2/13 Improv class

Today a new woman, Mary, joined us as well as Rafaella.  We started by working with backspace.  But literally touching our partner's back to awaken the senses.  We then started moving while touching and even brushed and massaged the other.  Finally we stopped touching and allowed the mover to be influenced by their now great awareness of backspace and moving from this awareness.  

We then changed gears a bit beck to this idea of imagination.  we partnered up.  One dancer stood still in the middle of a space as the other entered and quickly settled into a position.  The two now picture what it must look like from the front.  Then the still person gets to respond by settled with the person coming into the frame.  Finally, the two are able to dance together until they come to their own conclusion.  All the while, we are imagining what we think the picture might look like, without having to SEE it for ourselves.  

At the end we found duets and trios of movement, that could start and stop into positions constantly making choices.  I think everyone really got into the idea of not needed to see what was happening, but allowing their senses to make choices right or wrong...plus whose to say which is better anyway!!!!!

2/6 improv class

Rebecca and I met alone today, which was nice because we haven't had an opportunity to compare notes for a while.  After a bit, we decided that we wanted to try a score that might be similar to a Judson Church task score.

So we divided the space into four and placed a word chosen at random from the dictionary.  The rules were that when we entered each space we responded to whatever that word brought up.  It was moderately successful, but certainly has potential.

1/30 Improv class

Class on the 30th of January was an eye opening experiment for me and I think for all of us on working with one another without trying too terribly hard to be with one another.

We started class first by throwing objects and guessing when they would land.  We then threw objects over a partners head as they guessed when it would land.  We finally had to close our eyes to truly imagine when the object would land.  

At first, this seems like a silly game.  However, its point is such a gift of freedom.  The use of imagination in improvisation hadn't occurred to me.  Not that I don't think that I must be imaginative as a dance artist, but I never think that I have the freedom to imagine what my co-creators are doing and respond to this imagined idea.  When given permission to respond to something I only think is happening, frees up so much for me.  And I saw it in the others as well.

Before we went too far into this, we moved on to a different idea.

Two soloists dance at the same time while the others created a (da-da) pulse.  We first moved rigidly on the pulse, then in between the pulse, then the choice to move between both idea.

Then, we were set into duets.  One dancer chose the movement, while the other dancer responded to an imagined idea of what the first might do.  

The problem that seemed to come up sometimes, was that partners would feel that they had to really WATCH the other.  Instead of simply sensing and allowing for the risk in committing to an idea that we may have simply made up...

Thoughts about Friday 1/16's improv class

Last week, it was a matter of shaking off the cobwebs.  After nearly giving up dance (or so I thought) I had a layer of insecurity surrounding my movement and my thought patterns during this movement.  I felt as though I was over composing and just not quite hitting the mark.  In My body, however, I just felt so lucky to be in a room with two movers who I respect and care about.  

So, this week I was able to get somewhere within my own movement.  

We started with body imprints.  Finding these imprints on the floor and then moving this imprint into the space above the ground.  I found that I was able to maintain information about what I was doing and awareness of how it felt both internally and externally.  This is a balance that can be a challenge for me.  A challenge that I recognize in many dancers.  Finding that internal place of awareness of all the activity that exists within can be extremely spiritual and fulfilling, but uninteresting in terms of composition.  In the other extreme, creation and movement that is strictly coming from an external awareness can have all the artistry and craft of a genius without the ability to find movement outside of the familiar.  This blending of the two with not 50/50 perception, but 100% in and out is a place where I can find new interesting movements for myself and at the same time relate to everything else that is happening around me.  It is also a place where my thinking mind can slow down and allow things to happen.

So, when we started working with Yolande's limitations, I was happily distracted from my insecurities and interested in the task at hand.  We started with making a choice of a shape in space with relationship to tactile surfaces.  Then acknowledging our relationship with each other.  Continuing with this thought, we then started to have to replace one another.  Then we were able to access the tactile sensation of the air, finally then adding more and more freedom.

The final experiment we did was in dividing us into solos, duets, and a trio with limitations of time...utilizing all of the ideas we had just been studying.  

I found that I stopped judging myself.  I was able to make choices that I could feel were coming from a different place.  What that place is, I am not quite sure.