I think all those that attended can safely say they were motivated when leaving that day. We were shown the work of some of the third year finalist, the products of their final lines of inquiry, they were definitely an eye-opener. As well as showing what greatness could come out of this course they also gave me a sense of wanting. I want to complete this course, i want to learn and gain knowledge from investigating my lines of inquiry and most importantly, i want to give something back. All of the finalists work was giving something back, i could read through every one of those final products and come back with information that i hadn't known before, information i could actually use.
I started to think further on my own thoughts of inquiry, occasionally wondering off on a tangent and thinking about what my final product would be, on reflection, I've learnt that i can't jump ahead of myself. I need to start with the here and now..the present. I have such a broad idea and it needs to be honed in, i can only do that by research. Start discovering what i really want and need to know and who already knows what about my topic.
Rosemary had a key question to make me realize just how broad a topic Community dance could be. She asked about the Community dance Company i worked for, Irie! Dance theater. Her question was; Who are Irie!'s stakeholders. To be honest i wasn't to sure what a stakeholder was until someone stated it was people or a person who were interested in the organisation. Taking time out to find out the true meaning of a stakeholder i now know that it is a person, group, organization, or system who affects or can be affected by an organization's actions.
Rosemary then coaxed me into listing who i thought were Irie!'s stakeholders:
- Children -Caribbean Bugs
- Young People-Steps Together
- Adults- African &Caribbean fitness
- Funding organisations-Local council, Arts council, etc.
- Schools- Education outreach workshops
- Universities- London Metropolitan
- Teachers- Classes and FD Degree
- Office workers- Development officer, finance, marketing.
I could see where she was going with this. Exactly what part of community dance gets me excited? What part do i want to delve deeper into?
My topic is Community Dance...but what about it?
-Whats already known about it?
What can i do?
-Hook up with others with this interest or a similar one
-Talk to a wider professional audience
-Talk to my teachers
Adesola Akinleye gave some advice-
"Don't look for arguments and answers straight away. Just research for fun, research information for your own knowledge and take the inquiry from there."
I think this is exactly where i will start.
