1st March - 25th March

03.03.14 - Release Based Contemporary

In this lesson, we began working with a moving and writing method in which we keep swapping between the two. I have worked with this method previously in year two but not since being a 3rd year. We were told not to make judgements which I have always found very difficult to do. I always like to compare to what I have done previously or what I felt I should be doing.

For example, when doing this previously, I would move on to a different stimulus for moving each time. I also found the easiest way to continuously write was by engaging with free writing. On returning to this method during this lesson, I found that enjoyed staying with the same moving stimulus and exploring it further each time. I continued to engage with the free writing strategies; this is something that obviously works for me.

In this lesson in particular, I noticed that I wrote more each time I came back to the writing task. I assumed this was because I was re-familiarising myself with this method. The more I became engaged in the task, the more I was getting out of it.



17.03.14 - Release Based Contemporary

Again in this lesson, we returned to the moving and writing method we covered in our previous lesson. This week in particular raised a lot of questions for me personally. Why is this not the same for me now? What's changed? I also included feedback from Katye into my free writing. For example, How long are you Emma Woolley?

I feel this way of working is something that really suits my style of working. I feel very focused and motivated when engaging with this method. It is something that I would like to continue to use in my personal practice outside of class.



21.03.14 - Feldenkrais

This final Feldenkrais class was used to talk about Feldenkrais as a method (based upon the readings) and what we have taken from it throughout our final year. In small groups we discussed the reading; the group I was in, focused on The Feldenkrais Method and The Dancer. We dicussed a number of points:

• There is no right and wrong
• Efficiency in moving
• 'Only the really gifted teachers can convey how something can feel'.
• Feldenkrais Method - Group of participants, not hands on
• Alexander Technique - Individual, hands on
• Authority- not teaching but sharing information - individual interpretations - self authority
• Sensory information
• Moshe Feldenkrais - Didn't consider himself as a teacher, he provided circumstances

From the discussion, I really picked up on the authority/ self authority information. I hadn't thought of it in this way before but as it was presented to me I could understand it so clearly. For me, Feldenkrais engages individuals in different ways depending on a number of factors, physique/ body make up, gender, age, abilities/ disabilities and injuries. As a method, Feldenkrais is inclusive of all of these factors and each person can tailor their learning to suit their needs. For example, with my shoulder injury, I found it difficult to lift the arm above the head. This method allowed me to make the movements smaller and to just visualise the movement if needed. The self authority aspect of the method allowed me to make allowances in my moving practice.

As discussed, it is very different to structured techniques such as ballet where to student has to copy the movements of the teacher and then perform them. There is no demonstration in Feldenkrais which means each individual has a different interpretation of the instructions given. As noted above, there is no right or wrong. It is also different in the sense of the body as a whole. Ballet used the whole body, arms, legs and torso, whereas Feldenkrais focuses on a specific isolated area each week.



24.03.14 - Release Based Contemporary

This lesson was our final Release Based Contemporary class of the year!!! Again, we began working with the same method as we have for the duration of March, the moving and writing method (as I like to call it). Today, I noticed that I didn't do what I had done before. Previously, I had written more and more as the task went on however today, I wrote a lot to begin with, then less, then more again. Rather than a continuous progression, I seemed to follow a more random pattern this time. Last time I explained that I wrote more as I became more engaged and more exploitative. Today though, I didn't feel any less engaged than before and somehow the outcome was slightly different.

At the end of the class we moved on to duet based work. It left me with questions about my practice and the others around me also in their own practice. Can I be in a duet/ conversation with the floor/ space around me rather than being in a duet with another person?

January Blog Post

6th January - 31st January

6.01.14 - Release Based Contemporary
This was our first lesson back after Christmas and I was a lot more engage than I thought I would be. I began with continuous movement to get started and this really worked for me. Continuous movement doesn't always have to be fast and busy, I prefer a slower and more flowing approach in order to keep moving. I found it easiest to connect with some of the principles we have studied in Experiential Anatomy in particular, naval radiation, yield/ push and reach/ pull.


