Technique Improvisation 14th November

With both partners moving:

• I tracked my partners movement with my eyes open
• Then I carried on tracking the movement eyes closed
• Then we both closed our eyes while tracking
• Then we both had eyes open
• Then we both closed eyes again and tracked each other with our whole bodies not just our hands

I felt a connection with the hands, warmth,yeilding into the floor, muscles and tissue awareness, relaxation, focus on the back (spine in particular) and heat to tail connection.

Contact Improvisation 12th November

Working in partners, we traced our partners movement with our finger tips. First the mover had their eyes closed and spoke about what they were doing/feeling/focusing on while moving and the other had their eyes open and traced their body using the finger tips. I found when I was tracing the body that I focused on the textures I was feeling and to see what parts of the body I could reach, and find patterns being created. However when I was the mover I was focusing on what I could feel and how I could develop my movement in response to what I was feeling.

Then we swapped so the mover had their eyes open and the other person tracing closed theirs. This created a whole new response and reaction to what I was experiencing. I found that when I was tracking the movers dancing I was noticing different textures, layers, patterns and shapes. When swapping roles after this I noticed a change in my moving and focuses as I was then moving in response to what I had just felt, not necessarily what I felt like I wanted to do. This then gave my moving more depth and development and a variety in ways to move.

 

Improvisation class 31st October

After a short warm up improvisation task on our own we worked in partners. We started with one of us moving for 10 minutes and the other witnessing, then swapping and moving in response to what we had seen, twice each. This then developed into just one minute moving each and then 30 seconds each.

I found that moving in response to someone with a diffeent movement style to my own allowed me to think outside the box and take inspiration, ideas, and explorations from their movement. In particular I could focus on the surfaces of the ground, and trying to get every part of my body on the floor. I also played with the idea of touching all parts of my body to sense different aspects of touch such as feelings, textures, and temperatures.

I noticed that during the longer improvisations of 10 minutes, it allowed my movement to be more like an exploration of my body and the space and what my partner had just displayed to me and how I could take those aspects of her moving further. However during the shorter improvisations of 1 minute and 30 seconds it was more like a conversation between us using movement. The faster chang overs allowed us to just respond immediately and let our bodies just react naturally without really thinking into it too much.

I really engaged with this task as I could push my movement boundaries by responding to my partners movement, and using new stimuli to do so. I felt like I had a full body awareness, and still brought in the focus of the breathe and being grounded, and a sense of all the limbs working together into my dancing.

Underscore

Last week we performed an underscore during one of our classes. We improvised while being fed constant information creating multiple layers within our moving. Such as images to focus on, movement qualities to use, and anatomical explorations within our own body.
I particularly enjoyed the underscore when we could introduce contact and discover the attractions and retractions to others movers, and allow our movement to be influenced by this. I find that looking at others can influence the group dynamic and therefore the way I want to move.
I found contact with the back wall, allowing things to happen not necessarily go to them.

'grazing'
'kinaspheres'    

lady herbert garden workshop

Lea, a third year student, took one of our improvisation sessions which took part in the Lady Herbert Gardens. We were asked to go to 5 places which we were particularly attracted to in the garden, and then create 2 gestures persnal to us and repeat them in these chosen places.

I discovered that my gestures differed slightly depending on which place I was in, therefore suggesting that use of surroundings/space can have an impact on movement.

The dfferent textures, colours, sights, sounds, and smells changed my mood and expression, and therefore creating small changes within my movement. In particular I found my movements became either smaller and more detailed, or larger and more expressive depending in the differents areas on the sight.

Charlie Morrissey workshop

On February 6th we took part in a workshop taken by Charlie Morrissey which I really enjoyed! There was a main focus on contact improvisation which explored for most of the session. I felt like I got a lot out of this workshop and experienced some new ways of moving and explored some new images while doing so that I can use in the future while improvising or choreographing.

We warmed up by using several different improvisational scores, which Charlie devised for us. They were fairly fast paced which engaged my attention. Tasks involved melting into the floor, rolling on the floor, sliding across the floor, using contact to take others into melting on the floor with us, running, walking, and stillness. While doing this I had to particularly focus on spatial awareness, using all the space, using a variety of levels, and also being aware of my breath and how I was using my weight to influence my movement.

While using all these aspects to travel from one end of the room to the other in duets, I felt I experienced new ways of moving and exploring. Usually I find contact work quite challenging to keep focused and take risks however I felt a lot more relaxed and engaged after doing the warm up scores. We changed partners several times which enabled a new experience every time I travelled the space.

