Our classes have moved to an online platform where members can share and upload progress videos and asking teachers/group members for feedback. Just last week, the club launched live lessons so that we get the motivation to dance at our normal times and learn routines as if we were at class.
A benefit of the online platform is that we get access to the tutorials throughout the week which might help learning routines. We can also pause, rewind and slow down the speed of the recordings.
However, a few pitfalls include the lack of social interaction (especially our prolonged drink breaks), no peripheral vision, re-watching can get boring, view is sometimes obscured (figuring out the intricacies of each move). Also, I am yet to figure out how to use the online platform to filter tasks I haven't completed.
So far, I have mastered only the warm-up and exercises routines ... Three more to learn.
Thank you to the teachers and volunteers who make remote physie fun!
Showing posts with label lesson journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lesson journal. Show all posts
26 April, 2020
13 April, 2020
Lesson journal: Feb-Apr 2020
Woah... it's already April.
Let's rewind.
In mid-February, the club started lessons as normal with ladies coming in for their weekly physie lessons. We continued learning our routines with our 2 teachers. I managed to remember the warm-up and exercises routines before in-person lessons ceased.
March came and hand sanitiser acted as an entry token into the hall. Dance schools and gyms were operating as normal till mid-March. Unfortunately, in the space of just hours, these activities were halted. Literally overnight, indoor sports were ordered to shut down.
The physie community was optimistic that competitions will still go ahead later this year with zones but there are no interclubs for the 2020 (July/Aug) season. Head office announced this a few days before leotard orders had to be finalised so that people could pull out of ordering multiple garments.
On the bright side, I have my physie music, online modules with walkthroughs and soon I can look forward to live virtual lessons.
Let's rewind.
In mid-February, the club started lessons as normal with ladies coming in for their weekly physie lessons. We continued learning our routines with our 2 teachers. I managed to remember the warm-up and exercises routines before in-person lessons ceased.
March came and hand sanitiser acted as an entry token into the hall. Dance schools and gyms were operating as normal till mid-March. Unfortunately, in the space of just hours, these activities were halted. Literally overnight, indoor sports were ordered to shut down.
The physie community was optimistic that competitions will still go ahead later this year with zones but there are no interclubs for the 2020 (July/Aug) season. Head office announced this a few days before leotard orders had to be finalised so that people could pull out of ordering multiple garments.
On the bright side, I have my physie music, online modules with walkthroughs and soon I can look forward to live virtual lessons.
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| Physie social distancing |
17 May, 2019
My lesson journal: May 2019
It's now mid-May and only a month until the practice lollipop competition at my club. We have just begun practising with the new competition music and although it's only a few beats per minute faster, fluency in routines is needed to keep up with the upbeat music.
Marching - revised marching and pointing feet with turnout
Warm-up - complete
Level of confidence - 😃 I know all the moves and transitions, but will need to add some personality and flair into the performance.
Floordrill - need to figure out a worthy 'get up'
Level of confidence - 😮 Probably know 3/4 of the moves, the transition moves are the ones I need most work on.
Swing - complete
Level of confidence - 😃 My favourite routine this year is swing. I cannot solidly perform the second/opposite side yet.
Exercises - complete (the first one finished)
Level of confidence - 😊 Confident. I like this one, but I liked last year's song better.
Advanced - the whole routine (vaguely)
Level of confidence - 😩 In alignment with past 'advanced' routines, the use of word painting is prevalent. There are also a few transferences of weight which can be off-putting when not yet mastered.
I can't wait for the new 2019 syllabus DVD which was recorded last weekend to be released so I can revise with confidence at home.
Marching - revised marching and pointing feet with turnout
Warm-up - complete
Level of confidence - 😃 I know all the moves and transitions, but will need to add some personality and flair into the performance.
Floordrill - need to figure out a worthy 'get up'
Level of confidence - 😮 Probably know 3/4 of the moves, the transition moves are the ones I need most work on.
Swing - complete
Level of confidence - 😃 My favourite routine this year is swing. I cannot solidly perform the second/opposite side yet.
Exercises - complete (the first one finished)
Level of confidence - 😊 Confident. I like this one, but I liked last year's song better.
Advanced - the whole routine (vaguely)
Level of confidence - 😩 In alignment with past 'advanced' routines, the use of word painting is prevalent. There are also a few transferences of weight which can be off-putting when not yet mastered.
I can't wait for the new 2019 syllabus DVD which was recorded last weekend to be released so I can revise with confidence at home.
