Beginnings (Reflections on my moving body )

My body feels so different from where I left it with last year's movement studies.
I feel a lot more open to new ideas and movement.
My aim over the next few months, is to become more confident within my own body and my own movement.

Get to know myself and what my body needs.

Constantly falling

Constantly falling / lowered

Smoothly

Presence

Referring to my thoughts at the beginning of the year
             "I am interested in the use of imagery and how it can enable and aid natural and organic movement. I am also interested in learning more about my body and understanding how it moves and applying this to technique and phrase based movement"

Through my movement studies I have also realised that I have started using this research of my body to create new movements.

MY MOVEMENT IS MORE THAN VALID
Be clear with movement working through the body every body part as clear as the last

Using every body part to expand to try and expand my movement vocabulary
Moving for myself but with presence, being sure of movement

Two halves

Unbalanced
Reminding with hands on each side of the body seperately
Not an exploration
Felt I needed to explore more

Fire

Saju Hari
Punctuating my movement being strong and owning it
Never average movement because you think it could be wrong
Averaging will only make wrong movement look worse

How cool ? How smooth ? 19.2.12

Every muscle in my body wanted to be stretched and played with, eased out and looked after

ATTENTION

Pathways

Silk Scarf Improvisation

Imagery taken from SRT session last year and from a filmed class (DVD) led by J. Skinner.

Image of a silk scarf being lowered onto the floor.
I chose this to work with, because I think it is an interesting image and gives the opportunity to work with different aspects. Folding, Stacking, Fluidity, Softening, Spiral, Continuity, Suspension.

At first working with the idea of my body being the scarf, imitating the movements.

This felt quite limiting and I felt that I was repeating similar movements often.
Distraction from the imagery, having to remind myself with simple movements.
Reminded me to use my torso.

I could of worked my way through each body part, much like the silk scarf.

Articulation

Articulation
African Dance
Feel out of my depths
Closed myself off
Vulnerable
Uncomfortable
How can something like this cause such a strong reaction?

Listen 1/11/11

I find it difficult not to get distracted by other senses and overwhelmed with sounds. Is the distraction a useful/good thing?

Some noise made me jump
Breath filling a hollow space, swirling
Belly noise,
Sharp,
Memorable
Musical scales lifted body from the insisde and imitated falling inside
Sounds reverberated depending on pitch and volume

Don't usually notice the sounds when walking. - Something I do many times a day but never pay attention to.

There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair,
And there is another sunshine,
Though it be darkness there;
Never mind faded forests, Austin,
Never mind silent fields.
Here is a little forest,
Whose leaf is evergreen;
Here is a brighter garden,
Where not a frost has been;
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum:
Prithee, my brother,
Into my garden come!


Welcoming
Calling
Opening

Expressing self through words is very different from expressing through dance and words

Voice is part of the moving body - how it changes when moving

Need to find comfort and confidnece working at all levels

Witnessing myself work: Uncomfortable
Look tense and strained, not natural

Dance Transformations Symposium

We are our own archive!
Does anyone want to see the process in a commercial environment?
Do we look for sameness or difference in inclusive dance? (do we need to sub-group?)
     Unison
     Human nature impulse to work as a unit but also individually
What does it mean to be an artist?
     Always wanting more, Responsibility, uniqe way of seeing the world
Is art only art if recognised as art? (Context)
What is the role of criticism in inclusive dance? (again do we need to sub-group?)
     Who is allowed to critique?
     Are there different standards by which we are critical, depending on the artist?
     Depends which stage the dancers are at.
Where does inclusive work sit within the broader dance ecology?
     Why are there labels?
     'Gatekeepers' controlling access to dance
     Seperate selves?
At what point does an artist need to go it alone?
When is the playing field level?
     Does anyone ever go it alone?
     Not constrained
     Never a level playing field for anyone
     Building up resources to deal with barriers.
How do we own our choreography?
     Acknowledgement? Belong to? Share? Embody?
     Why do we need to own?

Reflection of self

Recently noticing my focus and awareness has developed.

Beginning of the year I asked myself what it meant to be active whilst just walking or in stillness.

After today I feel I have a slightly better understanding.
I think I can thank SRT for this as I felt I connected to the concepts given.

More aware now, I think, of my awareness of my own body and others'.

Bones, Muscle, Skin

Cecillia Macfarlane

Focus on reflection and evaluation.
Dance being the most stereotypical art form (certain expectations)
Diversity

EMPOWERMENT

PASSION

TRANSLATE

FACILITATE

CREATIVE

What stops you?
What blocks you?
Why?

What surprised you?
What do you celebrate about your dance?
What makes you different today?

Term 2 begins

First session after the break - incredibly uncomfortable (need to focus on own body and own movement, not what anyone else thinks)
Felt as if I was larger than anyone else, stood out in a negative way.
Just because first day back after lengthy break?
Why is it so difficult to be focused on task and not on insecurities?

Reflection on blog

During solo choreography I felt that the blog was completly seperate from my dance progression. Need to share on the blog more often.

Need to look at the blog on a large scale, the reason for carrying on.
Question everything. Comment on other blogs. Don't restrict to dance course only, include inspirations.

Don't restrict, it's personal.