Improvisation score

 Using this grid as an improvisation score in the space, we explored each section and then performed it as a group and had the option to move from one area to another as much as we wanted to, as well as the option to change/add to the rules. We decided to add echoing others' movement, and introduce stillness to the score.

Moving in a way that suggests a fear in life... Public speaking Being still and seen in a space with an audience	Moving in a way from our past moving experience... Tap Ballet Swimming Jazz Hip hop
Wild card- Expressing dreams and future hopes... Travelling  Moving without expectation Jumps- expressing freedom	Moving in a way we like/feel comfortable doing... Fluid Focusing on head to tail connection Use of breath Detail Floor work

I enjoyed this task as it was nice to have a chance to move in a way I used to, or particularly enjoy. This was really different to any other improvisation scores I have done on this course, which at first I felt a bit uncomfortable doing as usually I do not often get the opportunity to move in this way, however this inspired me to work harder and explore further, as I was having to think harder about the ways I was trying to move.  

What are we focussing on in term two of our second year...

Improvisation module:
This term I would like to focus on pushing my boundaries, and not being afraid to just follow through with new movement an see where it leads me, even if  feels uncomfortable or out of my comfort zone. I feel that working with unfamiliar people and scores or spaces will help me to do so. I would like to do this as I feel I do not come out of my comfort zone enough to explore new movement, and can tend to stick to the same movement when improvising. I think that by letting go of this habit I can create new and interesting movement, whilst also exploring my body and the space in new ways.


Technique module:
this term I aim to focus on how the use of weight can influence my movement. For example, how how weight can enable leading through certain body parts, and by doing so can create more definition and flow to my movement. In particular, when travelling through the space. I would like to focus on this area because I feel I can sometimes focus too much on either what movement I should be doing as part of a phrase, or if I feel I am 'doing it right' when improvising. therefore I can compromise my focus on how my weight can lead me with flow to the next movement. I also think a focus on the use of breath will do this also, which is a continual focus I have within my practise on this course.

First lesson back.. second term

We started back in the new term by taking part in a technique phrase class, starting with a improvisation score exploring the spine including focus on...
. Travel
. Spirals
. Floor and air
. Head to tail connection
. Straight lines
. Twists

We also did some partner graphics using the hands on our partners back. Focusing on the connection between vertebrae and the movements of the spine in relation to the rest f the body. We did this by vibrating the vertebrae with two fingers, using flat palms in prominent areas of the back that were moving, and brushing down the spine from head to tail.

We then focussed on an idea of 'gathering colours' while moving improvisationaly across the space. I had an image of pastel swirls being created as I moved across the space.

      


This brought back the awareness of the spine within the body, which I had had a break from focusing on during the Christmas holidays. I felt my bones, joints, muscles and brain waking up and left feeling prepared for my movement practise this term.

Improvisation jam

On the last week of term before Christmas all three years of dance students and the tutors came together to perform an improvisation jam, which was really fun! It allowed us to come together with other students I had not moved with before, and just experiment and explore with contact and relationships while moving. This was particularly fun and interesting as there was no expectations or criteria, we were just able to play around with movement without taking it too seriously or being graded etc.

We started by all moving individually in the space, as the sore gradually built up layers. We experimented with levels, direction, quality of movement, and then relationships and contact. Different types of music were also introduced to the score, which changed the levels of energy and atmosphere in the space. I found that I responded differently to different music, and sometimes my movement and mood completely contrasted depending on the music and energy of other movers.

Elements of the score I responded well to:

• Considering all parts of the space, such as the walls, and even the far edges of the space not just the middle. This was also useful for moments of pausing and/or witnessing.
• Brushing down others in the space. This could then lead to rolling, a change of level, following the person that brushed, or just an acknowledgement of another dancer that we may not have moved with before.
• All starting and finishing in the space together, which made me feel more comfortable and ready to move.

Overall this was a fun way to end the term, and just move how we wanted after a very tiring week during performance week :)   

Improvisation in collaboration with musisians

During our technique improvisation class we were given the opportunity to collaborate with music students, who would perform and work along side us during the session. This was a first time experience for me which was very exciting! During the session we were put into groups containing both dancers and musicians and carried out a series of tasks together, where dancers would improvise movement in response to the live sounds, and the musicians would create scores and improvise rhythms in response to the movement using instruments, voice and clapping.

I found that using the live music created a whole new atmosphere in the room and therefore a new way of moving and experimenting with rhythms, which I really enjoyed.

