Critical Reflection on Pilot Observation

I chose to do an observation on my first day of rehearsals for a show I am doing. This was my first time working for this company and out of the ten dancers in the production I know only one. This meant that it was a new experience for everybody and so a perfect setting for my observation. I informed all the dancers and choreographers that I was to do this before we started. During this observation my chosen topic was brought up by the choreographer to a dancer. The dancer was told she was too big and needed to lose weight. The instruction was given as directly as that and it was said in front of everybody which I thought was unprofessional and tactless. It just goes to show that it is not even considered a topic to be approached with care and understanding. The fact that I was a part of the group in the observation meant it had pros and cons. On the positive side it meant that I was feeling what the participants felt which gave me good understanding. However, on the downside it meant that it is hard to stay objective in this situation. The fact that this course is based on us being professional practitioners means that it is likely that observations would have to carried out this way. However, in order to look at how colleges may affect young dancers' with regard to diet and body image I have decided that I will go into dance schools and observe classes to see if the topics I am addressing get raised there.