14/09/2024
For my dance homework, I was tasked to design my own HIIT workout...
A HIIT workout stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It is a type of workout where
you do an exercise vigourously for a set amount of time, before having a short rest. The
process then repeats, but with different exercises to work out different parts of the
body.
Things to take into consideration when designing my HIIT:
- Length of each exercise
- Length of rest
- Variety of exercises
- Muscles being worked
- Progression of exercise difficulty/ intensity
- Background music
My workout plan
Key Info:
Total Time: 14 Minutes
Workout Time: 45 seconds
Rest Time: 15 seconds
Work:Rest ratio: 3:1
Exercises:
1. Running on the spot (Legs, Heart)
2. Glute bridges (Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower back)
3. Static plank (Core, Shoulders, Lower Back)
4. Mountain Climbers (Core, Shoulders, Legs)
5. Jumping Jacks (Legs, Shoulders)
6. Crab Walk (Shoulders, Triceps, Core)
7. Squats (Quads, Glutes, Inner Thighs)
8. Skater Hops (Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves)
9. Push-up Walks (Shoulders, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
10. Butt Kicks (Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves)
11. Single leg raises (Legs, Core)
12. Side plank (Shoulders, Back, Core)
13. Dead Bug (Whole Body)
14. Burpees (Whole Body)
Workout Music
Nothing in life would ever be complete without a bit of Taylor Swift. I needed to select some of Swift's songs that are upbeat and motivational, so here's what I came up with:
"Out of The Woods" (4:17)
"The Man" (3:12)
"All You Had To Do Was Stay" (3:18)
"I Wish You Would" (3:27)
Access the playlist here ↗
13/09/2024
At today's rehearsal we blocked my solo song, "Serious"...
Warmup
At today's rehearsal, we started with a quick vocal and physical warmup. For our vocal
warmup, we did some call and response, sirens, and a few other things. We also did some
squats and shoulder rolls as a sort of physical warmup, before breaking up into our seperate
rehearsals. I went to learn the blocking for my solo song, "Serious".
Blocking Serious
"Serious" is a comdedic song which starts off with Elle and Warner on a date at a
restaurant. The scene begins light-heartedly, with playful flirting between the two, as Elle
believes Warner is about to propose. However, when Warner starts singing about his future
ambitions, it is made clear that he is focused on becoming a successful lawyer and then
politician, the lovey-dovey tone switches somewhat. In his self-centred song, Warner
emphasises how serious his life is becoming and that he needs to focus on his career,
ultimately leading to him telling Elle that they need to break up. He claims he needs
"someone serious" by his side, implying Elle, with her bubbly, overly-energetic personality,
isn't the right match for him. The song mixes humour with heartbreak, as Elle's hopes of a
romantic future with Warner are shattered, setting the stage for her later transformation
throughout the musical. The upbeat tempo and playful melody add irony to the painful moment,
making the song both funny and bittersweet.
Warner enters the scene from upstage, walking in cooly before stopping and striking a powerful pose. He then makes his way to the resturant table, and pulls the chair out for Elle before tucking her back in again. He then sit down himself opposite Elle. The lines then start with each other telling one-another that they are "perfect" repeatedly and playfully. As they are saying this, they lean in toward each other and gaze lovingly into each others eyes.
My Self-Assessed
Targets:
1. Consolidate my lines and lyrics for this scene
2. Memorise the blocking
How I Will Achieve This:
Lines & Lyrics - I will test myself on my lines and lyrics
Memorising Blocking - I will watch the video many times, and note down the blocking
in my script. I will then run it out in my head and act it out in my lounge.
12/09/2024
I will be playing Warner Huntington III in my school's musical production of Legally Blonde, so as I like to do with all of my characters, here is my character analysis of Warner...
