Reflection on Music & Drama Performance (June 30th 2021)

Here is my reflection on my night of the performance. Wednesday 30th June

After frequently practising my piano piece, 'Easy' by the Commodores, I was confident because the practices I've been doing sustained my ability to play through the whole song. While standing behind the curtains, waiting to announce my piece and my name, I was a bit agitated but also exited because I had an opportunity to show my parents plus the school what I am able to do on the keys. Agitated because although I know how to play the whole piece, once I'm nervous, my hands won't do well. So I keep saying "Just relax". Once my name was announced, the sound coming from the audience motivated me to really 'play' the piano other then just do it. So despite the nervous feelings I had, all I can think of is making sure that the sound coming out of the piano will astonish my parents. What motivated me to be relaxed is my parents and my friends listening and watching me play. 

Before all this, once the first act have begun, everyone was well behaved, calm and listened to what Matua Solomon and Ms Clark and Ms Beer's instructions. What I love the most was the encouragement and support we gave to each other, especially to those who were about to go on stage and needed it. The applause from the audience after each act was amazing as everyone who took part in the performance received really loud applause by the audience. No one had to feel shamed. The flow of the whole performance went smoothly, although it was long, we managed to go through everyone by how it was planned out. After the performance, all I hear is positive comments by evryone, especially from my friends and parents. What made my night was knowing that my dad made it and filmed me, and knowing that my mum cried through it. The positive comments I got from Ms Beer, Ms Clark and Matua Solomon made my night too. Not just me but to everyone else. Everyone had a great time after the performance and nothing troublesome happened in between or start and end of the performance.

Practice: Redemption scene

 Redemption scene

In the redemption scene of Mad Max: Fury Road, we as the audience were able to capture more of Furiosa's affectionate nature and the relationship between Max and Furiosa; as in this scene, George Miller effectively interpreted more of where she came from through the use of Dialogue between Furiosa and Max. For instance, when Max wakes up from a nightmare with fear in his eyes, Furiosa then comforts him by saying “It’s OK go to sleep, get some rest”. Instead of sleeping, Max decides to use the time as they were finally riding smoothly, he asked Furiosa how she knows if the green place exists, she then says “I was born there”, “Why’d you lead” he asked, Furiosa replies “I didn’t..I was taken as a child...stolen”. The conversation went further by Max’s questions in concern of what the wives and Furiosa are looking for. “And them(referring to the wives)” Max asked, “they’re looking for hope” Furiosa replies, “What about you?” Max asks, a bit of a pause until Furiosa replies “..Redemption”. Miller’s purpose of this was clearly signifying to the audience that the relationship between Max and Furiosa is starting to become more open even to a point where emotional intimacy was involved. Lines like “I was taken as a child, stolen” was a sign of emotional intimacy as it was a line that entered Max into a deep vulnerable past of Furiosa; showing him that she had experienced a dark pass in her life. Miller also used the use of questions to show how Max is starting to become concerned regarding Furiosa and the wives. He asked many questions like “Why’d you leave?”, “Have you done this before”, “and them?”, “What about you” which shows us how intrigued he is towards them. Compared to Max from the start of the movie, he has always been travelling by himself independently and has never shown interest or wanting to engage with other people. Although it was a small and short portion of the film, Miller perfected the dialogue as it wasn’t seen as a normal scene of Max and Furiosa but more of a ‘moment’ between the two. The effect this had on the audience gave us a bigger concept of where their relationship will be positioned throughout this movie. Knowing that Furiosa has been through a dark past, it came clear to us that Furiosa would be the character Max can relate to the most as he has also experienced a dark past in his life. Miller's use of dialogue also links us to the wider world. “I was taken as a child..stolen”, Miller immersed these words into this scene through the voice of Furiosa as it is words that have been spoken out by various young women and children into the world we exist in at this moment. Women across the world have spoken out about how they have been taken as a child through child trafficking, and have been stolen from their homes and their families. Like what Furiosa did, fighting for what they have done to her, we need to fight for justice, for the countries to act on preventing child trafficking and children being taken away from their homes.

This is a paragraph explaining how the director of Mad Max: Fury Road controls the use of dialogue within the scene of Redemption.