Movement Lesson

Today we began with an all over body warmup, shaking out and stretching every part of our bodies. We were then told that within today's lesson we would be focusing on pair work in preparation for the formative assessment. We began with an exercise which involved us moving around the space back to back. The aim of this exercise was for there to be no designated leader but for us to just allow ourselves to move when it felt appropriate. I found that this exercise worked to create a bond between the partners as we moved as one through the space. We then did this exercise several more times however each time changing the body part that was connected. For example we connected our heads together, which meant we often had to spin around as we moved through the space.
We then did an exercise called 'a little bit of you, a little bit of me.' This involved one of the partners sitting on the floor and the other standing in front of them. The partner who stood up began moving/ dancing and the partner who was sat down had to attempt to remember some of the moves used, so that they could go on to perform them. However when they did so they had to perform them in their own style and add more moves of their own. This was repeated until the original partners were returned to one another.  I found this exercise to be very enjoyable and I was able to try a range of movement types as I worked with different partners from the group.
The next exercise involved no leader, however one person begins to move when the other stops. The focus of the exercise was to use a range of levels and concentrate on the relationship between you and your partner, so that it was not a solo performance. This exercise allowed us to really work alongside our partners to create innovative material. We then got into groups of three and made a movement sequence, however this time you were able to move when you wanted. We went on to perform these to the class, before discussing the different movements we had witnessed and what worked and what didn't.
This lesson allowed us to experiment with the type of movement we may use within the assessment and begin to discover the ways in which we can establish relationships with other performers through the use of levels.

Force of Nature by Katrina McPherson- Movement screening.

'Over the course of five years, award-winning director Katrina McPherson filmed improvising dance artist Kirstie Simson performing and teaching across Europe, culminating in a one-off performance with Michael Schumacher, Kenzo Kasuda, and Dai Jian at the Universal Hall in Findhorn, Scotland. Force of Nature combines specially filmed performance, documentary footage, and in-depth interviews with Kirstie, in which she talks about her life-long practice and her passionate belief in the power of dance to transform lives. Simson’s eternal subject is freedom, as she dares to go beyond the boundaries of form and structure to create movement out of the rhythm of life itself.'

Quote from:- http://www.contactquarterly.com/contact-editions/book/force-of-nature-dvd.php


Today we watched a screening called Force of Nature by Katrina Mcpherson, a performance documentary with Kirstie Simson.  The lady involved within the film, Kirstie Simson, spoke about her interest in going through the experience/ performance with the audience. The piece she performed included a lot of atmospheric sound which worked to support the earthy green coloured costume, creating an environment that was free flowing and almost magical. She desired that the audience be as much a part of it as the performers are. This was aided by the intimate performance space used as the breath of the performers could be heard and we could see that they were visibly exhausted. There was a lot of pair work used throughout the piece and the performers were often seen transferring their weight on to one another and performing various lifts. One particular aspect of performance that really struck me was the way in which the power of silence was harnessed. I have never really seen such performances before that are done in silence and without music. It was interesting to watch as I often found outside noises contributed to and effected the performance, such as the cough of an audience member for example. Further sounds I noticed included the clicks and slaps that the performers bodies made. The performers were able to use them within performance and allow them to influence their movement. 
                                 
                                      Picture from:- http://vimeo.com/34894689

She said that she likes to relax within the performance so that she doesn't project ideas upon the audience and they are able to gather their own interpretation, whilst working to relax the audience also.
Another section that was interesting involved also pair work. One partner could be seen moving the body parts of another. This to me worked to suggest an aspect of unity between the performers, whilst removing control from one performer in particular. By removing this control it implied a level of trust between performers which made the performance more engaging and concentrated. There was four performers who were able to command the entire space, whilst being aware of one another at all times and incorporating moments of closeness between groups of performers. There was 1 woman and 3 men however all appeared equal within the space and the interactions remained the same. The camera woman was visible in the space, working to remind the audience that this performance was live and happening in the here and now. The performance space was plain and contained only a wooden tree object at the back.
When they began creating this piece they used improvisation, in order to allow them to find their own voice and become the creator in the movement by letting loose. She finds that people learn through example by showing what is possible with the body. She believes that in a sense one is always teaching and tries not to conform to training but go out and learn. She is working with the human condition, looking at the human in the space and creating dialogue within dance. Ones body can often become tuned to the space, inside and out. She tries to practice integrity and sincerity and asks questions such as why can't art be called healing without being therapy?.
Overall I found this screening influential and interesting as it opened my eyes to a different type of performance, one which uses movement/dance to create a dialogue between spectator, performer and performance space.  

The use of Breath within movement.

As usual the session began with a warm up, warming each body part from head to toe. We did exercises which involved curling your body up and then expanding it as far as possible in to the space. To further this we began to coincide breath with this movement, for example inhaling as we curled up and exhaling alongside the expansion. We then experimented with using fast inhales as we quickly curled up, or slow exhales whilst our bodies slowly uncurled. This worked to wake up your entire body, allowing you to feel each body part as you worked in the space.
We then began to do this whilst laid on the floor. For me it was easier to imagine my body stretching in to the entire space whilst laid down. I actually found this quite relaxing but after a while it began to make me feel a bit dizzy. I wonder whether this we due to the variety in breath length throughout the exercise. If so I think that it is important that I practice this exercise so that my body becomes accustom to way I am manipulating my body within it.
This week we focused on the use of body tail and head to lead movement. The first time we used our tail to lead. We were laid on the floor with our stomachs downwards. We then placed one leg over the other, using that and the tail bone to lead ourselves on to our back. This could also be done the opposite way round by placing the other leg over, flipping us back on to our front. We then did this exercise again using our head and then arm to pull the body over. I found the tail exercise easier and felt my movement was more graceful and controlled. I enjoyed partaking in this exercise and hope to be able to use this somewhere in the future.
We then did an exercise which began with us sat on the floor with our legs stretched out forwards. We were then told to allow our body to relax and fall slowly to the ground sidewards, starting from our head. This exercise worked to flip our bodies on to their front in a controlled manner, before then using our leg to lead the body all the way over back in to the sitting position. This exercise worked the best when you allowed your body to be appropriately relaxed in order to protect your hip bone from becoming sore. To further this we tried to add more than one 'tumble' to the movement in a way that was continuous and following. I enjoyed the way in which my understanding of this exercise developed and I found myself improving each time I completed the exercise. 
After this session I will go on to read the section on Breath from Peggy Hackney's book Making Connections, to further my knowledge on the use of breath within movement.