Recording Q3 (page 1)

Date

Activity

1/Oct/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

2/Oct/2014

Dance Gymnastics

6/Oct/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

13/Oct/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

15/Oct/2014

Working with the

Elderly

15/Oct/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

20/Oct/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

21/Oct/2014

Dance Gymnastics

22/Oct/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

23/Oct/2014

Dance Gymnastics

Thoughts: What did you do? Problems

encountered? Successes? Feelings? Ideas for
next time?
I was taught the history of the art and the basic
drawing technique. We focused on how to draw the
bamboo tree, as this is the most basic drawing and the
first one everyone learns. I had some trouble drawing
the trunk, as I am unused to only doing one brush
stroke, and in trying to draw the leaves I could never
get the right amount of ink on the brush.
In this class we worked on past spins (fireman, chair,
butterfly I and II), but we also learnt the snowflake
and the turnover. I especially struggled with the
turnover, as it involved a new grip that I am unfamiliar
with. By the end of the lesson, however, I had
managed to do it on the left side. We also started
working on short choreographies.
I continued to work on the bamboo drawings, but we
moved on to wild lilies. These movements were much
easier for me, and I was able to complete a full
drawing. I also learned how to sign my own name in
katakana.
We practised how to draw morning glory flowers,
focusing on the leaves. Getting the proportions right
was very tricky, but the actual flowers were much
easier and employed a technique much like the
drawing I am more used to.
Today we split up into groups to take care of
fundraising and activities that need to be planned out.
I was in charge of organising Christmas Candy Grams
along with a classmate. We delegated the tasks and
now have to complete the business plan form.
Today we continued to practise morning glory flower
leaves. I had the chance to complete a full drawing
where I incorporated the three elements Ive learned
so far.
We moved on from drawing just plants to drawing
animals, starting with a bird. The scene which we are
working towards building is one with a bird and a
grape vine.
We worked on spins, focusing on the ones Im having
trouble like the turnover. I found it slightly difficult to
get back into the rhythm after a week or so without
lessons.
We went back to nature drawings, focusing on the
grape plant. I had some trouble trying to regulate how
much ink and water to use, but in the end I managed
to produce a full piece with a grape bunch, a set of
leaves and twigs.
Today we tried circuit training with spins, so we would
go from station to station doing different spins and
then stop for a cardio interval. We also tried out the

Approximate
number of
hours
involved

1h 30min

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

27/Oct/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

28/Oct/2014

Dance Gymnastics

29/Oct/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

30/Oct/2014

Dance Gymnastics

3/Nov/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

4/Nov/2014

Dance Gymnastics

5/Nov/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

10/Nov/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

11/Nov/2014

Dance Gymnastics

12/Nov/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

18/Nov/2014

Dance Gymnastics

spinning pole for the first time, holding basic positions

and trying to regulate speed and elevation.
We moved on to a new flower: the chrysanthemum.
After one practice run, I completed a whole piece with
two flowers, vines and leaves. The leaves were the
hardest part to get right for me, as they have been
since I started.
We learned two or three new spins, like the Tinkerbell
and the front and reverse Attitudes. We worked on
building strength by elevating and holding positions.
We also worked on a choreography incorporating
several spins and transitions.
We continued to work on chrysanthemums. I
improved from last class in keeping the flowers
smaller and more delicate, but Im still struggling with
the leaves.
We did a circuit of spins, climbs and cardio to build
resistance and muscle. This is also so that holding
positions with difficult grips and hold points (such as
at the knees) will not be as painful or difficult. I
struggle a lot with the climbs, as the higher I get the
more I slip and lose my balance.
We continued to work on chrysanthemums, this time
using coloured ink to draw the petals and give the
leaves more tones. Getting the water to ink
proportions was tricky, but in the end I was able to
produce a full piece.
We continued with the circuit-training style of lesson,
now also incorporating an element to build upper
body strength by holding hand-stands and attempting
push-ups while in handstand position. I finally
succeeded in a climb after a couple of classes of
constantly slipping.
We continued to work with coloured ink on the
chrysanthemums. I was able to regulate how much ink
and water I used, and the composition was much
more harmonious and controlled than last week.
We continued working with colour but with the
wisteria flower. I feel that this has been the easiest
technique for me to learn so far, as I was even able to
do the leaves quickly (the leaves being the component
of each composition I most struggle with).
In this lesson I was finally able to do a full climb twice
and then change into a secretarys chair while in the
air. We also worked on touching up spins and
developing a longer choreography.
Today my younger sister has begun coming to lessons
with me. I hope she will continue to do so, so we can
talk about this and encourage each other. I went back
to bamboo drawings, this time adding colour. I found
that drawing the stem was trickier than I
remembered, and had to practise it a couple of times
before I remembered the right movement.
We worked on flexibility after our warmup. I was
pleasantly surprised to find out I can almost reach the
splits, and a few more stretching sessions will be

