Pathways

In Oliver's lesson this week we learnt about pathways, ways to meet and make contact with a partner.

 

 

We began this by initiating contact through the hand, down the arm and round to the back. This process would then be reversed when either partner wanted to move on. Before, I would have found it hard to initiate contact with a partner, but learning this has given me a way into contact. We then progressed this so that once you had made contact with a partner, it could become table top like we practised last lesson.

 

 

What I have learnt about contact improv is to be open. Everyone responds differently to this work and therefore you need to be aware of that and adapt to others you are moving with. Obviously, some partners are more willing than others. 

The Last 6 Inches

I apologise that its been a long time since I have blogged, but now essays are out of the way I can spend more time uploading posts!

Our first timetabled lesson of the new year was with Oliver Scott. He is an artist working in the Coventry area and he is teaching us contact improvisation. I was looking forward to developing my skills in this area because I feel this is one of my weaker techniques at the moment.

We spent this first lesson learning about the last 6 inches, this is the last six inches just above the floor. To begin with, we were experimenting with focus. For example, how close does your face have to be to the floor before you loose focus of what you are looking at. I suppose this made me think of distances and how we perceive things we look at. We can change our own focus by looking at things closely and looking at things further away. Our eyes work on a similar principle to a camera lens in a way.

After this, we learnt about table tops. We have learnt a little about this in first year but this time we went into more detail. The key was to keep balanced and remain in control of your own body. I found the best way to control my body was by moving and changing the position of my head. I also found that keeping a connection between the pelvis was really helpful!

I really enjoy our first lesson and am looking forward to how this will develop over the term. I feel that I have now learnt some of the basic principles of contact improv and as long as I remember them in future they will help me.