BTEC

1. Final Evaluation
On the 15th February 2018, the BTEC Preforming Arts students put on a showcase to show our
exam piece of Bring It On. The showcase also had several performances including solos from all
of year 12, the year 13’s performance of Grease and a section from Hamilton. We also had the
junior band perform some songs from musicals such as Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and
the Beast, as well as preforming the backing tracks for some of the piece.
The Process oflearning and Improving Bring It On.
The process of learning and improving Bring It On was long and hard but by the end the
performance was really good and strong. Bring It On was the piece we decided to do for our
exam, we choose this musical because it was one that fitted with our age group and was one we
could all relate to. We started this performance when we had Miss Abi Sweeney do a workshop
on this musical, the section of repertoire she chose was from the Tony Awards. This workshop
made us realized that not only did the musical suit us but the choreography suited us because it
was an urban/hip-hop style. We then did some background research on the performance and
characters, the teachers found the script on live that surround the song we were sing (It’s all
happened). After we also got the lyrics to the song and we started learning the song and more of
the choreography. Whilst we started learning we decided who was going to be each character,
and we then did individual research into our characters.
Whilst learning Bring It On we worked with different teachers to help improve our performance.
We worked with Mrs. Turner (the dance specialist), Miss Sweeney (musical theatre teacher),
Mrs. Parkin (the dance tutor), Mr. Sluman (the acting tutor), Mrs. Guy (vocal coach) and Mrs.
Wilkinson (the music tutor). When we first start Bring It On, I really struggled to sing the song
at the right pitch and tune. However, with help from Mrs. Guy (the singing teacher), and Mrs.
Wilkinson (the music tutor), I improved on the singing side of Bring It On. We had rehearsals
once a week with Mrs. Guy and she help us improve as group on the singing side. During this
rehearsal, Mrs. Guy gave us individual comments, she said that for me I just need to be
confident in what I was singing and how I was singing it, this made me feel more confident in
my singing ability. I practiced the section I had to sing and practiced being more confident in
myself and projecting them more and then after I had practiced she said I had improved and
look more confident when singing.
After, learning some of the choreography form Miss Sweeney, we worked with her to improve
more section of the choreography and also, we worked with Mrs. Turner to improve our dance
technique. The first time Mrs. Turner watched us perform the choreography, we had only just
learnt some of it and we weren’t all comfortable with the urban/hip-hop style. Mrs. Turner told
us that we needed to work on the style of dance and for some of us we needed to get out the
‘ballet training mindset’. Then later on in the performance process we show Mrs. Turner and she
said that our urban style had improve and she was getting the right feeling from the
performance.
After choosing the characters from the script, we worked with Mr. Sluman and blocked the
scene and helped us with the characterization. The first thing we looked at was how the
performance was stage and what props they had on the Tony Awards. They had a picnic styled
bench and lockers, this was to show they were in high school. We couldn’t use a picnic styled
bench as we didn’t have one or have enough time to get it on and off the stage. We used 2
normal tables with 4 chairs as our props because this was the closes we had and it looked like
we were in the cafeteria. However, when we came around to practicing it with the raised stage it
didn’t quite fit making it hard for us to get around the table, we change this for 4 stage blocks
because it made it easier to use the raised stage. Whilst learning the dialogue to bring it on I had
little details that Mr. Sluman wanted me to work on, for example, I was told I need to my
reaction to Erin (who was Campbell) comments. This then made my performance better because
I was acting sassier and like I couldn’t believe she was suggesting this idea to us. I also worked

