The Journey of Self-Awareness
Yesterday we had a great Skype session.
The session began with the theme of Knowledge.
For me knowledge comes through self-reflection and self-discovery. By delving deep inside of me I am able to understand myself better and that brings me closer to what ancient Greek's called 'know thyself'.
Self-knoweledge is a journey that every person needs to take alone. It is a journey that allows you to get to know yourself better. Essentially, we have to become observers of ourselves and realise our strenghts and weaknesses, what we like and what we do not, how to behave in different situations and what are the best solutions towards our goals, whether personal or professional.
The purpose of the journey to self-knowledge is to improve the relationship with ourselves, but also to improve our relationships with the people around us. By being realistic to ourselves, we know where we go in this life, where to focus and devote ourselves, what to think, but also how to interpret what we think.
Through self-knowledge we can begin to choose what we want to learn and this selective acquisition of knowledge constitutes the main knowledge that helps each of us to stand out from the others and that will ultimately allow successful professional careers.
Self-awareness is a long process that requires patience and perseverance. It is an endless journey and as long as we continue we always come accross new experiences that will guide us through new journeys of knowledge, because it is not the outcome that matters, but the whole process of learning that will make us wiser. And as Cavafy wrote in his poem:
'As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery'.
The discussion continued with the theme of filming in our practice.
Before writing, I have to inform you that I always talk from the perspective of the professional ballet dancer, where constant development plays a crucial role in my career and I also belong to the technology and social media era.
Ballet is a performing and visual art, where every detail is important. Through our dancing, we have to create an aesthetically pleasant and harmonic image for the audience. This is the magic of ballet.
Watching myself through video helps me analyse myself and use it for improvement and development by adopting an objective perspective, because we cannot always feel what is seen from the audience.
Of course, there will be times that we will not always like what we see in a video of ourselves, but the positive on this is that we are able to become aware of our true potential and what we should work on and eventually develop both artistically and technically.
Thus, I believe that filming, as long as it not used against someone is a positive and helpful tool that we can use.
Therefore, in my career as a professional ballet dancer, self-reflection, self-discovery and self-analysis is what brings me closer to self-awareness, in order to be able to improve and develop in the world of ballet and give back to something I have been enthraled by all my life.
Hello
ΑπάντησηΔιαγραφήIt sounds like you are on a really interesting journey of self-discovery - I agree that being able to see yourself is really important for development as an artist as well as a human. I feel sometimes not liking what we see is a good reminder that we are human with all its flaws. Sometimes memory alone allows us to edit out parts of the stories of who we are, which can limit our ability for self-analysis and self-awareness. I'm sure this module will be really exciting, I'm looking forward to hearing about your research inquiry.
Hello Stella,
ΔιαγραφήThank you for your kind words. It is exactly as you say. In our lives there will always be room for improvement and through self discovery we can identify what we need to do to go further. My research focuses on the use of imagery in dance practice and this is something that has helped me discover myself better and ultimately enhance my performance. I am really happy to be currently in the process of collecting data from other dance practitioners who use imagery as well and be able to take a glimpse in their experiences.
Hey Jovanka
ΑπάντησηΔιαγραφήI really liked your reflection upon self-knowledge. Perhaps is something teachers could share sometimes with their dance students in particular situations :)
Speaking of filming, I agree that it can be useful, specially for ballet.
Ballet technique is so complex and harmonious, always looking for more improvement (so many things are, but I feel ballet specifically) therefore videos can help develop quicker as well as fix corrections quicker!
It's important for teachers maybe to introduce it as a positive way to improve.
Thank you for your kind words Laura! I really think it would be beneficial for students to be introduced to self-discovery techniques and filming and imagery specifically are tools that can take us a step further if used correctly.
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