13.01.14 - Release Based Contemporary
In this lesson, I was working with the connection between the heels, tail and skull. This is a focus I have engaged with the most since the end of Year 2. I don't why, but I can always come back to this notion when I am stuck for movement. I like the feeling of being connected down the back surface of my body, I can really feel a stretch through the back of my legs. I don't necessarily think of my spine in order to find these connections, I think its more of a cellular/ skin feeling. I documented my findings through this movement in the form a family tree. This is the first time I have journalled like this and I would like to use it again because it shows my initial thoughts at the bottom and how these expanded and grew throughout my moving experience.

17.01.14 - Experiential Anatomy

At the start of the lesson we wrote our aspirations for Term 2.

My aspirations are:

- To always arrive in the space early to give time to prepare for class

- To continue to explore new/ unfamiliar ideas to step out of my comfort zone

- To keep up to date with readings, journalling and blogging.

Reviewing these aspirations now, I feel that I have been arriving with enough time to do what I need to before the lesson starts. Sometimes I enjoy just resting in the space and sometimes I feel more active. I do try to explore unfamiliar ideas however, I like to stay with what I know works for me too. In Experiential Anatomy, we have been learning about different movement patters so I have been able to experiment with new ways of moving, for example, homologus, homolateral and contralateral. I haven't really kept up with my readings and blogging because I have focus a lot of time to my dissertation. However now it is completed, I will dedicate more time to this work.

In the main body of the class, we studied the homologus movement pattern, also known as the frog pattern. It marks the distinction between the upper and lower body. The movement to me, is symmetrical with both legs together and then both arms together. The movement mainly uses the sagital/ wheel plane of movement. I enjoyed learning about this, because it is something I have not studied before and I find it interesting.

22.01.14 - Workshop with Cecilia Macfarlane

In this workshop, we learnt about the differences between therapy and therapeutic. From our discussion, I now understand that therapy is a form treatment in which a professional gives therapy to someone on a one to one basis. The term therapeutic is something that relaxes us for example, it could be shopping or watching television, it is something that can be done individually without the help of a professional. In the following Experiential Anatomy lesson (24.01.14), we discussed what we had learnt and taken away from Cecilia's workshop and what questions had been provoked.

- Speaking and listening is a form of therapy

- Energy does not always come from the obvious places

- Dance movement psychotherapy is a form of therapy. It is undertaken in a clinical setting, there is a client and therapist role and it is on a one to one basis.

- Dance artists offer therapeutic creative services. It is undertaken in a group setting and in a dance setting rather than a clinical setting.

24.01.14 - Experiential Anatomy

We started this lesson by creating a homologus movement phrase that we shared with a partner and then with another partnership. We were focusing on where the intention of the movement was initiated from. This was a real turning point and discovery for me personally. I realised that, "you don't have to dance identically to have the same intention in moving."

After this, we studied the homelateral movement pattern, also known as the lizard pattern. This is where the right arm and right leg move together, and the left arm and left leg move together.

31.01.14 - Experiential Anatomy

At the start of the lesson we began working with a partner. I noted the differences between mine and Chelsea's movement. Chelsea worked with the homelateral pattern, balance, folding and vertical plane. On the other hand, I worked with the homologus pattern, sweeping movements and was more grounded to the floor.  

We continued the progression with movement patterns and focused on the contralateral movement pattern. It focuses on the relationship between opposites in the body and is present in mammals. It differentiates between the 4 quadrants of the body. This movement pattern allows us the crawl, walk and run.



Study Group Tutorial (December)

I found the study group tutorial really helpful because I was able to ask questions about areas I was still unsure of. I think it is also helpful for tutors to see the progress we make outside of lessons as well as in.

My Questions

• Could you explain the difference between Yield and Push/ Reach and Pull in more detail?