Warner's Relationships
At the very beginning of the musical, Warner is dating Elle Woods, a sorority girl from
Malibu, California. His decision to break up with her early on demonstrates his
superficiality and ambition, as he does so under the pretext that Elle is not "serious"
enough for his future plans. Warner’s break-up is not because he doesn't care about Elle,
but because he feels that being with her does not align with his aspirations of becoming a
successful lawyer. He is more focused on impressing others—particularly his family—than on
fostering a meaningful connection with Elle. This sets the stage for much of his character's
arc, which is driven by his desire to fit into the mould of a high-achieving, successful
individual.
Warner references his brother, who is studying at Yale Law, and his sister-in-law, who
attended Vanderbilt University—both top-tier academic institutions. This gives insight into
the high standards his family holds him to and the intense pressure he feels to live up to
these expectations. Warner is likely driven more by external validation than internal
motivation, shaping his behaviour and decisions. His parents expect him to be successful, and
Warner seems desperate to prove himself worthy of their praise, suggesting a need for
approval that he chases through status and outward achievements, rather than personal growth
or happiness.
As the musical progresses, Warner becomes engaged to Vivienne Kensington, a stern and
serious law student who seems to better fit his image of a "serious" partner, especially in
the context of his career-driven life. Vivienne, with her cold demeanor and sharp focus,
represents the type of person Warner believes he should be with to succeed in the
competitive world of law. Their engagement, however, lacks passion, showing how Warner’s
relationships are shaped more by practicality and ambition than by genuine connection. This
reflects his tendency to prioritise status and external approval over personal fulfillment.
Warner’s Behaviour
Warner is, at his core, self-obsessed and unaware of the harm he causes others. He sees
people, including Elle, primarily as stepping stones toward his own goals. His break-up with
Elle illustrates his shallowness - he views her as unworthy because he thinks she lacks the
seriousness required for his future successes. Warner’s perspective is limited by his narrow
definition of success — good looks, a prestigious education, and an impressive career. His
inability to see Elle’s potential beyond her appearance and lifestyle is one of his greatest
flaws.
Despite getting into Harvard Law, Warner shows little drive or passion for his studies. His
acceptance into Harvard seems to be more a result of his privileged background and ability
to "play the part" of a successful future lawyer, rather than any real skill or dedication.
When working on the Brooke Windham court case, Warner doesn't contribute anything meaningful
and lets others—like Vivienne and Elle—take the lead. This passivity speaks to his
overconfidence and reliance on his charm and connections to get by, rather than on hard work
or intellect. He believes that simply being Warner Huntington III will carry him through
life.
Warner's naivety is evident in his interactions with Professor Callahan. Rather than
recognising Callahan’s manipulative behaviour, Warner is easily swayed by flattery and the
prospect of success. He lets Callahan exploit his ambition during the celebratory scene and
is too arrogant to see that he is being used.
Warner’s arrogance is shown once again through his disbelief when Elle is accepted into
Harvard, when he exclaims: "You got into Harvard Law?!" His incredulity reflects his narrow,
elitist mindset — he cannot fathom that someone like Elle, who doesn’t fit his conventional
idea of "serious" or "successful," could achieve something he views as being reserved for
people like him.
Though arrogant, Warner is undeniably charismatic. His cocky attitude and confidence in his
own abilities make him appealing on the surface. This charm, however, masks his deeper
insecurities and need for validation. He uses his good looks and social skills to navigate
through life, but his lack of substance eventually becomes clear, especially as characters
like Elle and Vivienne outgrow him.
How I Want to Play Warner
I want to emphasise Warner’s self-obsession and arrogance by showing how he constantly
centres himself in every situation, regardless of how his actions affect others. In scenes
with Elle, I plan to portray Warner as condescending but not outright cruel. His break-up
with Elle should feel more like a transaction than a heartfelt moment — he’s breaking up
with her not because he hates her, but because he sees her as an obstacle to his success.
There’s a sense of detachment, as though Elle is just another item on his list of things to
discard in pursuit of his ambitions.
