week 7 - Research
Due to my focus point of my dance being based around depression, i decided to do research on this mental illness in order to widen my knowledge before choreographing my dance. From this I am hoping it will inspire ways in which I could portray depression through the use of body language and other aspects.
First i researched facts and statistics to allow me to come to a realization of how common depression actually is. I was so surprised when i saw that over 300 million people worldwide have to suffer with their own mind everyday. In addition, this number is increasing more than it ever has before due to the increase in social media. People seeing stereotypes - who are stereotypically perfect- on social media everyday through celebrities, magazines and television shows. Being fed this information 24/7 it makes you feel worthless if you don't fit in with these stereotypes and could lead to bully either online or during day to day life. 35% of people who suffer with depression don't seek hep and suffer in silence. In result of this they no longer want to continue their life, causing them to commit suicide
I then wanted to get primary data as it feels more personal and allows me to really understand how serial and common depression actually is. I kindly asked my friend if he wouldn't mind sharing his story with me to further my knowledge in this subject. I am very grateful that he allowed to me ask him questions on his experience. The first question I asked was how it all begun, he followed the question by saying "it developed over a long period of time however progressively got worse with no escape route. I started to over think my friendship groups and what relation i had with each person, i kept telling myself that I was an irrelevance to the friendship group and to those in my year and that i didn't have a place in the world i lived in. As the days went by this message got louder and louder causing me to isolate myself from my friends. From here i no longer go invitation, messages or phone calls from the people i needed most. This continued to happen until i was all alone at school, people bullying and name shaming me. I kept this all between myself, i didn't share any of this information with the school or with my parents however my mum saw a change in my personality and my actions towards her and myself. From here she reached out to someone who helped me pull myself out of the hole in which i though was impossible to get out off, in which i am very grateful for"
I then asked him if he could describe what it felt like to be in the depressed state. In which he replied with " no words can describe what it feels like to have to fight against your own mind everyday, however i would personally describe it as a huge black mud whole, every day i would try to climb this mud hole however overtime I went up one step i sank back down 5. Everyday got worse until I finally decided to stay in my mud hole and learnt that this is were i was supposed to be. So when my mum told be about counselling i was so mad and aggressive towards her due to me already trying so hard to get out of that mud hole that I thought it was a wast of time. However i cant describe how grateful i am that my mum saw a change in me and decided to get help because I am not sure where i would be now if that didn't happen"
Overall i feel as though my research really helped me came to the realization that depression is so common that you may pass someone on the say to day basis who is fighting with their own mind and because they act as if everything is okey there is nothing you can do to help them. From my research I am gong to use my friends story as my narrative in order to help me not only structure my dance however show the emotions he was feeling during this period of his life.
Bibliography:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/clinical-depression/symptoms/
Own primary source
First i researched facts and statistics to allow me to come to a realization of how common depression actually is. I was so surprised when i saw that over 300 million people worldwide have to suffer with their own mind everyday. In addition, this number is increasing more than it ever has before due to the increase in social media. People seeing stereotypes - who are stereotypically perfect- on social media everyday through celebrities, magazines and television shows. Being fed this information 24/7 it makes you feel worthless if you don't fit in with these stereotypes and could lead to bully either online or during day to day life. 35% of people who suffer with depression don't seek hep and suffer in silence. In result of this they no longer want to continue their life, causing them to commit suicide
I then wanted to get primary data as it feels more personal and allows me to really understand how serial and common depression actually is. I kindly asked my friend if he wouldn't mind sharing his story with me to further my knowledge in this subject. I am very grateful that he allowed to me ask him questions on his experience. The first question I asked was how it all begun, he followed the question by saying "it developed over a long period of time however progressively got worse with no escape route. I started to over think my friendship groups and what relation i had with each person, i kept telling myself that I was an irrelevance to the friendship group and to those in my year and that i didn't have a place in the world i lived in. As the days went by this message got louder and louder causing me to isolate myself from my friends. From here i no longer go invitation, messages or phone calls from the people i needed most. This continued to happen until i was all alone at school, people bullying and name shaming me. I kept this all between myself, i didn't share any of this information with the school or with my parents however my mum saw a change in my personality and my actions towards her and myself. From here she reached out to someone who helped me pull myself out of the hole in which i though was impossible to get out off, in which i am very grateful for"
I then asked him if he could describe what it felt like to be in the depressed state. In which he replied with " no words can describe what it feels like to have to fight against your own mind everyday, however i would personally describe it as a huge black mud whole, every day i would try to climb this mud hole however overtime I went up one step i sank back down 5. Everyday got worse until I finally decided to stay in my mud hole and learnt that this is were i was supposed to be. So when my mum told be about counselling i was so mad and aggressive towards her due to me already trying so hard to get out of that mud hole that I thought it was a wast of time. However i cant describe how grateful i am that my mum saw a change in me and decided to get help because I am not sure where i would be now if that didn't happen"
Overall i feel as though my research really helped me came to the realization that depression is so common that you may pass someone on the say to day basis who is fighting with their own mind and because they act as if everything is okey there is nothing you can do to help them. From my research I am gong to use my friends story as my narrative in order to help me not only structure my dance however show the emotions he was feeling during this period of his life.
