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Monday, December 10, 2012

Self-Evaluation



1. Self-Evaluation
Perhaps you always look on the past with a more positive light than you remember. The semester is slowly coming to a close and memories of stressful writing assignments are dwindling away. At this time I am sure that English 15s was a great course and a positive experience for me to have my first semester Freshman year at Penn State.
Signing up for classes at FTCAP was overwhelming. Not aware of my major yet, I was scared I would mess up my entire schedule for the rest of my college career. Luckily English 15s was two requirements in one, English requirement and Freshman seminar, which initially relaxed me and reassured that I would be just fine (and seriously need to calm down).
         My first day of classes was a blur. I was anxious about not only living on my own, making new friends and being a student athlete, but also getting lost in a sea of people. The heard of students packed on Pollock Road heading to class early morning made me queasy. How would I possibly be noticed in a lecture class of 350 students? Could I even thrive in a community this large?
         My nerves subsided when I entered the classroom in Willard and notice there were less than 20 seats. I am genuinely appreciative to have a class like this. It gives a student on a large campus participate more in class, get to know their professor, and interact with classmates on a more personal level.
         More than the class logistics itself, I was able to experience more than I expected to at Penn State through the arts, but also through the community. There are many things I did my first semester freshman year because of English 15s that I don’t think I would have done without it.
         One important factors to my learning about Penn State and the arts all the field trips that we went on. Going to the Palmer museum was a great experience. I would pass it almost every day and was unaware of what it even was. People pass by it every day without appreciating the beauty of the architecture and design. I doubt I would have went in by myself, but I’m glad I did. That is the same for the Arboretum, the play at the Penn State Theater, and other activities such as the arts/cultural responses. It is incredible how much Penn State has to offer.
         Although I grew in my writing abilities and am more educated about the arts, I think I learned more about myself outside of the classroom. Besides the experiences that Ms. S provided us with I have done so much more such as visit the All-Sports Museum, walk in the Homecoming parade, watch the performance and meet celebrity Big Sean, attend many sporting events, play trashcan drums at Nittanyville, perform in the beautiful Bryce Jordan Center, dance in Beaver Stadium in front of 110,000 people, and so much more. My first semester freshman year couldn’t have been better and I am grateful for all the exciting opportunities I am able to have because of Penn State.
        


2. Blog Response Round-Up














3. SRTE Evaluations

Hi, Ms. S--I completed my SRTEs!


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Art of the Jumpsplit


Dance as an Art? Or Sport?





Dance is in fact an art form. The movement one does with their body is unique, stylized, and beautiful to watch. There are dozens of categories of dance to name a few ballet, hip-hop, tap, jazz and modern.

Being a dancer all my life I have learned and perfected the techniques of many of these styles and more. Yet being involved with dance team brings up two different styles of dance that are both visually stunning and incredibly athletic.

Kickline and Pom are two types of dance that are unknown by many, but growing rapidly in the dance team world. Kickline, much like the Radio City Rockettes, involves dancers linked in a formation of a chorus line and perform kick combinations in unison. Flexibility and precision is necessary for this type of dance as the ‘wow-factor’ is less of technique often, but the visual appeal. Strength not only in legs, but core, head, back, and arms are essential in making the dance appear strong and in sync.


Pom is a highly athletic and intense type of dance that involved a dance team or drill squad. Using pom-poms like cheerleaders, these dancers use the poms to their advantage along with choreography, endurance, technique, and music to create a visual performance. Along with powerful leaps and jumps, strong arm motions are used to make ‘pictures’ with the dancers.

Although these types of dance may not be conventional, they are part of my daily routine. I have grown to love these types of dances because they are unique. It shows that dance is more than just an art, but rather a sport.
                                            

Sunday, December 2, 2012

25 days of Christmas



Hey y'all,

Since this blog is about art, I wanted to share this with you and put you all in the holiday spirit. I made this Christmas ornament today for the Penn State Cheerleaders and Lionettes Booster Club's christmas tree. You can't tell, but it is covered in glue and there is tape in the most obvious places.

It was fun to do so please don't make fun of me.

Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukah/ Happy Kwanzaa English 15s! Hope your holiday wishes come true. (Never ask me to make you a creative craft because the results are horrifying).

Love,
Jess