When interacting with Vivienne, I want to show Warner as performative, trying too hard to
fit into the mould of the perfect "serious" law student. His engagement to her feels more
like a strategic move than a romantic decision, which I’ll convey through slightly stiff and
formal body language, contrasting with his more relaxed demeanor around Elle.
Warner's arrogance should be evident in his physicality — his posture will be tall and
confident, and his movements will be sharp and deliberate. In moments like his line, "You
got into Harvard Law?!", I’ll make sure to emphasise his incredulity and disbelief,
portraying him as someone who can’t conceive of anyone else being on his level.
At the same time, I want to subtly hint at Warner’s insecurities. Underneath his bravado is
a character who is deeply insecure about meeting the expectations of his family and society.
I’ll show this vulnerability in quieter moments, such as when he references his parents or
his brther. In these scenes, Warner’s bravado will slightly waver, revealing his internal
conflict between who he is and who he thinks he needs to be.
Ultimately, my portrayal of Warner will attempt to balance his cocky, charismatic exterior
with the underlying truth that he is lost, directionless, and reliant on the validation of
others in order to feel successful.
By adding depth to Warner’s motivations, relationships, and insecurities, my analysis can
help shape a more nuanced portrayal of the character. Warner may seem like a stereotypical
antagonist, but he is more complex, driven by his flawed understanding of success and fear
of failure, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
11/09/2024
I've never danced before in my life... this is going to be interesting!...
Dance class started with us gathering around our dance teacher in a semicircle. We discussed
the role of the use of dance within musical theatre. We concluded that dance is important to
express a character's emotions and feelings. A dance between two characters can show
intemacy.
We were then asked to rank each of the performing arts "parts"
(Acting, Singing, Dance) into a personal order of ability / confidence. I had dance as the
solid last of my three. I've never really danced before apart from in last years school
musical for which I really struggled to learn and execute. Whilst other people were able to
be taught the dance once and then have it instantly nailed, I had to break it down into more
managable sections and go over each bit several times.
It was now time to let the music take control of our body and get moving. We began with a
warmup, before which we established the importance of warming up thoroughly - to get blood
flowing and providing oxygen to our muscles. We also touched on how you are more likely to
become injured if you do not warm up or if your warm up is inadiquette. Another point of
warming up is to get into the right, focused mindset which is required for dance. Our dance
teacher, Mrs Mockford, then introduced us to the three parts that make up a good warm-up:
cardio, rotations, and stretching. Cardio exercises are those that get the heart pumping.
These are important so that the heart rate can increase, therefore increasing the bloodflow
to our muscles to provide them with more oxygen needed for energy release. Rotations are the
twisting of certain joints helping to loosen them, and engage them for the exercises
involving them to come. Stretching is the deliberate expanding and flexing of a muscle to
improve the muscle's felt elasticity. Stretching can help with increased muscle control,
flexibility, and range of motion. There are two types of stretching: static and dynamic.
Static stretches do not involve repeated movement, whereas dynamic ones do.
With
the discussion out of the way, Mrs Mockford hit the music, and lead our warmup. For the
first part of our warmup, the cardio section, we did various exercises including: running on
the spot, jumping in the air, and sidesteps. After this, I could definately feel that my
heartrate had increased. We then took a very brief break before jumping into our rotations.
This consisted of rotating our ankles, shoulders, neck, and wrists. We even tried to rotate
our arms in opposite directions (which I certainly could not do)! Last but not least, it was
stretching time. We streched several muscles before putting our warm-up into good use - a
HIIT workout. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. A HIIT workout is one where
an exercise is performed vigorously before a short break and then another vigorous exercise.
Our workout was a made up of 2x 5 exercises. We would perform exercises for 40 seconds, and
then have a 20 second break. So in total, our workout would be 10 minutes. We picked our
exercises as a group, making sure that we included ones which cover different parts of the
body. To exercise our heart, we did some running on the spot; to exercise our legs, we did
some squats, to exercsie our core, we held the plank position and did some crunches; and as
an all-rounder we did some burpees. The workout was tough but highly invigorating.