Bibliography:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/clinical-depression/symptoms/
Own primary source
I like how you have used a vast amount of websites in order to gain full knowledge about depression and mental illnesses. What happened when you researched the statistics to how common depression is? What emotions were you feeling?
ReplyDeleteI also think it's very brave that you have asked your friend about his experience. Because he is close to you as a friend, I respect him for allowing the audience to hear his story, as we see how it affects more than one person.
Than you! I was in disbelief by how popular this mental illness really is and how people hide it so well that its unnoticeable. I felt really guilty during this research due to me not knowing about my friends mental illness at the time and how I may still not know what someone is going through which doesn't allow me to help them!
DeleteI found this blog very emotional as it was so personal. Reading about someones own struggle makes the issue so real. I am sure the connection you have with your friend will really help you portray emotions in your solo.
ReplyDeleteWhat choreographic devices from Wayne McGregors pieces will you use in your work?
I will definitely use repetition as he uses it continuously throughout his work. I will also be using contrast due to the same reason.
DeleteI will definitely use repetition as he uses it continuously throughout his work. I will also be using contrast due to the same reason.
DeleteThe use of a real story, especially from someone so close to you is a really powerful choice and will give your choreography the raw and genuine feeling that your idea deserves. How do you plan to portray these emotions combined with Wayne McGregor's influence?
ReplyDeleteI plan on portraying these emotions through movements and different levels within my choreography, Wayne McGregor also uses a sense of freedom and dynamics within his work which I am inspiring to do with the finishing of my choreography.
DeleteYou have made a good start researching behind your final idea. You have clearly described what the piece will be about and have used research to give depth and greater understanding behind your idea. Further, discus how your observations will influence your piece and enhance your creative work as you move forward. In relation to the criteria, I would say that the post currently sits around the 2:1 mark; if you wish to increase this towards a 1:1, you should think about; what objectives have you set? How will you ensure your idea successfully comes across to the audience? It is important that you remember to reference your research. Please include a bibliography.
ReplyDeleteMy observations will influence my piece and enhance my creative work as I move forward as It gives me a clear understanding of body language their emotions through this period of time. Therefore I will look at using low levels and collapsed dance movements to ensure I can portray the emotions behind depression itself. I have set myself objective which includes the use of making sure I include moments of stillness and chaos to show the juxtapositions of depression. I will make sure my idea successfully comes across to the audience by facial expressions, I feel although this is a very important factor when it comes to portray a story. To do this I will find moments within my dance where I can not only use one facial expression however experiment with feelings throughout my dance.
DeleteI really like the was you have got primary data from a friend, I wondered how you will try and convey what he has said in your choreography?
ReplyDeleteKnowing that someone I knew was going through this without anyone noticing really made me come to the realization that I could have said something nice to him that day which would had made him feel a little bit better. So in my choreography I really want to show the idea of giving up and no taking anyone's advice in order to get better.
Delete