Month: November 2017

This week I am focusing on the reading ‘What’s the score?’ (Keefe, M. 2003) noting the influences it has given me, initiating ‘phenomenological’ approaches of improvisation’ being everywhere’, causing thought upon how the world accepts opinion during a score. Within restrictions we have instructions, within these we have rules, how can the score change movement? It can change in dynamic, speed and momentum, it can change with direction of touch. light/ heavy.

Including pedestrian every day life as a performance and improvisation which coincides with one another, expressing how it can be understood. Interlinking with ‘What is performance?’ (Carlson, M. 2010) informing us that performance can be anything, sometimes subtle and not noticeable as a performance by many but fulfilled of everyday life and how an individual approaches daily activities. I feel at first that the readings were complex however I have come to appreciate them as contradictions are good and there is not a correct or wrong answer as each individual feels differently and will judge an opinion due to experiences related to the topic.

I feel that when thinking about ‘score’ during improvisation it gives more structure, causing restrictions many of times fulfilling explorations that may naturally of not been found, however using ‘score’ can influence explorations without being fully aware.

I continuously think about staying with it, fighting for explorations. Whether exciting moments will take place? Awareness of new investigations in own body and in others, ready to find these patterns maybe another time.

Do we have time to think before we move?

‘Improvisation sets a sense of play’ Kirsty told us to think about this, how can our improvisations become playful, i thought to have fun with it maybe, enjoy the sensations of adrenaline which arise over the body during explorations finding new pathways to enter and exit a bodies connection.I take this forward for the next few weeks.

Carlson, M. (2010) What is Performance? In: Bial, H. The Performance Reader. London: Routledge, 70-75.

Keefe, M. What’s the Score? Improvisation in Everyday Life. In Albright, A. C., & Gere, D. (2003). Taken by suprise: A dance improvisation reader. Middletown, Conneticut: Wesleyan University Press. Pp 229-238

Research Labs wk7

I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the research labs, I fully found myself I feel that I attempted everything and was able to do this by not worrying of falling. I tried everything with a great open mind. I felt in these research labs I lost of what it needs to look like and focussed on exploring. We had been asked to question spiralling& twisting. I did this throughout contact with Kye, I fully threw myself into it. The experiments we made felt nice in both of our bodies. I tried to use some tools we had learnt from previous weeks but explore transitions and how movement takes you into constant findings making more exciting adventures with the bodies. I spiralled my body around Kye, hooking myself around playing with what can be made. Also using dynamics to enhance momentum.

 

My Research Lab

We are going to explore balance, body support, weight transference, consciousness and maintaining full awareness and listening each other’s bodies.

How do we know when a partner is ready to receive full weight?

 

 

I gave questions to inform improvisations during the jams we produced for the dancer’s influence.

How does it feel to work with a body you’re not so used to?

Are explorations minimalised?

Movements seem to be slower as you find the connections, can you still find the connection but with momentum enforcing quicker movements?

I feel that our research lab went well and saw new movements I had never seen in my peers bodies and may inform them to take more risks however having the full awareness of connection but maybe playing with momentum a little more as my observation was that because the dancers were focusing on connection momentum was lost and dynamics were dull.

The ‘Exposed to Gravity’ reading initiated thoughts of my contact experiences, “As both of us maintain this bodily-felt relationship to weight exchange and shared movement and stay open to sudden impulses and influences upon either of our bodies, a playful, energetic and innovative dance is created” (Ptashek, A, 1988. p160) My thoughts took me back to jam last week how it was our first week on ‘UP’ and I explored weight on my back walking, focussing on the feelings of gravity and where it is centred. However after research labs this week I found the “playful, energetic and innovative” (Ptashek, A, 1988. P160) within a groups research lab of experimenting with ‘standing’ and ‘floor’ gave restrictions and was interesting as Kye had improvised floor contact and I had done standing, to then mix and feedback to one another allowing relations and having freedom to stand and be on the floor gave a more interesting improvisation when experienced with Kye, I tried using my body to fly and wrap around his body whilst sharing equal weight throughout the improvisation. I was so focussed and mainatined strong awareness of my and partners body.