It was now time to do some "Corner work". As a total dancing noob, I was not familiar with
"Corner Work" so Mrs Mockford walked me through the structure of it all. Although the term
"Corner Work" sounds very complex and sophisticated, its actually quite simple - all you
have to do is travel from one corner of the room to the opposite corner! We did this
exercise in pairs. In our pairs, we eased into the exercise by first just walking from
corner to corner in time with the beat of the music. I think I can safely say that I nailed
that, but the next exercise was a bit more challenging - we had to walk for four counts,
then jump for four, walk for four and jump for four. I managed the walking fine, but
panicked on the jumps, causing me to end up out of time.
play_circle
Watch: My (embarrasing) attempt at "Corner Work":
The next, and final piece of "Corner Work" we did required us to walk for four beats, jump
for four, walk for four, then do a three step spin, finishing with a gesture. We did this a
couple of times, and by the end, I had somewhat gotten the hang of it. Moving on from the
"Corner Work", we split into two groups of four and were tasked to create piece of
choreography that incorporated a travel, jump, balance, spin, and gesture. Our group came up
with the routine: A four step turn into an arabesque, then a two step walk into a jump,
followed by a walk with a gesture.
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Watch: Our self-choreograohed routine:
My Self-Assessed
Targets:
1. Improve my Stamina
2. Increase my Strength
3. Keep calm so that I don't panic and mess up again
4. Become more flexible
5. Work on my timing
How I Will Achieve This:
Strength & Stamina - I will do a HIIT workout every evening
Flexibility - I will stretch before bed every day
Musical Timing - I will practise bopping to a beat
Calmness - I will try not to overthink what I am doing and just let the music guide
my movement
10/09/2024
The second rehearsal of many for our school musical "Legally Blonde"...
Our second reheasal got off to a similar start to the first one: A register, briefing, and
vocal warmup. We then split up into four breakout groups again to work on different parts of
the musical. The dancers went to the dance studio to learn the dance for the number "Whipped
into shape". The Paulette's went to the Drama block to learn their scene. Everyone in the
opening number "Omigod U Guys" went to the music block to learn the singing. This left the
rest of us to block "The Harvard Variations" which we sang through at our last
rehearsal.
My character, Warner, doesn't come into this song until nearer the end, so I wasn't needed
for quite a while. During the time of my not-neededness I went into a "practise room" in the
music block where I sang through my main solo song, "Serious". This song is quite high in my
range (I literally have one of the deepest voices known to man!) so it has been a bit of a
struggle to sing. I am having to sing it right at the top of my head register. I have
definately noticed an improvement in my singing of this song since I first learned it and am
feeling more comfortable than I was initially, however I still have a lot of work to do on
this song and my voice to make it as good as possible.
After a while of singing alone, I was collected by a fellow cast member who informed me that
I was now needed in the school hall to block "The Harvard Variations". I was guided through
the blocking by one of our assistant directors. My blocking was quite straight forward, I
just had to wait for Elle to exit the stage, then I enter from upper stage left, and remain
near the back of the stage until the very end of the song where all of the harvard students
line up as if to hand in their assignments before I get tapped on the shoulder and get the
surprise of my life as my ex-girlfriend, Elle, appears to have made it into the same school
as me.
Once we all had the blocking nailed, we went over it acapella, then with the backing music a
few times.
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Watch: The end-product of our blocking:
My Self-Assessed
Targets:
1. Memorise the blocking
2. Improve my characterisation
How I Will Achieve This:
Blocking - I will rewatch the video to learn my timings and positioning
Characterisation - I will create a character analysis of Warner and then figure out
how his character would present himself in this scene
09/09/2024
Past student Des, stepped back in time, revisiting his old school to enlighten us with his experiences in the world of work...
Des, a former student at my school, who had just played the main role in the National
Youth Music Theatre production of "Our House" came to talk to us about his experiences with
the musical theatre industry.
