Group Assesment work.

PRACTICING GROUP WORK FOR THE ASSESSMENT

After our warmup today we began working on our group sections for the formative assessment. The first section will involve us being in groups of four or five in the four corners of the space. We were various of pieces of music that will be played alongside our improvised movement. The basic guidelines we have is that we can stand up, sit down, lie down, walk or run. The movement will involve using objects such as the walls, chairs and floor to create dynamic shapes and angles with our bodies and inspire movements. It will also be important that we establish a sense of ensemble within the performance by using different levels and eye contact for example to generate atmosphere and meaning within our relationships in performance. We also had to incorporate changes in pace and direction to change the dynamic of the piece. I enjoyed using the space to create unusual angles with my body, in particular if they were appropriate in relation to the music. The music can be used as inspiration for movement styles and speed. I enjoy group sections as it allows you to experiment with movements not possible within an individual piece, such as mirroring or improvised unison movement. I found that in order to generate interesting material within this section you need to feed off the energy of your ensemble and work alongside each other to create movements that are innovative and imaginative.
The other section that we practiced involved the group sitting in a circle and one by one groups of three entering the circle and performing a one minute improvised piece. We will perform with whoever we are sat by so that each time we practice and then perform we are exploring new relationships through the movement. Similarly to the other group sections the aim of the piece is to explore the relationships in the ensemble within the space. For example this may involve performing movements that compliment or contrast one another. It is important that you remember that this is a group section and don't get carried away in your own movements/dance. This is something that I need to be careful of within my performance as I often drift off into my own world when giving the movements my all. Both sections could also incorporate moments off complete stillness stood up or sat down or moving through the space. 
I think that our group works well together within sections such as this and are able to feed off one another. We perform the best when everyone is fully concentrated and giving their all, something which I hope we can achieve within the formative assessment. I enjoy partaking and watching the group sections as you are able to work together to create interesting material and gain inspiration from watching others perform. This sessions has left me excited for what we can achieve in the assessment. 

Fundamentals.

I have been reading chapters from Peggy Hackney's book Making Connections and throughout my blog I will document what I have learnt from such reading. Today I am going to talk about the chapter entitled What Is Fundamentals?.

WHAT IS FUNDAMENTALS?

          'In the miracle of new life we recognize what is truly fundamental in movement.'

                                                     -Peggy Hackney (2002. p. 11.)

This chapter begins by outlining the fundamentals of movement by looking at the development of a new born child. When the child is in its mothers womb its breathing and movement is a one with its mothers, establishing an immediate connection between mother and child. However when the child is born the connection remains yet the baby must breathe by itself and starts to discover their ability to move. As they breathe they 'are filling and emptying its tiny rounded body', bringing life to themselves and beginning to become their own, establishing an 'undifferentiated unity'. This is the fundamental of Breath a pattern that is developed as soon as life begins and happens instinctively throughout life.
The second fundamental is Core-distal connectivity and Hackneys states that 'The baby manifests itself by moving, always moving.' As they stretch and move they are using their core to contract and expand, learning to control their bodies and develop a sense of centre. Relationships are being set up with the outside world and within itself as it becomes more experimental with expansion and body shapes: 'Primary Spinal Reflexes are at work'. This pattern will continue to develop and lead to the exploration of other fundamentals.
The third fundamental is  Head-Tail connectivity and this involves the baby beginning to experiment with movement such as rolling. As it begins to pick its head up, looking around and supporting its own head, another pattern is developing. They begin to experiment with using their head-tail connection to role over, leading with both their head and tail, before sitting becomes possible.
They then go on to discover the body-half connectivity, using this when attempting to reach out for objects and push to reach their goal. This leads the baby to develop to the crawling stage and establish coordination between both body halves. They are now on their way 'to achieving wondrous and fun goals, such as ''researching'' sister's dolls'. This new pattern allows them to achieve upright positions and explore the space around them. By doing so they begin further self exploration. The fundamental Upper-Lower is linked with Body-half and both help with the infants development of movement. Upper-lower allows the baby to position itself securely and develop a connection between the upper and lower body. Furthermore this section of development also links to the fundamental Cross-lateral connectivity as this must be in place in order for the infant to move appropriately. For example when crawling they discover the most efficient and natural way to move is with opposite arms and legs, using the other fundamentals to stabilise this.
These six fundamentals are explored and established in the first nine months after a person is born and are kept in place throughout the rest of their life. As we become older these fundamentals happen automatically and lead to us being able to express ourselves in other ways, even within simple hand gestures. We do not think about them in everyday life but they remind us of 'what is fundamental in movement.' 

6 fundamentals-

1- BREATH                   3- HEAD-TAIL CONNECTIVITY          5- BODY-HALF CONNECTIVITY
2- CORE-DISTAL CONNECTIVITY   4- UPPER LOWER CONNECTIVITY  6-CROSS
                                                                                                                  LATERAL CONNECTIVITY

This works as the foundation for the fundamentals in movement. This is what Peggy Hackney says they are-
'1- Change is fundamental- The essence of movement is change. As we move, we are constantly changing.
2-  Relationship/Connection is fundamental- It is in our process of moving/changing that we create our embodied existence. But this change is not random. In the process of development, change is relational. As we move, we are always making connections, creating relationships, both within ourselves and between ourselves and the world.
3- Patterning body connections is fundamental.  (which I applied to the description of the infants development above.) Relationships which are created within our body become patterned as we grow.'

Reference-
Hackney, P. (2002) Making Connections- Total Body Integration Through Bartenieff Fundamentals. Routledge: New York.