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

25/Nov/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

2/Dec/2014

Dance Gymnastics

3/Dec/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

3/Dec/2014

Dance Gymnastics

4/Dec/2014

Dance Gymnastics

8/Dec/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

9/Dec/2014

Dance Gymnastics

10/Dec/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

enough. We also did inversions for the first time. I was

only able to do it with the help of the teacher, as each
time I tried to pull myself up I banged my hip.
In this lesson we worked on the cherry blossom tree,
the famous Japanese sakura which often cover entire
streets and gave Japan the nickname of the snowy
country because they are so white and there are so
many flowers. I had a lot of fun drawing these, as
there was a lot of space for variation and creativity.
We worked on strength, with a longer warmup than
usual. Since many people from the class missed, I was
able to have more direct guidance from the teacher. I
was feeling very stiff and rusty from a week of missed
practices, so most of the time was spent on remastering spins that I forgot or that I was getting lazy
at.
We practiced chrysanthemums in a different colour. In
this lesson, the teacher did not help me as much as
usual and, although she gave me a reference drawing,
told me to produce a completely different piece. This
free drawing was more difficult than I expected and I
had to try twice before I was happy with the result.
I had a catch-up lesson, to make up for missing some
in the past weeks. This was spent mostly in perfecting
old moves. I was finally able to hold an egg pose,
which made me very happy as it means my arms are
getting much stronger. I was also almost able to
launch myself into a snake inversion by myself, but
once Im in the air the position just falls apart. Ill have
to work on arm strength to be able to hold for longer.
The teacher is starting to emphasize physical training
and conditioning more than the artistic and dance
aspects. Now the structure of the lesson is based
around stations, and in each one we do a position or
a spin, and one is dedicated to cardio exercises. In this
lesson especially we worked on perfecting and getting
comfortable inversions. We also learned how to spot
each other, so that we can catch each other in case we
fall and so we dont depend on the teacher being
there at all times.
The teacher is letting us experiment more, allowing us
to decide what to draw and whether we want colours
or not. At the moment I feel rather lost, as I was used
to having a structure to follow in class, but I think I will
enjoy this new freedom when I get more used to it.
The class went around the concept of the stations
again. We learnt a new inversion called the layback.
We start from a secretarys chair and gradually lean
backwards until we are completely inversed and
holding on only with one thigh and one bent knee. I
barely managed to do this, as I felt like I was rotating
and sliding. Ive also been struggling with combination
spins that I used to be able to do.
Today I worked on the technique for making ink.
Using a bar of charcoal (a special technique is applied
to a specific type of wood to get the right consistency)

1h

1H

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

1h

11/Dec/2014

Dance Gymnastics

15/Dec/2014

Japanese Ink
Drawing

16/Dec/2014

Dance Gymnastics

8/Jan/2015

Dance Gymnastics

and small grinding stone, the bar needs to be rubbed

in small circles in a small puddle of water. The ink I got
had small lumps because my rubbing was uneven,
which I could see from the shape of the bar of
charcoal that was left over when I was done.
Weve started building on basic moves. For example I
can now do the chair spin with one hand. I also
attempted to take it one step further with a
dislocator, but I kept hitting my shoulder on the pole.
I am still very unsure about inversions and can only do
them with the teachers help. Ill have to become
adept at them quickly because a layback has been
added to the choreography, meaning I need to be able
to get into and out of the position with ease.
Today I worked on a special piece on proper drawing
paper because I am planning on giving it as a present
to my Secret Santa. I settled for a wisteria flower,
since it was one that I managed to get right quickly.
This was my lesson before Christmas, and I should
restart lessons in January.
Today, instead of a station-based lesson, the teacher
would give us a list of spins to do and at random
moments would have us do a cardio exercise followed
by three basic climbs. This was incredibly tiring, even
though I had thought that I was in much better shape.
This was actually discouraging because, by the time
we got working on choreography, I was too tired to be
able to do anything right. This was also the last lesson
before breaking up for Christmas, and we had a small
celebration together.
Until the end of mock IB exams I will only be attending
lessons once a week on Thursdays. Today, we worked
on headstands and handstands. I was also very, very
happy to be able to get into a snake position by
myself. However, I still have to tweak my position a bit
since, when I try to get into crucifix position (which
consists of letting go of both hands) my hands get
stuck between my legs and I feel myself slipping. The
teacher also showed us a new method to do the
layback, in which we keep both legs straight rather
than bending one knee, and I felt much more at ease
in this. In fact, I was able to get into it by myself.

1h

1h

1h

1h