The last part of the session involved all of us in a circle around the room and holding an improvisation jam. The musicians could play their instruments/sing/clap at changing rhythms while the dancers came in and out of the space moving as we wanted. The movement and atmosphere was really alive, and the relationship between movement and music was an interesting idea that I could go on to explore in more depth.

First week back moving..

During my first week back in the new term I have taken part in a few classes, and found it easy to get back into, and am still discovering new ways of moving and witnessing. In one particular class we started with a hands on improvisation in partners where we changed roles several times as one person moved and the directed and followed using a light touch with their hands. The roles of having eyes closed also changed several times, to gain new perspectives of moving with our partner. I found it easier to move with eyes closed as I found the use of my other senses a lot more and therefore used more sensitive movements and found a deeper discovery into areas of my body moving. Another task we carried out was where we had to get into small groups with our eyes closed and try and move in unison. This encouraged the use of hearing and sound into our movement. I found this particularly interesting as I do not usually notice other dancers around me using these senses. From witnessing this I noticed the larger the group the more in unison they became, and even if they were not in unison there was a clear strong connection between the dancers at all times. This would be a useful task to carry out before choreographing in a group as the dancers became much more sensitive of each other and the space around them .

Improvisation score

Here is a score I created during an improvisation class, also showing the rules we had to follow. We carried the task out in groups of about 10 people, and we could enter and exit the space during the task.

Aspects to remember during jumps

• Articulation through the feet
• Not jumping with the chest
• Falling pelvis
• Continuous through pleas and jumping
• being able to see the toes when in first position
• Back and shoulders flat and soft
• Soft landing
• Seeing the space, not staring out to one point

Studio practice

Today we worked with the image of our arms as sails while holding positions and doing short sequences. This was done my imagining the way the arms are connected to the sternum from the thumb, and just above the shoulder baled from the little finger when in an extended second position, creating an open flat upper body. I found that imagining the flatness of the sails enabled me to hold a strong position without over extending. I will definitely use this image again when holding arm positions to make sure they don't over extend causing an arched spine, which will reflect on my overall alignment, which I am paying particular attention to during my practice.

Studio practice

Today during studio practice I felt as though I had a really successful lesson that I connected with. I found I was able to take on board feedback when in partners, and I could notice the changes in the way I was moving. I worked on keeping flow and control throughout, not over extending, making sure my skull was free when rising and rolling down, and also my ongoing focus of skull to tail connection, use of breath, and keeping the pelvis falling.
I particularly noticed my flow throughout a sequence had improved, and that by breathing while moving I felt warmer and more supple in the joints and muscles.

Getting to know a place

We were given a task to sit in a place of choice for 15 minutes and carry out these instructions..

'Sit quietly in a chosen place, with paper and pen to hand
throw open your attention.. see what comes
as you sit
make a list of sensory impressions.. sounds.. sensations in your body.. colours
whatever call attention to itself'

What I found interesting from carrying out this task in my bedroom with the windows open, is that it is never silent. Sounds constantly fill the air, even if I could not hear noises from the environment I could hear noises from my body such as breathing and my thinking. The idea that there is never silence made me think about how this is the same as movement, and that the environment is always moving and changing, even if not visible, our body's are never completely still due to breathing again, and other natural movements. This really interested me and could be a stimulus for a piece of choreography, the fact that we never stop moving even if we are trying to be still, and how movement and sound are never ending.

Breathing exercise

Continuing my focus on the use of breathe to improve my flow and balance when dancing, I read a useful breathing exercise which I intend to do regularly to keep myself ware of my breathing.
It begins with 'Sit in a comfortable position. Invite breath into your body. Focus attention on your lungs. imagine their shape as they take in air, and notice too the change to your ribs.' It later instructs, 'send breath to the centre of your pelvis.' and 'Notice how movements ignite your awareness.'
I found this really helped me imagine the flow of breath around my body, and I then held a constant flow of breathe throughout the sequence I was practicing in the studio. I think that a breathing exercise at the beginning of each studio practice class and before any rehearsals will really enable me to be aware, and keep control of my breathing while dancing. 

Cheryl Pallant (2006) 'The creative body: Source of a new form' Contact Improvisation:On introduction to vitalizing dance. McFarland&Company, Inc: Jefferson, North carolina and London.

Improvisation task with a a chair: we carried out a task in the studio where we had to travel from one end to the other in pairs, while incorporating the use of a chair. It was interesting to include an object within dance, and we found we moved in new ways because of the focus on the chair. However I felt at first it was quite a stop\start process as we would often stop and feel stuck when getting into an awkward position with the chair. After several attempts we then found we could move more fluidly across the space with the chair and moved through the awkward moments, and it was a fun task!