Post #6: How I Started Dance And My Dance Expiriences

So Im going to tell a story about how I became interested and started dance! Your probably thinking I started because my mom use to be a dancer and I followed her footsteps. Or I was probably always dancing whenever I heard music when I was younger or even when I was in my mothers belly! But, that is not the case! The time I became interested in dance is actually kind of a funny story, well to me at least. I was about 5 years old and I loved watching the "Teletubbies". I would watch "Teletubbies", all the time, and there was this little girl named Loretta who would tap dance on the show.

I loved it when ever she tapped danced, and I would always try to copy her. So whenever ever she came on, I would always tell my mom that I wanted to do that, I want to tap dance too! So my mom put me in a in not only a tap class, but she also put me in ballet and a gymnastics class as well. I loved all three classes and I knew I wanted to continue every year! I was a nervous at first to start class and perform in our dance recital at the end of the year, but I eventually got use to it and I love to perform dance on stage! Doing dance for 13 years Ive made so many friends that I consider to be my family. 13 years of dance defiantly pays off, I had so many great opportunities and got to perform at different places. I got to perform at the Philadelphia Wings Game, a Globetrotters Game, Six Flags. I got to go to two competitions which was a fun experience. I also got to take a couple of dance workshops, like with Angel and Victor from "Dance Moms Miami", Jordan Casanova from "So You Think You Can Dance", and many others! When I was a Freshman in High School, I decided I wanted to get a job. I wanted a job that had to do with dance and performing, so I auditioned for the Sesame Place Entertainment Department. I got the job and I stated the summer after my Sophomore year! I was so happy, I meet a lot of people and I got paid for something I enjoyed doing! Im actually still currently working there, I will be starting my 5th season there! So this is how I fell in love with dance, watching "Teletubbies"! I plan on continuing dance in the future, and I am exciting for more dance experiences! 

(Me at the "National Dance Showcase", dance competition)

 (Me working at Sesame Place)

(Me and Jodan Casanova)

Blog #5: Personal Inquiry

What is dance? Dance to me is a way of expressing yourself without using words, just body movement. Dance can be a joy for many, not just professionals but  everyone who just cant help it but they have to move whenever they here music.  I hope to learn ways to help me get to that professional level of dance, because I know its not easy and I still need to work on things. I want other people who have the same passion as me to be interested and read my blog posts everyday. My goal is to give them the information they need.

I plan on talking about:

• What its like to be a Professional Dancer
• How to get to the Professional Level
• Different types of dance generes 
• The Pros & Cons of a Dancer
• Health Benefits
• Auditions
• Dance Competitions

About Me!

My name is Larissa Rivera, Im 19 years old and Im a dancer. Ive been dancing for 13 years and its my absolute passion. So, therefore my blog is going to be about dance.

"Digital Reading vs Traditional Reading"

Digital Literacy is a way of reading but in a digital way. For example, reading from a computer, a kindle, your phone etc. Reading from any devices that has access to the internet. Digital Literacy is different from Traditional Literacy. In the article, "Literacy Debate: Online R U Really Reading", its says, " On paper, text has a predetermined beginning, middle and end, where reader focus for a

sustained period on one author's version". The article also mentions, "On the internet, readers skate through cyberspace at will and, in effect, compose their own beginnings, middles and ends. I also feel like digital literacy has became very popular in today's world, most people use computers

