Dance Review Essay Example for Free

Dance Review Essay The performance, â€Å"Dance Matters† was absolutely amazing. Walking into the theater I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect and was really excited to see the show. I got even more excited seeing that this performance was directed by my professor. There were four parts in the performance. Also, each of them had its own story and full of meaning. I was surprised and learned from the performance. I appreciated to have a chance seeing this amazing show. There was one part of the performance that attracted me a lot. When the curtain was rose, I saw dancers sitting on the chairs with their hands covering their faces expect the girl who was expressing herself. The voice was strong and full of passion which grabbed my full of attention. Through her strong beautiful voice, I felt her. She had so many stories to tell. Moreover, the strong feeling was turned into the movements. All dancers started moving their bodies with energies. All of their extensions and turns and leaps were perfect and they were all in sync. I noticed one thing that we learned in class, they constantly kept their bodies flowing and moving. Every movement connected to another one. Everyone danced to their full potential, there was no lagging from the dancers. I was very impressed and enjoy watching this performance. It was perfect that all the dancers were full of energies and every movement was perfectly presented. Generally, it was an amazing performance. Somehow, â€Å"Fragmented† was my favorite part in this performance.

Essay --

Hopelessness is an intense emotion every person feels at one point in their life, a feeling closely interlinked with depression and suicide. In the poems â€Å"It was not Death, for I stood up,† and â€Å"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,† by Emily Dickinson and â€Å"No worst, there is none. Pitched past pitch of grief,† by Gerard Manley Hopkins, the theme of the poems is hopelessness, but the authors approach the theme differently in each poem. In the poem, â€Å"It was not Death, for I stood up,† Dickinson uses words to describe the sense of hopelessness she feels as she tries to pinpoint the source of her anguish. In the first two stanzas, she uses specific sensory details to convey her chaotic feelings to tell the reader what her condition cannot be. A repetition of â€Å"it was not† (1) is then followed by a reason of why she eliminated the possibility, using the senses of sound or touch. She merges together the conditions she had eradicated and through her chaotic state, her thoughts turn toward funerals. This causes her to think about her death and her current state of mind. She feels her â€Å"life were shaven† (13), so that the only emotions left were despair and terror with the feeling of hope lost. She also â€Å"could not breathe without a key† (15); terror does not directly affect a person’s breathing, but it sometimes causes a person to feel as if he were suffocating, unable t o breathe. Her â€Å"key† that she needs is to understand what she is feeling, but she cannot figure it out (15). The last stanza in the poem expresses an overwhelming feeling of bleakness, there is no opportunity for rescue, â€Å"like Chaos— Stopless— †¦ / Without a Chance†¦ / Or even a Report of Land—† (21-23). In the last line, there is a paradox, that since there was no possibility of hop... ...er already confused and chaotic mind, her thought process leads her to thinking about death and hopelessness of being healed. Hopkins’s poem starts out differently, with him thinking that there was nothing that could be worse than what he was going through, but in the process of searching for relief, he discovers there is no relief with death. His poem comes to the same conclusion as Dickinson’s, the hopelessness of having no cure to save them. The ending to Dickinson’s second poem is similar to this that after her descent into insanity, there is no hope for her of ever going back to reality. In these three poems, imagery plays a large part with helping the author describe their thoughts and situations, which increases the feeling the reader has because it seems more lifelike. The three poems begin at various places, but end with the revolving theme of hopelessness.

