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.