06/09/2024
It's that time of year again! Going back to school can only mean one thing - the start of the school musical!!!
Our first rehearsal was exclusivley for those of us in principle roles and the dancers.
Before we split up into our own breakout sessions, we grouped together in the school hall.
Over 70 of us were present, so we created a giant circle for us to all sit in. Our director,
Mrs. Morgan gave us an introduction to the musical and how everything would work, including
timings, rules, and other adminy things. We then opened with a "name game" where we went
round the circle and one-by-one, we would state our name, year group and character as a sort
of get-to-know everybody.
It was then time for a vocal warmup. Our vocal director, Mrs Read had us making all sorts of
funky noises in the name of warming up! We did some humming,
Main Rehearsal
After everyone was warmed up, it was time to split up into three separate groups depending
on our role in the show. The dancers went to the dance studio to work on their dance moves,
everybody involved in the opening number "Omigod U Guys" stayed in the hall to block that
song, and the rest of us went to the music department to learn the song "Harvard
Variations". As we were already warmed up, we dived straight into the singing.
Interestingly, we started learning the song backwards - starting at the end and learning
line by line until we ended up back at the beginning. We did this because the end of the
song is more complex than the rest and involves everyone whereas the beginning is sang as
solos. Mrs. Read divided us into parts based on our vocal range capabilities. I was in the
bass section. Mrs Read sang us our parts and then we sang them back. We did this for each
line of the song. Once we knew each section, we mashed them all together and sang the whole
song.
play_circle
Watch: Singing "The Harvard Variations":
My Self-Assessed
Targets:
1.
2.
How I Will Achieve This:
- I will
- I will
05/09/2024
For my first lesson in Performance Studies, we looked at acting...
After 6 weeks of summer, my acting was a bit rusty, so to ease us back into the swing of
things, our first ever acting lesson began with some games. The first game we played was
called "Look Up, Look Down".
How "Look Up, Look Down" Works:
• Students stand in a circle and begin by
looking down. When the teacher says ‘Look up!' all students need to look up and look
straight at another student (they might look straight ahead or sideways or at the person
next to them).
• There must be no looking at the ground, above
heads etc. They have to look straight at another student.
• If two students make eye contact, both
students then move to the side and are 'out' of the game until the game finishes.
• When the teacher says, 'Look down!' all
students must look down again until they are told to 'Look up!' at which point they have to
look at another student.
• The teacher can make the circle tighter as
more students go ‘out’.
• The winner is the last person left standing.
Unfortunately, I was out by the third round. Clearly I need to work on my skill of
luck!
So, what is the actual point of this game and how does it fit into acting? Believe it or
not, this game has many useful benefits when it comes to acting. This game is focused on eye
contant. Eye contact is a very powerful tool in acting in terms of storytrelling and
character development, as it can be used to reveal the relationships between characters. For
example, when two characters are in love, they might gaze adoringly into each other's eyes.
In contrast, if a character is pulling away or avoiding eye contact, it could suggest that
their relationship is strained. The way characters use eye contact can also illustrate power
dynamics and social hierarchies. For example, a character who avoids eye contact might be
perceived as submissive, while one who maintains steady eye contact might come across as
dominant or confident.
This game also builds up other skills that are useful for actors such as quick thinking, and
team building.
The next, and final game that we played was called "On The Bus".
How "On The Bus" Works:
• Set up chairs to resemble a bus, allowing a
seat for each student in the group.
• One student is chosen to be the bus driver.
Other students think of a character with a clearly defined attitude, emotion or character
trait e.g., angry the bus is late; just been dumped by their girlfriend; finds everything
hilarious etc. They must make it clear through actions and dialogue what their character
trait is.
• The bus drives though the town and stops to
pick up passengers. At each stop a student, in role as their chosen character, gets on the
bus.
• The driver and the other passengers all adopt
this character’s attitude, emotion or trait, and their dialogue and physicality should
reflect this.
