Discussions surrounding the reading Touch: Experience and knowledge (2011) informs us of touch being a lead, a stimulus. I personally feel that this article informs a lot of knowledge however comes across as repetitive just wrote differently. I also have strong opinions about safe practise and making touch meaningful this reading shows this clearly, adding on to this we are told about quality and quantity therefore suggesting the sensations of touch.
‘Touch has a concept of what exists outside us, this is based upon a sensation’ (P218) I experienced this during class when focussing on surfing and rolling, I had my eyes closed to concentrate and focus on sensations fully, I felt my partners clothes brush against me. I flowed through the movement with a relaxing manner.
The reading influenced how I feel within an improvisation, focussing on absorbing the feeling to experiment future engagements and trusts with others. We have been told in many readings and by Kirsty that ‘when you are touching something, it is touching you back’, this is called the reversibility concept, I used this method of thinking during class and made it my focus, how touch leads to a connection and connection leads to trust? I have not yet arranged an answer to this question however I assume I will in further movement experiments.
We communicated amongst the concept of ‘what is performance?’, everything is performance. I reminisced on our past experiences with ‘what is performance’ from last year with improvisation, it was clear to me that many things can be performance and there does not always have to be a correct answer.
I stumbled across this word in the reading and was mentioned during discussion, ‘Proprioception’ I understand this as sensations of movements caused from a felt sense, so touch as an example and how the touch has been placed with the pressure and speed used, how this can change an intention or idea with movement within our conscious and unconscious mind. Sensory receptors feed the body information about movement or placement pressure. I reminded myself to think openly about sensations in the body for Jam to experience ‘Proprioception’.
I explored that I needed breath to initiate the movement ‘Surfing and rolling’ over a partner’s abdomen and spine, which I previously mentioned within this blog. Finding the spinal connection when sitting with the waist arch, communication was used throughout with the partner to discuss weight transference and to check the partner was comfortable. I was sat observing other bodies move, noticing their habitual movements.
Observations of bodies with habitual movements.
Witnessing the connectivity of ‘Surfing and rolling’.
Jam; I was first to enter the space in jam, Chloe joined me. I could feel the anticipation for someone to enter. I felt very anxious, although I attempted my own improvisations connecting with just eye contact with Chloe, I then became more adventurous and comfortable during the space. I entered and exited 4/5 times, I found myself forming new or different relationships with bodies I had not explored with before and bodies I had. I appreciated responses bodies gave to me. I used the movement tool ‘surfing and rolling’ which we had learnt in the previous class, I negotiated with the bodies when and who would administer each role throughout the improvisation.
I thoroughly enjoyed our first jam and I received positive feedback from peers, Georgia stated ‘you make nice relationships with everyone you improvise with’ Rayanne said ‘your improvisations were really good today, it looked nice in your body’ these comments made me feel more confident about my improvisations and I will take them into consideration when exploring in future.
Touch:Experience and knowledge. Full Text Available By: Bannon, Fiona; Holt, Duncan. Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices, 2012, Vol 3 Issue ½, p215-227
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/cpdfordanceteachers.com/2012/05/31/what-is-proprioception/amp
Proprioception Definition- ‘The unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli’
www.dictionary.com/browse/proprioception