2. on my projection of my lines because I was projecting my lines enough for the back of the
audience to hear me clearly.
As a group, we filmed many of our rehearsal and watched them back to help us improve on the
choreography, singing and acting. When filming the routine, we realized that our timing in the
duet section was slightly off and we needed to fix it. To fix this we used the mirrors in the dance
studio to make sure we were all dancing the movements in time and also, we went through the
choreography to make sure we all knew exactly what movement went on what count. This
meant that we were all able to do the duet in time with our partner and the rest of the group. We
also found when filming it, then Erin was doing some of the movements slightly different to
what everyone else was doing, to fix this we went step by step through each move and figure out
what was different and changed it.
This photo is of use rehearsing Bring It On after a few
weeks of knowing it and having Miss Sweeney watch us
and give us feedback.
Our original understanding of the urban style used in Bring It On came from the first workshop
we had with Miss Sweeney. After a few lessons, we realized we didn't understand the urban
style very well, so to improve this we conducted our own rehearse into the urban style. I found
that the urban style wasn't just one style but was a category of styles, for example it included,
hip-hop, wacking, voguing, locking, popping, breaking and many more. In Bring It On, the main
urban styles used are hip-hop, locking and popping. Hip-hop is a dance style mainly dance in the
streets by crews and is danced to hip-hop music, hip-hop has different types of groves in 2
different section, Old School and New School. Locking originated in Los Angeles and is often
confused with popping to any normal observer. In locking the dancer holds their position, like a
freeze but only for a brief second. Popping however, uses the technique of quickly contracting
and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in a dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit. In Bring It
On there were hip-hop groves throughout and the popping was when we took our arms over our
head and popped behind and in front. The locking happened on the first few movements when
didn't our shoulder isolations.
In order to be able to perform the choreography we had to change bits to make it strong for us as
a group. For example, in the unison at the end we decided that because Jack and Ramy couldn’t
do a hitch kick that they would drop whilst the rest of us did the hitch kick. This meant that the
performance was strong and hard hitting and didn't lose any power when they did the drop
instead.
Another section we edited was the duet section between La Cienage and Nautica. On the Tony
Awards, they have a red carpet to walk down and the cast behind them we are being paparazzi
and had a rope in front of them. We initially thought we would be able to have the rope because
the rest of the group could hold it whist we were performing. however, we realized this was
going to be a problem when the group couldn't make it to and from the position of the rope in
time. So, we decided that the piece was a better without stressing about the rope.
The first time we did it with the constructed set was the dress rehearsal, we realized that some of
our stage and props wouldn’t work because of how the build stage was placed. When we did the

3. dress rehearsal we found that the table
was too big for the stage and didn’t give
up room to move around, and also, we
realized that the audience struggled to
see me sat behind Erin. For the actually
showcase we changed the table and
chairs to stage blocks allowing use to
move freely around the block.
We also found that when performing in
front of the built stage we had to change
our spacing. The first section we had to
respace was when we all were stood in a
semi-circle. We had to make it that the
semi-circle was in the center of the built
stage and not the actual stage. This made it
difficult because if one of us forgot, it
ruined the spacing for that section.
We also had to move all of the unison
section to the left because otherwise
we were dancing I the band and not
the center of the built stage. This
mean we had to really think about
where we were standing when it came
to practicing after the dress rehearsal.
In the performance, I was cast as La Cienega, La Cienega is a female
character but is originally played by a male performer, but is not said to be
transgender character. She is a supporting part and helps to make up the
Queen Bees of Jackson High along with Danielle and Nautica. She is sassy
and loud with a wicked tongue but is loyal and generous at heart. To
ensure that I play my character as intended I will look at her body
language, vocal qualities, facial expression and physical appearance. To
get all of the elements correct I will research my character and watch clips
of how my character acts. I will practices putting these elements into
practice.
During the process, we worked as a team to make sure the rehearsals were
productive and this then ensured our final performance was as strong as
possible so we could achieve the best possible grades. In the industry,
musical performances aren’t just put on with one person that is the star and
the rest of the cast as background characters. The whole company is as strong as each other and
now one stands out to be weaker or stronger. This is what a great musical theatre performance
looks like, so we work hard and as a team to create a performance were no one looked weak and
no one looked the strongest. We did peer observation so our peers could help us improve, and
then we also had our teachers and outside specialists to also help us create a really strong
performance.

4. Analysis of my solo performance.
For my solo repertoire, I chose a section from Newsies, even though the section was performed
by male dancers I found it suited my dance background than and another piece I looked at. I
looked at a solo from Cats or a section from Burlesque but they weren’t as suited to my
strengths in dancing as Newies was. The section I used from Newsies was on the Tony Awards
because unfortunately I could find another section of repertoire I could watch and get enough of
the choreography. In my opinion, I believe my solo was successful because I felt like I got the
choreography right whilst playing a determined character. I had to change some of the
movements because some of the jumps I couldn’t do because they were jumps that male dancers
train.
The original repertoire was a group piece but because I had to do s solo I just copied one of the
dancers in the performance. In this image, I am doing one of the first few movements, as shown
by the picture I did the movement very similar to the original performance. I have my leg in a
low attitude and my arms are straight up which I what majority of the dancers in this section do.
I work on this position because when I first learnt the routine I wasn’t doing the position
correctly, but with work and using the mirrors I was able to improve this position.
I had to change some of the choreography because the original routine was done by a group so
some section were in duets or trios. For example, in the original there is a unison duet we one
man slides between the other man’s legs. I couldn’t achieve this movement because I didn’t
have a partner during the routine, so I did what the man who stood on top did because that was
the easiest to get into after the movement I had just done.
Original image
Showcase performance.
Original image Showcase performance.