19 February, 2019
My lesson journal: February 2019
I am back to physie for my fourth year which means I've progressed into the intermediate category. On arrival at my first lesson I learnt that over 40 registered ladies were attending my club this year. This is an incredible enrolment and a testament to the passion and effort from my teacher, clubmates and volunteers to build this wonderful club.
Lesson 1:
Warming up our bodies and brains included walking, lunging and marching in a (very) large circle. Then we learnt the travelling step in the warm-up routine. We start with learning a travelling step every year because travelling steps are always included in warm-up. Five lines gathered at the back of the hall and we learnt the step firstly with our feet, then added our arms. We also learnt the first few steps of 'exercises' and soon after class was over.
Lesson 2:
We started with a circuit warm-up. Nine stations were set up including toe rises, lunges, wall push-ups and hip bridges. Then we all stood at a marker on the floor to revise and learn new moves for warm-up. Afterwards, we learnt the first couple of counts for swing. I'm guessing it won't be long before my teacher introduces bean bags for us to feel the weightiness in our arms (I hope that we have enough, we're the largest class now). A few more positions were discovered for exercises and then we revised all three routines at the end of class.
Lesson 1:
Warming up our bodies and brains included walking, lunging and marching in a (very) large circle. Then we learnt the travelling step in the warm-up routine. We start with learning a travelling step every year because travelling steps are always included in warm-up. Five lines gathered at the back of the hall and we learnt the step firstly with our feet, then added our arms. We also learnt the first few steps of 'exercises' and soon after class was over.
Lesson 2:
We started with a circuit warm-up. Nine stations were set up including toe rises, lunges, wall push-ups and hip bridges. Then we all stood at a marker on the floor to revise and learn new moves for warm-up. Afterwards, we learnt the first couple of counts for swing. I'm guessing it won't be long before my teacher introduces bean bags for us to feel the weightiness in our arms (I hope that we have enough, we're the largest class now). A few more positions were discovered for exercises and then we revised all three routines at the end of class.
P.S. New format this year! All blog posts will be quick reads limited to 250 words so that you can get on with life and practising more physie :)
14 June, 2018
My lesson journal: May/June
My recent physie sessions have been filled with innovative, memorable and effective approaches, so I'd like to share some of them with you.
We held beanbags in each hand to feel the 'swing'. The slight weight at the end of our arms enabled for the ebb and flow desired in the swinging routine. Afterwards without the beanbags, we were still able to mimic the heaviness.
Top stands were mastered against a wall to ensure that our back, elbows, shoulders and head were in line with each other. We then applied this activity to the lateral bends with top stand in the 'exercises' routine.
Learning from our peers is one of the most effective ways of realising what works and what doesn't. We partnered up and one lady observed while the other danced. After observing our partner, we gave them some constructive feedback on style and positions.
Different songs with slower tempos were utilised in order for us to deliberately execute positions in warm up. Due to this, we were not able to rely on lyrics/word painting or listening to musical cues.
Earlier this week, I attended my last class before our annual practice competition. The practice competition is a non-competitive event where we dance with our peers and get to watch girls and ladies from all the different age groups present their work. I'm looking forward using my physie smile and remembering all the steps this weekend.
We held beanbags in each hand to feel the 'swing'. The slight weight at the end of our arms enabled for the ebb and flow desired in the swinging routine. Afterwards without the beanbags, we were still able to mimic the heaviness.
Top stands were mastered against a wall to ensure that our back, elbows, shoulders and head were in line with each other. We then applied this activity to the lateral bends with top stand in the 'exercises' routine.
Learning from our peers is one of the most effective ways of realising what works and what doesn't. We partnered up and one lady observed while the other danced. After observing our partner, we gave them some constructive feedback on style and positions.
Different songs with slower tempos were utilised in order for us to deliberately execute positions in warm up. Due to this, we were not able to rely on lyrics/word painting or listening to musical cues.
Earlier this week, I attended my last class before our annual practice competition. The practice competition is a non-competitive event where we dance with our peers and get to watch girls and ladies from all the different age groups present their work. I'm looking forward using my physie smile and remembering all the steps this weekend.
It's getting closer to competition season, here are some stories you may like:
06 May, 2018
My lesson journal: April 2018
Last week was my twelfth lesson of the year! Where did all that time go? I have a feeling that it's going to be time to perform these routines very soon.
Lesson journal 30/04/2018
As always, our teacher likes to start the class with marching. Then we then ran through all our routines although we were still missing some moves from 'advanced'.