I already understood:
Yield and Push - Establishing your own personal kinesphere.
Reach and Pull - Breaking through the kinesphere.
However I still did not understand this fully.
Natalie explained:
Yield and Push - Inner focus.
Reach and Pull - Hearing/ seeing out into the world.

• With hands on cellular touch the pressure is dependent on the partners preference. Is there a point where it becomes too much and therefore, becomes another form of touch?

Natalie explained:
The answer is yes, if cellular touch becomes too firm, it can become muscular touch or boney touch.


My Findings
Being given these questions to answer for the group tutorial helped me to discover new things that I had not understood/ realised previously.

• When doing some additional reading, I discovered a technique called Eutony. In the reading, it explained that this technique a distinction is made between touch and contact. This lead me to question if there is a distinction between the two in BMC?

• Homologous, Homolateral, Contelateral Movement. It wasn't until Release Based Contemporary, when I found it difficult to initiate crawling with my legs that I really undertood this concept I had read about! It was a real light bulb moment for me and I was able to understand why I fould this difficult and what sort of mover I am.

December Blog Post

25th November- 13th December

15.11.13 - Improvisation and Instant Composition
In this lesson I had a lot of questions... Am I copying? Am I following? Do I fill in the gaps? Am I in the way? Am I restricting movement?
I found this task confusing to be honest, each time we did it with a different partner, I still couldn't get into it. However, the final time we did it, I felt I could completely comprehend. I realised that I didn't have to copy to be a part of the dance. I complimented in a way that felt right to me.

29.11.13- Feldenkrais
I felt that in this particular lesson I learnt something that Feldenkrais hadn't taught me in previous lessons. We learnt about the four cardinal (?) points of the body. Baring weight on two hands and two feet. I was able to test my balance in a simplistic way without complicating it with grand movements. I suppose I really understood the purpose of this technique, to take things back to basics.

6.12.13 - Experiential Anatomy
In this lesson, we were talking about the structure of the spine. Typically, you would think that it is rigid and straight however, if you think of all the ways in which the spine can be moved, it is quite malleable. When drawing a picture, I drew honeycomb because it represents the spaces in between the spine.

November Blog Post

24th October- 22nd November

 

Another month has passed far too quickly and there are plenty of things to blog about. So...

 

29th October - Release Based Contemporary

 

My Focus for this lesson was quiet ribs. I always thought that they were generally quiet in class anyway and haven't noticed any changes in other styles of dance either. However, the week before, when jumping, I noticed tension in my shoulders and my chest which changed the way I held my upper body. This week, I wanted to pay particular attention to this area in order to improve it.

 

Landing Exercise One: In this exercise, when leaning backwards over the legs, I have a tendency to arch my back and drop my head backwards. However, after talking about the head to tail connection a lot recently I realised that I needed to keep the connection in this movement also. Since, I keep my tail bone, spine and head in a straight line.

 

 

 

1st November - Experiential Anatomy

 

In this lesson, we focused on the Naval Radiation Pattern (Star Fish Pattern). We were given a task in which we had to lie in the star fish position and visualise a colour dispersing from the centre of the body and out to the limbs. This was a very clear and vivid image for me, and instantly made me think about this video below...

 

 

 

 

 

 



4th November - Improvisation and Instant Composition

Today, both Katye's group and Polly's group worked together. In this lesson, we began working with levels in moving, for example:
Level 1 - Floor
Level 2 - Sitting
Level 3 - Pelvis lifted off floor
Level 4 - Standing

We then worked with the notion of curling and uncurling the spine. I moved in a way that my body arched forwards over the legs and then backwards into a high release. I imagined this, as a flower with two leaves arching in different directions. In my journal I tried to reflect this in my drawing.

 

5th November - Release Based Contemporary

Today, we were asked to reflect on the aspirations we set ourselves at the beginning of the year. I feel that I working consistently in class to maintain my concentration levels. I sometimes feel now that I can't always fully engage, but I still continue the movement to try to recapture this again.

I feel that I want to make the most of my final year of training because classes will be less accessible to me as a dancer when I graduate.




