Module 2 / Researching My Professional Inquiry / 1st Group Skype Session (Tuesday 1st March 2016)

Module 2

Researching My Professional Inquiry

After a week of debating and researching different Inquiries I have decided to develop my Professional Inquiry by researching the nutrition and diet of a performer. I would like to research into how varied a diet needs to be to enable a performer to meet their full potential. I would also like to research how a poor diet can impact performance, mindset and general wellbeing. My inquiry will extend to speaking to ex performers about how their relationship with diet may or may not have altered due to a change of career/life style.

This topic opens up multiple lines of Inquiry and research, almost too many areas to explore. This excited me and I feel that as a performer my chosen Inquiry will enable me to improve my own dietary habits and relationship with food! Introducing new foods through my line of inquiry may have an impact on my performance, hopefully enhancing it. Researching different lines of inquiries will expand my knowledge as to how our bodies react to food, and  how our state of mind can influence our eating habits. 

Reflecting upon my teenage years and three years professional training I can openly admit that at times, I have neglected to listen to my body and starved myself of good nutrients to fuel it. This was mainly to maintain the stereotypical slim line figure of a dancer caused by possible peer pressure and the harsh reality governed by this industry. 

College taught me that poor nutrition will not enable a dancer to fulfil their potential and maintain their stamina to participate in a gruelling physical schedule. Poor diet leads to extreme fatigue, lack of physical strength and no definition to your body. I found that during my training my body form was more like that of a teenager, still very muscular but had no true definition depicting that of a womanly figure. Upon graduation and slight change to diet, lifestyle including gym work and more performance based schedule seemed to allow my body to develop. My body shape and weight has not drastically changed but I can identify that I am now more womanly in appearance, having a bust and defined hips. 

During my inquiry I would like to try and understand as to why this transformation took place after my training. Was it due to various factors such as different training regime based on gym work and dance, change of diet, my age or just a coincidence! 

This inquiry may help me to understand my own body’s transformation and how to de-programme my mind set, encouraging me to vary my diet introducing more calorific foods without a feel of guilt. I would like to see how other performers have been effected by their mind set and relationship with food.

Module 2

1^st Group Skype Session

Tuesday 1^st March 2016

Session led by: Adesola Akinleye

What I Wished To Gain From The Group Skype Session?

Within this session I wanted to investigate and discuss my original Professional Inquiry ideas with the group and also view their opinions on my final Inquiry topic. I also wanted to find out everyone else’s progression within Module 2 so far. As I had a large variety of Inquiry questions based upon my chosen subject I also discussed with other students regarding what sections or aspects of my Inquiry topic to base my ‘title question’ upon.

We had a range of different students studying modules 1, 2 and 3 included in our Skype session, which proved to be a great benefit as was able to retrieve advice, experiences and findings of others who have already completed Module 2. I have found that communicating with the student completing Module 3 was incredibly resourceful and interesting as she explained how her original topic was extremely broad and took a while of researching and exploring to identify her main objective of the inquiry. I enjoyed listening to other’s ideas with regards to their Inquiry and sharing my opinion and view of their chosen topic. 

Adesola made a very important comment when giving feedback to another student, as she highlighted the importance of exploring and investigating the views of practitioners and professionals outside of our own industry. 

To conclude our Skype session, Adesola left us with a very useful statement throughout our researching:

‘Your Inquiry is not focusing on confirming a question but identifying a topic or idea that will be useful to you now and in years to come’ 

My aim is to focus my inquiry on a number of topics which are interlinked with the nutrition of a performer. My inquiry lines will have sub headings such as:

- Nutrition/Food Facts/Myths about food types 

- Physical/Mental wellbeing of a performer 

- Media’s perception of the Performing Arts Industry/stereotyping dancers/performers 

- Technology/devices used to enhance and monitor performance/dietary needs and well   being