everyday. Especially teenagers, they are constantly on their phones reading the latest gossip. Some issues with reading is that some traditionalists say that digital reading is the intellectual equivalent of empty calories. Traditionalists also argue that writers on the internet employ a cryptic argot that vexes teachers and parents. It also mentions in the article that, many youths spend most of their time on the Internet playing games or sending instant messages, activities that involve minimal reading at best.  The internet can distract many of us, and could provent us from learning. I do agree with this. The Internet has made a big impact in our lives, we use it basically for everything and a lot of us have an urge to go on it everyday. Im guilty of going on the Internet everyday checking my Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. Im sure many of us are guilty of this, and can admit that the internet took over our live in some sort of way! Even though there are many issues about the Internet, it does have benefits as well. The Internet has more sophisticated level that opens the door to elite education and professions. Theres a lot we can learn from the internet, which is why I do agree that the Internet has benefits. You can learn about what currently happening in the world on the Internet, or you can search up haw to fix something. We also use the Internet to email, and it is especially used in the business world and in school. Something that stuck out to me in this article was that, "Reading five Web sites, an op-ed article and a blog post or two, experts say, can be more
enriching than reading one book." This kind of shows that reading off the internet can be useful, and educational. "Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading", connects to the article, " Pencils and Pixels", in many ways. These two articles both talk about the pros and cons of the Internet and how it impacts our lives. Even though the Internet can overrated for different reasons, its helped us and is a useful tool used in the world.

"From Pencils to Pixels"

Baron believes that technology is very useful to Literacy. He feels that it can improve our writing.  In my opinion, I feel like it can improve our writing as well. When I use "Word", to type my essays, its help me if what Im writing doesn't sound right or when ever I misspell and word. Before we started typing on the computer there were many writing technologies we use to use like, typewriters, pencils, and printers. Writing your essays out with pencils is very useful. This helped me with my writing on how to spell words and make it look neat. Also it helped me with how to write letters.  I use to write my essays all the time when I was in elementary school. But by the time I was in middle school, we had to type our essays which I prefer to do that today because I type faster then I can write.  I usually type when I have to do essays, but I usually hand write when Im writing a letters. But like i said already, I rather type because I can typer faster then I can write and typing fixes my errors. If I had to chooses the most convenient, I would have to say writing something out because I don't always have me laptop with me to type things. I think writing my essays have help me out a lot because, I learned how to write first before I began to type so I got use to writing and it help me out with everything. A Disadvantage of pixel technology could be lower resolution. A disadvantage for non-technology WT's would be if you don't have a typewriter or a printer, you would have to write everything. I do believe that literacy has changed as a result of new writing technology. Most people nowadays type everything, whether its for work, school, or anything else.

"Ridged Rules"

    I define writer's block as, when your writing an essay and your on a roll, then all of a sudden your mind goes blank. You have no idea what to write about, and you just sit there staring at your essay trying to come up with something, but you cant think of anything. And once you think of something, you cant phrase it in a way it makes sense. I deal with writer's block at least once with every essay I write. Mike Rose thinks of writer's block as, that frustrating, self-defeating inability to generate the next line, the right phrase, the sentence that will release the flow of words once again.
According to Mike Rose some main rules that may cause writer's block are, problem-solving,  introductory period, processing period, and solution period. I think for me, i have most trouble with the solution period. I think I have trouble with this rule because, I stress when I cant think of something to write in my essay. These rules are rigid because, in my opinion some people might have a really hard time with writer's block, and might not know how to deal with it. According to me and Rose to overcome the rigid rules, a writer should make a plan. Find ways to overcome them.  For me, I sometimes need to step away from my work for a little to clear my stress. Or sometimes I wold listen to music to try to get inspired.

Schooled Literacy Perspectives

1.) "Schooled Literacy", is the ability to use printed and written information to function in society. I would define schooled literacy as how everybody reads and writes. Rick Evans defines "school literacy", as a collection of experientially specific indeed, context-bond communicative, interactive, and creative written-language activities that involve learning the participation structures and the normative, yet oftentimes, variable patterns of written-language use governing those activities.

2.) Using different reading strategies is always seen as good reading. From reading this passage, I learned that its good to always look for morals, hidden meanings and learn facts so you understand what you've read. What I got from this passage about good writing is that it doesn't matter how bad you print your letters to be a good writer, the message you write is what matters. For example, the messiness of the script was not as important as the message.

3.) School changes students experiences with  reading and writing by determining students perceptions and understandings of reading and writing as literate activities and of themselves as readers and writers even outside that context and apart from those school-related experiences, according to Evans.

4.) My experience with "schooled literacy", I think made me a better writer as I got older. I do agree with Evans, I can relate. Its basically how we read and write as students, and understanding reading and writing.