Lifespan Perspective Paper

Lifespan Perspective Paper Introduction This paper will discuss lifespan development and the theories associated with the study. Humans develop according to phases throughout their lives and this paper will address these phases and what to expect and when. People learn from mistakes made in the past and apply these lessons in order to improve their quality of life. The psychodynamic and evolutionary theories will be examined in detail. Also, the significant role of nature and nurture will be addressed.Lifespan Perspective of Development Lifespan development describes the growth that happens from the time an organism is conceived to the time of its death. A human undergoes a variety of changes throughout their lifetime: psychologically, physiologically, spiritually, and socially changes all occur. A mere fetus develops heart beat at around six weeks and from that point on, develops quickly over the remainder of the pregnancy. Each step in life people develop, little by little.Lifespan development provides us with the information necessary to understand the different phases of human life and with this information we are able to better understand what to expect from each phase (Berk, 2012). For example, children often fear the dark and require a night light to sleep, but overtime, this insignificant fear becomes less and less of a concern and eventually most children are able to sleep just fine without a night light. When a child realizes there is nothing to be afraid of, like there are not any monsters under the bed, he or she is able to sleep without the security of a night light.Understanding lifespan development is crucial and allows us to grasp the phases of life. And also, understand children and their needs for security and comfort. Young children often relay on the comfort of a pacifier or a blanket to calm them down or make them feel safe. Parents are able to understand their children and their needs with the help of lifespan development studies and thus, parents feel like they are able to be better mothers and fathers. There are four recognized phases of human lifespan. One, childhood and adolescence; two, early adulthood; three, middle adulthood; four, late adulthood.Natural progressions are expected to occur as a person ages. The study of lifespan development is important because it explains how and why people develop and what reasonable expectations should apply during this process (Berger, 2008). Lifespan Development at Work The study of lifespan development is significant factor in understanding the subject and provides people with many answers and has the ability of preventing people from repeating past mistakes. Over the years humans have monitored history and have used their research to prevent making similar decisions of the past that did not work out like they were intended to (Carson, 2000).For example, sunscreen is used to protect our skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays and ultimately, decrease the possibilities of skin cancer. Before the importance and knowledge of sunscreen was available people did not know the true dangers the sun presented and mostly did not protect their skin accordingly. As a result, many people who spent a lot of time outdoors in the 1970’s and 1980’s had a significantly increased rate of skin cancer. Many of these skin cancer victims did not know the dangers the sun presented and how wearing sunscreen could have decreased their risk.If this knowledge was readily available at the time it is almost guaranteed that a large percentage of these people who have worn sunscreen and possibly eliminate their chances of skin cancer all together. Now the threats of sun damage are widely known and discussed and there are a variety of sunscreen-type products on the market for consumers (Berk, 2012). People have learned from past mistakes that the sun does present dangers and can be harmful to our skin so it is important to wear sunscreen and take other appropriate precautio ns.Lifespan development is purposed partially on extending the life of man and as a part of that jaunting task, survival is required. Humans learn from mistakes that have been made in the past, as a part of their challenge to survive. Skin cancer kills some of its victims and therefore, the knowledge that skin cancer presents is crucial and allows people to take the appropriate measures to cut down their risks. This is one simple example of how people learn from history and use inventive ways to improve the future with the information acquired (Carson, 2000).Theories of Lifespan Development: Psychodynamic Behavioral, cognitive, contextual, evolutionary, humanistic, and psychodynamic are the six widely accepted theories pertaining to lifespan development psychology (Berger, 2008). Both Eric Erickson and Sigmund Freud did expansive studies on the psychodynamic theory. In Freud’s studies he focused on the inner being of a person and the unconscious forces that create personality and behavioral traits. His beliefs are that events, like memories and feelings that occur inside of us help motivate our personality and the way in which we behave.Memories are usually positive or negative and conflicts arise from negative memories and thus, creating a feeling that something should not be repeated in order to avoid a negative outcome. The psychodynamic theory focuses on three aspects of human personality: ego, superego, and id. Along with personality, this theory focuses on psychosexual development as well (Carson, 2000). Theories of Lifespan Development: Evolutionary The Evolutionary Theory of lifespan development is another interesting take on the study originally theorized by Charles Darwin and Konrad Lorenz.This theory focuses on evolution and how it specifically relates to human lifespan development. Over the years, a process of natural selection takes place and as a result humans adapt to their environments. Traits are acquired and sometimes altered by specie s in order to thrive. Darwin and Lorenz focus on how heredity influences development and how behavior is a result of our genetic inheritance. Studies that are connected with this theory show a relationship between family members and certain diseases and illnesses (Berk, 2012). For example, mental illness often runs in family histories and can be tracked through heredity.Heredity and the Environment Nurture versus nature is a discussion commonly associated with lifespan development. Environmental factors play a role in how a person develops, but heredity is passed down through a process of inheritance. A child may be born into a poverty-stricken home and raised to live in fear. A socioeconomic situation like this can lead to a life of crime in order to make ends meet. This environment has significant affects on the development of a person, but environments can be changed, if a person is willing to take the necessary steps.Now if a child is born into a family with a history of mental illness the child has a chance of developing a related illness (Berger, 2008). For example, if the child’s mother has schizophrenia and the child demonstrates symptoms of the disease at an early age and eventually is diagnosed with the disease, this is an act of nature. It is possible to earn a degree, get a better job, and move up to a middle class area, but it is not possible to undo heredity and no longer be schizophrenic. Nature and nurture both play a significant role in lifespan development and have equal importance in the lives of people (Carson, 2000).Conclusion In conclusion, lifespan development describes the growth that happens from the time an organism is conceived to the time of its death. Throughout these years, people develop in phases that can be observed as a result of the study of lifespan development (Berger, 2008). Human beings have learned about the different phases of development and have discovered new ways to do things to guarantee a higher quality of life. Watching history and mistakes that were made in the past are one of the ways the human species thrives and is able to withstand the test of time (Carson, 2000).The psychodynamic and evolutionary theories explain specific thoughts associated with lifespan development (Berk, 2012). Nature versus nurture is controversial debate that can be seen all throughout the study of psychology and many characteristics humans develop References: Berger, K. S. (2008). The developing person through the life span (7th ed. ). New York, NY: Worth  Ã‚   Publishers. Berk, L. E. (2012). Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood (7 ed. ). Allyn & Bacon. Carson, R. C. (2000). Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life. Retrieved June 25, 2012, from,http://www. abacon. com, p85.

