Task 3c - Sources of information

What are my 5 most important sources of information in professional practice? I've never really had to think about it but I will definitely address them now and learn something from it.

1) My Phone

Like most people my age I have a smartphone and it is definitely my top source of information during my working day and for my professional practice. My phone allows me to access all kinds of things that aid me during my working day. On there I have my daily work schedule which tells me which rehearsal room I need to be in at what time and what rehearsals I need to prepared for. I use my phone also to record videos and take pictures of rehearsals to help when I need to reference them later, either at home whilst looking over material or straight away after I have finished a specific dance to correct the steps to make the piece look better. My phone also helps me keep in contact with fellow workers if rehearsals change or if they have overslept and running late which happens more often than you might think.


2) The Internet

The internet is the most obvious and broad source of information as it is so useful and so accessible by everyone. Aside from using www.google.co.uk like millions of us do to receive information, my other source of internet information comes from YouTube. I use a wide range of other sites to get information and whilst taking copyright restrictions into account, these websites are all public so I am able to post some of my most useful and not so common references of learning:

• http://www.networkdance.com - For upcoming auditions and general news about the dance world
• http://www.vanemuine.ee/ - My theaters homepage. Used for keeping up to date with shows

• http://balletnews.co.uk - Another site with interesting information on ballet and dance 

Using the internet, especially on my phone at work gives me access to my emails which I am regularly sending and receiving to my boss. Uploading the videos and pictures I take using my phone to the internet is also a great source of information for myself and colleagues as I can upload the videos I have taken of rehearsals so everyone can be more informed when approaching the next rehearsal by learning the materiel off of the video I have provided.




3) DVD's

As the majority of work is done learning and rehearsing material in a ballet studio getting it ready for stage, a large proportion of my information comes from DVD's. As I mentioned in post a month or so ago about my "day to day life", learning from a DVD is a very useful tool for me to quickly pick up information quickly. The DVD's range from both my own performances to other companies new material to learn to exercises and strengthening videos. I mentioned also in an older post that I am a visual learner and tend to learn best by either doing things hands on or surveying material via DVD, this is a reason why DVD's are a major source of useful information in my professional practice. When I first joined the company, one of my big breaks came down to how quickly I could learn a ballet off of a DVD. A dancer mistakenly bad mouthed a company worker, was removed from the ballet and left a baby faced, fresh out of school Lawrence to learn an entire ballet over night off of a poorly recorded DVD. Needless to say I prevailed and earned some major brownie points in doing so.


4) Notice Board

Right next to our main rehearsal studio is a huge notice board where most of the yearly information is put. There will be casting for the current season and next, peoples birthdays, weekly work schedule, union information, upcoming shows and galas. It is like a physical homepage to our working lives. I've read in Louis-May's post about sources of learning that she has basically the same concept but just with a staff room board. I feel like having a whole load of information in one specific place is a little overwhelming but very useful at the same time as it is a good reference point for basically anything you need to know with work. She writes a little about a fire alarm test on the white board, I am glad that is not something I have to worry about during my working day.


5) Word of mouth/Gossip

A lot of the time information that we should, and sometimes shouldn't' know about comes from dancers themselves. As we are such a tight knit of company members, there isn't much that doesn't get shared around. Now in some respects this is good if it is information on shows and upcoming repertoire, but unfortunately more often than not it can be gossip and things which not everyone should know. This whether it is good or bad, is still a source of information and part of my professional practice as sometimes it can have an effect on my working environment. From class and rehearsals I am given daily corrections on how to improve my technique, working with others is a great tool to communicate ideas on improvement and dance as a whole also. I learn from watching others perform similar choreography to better myself all whilst absorbing this information that is right in front of me.