8th November - Experiential Anatomy

In this lesson, we discussed the Mouthing Pattern and how the mouth and digestive system offers a line of support through the body. After moving with an awareness of the digestive system, this is the drawing I created.

 

For me, I see the digestive system as one long line travelling from the mouth, through to the stomach and to the intestine. At the intestine, this line becomes a tangle and a maze inside the body. This is what the picture portrays.




18th November - Skinner Releasing Technique

I received a lot of useful feedback during this session when moving alone and in contact with a partner. This feedback was:

Keep moving forwards, not backwards
Keep eyes closed
Keep chest open, not closed (front surface)
Keep pelvis in contact with partner.

I think that this feedback reflects things I have previously tried to improve but in the moment of dancing, this time, they have slipped my mind. In second year, I began to work with the idea of moving forwards because I received that as feedback then as well. I have always struggled to keep my eyes closed in certain tasks and clearly this is reflected in the feedback I received again today. I have not previously noticed my chest being closed before but when it was pointed out to me today, I could see why this correction had been pointed out to me. In future, I am going to try to be aware of this feedback when working in partners again. I feel like the last snip it of feedback sometimes applies to me but sometimes doesn't. When working in partners, it is important to apply a lot of pressure and receive that pressure back in order for Contact Improv to work. Sometimes, if I do not receive enough weight off my partner, I am reluctant to give them my weight and risk falling over! Depending on how I work with a particular partner depends on how I respond to this sort of task and today, I couldn't give my weight as it did not feel safe to.

In this lesson, we also worked with the arms as sails, from the shoulder to the little finger and down the length of the body. The spine was a rope hanging down the centre. With this imagery, I felt expansive, wide, seeing out, fluid, swirls of energy,
continuous movement...

 

I was given feedback in which it was explained to me that I needed to be able to fold more easily in the hip, knee and ankle joints when moving. I understand this as usually, I tend to fold only at the hip joints.

Reoccurring Theme

Across the variety of classes during the week, I am noticing one particular theme that seems to have transpired throughout. This is the notion of condensing and expanding.

 
In Released Based Contemporary, we have been working with condensing and expanding. At the start of the lesson, we have been asked to move with this in mind.  It also feeds in to the phrases we have been doing. Continuously through the phrase there are moments when the one will counter act the other.

 
In Experiential Anatomy, we have been working with the naval radiation pattern (starfish). Alike the start of the Release Based Contemporary classes, we have been asked to condense and expand passing through the star fish position.


In Improvisation/ Instant Composition, we have breifly touched on curling and uncurling which to me, is very similar to condesing and expanding and evokes a similar approach to moving.

Working Together

In this lesson, all 3 year groups were put together. I  think it was the first lesson with all of us and therefore I was looking forward to working with people I hadn't worked with before. I made a conscious effort to work with as many people as I could in order to gain new experiences. a lot of the work was similar to what I had done before but I realised that each time brings new challenges and obstacles. Even if it has been done before you can still learn from it. I think that was the most poignant moment for me, not the movement itself but the realisation.

We tried helping each other to the floor by hold the hips and falling to the floor. I was trying to do this at arms length which made it difficult. To make it easier for myself and a partner I had to be closer to their body. Once I had grasped this, it was much easier and the movement was more fluid.

17th October

Last lesson, we had to find a neglected space within Ellen Terry to observe and make notes about. Our homework was to find neglected items to bring into our next lesson.
With these items we made a sculpture.
This was the sculpture that Hannah and I created...

This was the first completed sculpture, before we went to find more objects...

Improv 10/10/12

We started by working in pairs with a connection between our spines. We had to feel each others breath through the back. We then had to move but keeping this connection through the spine. I was working with Hannah Gray. After the task we spoke about how I was very engaged in the task and therefore I wanted to explore more. On the other hand, Hannah did not feel as ready as I did and therefore she was more reluctant to try bigger movements.
 