5. Analysis of Hamilton
As well as doing our exam piece we decided as a full company (year 12 and 13) that we want to
do another musical to show our skills in another style. We chose to do Hamilton as a lot of the
group were going to see it live, and we believed it would be fun for us to do because it suited us
all.
Hamilton is a Hamilton is a sung-through, American musical based on the true story of
Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton by Lin Manuel Miranda. It was inspired by the 2004
biography 'Alexander Hamilton' by Ron Chernow. The musical contains mostly rap but has
several alternative songs that include soft melodic singing and harmonies. The musical is also
known for intertwining hip hop, rhythm and blue, pop music, soul music, and incorporating the
cast of non-white actors to play typically white founding fathers.
We all listen to the soundtrack and watched videos on
YouTube. We decided as a company which songs we were
doing, and who was doing which one.
The songs were performed were:
1. Alexander Hamilton, performed by all BTEC students
2. My Shot, performed by all BTEC students, used by Ramy as year 1 solo
3. Schuyler Sister, performed by 3 GCSE music and drama students
4. Helpless, performed by 2 year BTEC students
5. Burn, performed by Allana Taylor and use as year 1 solo
6. Yorktown, performed by all BTEC students.
We started by splitting Alexander Hamilton into parts so we could all induvial rap or sing a
section of Alexander Hamilton. I had the section paragraph of it which is originally sang by the
character John Laurens. We staged the performance after Ramy had been to see Hamilton live
and told us how they stage it, because we couldn’t find any video of the whole Alexander
Hamilton song being performed.
This is a section from when we performed
Alexander Hamilton.
For ‘My Shot” we used repertoire from the Broadway show because Leila Yildrim, who dances
at Pineapple Studios in London, came in to teach us the repertoire that she had learnt in a
workshop herself with the Hamilton cast. During the process of learning, the choreography we
realized how advanced and challenging the repertoire from Hamilton was, and due to the
advance of the movements we had to change some of them to make it easier to perform.

6. Strengths and weakness
When we first started this course the I had mainly focused my training on dance because I
always thought I just wanted to be a dancer. I had never studied singing and the knowledge I
had of drama was only knowledge I had learn in year 7, 8 and 9 drama. However, after months
of training in all 3 art forms I have developed my skill and knowledge, and am becoming closer
to a triple threat performer.
Even though I am still not a really strong singer, I believe I have become more comfortable and
confident in the art form. I have done this through working with a vocal coach on a one-to-one
basis or with my peers. I also worked with my peers who were confident singers and had
trained singing to get their opinion and help with my singing. I feel I can effectively sing with
my peers but need to work on my confidence and strength to be able to sing on my own. I will
continue working with my peers and the vocal coach, Mrs. Guy, to achieve this next step. I will
also look into getting a vocal coach outside of school to help me achieve my target.
When I started this course, the only drama training I’d had was in school during year 7, 8 and 9.
I found it challenging to do some of the tasks Mr. Sluman had set because it wasn’t something I
was used to doing, however as we got into the process I found it easier to complete the tasks he
set. I also, found that the more I worked with my teachers the easier I found it to create the right
character throughout a performance, and keep the character all the way through the
performance. To improve I will work on creating different accents when using dialogue
because I struggle to have an American accent throughout Bring It On.
Personally, I believe my main strength is dance because I have been dancing for 14 years
outside of school. During this time, I have complete may IDTA exam and performed in many
dance performances. Due to my confidence in dance I help other when they were struggling
with the dance.
Conclusion
During this process, I have learnt that to be a performer it takes a lot of work and thought about
little details. Both my learning aim A and showcase performance have made me see how much
dedication is needed to be a musical theatre performer. Also, I now realize I need to advance my
skills in singing and acting to be a triple threat performer which is what is require if wanting to
be a musical theatre performer. I also know that as a performer I will have to take care of my
health and body, because if there is an injury or illness it will cause problems for me as a
performer.