Khadija Griffith

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 05:27 Written by Andrew Lai Thursday, 24 September 2009 04:24

Traditional forms of university studies are changing, subjects which were once thought of as the traditional university subjects such as Economics, Accounting and Marketing are becoming less popular.  Studying abroad is not necessarily limited to those types of classes or even classes which are considered a strength of that culture or country. Khadija did some research into various Universities while wanting to pursue her interest in Dance and decided to come to University of New South Wales.

• Home University: Connecticut College

• USA Degree: Bachelor of Arts

• Why did you choose to come to Australia and study?  From what I’ve seen in books, TV and of the Internet I was fascinated with it all. The unique animals were also of interest, at Connecticut College the leading dancers in our department studies abroad in Australia, I figured following in their footsteps would be a good idea.

• Why did you choose the University of New South Wales? I looked at each school that the IFSA-Butler program was associated with and saw what UNSW had to offer. My main academic focus was to dance and UNSW offered a dance degree but with a different perspective.
  Dance would be taught to me through the perspective of a future dance teacher and how to teach safe movement.  I became interested in that perspective and applied. The dancers here are technically trained in ballet, modern, and jazz, but during the time of their technical training, the dancers are also instructed on how to encourage the younger generations of dancers, approach different ages and experience levels, since they need to be treated differently and even the same execcises need to be approached differently. Last but not least, they are taught about the body and how they can best teach taking care of the body. Even as a performer and choreographer is it important for me to know as much about my body as I can to protect and enhance the longevity of my "instrument" or body. To learn how to instruct others, be it as a teacher or working as a choreographer will be of value for the rest of my career. I feel like I will be returning to Connecticut College with more information about my body, many new ideas for movement from being outside of my ususal dance routine, and with a different physical strength. All that information means so much to me, as if I will be bringing home more pieces for an always growing and morphing puzzle! And thats a good thing!

• What’s your favourite subject? My dance technique classes

   

Khadja’s Personal interests

• Last CD you bought? The last CD I must have bought was probably the Spice Girls in the 5th grade but the latest album I downloaded was "The Best of Sammy Davis Jr."

• Last movie you saw? Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! 2.5-3 hour movie and I didn’t even notice the time go by so quickly.

• Last Meal you bought? Pad Thai from the restaurant down our street “Thai me up!”

• What do you do to relax? Music and dance really help me relax. Depending on exactly how I feel determines the music or type of dance I need to listen to or do. I also like to start a project of some sort and just delve into that and not have to worry about what is making me tense.

• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? I'm here now and Australia is amazing! I still hope to venture across the world, learn and see all I can. My next stop would be somewhere in South America.

• What’s the funniest moment you have had so far? My roommates a lot of small things that they do or say usually stay in my head and keeps me chuckling. One roommate in particular wanted to show us a dance so we decided to tape it, during her exit she whipped-out disappeared from the camera's screen! I have a lot of respect to her for being able to laugh with us and not make us delete the video. That is probably the funniest moment I've had so far!

• Where have you previously travelled?  Well, I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany. From there I have travelled to  NYC, St. Louis, MO  Chicago, ILL  L.A.,CA  Austria (Zillertal),  Australia(Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong),  Greece,  Dusseldorf, some other small German towns.

• What will you remember about being in Australia? My wonderful roommates and friends that I have made, both from the IFSA-Butler program and the Dance department I couldn’t really imagine leaving them.  The apartment I am living in is absolutely amazing! I can see the ocean and the sun-rise just the window next to my bed, it’s so beautiful.

• Any advice to students who are thinking about coming out? Arrive with an open mind and heart. Come willing to learn about Australia as well as about yourself. Observe and don’t always try to dominate the space. I actually tried not to imagine what life would be like here before I came. I definitely prepared for it, but arrived without certain expectations that could have let me down if I didn’t experience it in the way I imagined. And lastly, enjoy your time here, travel and dare yourself to explore and delve into what interests you.

• What’s the most interesting cultural difference so far? When going out with friends, I enjoy the understanding of buying in "rounds". One person will buy everyone for everyone else. The money is also very different. I’m working at a boutique and in the beginning didn’t realize that I had to round the prices up because there are no 1 and 2 cent pieces! A lot of people want to know my ethnicity here instead of simply where I come from. There are people from all over the world that consider themselves Australian for instance.

Khadija’s Classes

Dance Analysis and Composition 2

A detailed study of the nature and role of composition in dance and the relationship between composition and the process and product of choreography. Composition workshops are of a highly practical nature. Students must be prepared to spend time outside of class working with peers on composition tasks.
More Information: DANC2005

Dance Styles 4

Expands and consolidates the student's mastery of a range of practical dance styles.
More Information: DANC2104

Business, Ethics and the Law

Society increasingly demands ethical and social responsibility. This course provides an ethical dimension to the conduct of contemporary commerce in Australia. Although ethics exist independently of the law, legislative and common law developments are increasingly imposing higher standards of commercial morality.
More Information: LEGT2712

Relationship: Foundational Concepts

This course is concerned with the issues that arise when people discuss their ‘relationships’, but we will be significantly broadening the conventional scope of these discussions We are interested in the differences between relational and identity-based ways of being in everyday life, and will explore these by comparing experiences of time and space.
More Information: ARTS1871