In process: Performances (post 6 - Nikki Russell)

At the start of this project I was a little nervous on how we would be taken by audience members around Barrie and I knew I was consciously aware of how they were reacting during our performances. The reactions we received were extremely interesting; from people trying not to look at us at all when we were right beside them to people cheering us on from afar. This variety made the pieces exciting each time we performed them, as we never knew how people would react.

During a performance day we would perform the same piece over 10 times so it was important that we as dancers kept it as fresh as possible to make sure we were performing it with the same amount of energy and concentration each time. In order to do this I found the atmosphere/environment a big help to find a different energy each time. Being at the park gave me the sound of trees blowing in the wind to children playing on the swings where as being by the lake gave me the sound of waves and birds. This diverse range of environment meant we were always performing the piece differently and that was an amazing experience.

During the end of the project I definitely had lost the nerves and it was more about how daring or inventive I could be with the pieces and making it more fun for myself.

This experience was a once in a lifetime chance to explore a different aspect of dance performance in the community and I thank the residents of Barrie for being so supportive in the run.