YOU MUST COME!!! :)

Experiential Anantomy....

Tilting the skull, this is the strongest image I feel I have gained from a partner based exercise. The idea of the skull being a bowl of water with a small hole in the bottom allowing water to trickle down and lengthen the spine.

1st Year Duet Show!

Just thought I would share this photo from the Duets final show :)

Deborah Hay inspired workshop with Matthias Sperling

Gathering up every cell and taking them with you, not leaving one behind

For me this means keeping your body moving forward and every part of your body should have the intention of being involved in the act of moving in the same direction as you shift across the space. 


What if all the million cells in your body give up the pattern, and its just a pattern, of facing the front direction

Does this mean 'the front' or does every cell have its own front, as they are placed differently in the body. Imagery of a kaleidoscope come to mind where the sequins or 'cells' shift with every twist. Shake up the body and let the cells settle in a new place.

always retain the capacity to laugh at your own serious intentions, even while those intentions remain serious 

working on seeing the other people in the room in your visual field, choosing to see them practicing what you are practicing

always noticing the feedback from your visual field and allowing it to be refreshed

Does this mean to stop what I am exploring and move on correlating with what people around me seem to be doing? Not sure how to take this instruction.

Claire Cunningham laid bare

This piece by Claire Cunningham is a shocking incite to the healing qualities of dance. Cunningham lays bare her most personal memories literally retelling her story on stage through recorded and live voice.
  She begins with movement on the floor as she talks through her mothers words about an A-bar that held her legs apart as a baby. There is no sugar coating this biography and the audience recognise the struggles through the twisting and complicated movement Cunningham achieves with the single crutch. As she moves through to upright levels, the movement and balances she achieves using the crutches seem extremely uncomfortable and make the viewer feel marginally uneasy as her body shakes from the strain. The atmosphere is tense and Cunningham has the whole room hanging onto her every movement. Perhaps for fear she may fall but this could be her intentions as it compliments her words nicely “…and if you fell down, that was it.”
  The progression from this very contemporary movement into something that resembles ballet is subtle but the mood changes completely. The audience not only relax but are mesmerised by how her body shifts through the different positions and her grace as she moves around the stage on her crutches. Cunningham excels in making these crutches extra limbs; they no longer look like restricting scaffolding to hold her up but seem to be a part of the structure of her body adding extra length and beautiful contours.
  “I don’t even know who I am anymore… but I quite like that.” This line hits home for everyone in the room as the story Cunningham has retold hits home and her achievements as a dancer and the way she has proven all professionals wrong makes her an inspiration.
  The journey Cunningham takes us on in only 17 minutes is one that pulls at your heartstrings through laughter, fear and empathy. She is a whirlwind in a society that questions what disability and ability is as we leave with the question: as an able bodied dancer, could I do that?

Southbank Theatre, 11th October

Fresh start!

I kind of left my blog on a loose end last year and looking back I realise how this is a good way of keeping an organised record of all my work. Also I have noticed in my journal its quite difficult to link between classes or research but here it is easy by using the tabs so this year I aim to keep up with it for my own benifit.

New Year, New Start!


One thing that has been brought to my attention since begining class again is how on earth am i ever going to get back into this??? Im hoping it all starts to make sense again soon :(

Body Language!

Abstract, exaggerated versions of the body language research used in a Merce Cunningham 'Chance' improvisation.



There is something missing. No connection between dancers. How do we fix this?

Circle Two!

After revisiting the drawn score we are now looking at how you react around your friends.

80% of communication in non-verbal....


Body Language...
Lying / Uncomfortable - no eye contact
Bored - fidgeting
Annoyed - crossed legs, rocking
Superior - head tilted back
Judgmental - head tilted forward
Lying / Nervous - touching of the face

Getting There!

Here I can clearly see my improvement, my head is higher than it was before but could come up a little more and my arms are in a better position. One thing I have noticed watching this myself is that I tend to do each movement separately rather than flowing through. I will work on this for next time.

Archives!

Siobhan Davis Archive...


I started flicking through some of the material but didn't quite understand the relevance other than the 'snippeting' of material until I came across the Jerwood Bank works. Unfortunately there wasn't much work that I was able to "scrapbook" however it lead me onto another Siobhan Davis site. Here I found the links between Jerwood Bank and what we are trying to achieve with the blogs unbelievably strong. I have returned several times to this site as it shows examples of blog work the dancers were asked to do during the creation of this piece. Especially after feedback when I have been told my writing is too formal I can refer to this site to get a feel of how to write personally but clearly.

http://jerwoodbank07.siobhandavies.com/category/dancers/deborah-sarah/

Knee's and Toes!

In ballet I was told I have a good turn out which is something I always thought I struggled at. This says to me that perhaps its my ankles that are pronated as opposed to my knees as in turn out my legs are aligned.



