Amanda Kirkland: BA (Hons) Professional Practice, Arts and Creative Industries.

 Areas of Learning - Self Worth/Confidence As dancers I think we all question ourselves, I certainly do! Am I good enough? How do other people perceive me? Will I ever be satisfied with myself? This is a psychological battle I went through with most of my college and audition experiences. Having ADHD, I take much longer to learn material than most, and having this uncertainty made my confidence plummet. I would stand at the back of a class, always be the last to volunteer and blend into the crowd at auditions. I had a lot of barriers to overcome, with the unforgiving essence of auditions, I knew I had to find another way of interpreting the steps.  Counting was the least helpful, unrelatable to the movement and monotonous. Instead I found noises or singing the steps with the tune of the song was preferable.  Reflecting on this has made me realise the processes which come into play for a variety of situations and obstacles. 

 Hi Everyone! My name is Amanda and I have been a dance professional for 10 years. I studied at Leicester College of Performing Arts and since have worked around the world on cruise ships, hotels and holiday parks. I have also been a teacher for around 6 years and have worked with a variety of abilities, ages and styles.  I look forward to conversing with some like minded people and I'm very excited to start my Reflective Practice journey. 😀 "Reflection is the process of learning from experience" (Dewey and Boydston, 2008).