 

Curtis, B. (1988). Exposed to Gravity. Contact Quartely/ Contact Improvisation Sourcebook I, Vol. 13. Pp156-162

Due to injury I was unable to participate in the Tuesday session, however I observed and witnessed the tasks and tools which were given to explore. I found that watching others enhanced my learning of strengths and weaknesses, it also made me more engaged on the fluidity of the interlinking movements.

I witnessed first hand when the centre of gravity goes to far over the partner causing the structure to be unbalanced, therefore they will collapse. Remembering to be aware of own weight and correct placing when going ‘Up’ as these are extremely important.

Initially I was anxious of entering the space, as we hadn’t jammed in two weeks. We had Fenia jamming with us and Tess playing the drums and peers using other instruments which created a more generic, unique and focused jam as a whole. I fully concencentrated and picked up on the musicality from the composition of instruments. Firstly when entering the space I walked around, allowing myself to feel accepted I created a relationship wi Sammy, my anxiety was eased when jamming in the space however my body felt tense therefore I was not in the space long at all.

I explored the instruments (maraca) composing and gathering myself until I felt ready to re-enter the space. I did so and made some nice explorations with Kelsea. We did have times were we lost connection when attempting new ideas which caused  stops and pauses this therefore caused a decrease in momentum. I took myself away and tried to from the relationship again with Kelsea, I had not worked with her before this jam. I felt that I was repeating movements and getting stuck in table top. I left the space awaiting to form a new relationship with someone so I can experiment with this weeks tools.

I made interesting works with Courtney, using the ‘Up’ tools.

Facing opposite directions-Seesaw exercise

I was intrigued to try this exercise out as I missed out from the Tuesday session because of my injury. I found connections through the spine and side of the middle kinesphere during this exercise. I attempted my relationship with Courtney using knowledge and tools from previous weeks, we had been jamming for a while and pauses caused uncomftability so we left the space.

When entering the space I knew I would be working with Hannah as she had entered and was not creating contact with another body. I knew I worked well before with her so I empowered my explorations through this relationship, I found that I was most exporative wuth her. I found my spine as a jigsaw with Hannah and allowed her to hang over me. I walked travelling the space with this extra weight finding how the weight could be transferred playing with this sensation through the body. I was fully aware of safe practise during the ‘Up’ tools on the middle kinesphere.

We were given instructions and prompts from Kirsty:

“Don’t leave the space”

“Everyone in the space”

“Use the instruments, don’t be afraid”

“Only leave the space for no longer than 1 minute”

“Work with everyone”

I took these instructions and attempted to work with multiple bodies however it formed a relationship of myself and Chloe, we ended the jam with everyone taking to the floor.

During this jam I had to focus on my injury( shoulder) so I was apprehensive of taking weight, although throughout jam I fixed with other bodies not causing any strains.

Throughout my learnings this week I encountered the two forces of gravity, which arose within the reading, these being weight and force(Woodhull, A. 1979.Pp43-48). We are informed that equal weight from each person is vitalothersie one will fall. I have personally experienced this in warm-up exercises where weight is transferred through the middle kinesphere (back to back using the arms to keep connected) giving equal weight when back to back so there is the availability to explore this movement.

How important is balance?

We are influenced by understandings of how height of the centre of gravity affects stability. From experience this does make you less stable when being high during this sensation I feel vulnerable as my full trust is in my partner. Therefore u can reflect to Woodhull.

This weeks session and jam have made me think about ideas for my research lab.

How do we know when a partner is ready to receive full weight?

Does thinking of centre lines, kinespheres and planes help our composition when thinking of improvisation with another body- how can we use this knowledge to create exploratory contact?

Woodhull, A. Centre of Gravity. (1979) Contact Quartely/ Contact Improvisation Sourcebok I, Vol 4, Pp 43-48.