Here I am demonstrating my practice of self correction however my knees now seem too far outwards. I don't understand where the pronation is. I will continue to work with this and the taking of photos to help me on my way to finding correct alignment.

Working in a New Way!

Reacting to the sounds, smells and sights. Not necessarily in connection with one another, just to get a feel or impression of the site in the body.




Often I see a connection between us as dancers but I don't know if it would be strong enough without the site to simply copy the movement. My question is, what to do with this material? I am swaying towards picking out key moments to create a phrase to play with in the space.


(This is the first time I have improvised in a public space and I feel so inspired by this multi-sensory stimulus! I will definitely be visiting this in the near future)

Curling Spines!

Feedback...

• Head is too low in press up position
• Arms are too relaxed and therefore too high in leg swings
• Hip lifts slightly in box position
• Spine curves are nice

Dannielle Jefferies

How do I keep my balance and my hips square?

What you will!

Eden Dance Project!

There was definitely some influence of Pina Bausch’s work present as the idea of de-centralization is something that shone through the piece. Having a large number of dancers in the space with no central character or clear ‘front’ meant that the audience have a decision as to what they see in the space and what they chose to ignore.

  Eden took us on a literal journey. Half way through the piece the dancers donned big furry coats and lead the audience out side. The audience moving with the dancers brings awareness to the blurring of audience space and dancer space. The viewer now has their own decisions to make as to when and where they move to and in turn why?       

    

  Showing art in public space can be challenging as you cannot account for public reaction. Many on lookers shouted at the dancers and they must then make a choice as to how to embrace this and how controlled. Eden chose to ignore these comments and carry on in a professional manner but I wonder if this is the right choice. Site specific work is to involve the whole site so do the public count as part of that environment or are they, like the dancers, an intruder and therefore do not count.

  Some choreographers do not want to portray a specific meaning and this is a prime example. The use of props and variety of site alongside an abstract movement vocabulary meant that this was far from to the point minimalism and often became clouded with imagery. This promoted a curiosity from the viewer as the meaning is often unclear and your clarity with seeking meaning is questioned.

  Therefore each audience member takes from the piece what they wish and the ‘free to roam’ aspect ensures that everyone has a different experience selecting to stand or see what they will. Eden successfully pushes audience boundaries and seeks to engage them physically in new and exciting ways.  

Interview with the Choreographers!

Is it important for the audience to know the meaning or should it be left up to interpretation?

Rolling Knee's!

The rolling of the ball gives me cramp in the underside of my foot, I'm hoping that this will become less frequent the more I practice. I spoke to a friend studying Physiotherapy and she mentioned PRONATION??

Inner Circle!

Improvisation


"The personal experience of tissue is called embodiment and is a vital part of the study and practice of BMC. First we study the tissue, using pictures, texts, or anatomy books to formulate an image of the structure. Then we go on a movement journey, called a somatization. People lie or sit comfortably in the room. Some move and others work in stillness. The facilitator guides the group on a journey inside their bodies. Participants notice the sensations in their bodies and the feelings and images which arise in these places. "

https://bmcassociation.org/AboutBMC/BodySystems



Listening internally to... breath, vibrations, heartbeat, humming, bones creak.

[Preferably watch in mute]

Duet Score!

"Bringing internal or landscape sounds somehow draw us to the whole environment" - Important to our piece as we want the audience to be aware of the space in relation to us and the world around it.

Choreography Duet Starting Point!

My life and the worlds life are deeply intertwined; when I wake up one morning to find that a week-long illness has subsided and that my strength has returned, the world, when I step outside, fairly crackles with energy and activity... Likewise, when a haze descends upon the valley in which I dwell, it descends upon my awareness as well, muddling my thoughts, making my muscles yearn for sleep. The world and I reciprocate one another. The landscape as I directly experience it is hardly a determinate object; it is an ambiguous realm that responds to my emotions and calls forth feelings from me in turn.

(p33) The Spell of the Sensuous, David Abrahms

PHENOMENOLOGICAL WORLD!

"Being in the world" where person and world are mutually constitutive

defined by directed-ness, embodiment and worldliness

is my experience of ... the same as yours?


[ we understand a cat as a whole not just by sound - senses as a whole ]

Everything is Connected, Nothing Stands Alone...

VISION:




Keeps going - never and end, 360º in every direction, one object leads to another

Paper Following...

One person moves on top of the paper whilst the other traces/marks their movement.



Does the paper score left behind make more sense to the drawer than the mover?

This score is now a log or the actual dance on paper ... Could this be a cross over of art forms? ... Will an audience member gain the same experience from viewing the score? ... Possibly team up with an art student to explore this further

Hannah and Charmaine: Moved the audience around the space as they danced ... reminds me of 'Disgo'... I love the idea of "shepherding" the audience and would like to look into this further.

Conversation in Simple Movement...

My partner joined me at one point and I turned away, she said she felt offended. We ended up doing similar movement and this reminds me that when you know someone really well you tend to have too much in common. When you speak you talk about the same things.
I find this a really effective way of building relationships and characters.