Why School Culture Matters and Strategies to Improve It

Why School Culture Matters I recently read a quote by Dr. Joseph Murphy, Associate Dean at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of Education, which really spoke to me. He said, â€Å"Seeds of change will never grow in toxic soil. School culture matters.† This message has stuck with me for the past several weeks as I have reflected on the past school year and look to move forward towards the next.   As I examined the issue of school culture, I wondered how one would define it. Over the past few weeks, I have formulated my own definition. School culture includes an atmosphere of mutual respect amongst all stakeholders where teaching and learning are valued; achievements and successes are celebrated, and where ongoing collaboration is the norm.      Dr. Murphy is 100% correct in both of his assertions. First, school culture does matter.   When all stakeholders have the same goals and are on the same page, a school will flourish.   Unfortunately, toxic soil can keep those seeds from growing and in some cases create virtually irreparable damage.   Because of this school leaders must ensure that creating a healthy school culture is a priority.   Building a positive school culture starts with leadership. Leaders must be hands-on, willing to make personal sacrifices, and should work with people rather than working against them if they want to improve school culture.   School culture is a mindset that can either be positive or negative. No one flourishes in constant negativity.   When negativity persists in a school culture, no one wants to come to school. This includes the administrators, teachers, and students. This type of environment is set up to fail. Individuals are just going through the motions trying to get through another week and eventually another year. No one prospers in this type of environment. It is not healthy, and educators should do everything they can to ensure that they never allow this mindset to creep in. When positivity persists in a school culture, everyone thrives. Administrators, teachers, and students are generally happy to be there. Amazing things happen in a positive environment.   Student learning is enhanced. Teachers grow and improve. Administrators are more relaxed.   Everyone benefits from this type of environment. School culture does matter. It should not be discounted. Over the past few weeks as I have reflected on this, I have come to believe that it may be the single most important factor for school success. If no one wants to be there, then ultimately a school will not be successful. However, if a positive, supporting school culture exists then the sky is the limit for how successful a school can be. Now that we understand the importance of school culture, we must ask how to improve it. Fostering a positive school culture takes a lot of time and hard work.   It will not happen overnight. It is a difficult process that will likely come with immense growing pains.   Tough decisions will have to be made. This includes personnel decisions with those unwilling to buy into a change in school culture. Those who resist these changes are the â€Å"toxic soil† and until they are gone, the â€Å"seeds of change† will never firmly take hold. Strategies to Improve School Culture The following seven broad strategies can help guide the process of improving school culture. These strategies are written under the assumption that a leader is in place which seeks to change the culture of a school and is willing to work hard. It is important to note that many of these strategies will require modifications along the way. Every school has its own unique challenges and as such there is no perfect blueprint for refining school culture.   These general strategies are not the end all be all solution, but they can aid in the development of a positive school culture. Create a team consisting of administrators, teachers, parents, and students to help shape changes to school culture. This team should develop a prioritized list of issues they believe harm to the overall school culture. In addition, they should brainstorm possible solutions for fixing those issues. Eventually, they should create a plan as well as a timeline for implementing the plan for turning around the school culture.Administrators must surround themselves with like-minded teachers who fit the mission and vision the team has in place for establishing an effective school culture.   These teachers must be trustworthy professionals who will do their job and make positive contributions to the school environment.It is important for teachers feel supported. Teachers who feel like their administrators have their backs are generally happy teachers, and they are more likely to operate a productive classroom.   Teachers should never question whether or not they are appreciated.   Buil ding and maintaining teacher morale is one of the most important duties a school principal plays in fostering a positive school culture.   Teaching is a very difficult job, but it becomes easier when you work with a supportive administrator.Students spend the largest amount of their time at school in the classroom. This makes teachers the most responsible for creating a positive school culture.   Teachers help this process through a variety of ways. First, they build trusting relationships with students. Next, they ensure that every student has an opportunity to learn the required material. Additionally, they figure out a way to make learning fun so that students keep wanting to come back to their class. Finally, they show a vested interest in each student in a variety of ways including attending extracurricular activities, engaging in conversations about interests/hobbies, and being there for a student when they are having a hard time.Collaboration is critical to developing a p ositive school culture.   Collaboration enriches the overall teaching and learning experience. Collaboration builds lasting relationships. Collaboration can challenge us and make us better. Collaboration is essential in helping a school truly become a community of learners. Collaboration must be ongoing between every stakeholder within the school. Everyone should have a voice.To establish an effective school culture, you must consider every little nuance in a school. Ultimately, everything contributes to the overall culture of a school. This includes school security, the quality of the food in the cafeteria, the friendliness of the main office staff when there are visitors or when answering the phones, the cleanliness of the school, the maintenance of the grounds, etc.   Everything should be evaluated and changed as necessary.Extra-curricular programs can foster an immense amount of school pride.   Schools must offer a well-balanced assortment of programs to give every student an opportunity to be involved.   This includes a mixture of both athletic and non-athletic programs.   Coaches and sponsors responsible for these programs must provide the participants with everyone opportunity to be successful Programs and individuals within these programs should be recognized for their accomplishments.   Ultimately, if you have a positive school culture, every stakeholder feels a sense of pride when one of these programs or individuals is successful.