SHORT TERM TARGETS AND MUSICAL THEATRE LOG BOOKS (per workshop/Rehearsal)

You MUST complete the following at the end of every workshop/key rehearsalMrs Parkin.

The focus of today’s workshop is to learn the Horton technique.

My short term target for today’s workshop is to be able to perform some of Horton’s moves

correctly, with fluency and accuracy. I would also like to remember all the techniques learnt

even if I cannot perform them correctly. I believe that with practice I will be able to perform

most of the techniques learnt.

Today’s learning objective is to learn some of Horton’s techniques and be able to successful

perform a few of his techniques.

In today’s workshop on Horton’s technique we learnt how to use flat backs within dance,

first of all we learnt the flat back technique and then we learnt how to interpret this within a

dance. After learning how to do a simple flat back n we then performed them with our feet

in different positions such as parallel, second and turned out second. After that we added a

plie in all these positions continuing to keep a flat back, at this stage some people found it

harder to perform than others. The next technique we learnt was lateral stretches which

means bending the body sideways. During our warm up we did a lot of stretching in the

torso area to ensure our bodies were warm enough to not cause injury when we began

learning the technique. After learning the lateral stretches, we then learnt the tilts and

lunges this was good as it followed on nicely from one another. The tilts and lunges included

a sweeping movement however once you’d hit that position you had to hold it. The shape

we had to hold was a T shape, most people found this difficult as you had to balance on one

leg and hit the correct shape. The T shape was also hard as you’d just swung over and then

had to stop sharply hitting the shape. The next technique we learnt was contrasts between

sweeping dynamics and precise shapes, for this technique we performed a flat back to the

right diagonal front, swinging to the left, to the right, to the left and stop with flat back. We

continued doing this however we went opposite ways. Another technique we learnt was

circular movements and pulls away, for this we did an arm circle across the body and side

stretch pulling towards the opposite side. We stretched the body sideways making a

diagonal line with our leg, body and arm; this was similar to the T shape however with this

technique you kept both feet on the floor. The final technique we learnt was clean clear

body lines, this was incorporated within most of the moves we had learnt however we also

learnt an egyptian walk which had very strict arms, and the arm positions were shoulders

relaxed with arms up creating right angles. With this move we had to twist the top half of

our body keeping our head forward and legs forward while walking.

My strength was my T shape because I could almost get a straight line with my body and I

could balance while holding this shape. I thought my T shape was good because I almost hit

the T shape right each time; there were a couple of times that my T shape didn’t go well

however the majority of the time it was successful. Not only that but when we added the

runs before scooping into the T shape I could still hit the T shape almost every time. I also

thought my flat back was a strength of mine because I could keep the position for a long

time and it didn’t take me long to get the perfect flat back. I could also keep a flat back while

performing a plie at the same time.

The improvements I need to make would be my egyptian walks and my side stretches as

these are my two weaknesses. I think these were my weaknesses because when doing the

walks I struggled to twist my body while keeping my hips forward, so I will perform these

often to ensure I am getting better at this movement. I also struggled with the side bends as

I struggled to bend far over continuing to keep a straight line with my body and arms. I will

improve both of these by continuing to practice these at home, I will also use mirrors and

video footage to check the shapes are correct.

Review of my short term target from the start of this workshop/rehearsal: 1. What progress have you made so far?

I think I have made good progress so far as I have been able to hit the T shape correctly almost every time I have performed them, I have also made good progress on my flat back as before I couldn’t do a plie with a flat back however after this Horton workshop I can now perform these correctly and efficiently.

2. Why do you think this is?

I think this because I have had feedback from peers and I also used to mirrors while performing these moves which made it easier for me to see if I was hitting the correct shapes or not. I also know I have made progress as before I never knew what these moves were however now I am familiar with all of the moves and I can even perform some of them correctly the majority of the time.

3. What have you done to ensure an improvement?

I have taken photographs to show where I am now and every time I practice these moves I will take photographs, then after about a week I will look back on all of the photos to see my improvements. I will continue to practice to ensure I improve my Horton technique.

4. How might you ensure you make further improvement?

To ensure I continue to make improvements on Horton technique I will practice regularly and ask peers for feedback to ensure I know exactly what I need to focus on. I will also continue to take photographs and videos to ensure I can see how I am improving and how long it has taken me to improve.