Gaps in conversation
Argue/confront
Speak at the same time
Backchannel
Pause
Monologue/length of time

The outcome depends on how both dancers and audience members interpret it. Like listening to a foreign language. Every time you work with a new partner you must translate their language.


Similar to what we worked on in the first term....




I think I may like to look into this movement conversation idea a bit more maybe even as a foundation for my duet.

Duet ...

Level 3 Balcony ...

Curves, lines, light, shadow, bright, subtle, eyes relax, patterns, Installation piece, art, like everything has been pieced together to please the viewer, not just your typical building.

Buzzing, rumbling, scratches, voices - distant and unusual unrecognizable noise.

Creative Enterprise...

Task: To form a business in the creative industry that is unique to its field.

We should teach children to be versatile in dance and teach a variety of dance styles... including contemporary dance as we often don't start this until later in life. A dance school that offers more than the typical tap, ballet and modern and incorporates sections of theory and choreography in the lessons would definitely prepare the children more for a career in dance. We could also see some amazing choreography from the imaginations of younger children.

This dream of mine could be achieved by the Alexander Technique ... Starting in neutral and expanding to any extreme but being able to return.

Dancer in a Glass Box...

Endangered Species is an unusual dance piece. It combines the mediums of dance and media; the use of projection being something of a trademark for her work.
Initially, Siobhan visited the Arctic and found that she wasn’t inspired by the landscape but more how vulnerable her body became within this landscape. She concluded that “…expression in the sub-zero temperatures of the High Arctic (were) severely limited in nature and range.”¹ I find this fascinating and had never before thought of the effects a certain atmosphere has on your movement. For example being in a really hot room makes you become lethargic and slow where as in Davis’ case, the cold weather physically tightens your muscles and makes movement small and rigid. During the piece we see the dancer restricted by the rods in her costume and at first this can seem to give a new environment for her to explore but gradually more are added and she becomes entrapped.
The rods are often manipulated by the dancer into bending almost in two. As an audience member we wait and wait for the plastic to snap but this never happens. This intense power struggle between rod and dancer reflects the fragility of the body vs. the motivation to move, a concept Davis explored in her choreographic process.¹ When we think about the body in relation to the landscape we (being the dancer) are inspired or ‘motivated’ to move however we become restricted and fought against by the atmosphere and intense cold (being the rod) showing ‘fragility’ in the body.
Endangered Species is not performed as a live show but in fact a projection of the dancer in a glass box. Siobhan Davis has manipulated the dancer’s image to represent something not so human, like a past or future evolution of the body and encased it as a museum exhibit. I don’t quite understand the meaning of this other than possibly hinting at the relation between landscape and evolution. I have the impression that Siobhan longs for an evolutionary change in the way we move as dancers to overcome these restrictions; we should be leaving behind the old ways of moving and displaying them in glass cases as a reminder but moving forward in a new liberated style without the representational rods of restriction.
Over all Endangered Species reminds us not only of the fragility of the human but the fragility of movement. It has opened my eyes to recognise in myself the atmosphere and whether or not my movement can survive within its boundaries.





¹ http://www.siobhandavies.com/dance/dance-works/overview/endangered-species.html

Development...

Improvisation - 'S' !

Im

I have decided to take the 'snippet' idea from the Siobhan Davis Archives a step further. By developing it into an improvisational task I can create something that gives a taster of each letter sounding - I am able to stick to the idea that this is a 'work in progress' assessment and not a final piece.


Focusing on the letter 's'. Repeat the letter aloud and improvise, experimenting with breath between a long with held 'sss' and a short 's'.

Long 'sss' sound is controlled, tense, unfolding of the limbs, rolling through the spine , that doesn't travel very far.
Short 's' sound is sharp, jabbing at the air, quick and almost unexpected.
The juxtaposition reminds me of a snake's behavior, building tension in its body, coiling back and then darting swiftly at its prey.

I'm finding it difficult to say the sounding out loud, probably because I don't breath when I move =/

Solo ... Beginings

I have decided to use the Voice exercise as a starting point for my solo, using the word 'shape'. This is because my focus is on the phonemes and the effect it has on my movement rather than the sound and therefore these sounds will 'shape' my dance.

D-TRACES

Stimulus... Poem

I decided to use the Voice exercise, where you let your body react to the sounds, creating short snippets seen on the Siobhan Davis Archives.

This improvisation really helps me to discover movement I wouldn't normally use and after creating a short snippet I played around with my focus. This completely changes how the audience are involved, for example if my focus is internal then the audience feel intrusive on a seemingly private dance.

Feedback...

Don't just do the movement, use the idea. Say the 'h' out loud over and over to keep the rhythm and dynamics when moving. Think about rhythm to direct the dance: punctuation, stillness, suspension, pace. ALSO use of breath! (especially with the letter 'h').