• The game ends when all the students/passengers
are on the bus and the bus driver shouts, 'End of the line; all change here!'
We played this game twice, the first time we went with any trait we wanted, and then on the
second time we went with the trait of our characters that we would be playing in the
upcoming school musical: Legally Blonde.
For the first round, I chose to get on the bus as someone who is very tired. I hung my head
as I walked, moving slowly as I did. I took yawns and slurred my speech.
For the second round, where we had to enter as our Legally Blonde character, I got on the
bus as Warner Huntington III. Warner is a charming, confident, full-of-himself law student.
To reflect this, I walked confidently onto the bus with my head held high and shoulders
back, as I moved, I ran my hands through my hair and along my jawline. I then stopped at the
front of the aisle, turned my head to look at the other passengers and said smoothly, "Hey"
before winking and making my way over to the bus driver. To the driver I said, "Put it on my
card", and turned my back before strutting confidently down the aisle and taking my seat. In
my seat, I sat layed back and stretched out, with my right foot resting up on my left
knee-cap.
Character Building
In order to successfully embody a character, you must first understand this character. To
aid in this, we did a character building exercise. The class split into two groups of 4. In
our groups we had to pick 1 character from the musical "Legally Blonde" and then we had to
determine the five key events of our chosen character's life. We then had to order these
five events in chronological order. With our events in mind, we were tasked to create a
tableau of each event, then our tableaux would be performed to the other group who would
have to guess which character we were portraying. Our group chose to portray the life of
Warner. We decided that our events would be: Warner's birth; Warner's first birthday;
Warner's first day at school; Warner's first suit, and Warner's Graduation.
Accents
The use of accents can help to provide context and setting to a show. In our production of
Legally Blonde, most of the characters have what we're dubbing the 'Generic American'
accent. I pride myself on being an accent enthusiast - so much so that I actually got kicked
out of Chinese class for speaking with a Chinese accent!
I am going to have to learn a Californian Accent for my character of Warner, which is
incredibly similar to the 'General American' accent which we looked at in class. We looked
at how certain fundamental sounds such as 'Ah', 'Oh', 'Or', 'R', 'L', 'T' are pronounced in
the 'General American' accent.
Character Physicality
Characters can express themselves physically through various mediums such as: Body Language,
Facial Expressions, Posture, and Movement. To start with, our exercise was to consider and
then demonstrate how our characters would stand. Again, we used our Legally Blonde
characters for this. We first thought about our character's stance. As Warner, I chose a
fairly wide stance to show how he is comfortable, relaxed and confident. We then thought
about how our character would position their feet. I had my left foot facing forward, and my
right foot angled slightly outward on a bearing of about 45°. We then focused on the knees.
I had my left leg fully extened, but my right leg slightly bent and leaning slightly out to
the right. We then looked at hands - I put my thumbs in my pockets but left the rest of my
hands free outside of my pockets. We then moved onto our chest. I had my chest raised
slightly, but not stupidly high to show Warner's confidence and arrogance. We then focused
on our characters shoulders and head position. I put my shoulders back and held my head
high, looking off into the distance slightly.
Me in my character pose:
With our character's stance perfected, we then thought about how our characters would move.
I decided to have Warner take larger-than-average strides and almost walk shoulders first.
We then walked around the room, switching directions constantly while remaining in our
characters. This exercise was very useful to help us to understand how our characters can
use a combination of body language, facial expressions, posture, and movement to match their
personalities.
With our character's physicality perfected, we needed a way to show off our newly created
characterisation, so to end our lesson, we did character walk-outs. Each of us took it in
turns to walk from the upper-left corner of the room to centre stage and pose. After each
walkout, we would discuss as a group our perceptions of these characters based on their body
language, facial expressions, posture, and movement displayed in the walk-out. For my
walk-out as Warner, I walked straight forward to the top-center of the stage, paused, turned
my head to the left, facing down the center, looked through my eyebrws, nodded, and then
turned and stided down to centre stage. At centre stage, I stood tall with the stance I
created in the previous exercise, looking up and off into the distance. I was told that I
exuded an overly confident and arrogant look, someone who is self-obsessed and also niave. I
was very pleased at this feedback, as this was the intention of my portrayal.