I know all the steps of the warm-up routine but the transition between the 16-count sequences is still unfamiliar and awkward to me compared to the choreography of the last two years' routines. With exercises, I think that its repetitive nature and regimented positions make it the easiest to learn. Floordrill is also very positions-based but the view from the floor obstructs peripheral vision. Swing and advanced are least familiar to me and sometimes the moves get blurred between the two because of both their swinging, flowing and free-moving nature.
We learnt the remainder of the choreography for advanced. Again, I am having trouble with remembering swing and advanced at home. I can remember small parts but can't remember preceding and subsequent moves.
Then we worked on the techniques of turn-out and lateral bends. My teacher's innovation was to have two dots on her inner thighs near the knee. Laying on the ground, she showed the class how the dots were revealed when the whole of the hips and legs were correctly turned-out. In pairs, we worked on our position of the week the 'lateral bend' checking that our partner's hips were still and their back not caving in.
For more tips and exercises on goal setting, progress tracking, learning routines and inspiration, check out the self-improvement blog series.
Lesson journal 30/04/2018
As always, our teacher likes to start the class with marching. Then we then ran through all our routines although we were still missing some moves from 'advanced'.
I know all the steps of the warm-up routine but the transition between the 16-count sequences is still unfamiliar and awkward to me compared to the choreography of the last two years' routines. With exercises, I think that its repetitive nature and regimented positions make it the easiest to learn. Floordrill is also very positions-based but the view from the floor obstructs peripheral vision. Swing and advanced are least familiar to me and sometimes the moves get blurred between the two because of both their swinging, flowing and free-moving nature.
We learnt the remainder of the choreography for advanced. Again, I am having trouble with remembering swing and advanced at home. I can remember small parts but can't remember preceding and subsequent moves.
Then we worked on the techniques of turn-out and lateral bends. My teacher's innovation was to have two dots on her inner thighs near the knee. Laying on the ground, she showed the class how the dots were revealed when the whole of the hips and legs were correctly turned-out. In pairs, we worked on our position of the week the 'lateral bend' checking that our partner's hips were still and their back not caving in.
For more tips and exercises on goal setting, progress tracking, learning routines and inspiration, check out the self-improvement blog series.
28 February, 2018
My lesson journal: February 2018
It's the end of February and my classes have already been back for a month! Today, I'll share with you what I've learnt in this week's lesson.
26/02/18
Marching
- put band on left ankle, this is the leading foot
- brushing the foot from the ball until the toes flick up to point
- left foot on the down/heavy/prominent beat of music
Warm-up routine
- revised
- added a few extra steps
- isolated the arm movements from the leg movements
- then put together arms/legs
Advanced routine
- learnt the first few counts
Floordrill routine
- we were shown a couple of additional moves
- learnt from peripheral vision as mostly lying down
Exercises routine
- routine uses a lot of mirroring on reverse side
- revised a few times, but didn't learn new counts as lesson was nearly over
Skills learnt:
- multitasking, learning arms/legs/together
- flexibility
- core strength (especially the 'crunch' in floordrill)
To do before my next lesson:
- Visualise: draw a series of stick figures to remind myself of some of the routines.
- Practise the routines that I can remember and won't mislearn eg. exercises.
- Work on interchangeable skills eg. positions, turnout, facial expression
- Train my abdominal muscles - crunches will help me in floordrill.
26/02/18
Marching
- put band on left ankle, this is the leading foot
- brushing the foot from the ball until the toes flick up to point
- left foot on the down/heavy/prominent beat of music
Warm-up routine
- revised
- added a few extra steps
- isolated the arm movements from the leg movements
- then put together arms/legs
Advanced routine
- learnt the first few counts
Floordrill routine
- we were shown a couple of additional moves
- learnt from peripheral vision as mostly lying down
Exercises routine
- routine uses a lot of mirroring on reverse side
- revised a few times, but didn't learn new counts as lesson was nearly over
Skills learnt:
- multitasking, learning arms/legs/together
- flexibility
- core strength (especially the 'crunch' in floordrill)
To do before my next lesson:
- Visualise: draw a series of stick figures to remind myself of some of the routines.
- Practise the routines that I can remember and won't mislearn eg. exercises.
- Work on interchangeable skills eg. positions, turnout, facial expression
- Train my abdominal muscles - crunches will help me in floordrill.
For more tips and exercises on goal setting, progress tracking, learning routines and inspiration, check out the self-improvement blog series.
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