Artefact...

The artefact has been something that I did not know how to approach - my inquiry is about racial prejudices in Ballet and to me, it is something that is difficult to portray through a short choreography. However, through listening to the ideas and approaches of others during the group Skype session, it gave me a starting point to explore what might be a suitable artefact.

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Reminding myself of what an Artefact is... it is essentially 'a thing', and for BAPP I'm looking at a practiced-based ‘thing’.

For this blog, I would just be jotting down some ideas that I have thought about and using it to help brainstorm.

(1) The process of my inquiry: Did not have a smooth beginning because of the delay in my MORE approval. Later, during the collection and analysis process, I had to 'take a step back' in terms of re-looking at my interview questions, and I had to constantly remind myself so that I can ensure that I did not misinterpret the data collect or influence in the opinions shared.

(2) Context of my inquiry: Racial prejudice in today's Ballet industry, despite the fact that these issues had been addressed since the 1900s. As an Asian dancer, I have also experienced such racial prejudices within the Ballet industry, hence, sparking my interest for this topic.

(3) General idea of my inquiry journey: Initially, I was frustrated and almost resigning to the 'fate' that Ballet is still very much trapped in its Eurocentric aesthetics. Especially after the interview sessions with other non-White Ballet dancers, I began to see such racial issues in a hopeful light in terms of it growing as a little sprout where there's so much possibilities to the development of Ballet.

(4) Medium of artefact: A choreography because I am a Ballet dancer, so probably a movement-based artefact would be most suitable.

Something to consider: Would I use the genre of Classical Ballet? Or, would it be a more contemporary based choreography? With the stylistic development of Ballet, versatility is a vital trait for today's Ballet dancers. How would I portray the aspect of race in my artefact?