A crucial element of an actor's performance is their entrance onto the stage, especially the
initial one. Often, as you enter a scene, especially if alone, the audience's focus will be
on you, and they'll quickly begin to form impressions based solely on your silent
introduction. How you present yourself in those first moments sets the tone for their entire
perception, therefore making this an ever-so relevant character exercise.
My Self-Assessed
Targets:
1. Understand how my character behaves
2. Learn a Californian accent
How I Will Achieve This:
Character behaviour - I will write a character analysis after analysing my
script
Californian Accent - I will research an actor who has a Californian accent, then
watch and listen to them in interviews and try to replicate the way they sound
07/07/2024
Circus Funtasia came to town, so of course I had to go and see them!...
What a show! The circus never fails to dissapoint! The vibrant colours, daring feats, and a
sense of wonder that feels almost magical. Today I revisited my favourite circus: Circus
Funtasia. Before today, I had only ever been to the circus three times: Cirque Berserk in
Birmingham; Circus Montini in Bristol; and Circus Funstasia in Clevedon. Today, I had the
chance to relive the thrill of Circus Funtasia once more as the big-top showstopper found
itself back in Clevedon.
The towering striped tent stood proud, inviting us inside to the sounds of cheerful chatter,
the sweet scent of popcorn, and the distant call of a ringmaster amplified my anticipation.
It was like stepping into another world. I was also pleased to see just how popular the
circus was. Every seat pretty much gone, and the crowd was so loud and enthusiastic - a
direct constrast to just one year ago where the circus was pretty much empty, which was very
unfortunate considering the sheer talent and thrill of the show.
As the lights dimmed and the crowd settled, every performer entered the ring to welcome us
to the show with a grand opening number. The spotlight swung across the tent, illuminating
the first act: the acrobats. These performers defied gravity with their intricate flips and
twists, drawing gasps and applause from the audience. Their skill and athleticism was
breathtaking, each movement a blend of grace and power. The transitions between acts were
slick, which was very impressive considering some of the clunky equipment needed to set up
for the stunts. No circus experience would be complete without a clown. His antics had the
audience roaring with laughter, from the classic slapstick humor to clever, interactive
skits that engaged both the children and adults too. His playful chaos was a delightful
contrast to the precision of the other acts, reminding the audience that sometimes, the best
entertainment is simply pure, unadulterated fun. Some highlights of the show for me
included: the "Globe of Death" which invloved 5 motorcycles enclosed in a fairly small ball
all racing around each other while hurling upside down and round and round as they narrowly
escaped death; a very clever and very cool light show involving high tech lazers that make
you feel as if you are no longer on Earth, but in some futuristic sci-fi world; the aerial
silks showcased incredible feats of strength, flexibility, and artistry. Performers climbed
and twisted around long, flowing fabrics suspended from the ceiling, executing breathtaking
drops, spins, and poses high above the ground, their movements both graceful and powerful;
the juggler was a masterclass in precision and dexterity, with a variety of props—such as
balls, clubs, and rings—demonstrating her impressive abilities; the acro duo demonstarting
their lifts, flips, spins and balance moves, requiring impeccable trust and coordination
between the partners; and the wheel of death which was an exhilarating performance involving
a large, rotating wheel apparatus suspended in mid-air - performers ran, leaped, and spun
within the rotating wheels as the wheels themselves rotated over and over, creating a
dizzying display of speed and agility, throughout his performance, a heightened sense of
danger and excitement ran rife.
