


Sometimes he is not great at all,


Sometimes he surprises me - today he rocked up to where I was teaching class, looking for a door key and ideally money for sweets. Sent him a way with a flea in his ear. He came back!! Eventually he sneaked £2 from my cash tin. I got him and he returned it. Things are starting to look up!

What differences?

When teaching class to children and adults and tame monkeys what differences should one employ to ensure everyone can access a class?

This is my current task in my lifespan book. It's not the most exciting subject ever. But happily I have had quite a lot of teaching experience and therefore am enjoying the simplicity of it.

Just have a few lesson plans to do, an essay to finish and a lifespan exam that is apparently multiple guess and I will have done the DDE in ballet! All I have to do after that is to do the practical exams for what ever other genres I feel the need to do. Tap, modern and national it is then!!!

Might even treat myself to another jaunt to summer school this year... But for modern perhaps? Or tap?

The scary exam

Yes I did the scary exam. I don't really know how it went. Made errors, covered and sorted it out.

We will see. Now just to finish the theory and we are done!!

So here is what I got asked in my DDE Ballet exam!

Grade 3 plies demonstrated.
       Asked what the common faults were and how to correct the posture.
       Asked how one teaches a back bend and the risks associated.
       What would happen to the legs of a hyperextended child?
       How would you help them?

Grade 4 tendu and grand battement demonstrated.
        Ian began to play too fast and I requested he slowed down during course of the exercise
           Discussed how to promote a good pointe to the front in tinies and alignment

Frappe fouetté
              Created training exercise
              Discussed faults
              Progressed the training exercise

Centre practise
              Demonstrate 2 inter centre practise
              Discussed the quality required for a fondu
              What is the build up of battement fondu
              Discussed posture of 4 yr olds and how to improve it

Musicality
            Discussion on how you would promote musicality in a child
            Gave ideas and examples of how to promote musicality
            She was after the fact they need to listen constantly

Demonstrate 2nd ports de bras inter

Create a grade 6 port de bras/adage with a pirouette in it
 Allegro - what types of allegro are there?
               Create an allegro warm up for inter - explain the differences you would see in
               Grade 1 and Inter allegro
               Create a ballon allegro - was asked to change the music to make it more
               Bouncey
               Demonstrate grade 6 allegro
               Discussed how you change the speed of an exercise

Petit batterie - discuss what body type would find beats harder, and why?
               Discussed the mechanics of all beats including brise and which leg works the
               Hardest on brise.


Stretching -
              what type of stretch is safest
             How would you stretch the ham string
              How long would you hold a stretch for?
              What exercises would you give a pupil to do at home?
              How long would you hold a stretch?
   


Pointe Work
              Asked about what type of feet would struggle
              Asked about what one would do in the first pointe work lesson
              Was asked if you had a class with half with hyper mobile feet and half with less    mobile feet - if you had split the group which set would rise and which set would releve?
               Discussed bow legs and pointe work


Choreography
              Was asked if my dance had a theme or was just a classical solo

Reverence
              Intermediate

I used to post once in a while, now it's rarely.

I have a busy old life at the moment.

Big debates, big choices, big exam, big pile of books to study. It's all a little bit much!!

The main big debate and choice is should one give up the regular income job for more teaching?

Financially we would be just as well off, hours wise I would have more time to do house stuff and things with the sproggles that get shoved aside because I am too busy.
Should I take away that regular spot of cash to be replaced by teaching and casual exam invigilation and maybe summer work in a pub a couple of afternoons, or should I stick in the job I don't mind but don't love. If I were to do the more dancing thing I would be doing more of what I love aNd less of what I don't love.