The task progressed and we came into larger groups. It was an odd feeling as we couldn't see who we were working with and therefore we had no judgements of how they were moving and how I should move around them. I feel if I had known before who I was connecting with, I wouldn't have been as open and willing in my movement.
 
After this, we regrouped into our pairs for the next task. This was to find a neglected, empty space within Ellen Terry to sit and observe. We needed to write down what we noticed in the space but individually. After, we could compare our notes.
 
Here is what I noticed:

 



We found that Hannah wrote more literal notes whereas mine were less obvious. I feel that I did this conciously so that I could find deeper things rather than just scraping the surface.

I really enjoyed this lesson more than expected. I think since last year, my preconceptions of this lesson have changed and now I can fully understand and appreciate them. I can find a deeper meaning to things and use this to benefit my individual dance practise.

Dance and Disability Discussion

Wednesday 29th February

We spent time during our Improvisation lesson to discuss dance and disability. It is something that I haven't worked with before coming to University and therefore, I am interested to learn more about it.

We spoke about the difference between the disabilities you can see and those that you can't. As a member of Perspective Dance Company, I work with both Karen and Fiona very closely who both have disabilities, so I have began to experience first what it is like. I find it the same as any other class I would take normally. You have to work with things and around things but in the end it is still the same.

I enjoyed hearing Fiona perspective of dealing with Aspergers because I know she can find it difficult to communicate with people at times. Its nice to know more in order to be able to help her if she needs it.

"Different, not necessarily bad."  Fiona Butler

Karen lead a workshop with Hayley on how she has to adapt the practical work in order to accommodate the movement she has in her body. The movements have the same principle but just done in a slightly different way.

Overall, I'm glad I know more about it because it is something I could consider for the future but also helping the people around me now.

Images from our Objects Lesson

These are the images taken in the Improvisation lesson inspired by Collect, Categorise, Recycle.

This is the sculpture we made and put ourselves into.

Collect, Categorise, Recycle

Wednesday 22nd February
Old Lanchester Gallery

After our improv lesson inspired by the idea of Collect, Categorise, Recycle we actually went to go and see what they had been doing. I was a durational piece starting at 10am and lasting until 3pm. The group had collected items such as plastic bags, bottle tops, paper, china and material over several weeks. These items could then be organised into different categories such as size order, colour and material type.

They encouraged people to bring unwanted items to add to the collection and then take away any items if they wanted them. It was a recycling process, given something away in exchange for something new. People were also encouraged to join in with the organising process.

By the time we got to them, a lot of the clothing had been taken away. We joined in and help them organise the collection into colours and size before creating one final picture.

Once they had finished and they were tidying up, I decided to look through some of the items to see if there was anything I wanted. I looked through the papers they had brought with all their class notes on. I managed to find a book list that may help me as well as notes about a particular artist we were recently looking at. I also took the book of notes created by Influx in the first term for the performance projects to look at and find inspiration from.

After getting involved and helping the 2nd and 3rd dancers, it made me want to do a project like this one at some point. It probably feels like a long time when your doing it but it looked really fun too.

Pictures to follow

Our really fun lesson! :)

Our lesson today was inspired by the 2nd and 3rd year performance in the Old Lanchester Gallery, Collect, Categorise, Recycle.

We had to collect 3 items from around the room and get into a group of 3. We had to create sculptures with the items by taking it in turns to move one at a time. We had the chance to observe everyone elses sculptures as well.

We moved around the room rearranging other sculptures too. Then, we had to create a group sculpture as a whole group. This is when people became more creative with the way and where they placed objects. We had the cd player playing a cd, sticky tapestuck half the length of the studio.

After we had caused chaos doing this, we put ourselves into the sculpture. People tucked under blankets, under chairs, sitting on chairs, under books...

We then had to pick an item to explore individually. I picked a flask to move with. I rolled it around the floor and experimented with the inside space.

After this we had to tidy it all away!!!! :(

Even though we had used completely random items you could still see it being something artistic. We created a still image/ sculpture by comstantly moving.