The performers began to pile up on stage, signifying the coming to the end of the show, but
not without going out with a bang - the finale. A grand splendor of talent as the acts
grouped to one great culmination. It was a magnificent showcase of the circus's most
extraordinary talents, all converging in a final, unforgettable performance. Acrobats
twirled gracefully through the air, the juggler kept multiple flaming torches aloft with
seemingly effortless precision, the clown, with his infectious energy, added a touch of
humor and whimsy, ensuring that laughter and joy filled the space. Eventually, every
performer enterred the ring each bringing their unique flair to the stage, creating a
vibrant mosaic of human skill and creativity.
At the end, a roar of applause
erupted as a testament to the thrill that the circus had provided. Circus Funtasia once
again proved why it holds a special place in my heart. Its blend of thrilling acts, vibrant
performances, and infectious enthusiasm makes it an experience like no other. Until next
time, I’ll be dreaming of the magic under the big top, eagerly waiting for my next chance to
be dazzled by the circus.
06/07/2024
In December 2023 I had the privilege of playing Chuck Cranston in my school's production of Footloose the musical...
Each year, my school puts on the most amazing musical performances. In 2023 I
decided that I wanted to be a part of these stage spectacles. And so, I did an audition
and got the part of Chuck Cranston. I was over the moon with this part. I knew that
Chuck Cranston was going to be such a fun part to play. Chuck is Arial's (the main
character's) boyfriend. Chuck is very controlling of her and treats her as a sex object
which is made clear in his song "The Girl Gets Around". Chuck is an all round bad-boy,
he disobeys the rules, gets into fights, and he is very disrespectful. Chuck has his
brin-dead disciples also who view him as some sort of rightious leader. So, how could
such a rough character be so fun to play? Well, becuase that's what acting is all about:
embracing a character who you can't actually be in real life.
Upon recieving my script, I immediately set to work reading the entire script. As I
read, my mind flooded with ideas of how to play this character. I whipped out my trusty
old pencil and marked my ideas down. Once I had read the script a good three times, I
wrote a "character report" for Chuck Cranston, analysing him as a character and setting
out how I wanted to play him. I wanted him to appear mean and tough but also a bit
stupid to show the foolishness that people like him posses. I wanted him to come across
as sort of cool, calm and collected and have him be in charge of the scene in a kind of
arrogant way but also as a hot-headed delinquant when he doesn't get his way, like a
baby, again showing his foolishness. The director also wanted Chuck to have a Southern
American accent. I knew that this would be a challenge, but after all, nothing is
impossible. To get the accent down, I began by listening to songs that are sang in
Southern American accents, such as "Our Song" by Taylor Swift; "The Git Up" by Blanco
Brown; and "Honey I'm Good" by Andy Grammer; and a heck of a lot of Elvis! I would first
listen to them, and then sing the songs while attempting to replicate their accents. I
noticed that in the Southern accent, vowels are often elongated and slid. The "i"s are
more like "ah"s. Once I had the basics down, I watched some videos on YouTube on how to
do a Southern Accent. I watched the videos after learning the basics myself because I
believe that self-exploration and discovery are ultimately going to be more memorable
and beneficial for learning the accent as opposed to just being told how to do the
accent by a YouTuber.
23/05/2024
Sports day is designed to celebrate the most sporty of students. But what is there to celebrate us creatives?
The solution to this problem was put forth by a former art teacher at my
school. His solution: a "Creative Showdown" competition. A competition that challenges
students to show off their creativity through a series of sub-competitions for each
subject on offer at the school. For example, for English there was a poetry competition,
for maths there was a rangoli pattern competition, for drama there was a performance of
a monologue competition, and for music there was a recorded composition competition.
Students have several months to work on their entries, before they are submitted, judged
by subject staff, and then displayed in a grand exhibition at the school. There is also
an awards ceremony to celebrate the winners and runners up of each year group.
This year, I enterred into many of the categories, one being the music category. I
enterred a recording of myself signing Harry Styles' "Falling". To my surprise, I was
announced as the winner of the competition for year 11!
Listen to my entry:
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