This chapter opened my eyes to the fundamentals involved in the development of our movement and our identity within the world. We use the basic patterns established through everyday life to realise who we are and our capabilities as we grow. We have been exploring these fundamentals within lesson and by doing this reading I have been able to gather greater knowledge of each individually and apply them myself to the exercises we have been doing in class. I find now that when partaking in each exercise I am able to take time within myself to consider what fundamentals are particularly important in relation to the movement I am performing.

Research on Tai Chi

I contacted my auntie who is a Tai Chi instructor to gain more insight into the aims and methods of the art of Tai Chi.

Image from:- http://chionline.com/

This is what she said:
 Tai Chi including the importance of breathing in our style

Hilary Moss 3^rd level Instructor with Lee Family Arts

Tai Chi originated in China and our style, the Lee Family Style, reputedly was started by Ho-Hsieh Lee in 1000 BC. This style stresses the benefits of Tai Chi in improving good health and general wellbeing.

It is a Yin and Yang style and everything within it is in complete balance and harmony. We study Tai Chi Chuan (a short form of 50 moves or a long form of 104 moves); dance, sword, fan, stick and silk sets. Trying to remember all these form sets certainly helps keep your mind active! We also have our own Yoga exercises and specialised breathing exercises.

Gentle exercise helps the joints keep mobile so is particularly beneficial to those suffering from arthritis who may be unable to take part in more vigorous exercise. In fact, Tai Chi can be practised by everyone including those that are in a wheelchair.

In Tai Chi, we believe that correct breathing will energise the body’s natural energy, (or Chi). It will boost the immune system, help build up resistance to infection and thereby promote good health. Asthmatics and those suffering with COPD find that improving their lung capacity is really beneficial to their health.

In classes we learn to breathe in through the nose and out of the mouth. As we breathe in through the nose, we let the breath sink as low as possible and we try to fill up, expand, the lower abdomen. Conversely, as we breathe out, the lower abdomen empties or contracts pushing toxins, along with the stale air, out through the mouth.

This pattern of breathing is used in all our forms and in our specialised breathing exercises. All our hand and feet movements are also harmonised with the breathing.

Ultimately, Tai Chi, with the correct breathing aims to improve not only our physical health but also helps to develop our minds and spiritual understanding.

My views:-

I found this information very interesting and it has made me aware of the ways in which breath is used within this practice. Tai Chi aims to energise both the body and the mind, harnessing the body's natural energy and ensuring that everyone can gain an individual and satisfying experience from the sessions. This is something that I would like to experience and that I believe could benefit my work within the movement classes.  This research has furthered my knowledge of breath within movement and links back to the reading I did from Peggy Hackney's book Making Connections.

Peggy Hackney- Making connections- Chapter six- Breath

'A great whoosh connects what is outside, air of the world, with the inside of me...connects the inside of me with myself.'

After reading Chapter 6 BREATH from Peggy Hackney's book Making Connections I found myself educated further on the importance of breath through everyday life, for example within relationships, and performance. She advises us to ask ourselves the question ''How can I be in this wondrous place of perfect unity?'' before answering with 'Simply by participating in the primal pattern of BREATH.' Breath is a natural thing that we all do from birth, not something that is learnt: 'It happens automatically' (2002. p. 51.). However by reading this chapter it enables you to see the true power of breath in relation to feeling whole and experiencing an entire bodily connection.

 

Image from:- http://thehealthylivinglounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/breathe.jpg

 

This chapter has also taught me how breath can used as a calming mechanism. After experimenting with the various exercises Peggy describes I was able to harness the power of such techniques within my own performance. For example one exercise that I enjoyed was entitled 'When you breathe are you aware of any areas in your body moving subtly?'. When doing this exercise I laid on the floor in my room and tried putting my hand on areas of my body that I could feel moving when I breathe, as instructed, in order to feel the nature of the movement and the quality of the breath. I found this to be a very serene and calming experience and it allowed me to discover things I hadn't noticed before in relation to my breath and movement.
I have found since coming to university the level of anxiety I feel before a performance has increased and by using breath techniques it allows me to calm myself and regain my self confidence before partaking in a performance. This is something that is vital for me as I cannot perform to my best ability if I do not hold confidence in myself and what I am about to do. When rehearsing for other modules such as Approaches to performance I was able to apply the breathing techniques I had read within this chapter. As Peggy says such exercises ensure that 'I feel more sense of presence and ease'. (202. p.52.) 
Furthermore I have discovered that breath is the foundation for 'patterns' that follow and 'Wherever the breathing is blocked in the body, future patterns will be blocked; wherever the breathing is free, the future patterns will develop efficiently.' This is something that I must remember when preparing for future performances, to ensure that my breath is free and functioning in a way that benefits my overall performance.
I have found that I can often get stressed easily and have been inspired by this book to get involved in classes such as Tai Chi or Yoga. My Aunty actually teaches Tai Chi and I intend to gain advice and information from her on this subject.
I enjoyed finding out about the different ways peoples breath can be affected through life, as the majority of my family have asthma apart from me. My sister in particular is someone who has struggled with anxiety and asthma so it gave me insight into how the two may be connected. Breath can be used a calming mechanism but also could bring anxiety to a person if they were to sense something is wrong in relation to their breathing pattern and Peggy Hackney highlights the fact that 'probably most people are enjoying less than their complete breath support.' Therefore by reading this chapter and partaking in various exercises that she describes I have been able to gain more control over my breath, and consequently my entire body, within performance. It has taught me that even when I am feeling 'exhausted ''dead''' that I can use breath to energise my body and mind within performance. I hope to apply such methods in the future to improve my overall performance.

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.