Here are my words to describe what I thought of the lesson.

Free Writing.

Tepid, cold floor, warm body, cold outside, happy, thinking, thoughtful, waiting, hoping, success, 1 day left, nearly there, excited, conscious, annoying, tonight, windy, dull, black, purple, cosy, shower, spoke to someone new, sniveling, walk, strawberry, apple, labels.

Improv Task

We had to continue the task in groups of three from the previous lesson.  Beginning  by taking the weight of the arms and then finishing by echoing the movements of the middle person. Here are my thoughts on this:

• I found it hard to grasp my arms doing two completely different things even though I knew I wasn't in control. I felt really unco-ordinated.
• Lifting the shoulder blades was a nice feeling. It felt as though space was created within and belowe my rib cage.
• When I was lifting the others shoulder blades, I didnt realise how high they would go. They seem really tollerent to a lot of force.
• When the arms were being brushed as I moved them it reminded me of how seaweed floats.
• I found it hard to transition from my arms being lead to then leading them myself. Almost felt unsure and insecure.
• I didnt feel the touching was beneficial for me. I dont quite know why but it didnt help. I found it hard to continue touching someone and echo them at the same time. I couldnt co-ordinate myself.
• Being copied felt unnatural. Maybe this is because I was sandwiched between two people who couldnt predict what I was going to do next. I felt restricted.
• Maybe I would have found different results with different people.

Free Writing

When I am part of a group, I feel... connected, close, together, unity, comfortable, safety, aware, looking, bonded, one, eye contact, sense, touch, feel, body contact, contact improvisation, exploring...


As an individual, I like being... expressive, classical, flowing, unique, my own person, quiet, frustrated, warm, cosy, security, happy, having friends, being appreciated by others, equal, being cared for, having someone close to me, having people who love me around me, freedom, expression, light...
 


A constellation of... star, planets, shapes, pattern, universe, group, lines, colours, frames, shooting stars, rocks, balance, thinking, daily pattern, movements, organisation...



Between people there is... tension, relationship, connection, energy, love, freedom, reliance, safety, ability, comfort, space, distance, closeness, searching, unity, acceptance, bonding, coming together, emotions, feelings, wishes and regrets, anything, possibilities, opportunities, chances, meetings, partnership, soul mate, nothing, forgetting what you have...

Improvisation

Friday 2nd December 2011

In this lesson we talked about how the body twists and curves. We experimented with ways in which we could move the body and then had to draw about our experience. These drawings show how I interpret the way we moved and how I imagine it to look.

Improvisation

Friday 11th November 2011

We took part in a task thinking about the relationship between our skin and the floor. I found this easy to understand and grasped the concept quickly. Here are some things I noticed:

• Smooth floor helped me to move with ease. Almost gliding.
• Floor felt cold in contrast to the skin.
• Different parts of my body felt a different temperature against the floor.
• I subconsciously responded to changes in the music.

Here is my drawing to explain this. Rather than it being a drawing, I used words to describe how I felt. I coloured the background in so it looked smooth, in keeping with the way I felt about the task.

When I'm Playing...

When I’m playing… I feel, open, free, unstoppable, creative, loose, wide, articulating, smooth, soft, easy to move, fluid, spontaneous, jumping.

http://hometown-pasadena.com/events/a-weekend-for-your-soul/

Axial and Apendage Skeleton

Left Image: Apendage Skeleton
Right Image: Axial Skeleton

In our Improvisation classes, we have learnt the difference between the two types of skeleton. The axial skeleton consists of the skull, spine and pelvis. The apendage skeleton includes the arms and legs. We had to move with each skeleton individually. I found when moving with the axial skeleton, my movements were slow and controlled. I was really concentrating on initiating with the skull, spine and pelvis and then my other body parts had to follow. However, when I lead with the apendage skeleton, my movements were very free and fast, almost like I had no control. I was producing quirky movements that I hadn't before.