Elevation Phrase

This phrase is taken from the movement we have been studying in Andrea's Release Based Contemporary classes. The phrase doesn't have a name, but I have named it the elevation phrase based upon the nature of the movement included.

In class, we have been particularly focused on:

• Line of the body - from fingers, down the spine to the toes
• Elevation
• Use of space
• Landing with the heels on the floor
• Alignment of the knees over the toes
• Engaging the feet - not too little, not too much
• The pathway of the arms

Move It 2014

Representing Coventry University

This opportunity allowed me to develop my networking skills. I was approached by people who were interesting in offering opportunities in order to develop my future career. For example, workshops in a variety of dance genres and teaching opportunities. It also gave me a chance to ask others about their experiences and advice they would give me to kick start my career as a dance artist/ teacher.

3rd February - 28th February

This month feels like it has been a quiet one because it's shorter and we had reading week too. Anyway...


3.02.14 - Release Based Contemporary

During the first term, I was advised to explore folding in the hips, knees and ankles more, so I decided to do so in this lesson. I worked with the idea of folding and unfolding as a way to warm up for class. I found this new exploration intriguing but also tiring. To begin with, this new concept filled me with high energy, but I soon found myself fatigued. I began working with my eyes open but changed to eyes closed when I began to work on the floor with smaller, concentrated movements. When moving on the the next task in small groups, I felt as though I wanted to continue with my current practice. My findings in my movement made me want to further this enquiry.

I feel this is still an area of my practice that needs understanding and further exploration.



14.02.14 - Experiential Anatomy

In the warm up, I was particularly interested in the skin, touch and temperature. This isn't something I usually work with and I'm still not quite sure how this topic came up for me when I was moving?? I think I was interested in the temperature between my body and the floor surface I was working with. Maybe I should investigate this further in my self study practice?



24.02.14 - Release Based Contemporary

In this lesson, we worked with a method we have used before in Yr 2. The idea is to move for a certain period of time and then write for a certain period of time, this is then repeated serveral times. Instantly, I very focused in my moving and was exploring a new idea that I hadn't before. In my writing time, I used the free writing technique to express my thoughts and opinions of my work. I used words such as, curling, expanding, active, continuous, spiralling, open, unravelling, reaching, tangled, tipping, challenge... to name but a few. At the time, each of these words really explained what I was doing but now, they don't have much of a resembelance.

When doing this task previously, I found myself jumping from different focuses and stimuli whereas now, I found it much more effective to focus on one area and continue to develop this throughout the overall process. I also found the writing section easier each time that we did it.

I think this method really works well for me because I have time to both move and reflect. Sometimes I find moving for long periods of time quite tiring and I forget what cocepts I have been thinking of in my moving. This method allows time for both respectively.

Release Based Contemporary

I have enjoyed learning new phrases in this terms Release Based Contemporary lessons. This is just one of the many phrases we have learnt. Since recording this video, we have spent more time during lesson perfecting the technique aspects of the phrase, in particular, the turns to the corner and the falling into the run.

 

Take One

After watching this video, I realised there were some areas I could improve. In particular, I feel I could improve my arm line when leaning backwards after the balance to the back corner. My arms raise too high, they need to be parallel to my extended leg. I also feel I could improve the fall at the end of the sequence.

Here is the second take of the phrase including the improvements I made.

 

Take 2

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.