On the present moment

It was the last Contact Improvisation class/assessment/session. Well, at least here, at Lincoln university. I guess majority of girls felt quite sad about it… We did really like this module! In my opinion, C.I. works absolutely different in comparison to our other modules. For instance, you can predict what is going to happen in technique classes or what kind of class structure we will have. I am not saying that is bad, it is just that personally, I found C.I. and jam practices much more relaxing and kind of flexible, because it helps to develop both technique and creativity skills at the same time. Of course, I had plenty of days when I was struggling to make a solid contact with another person, or sometimes I felt bored by myself, but I hope as soon as I can notice all those things, it means that there is a progression. Anyway, I wish we had contact and jam classes all year round for all three years…  Continue reading “Week 10: The End”

This week I was more like an absorber in the lesson, which is great, because I had absolutely different experience while watching people improvising both in duet and solo. Also, it was very interesting that every time we have to prepare our Research Labs, somehow all groups are focusing to the same idea. Last time people we questioning eye contact and how to feel comfortable with someone, and this time Dynamics were the main interest for everyone. I found it quite impressive that actually a lot of people trying to cope with the same issues in contact, because usually it looks like people really know what they are doing and are very confident with their improvisation skills (apart from me, of course). Anyways, the most beautiful thing I saw in this lecture, was when the Group 1 asked people to imagine that they are weightless and move together. As a member from the ‘audience’, I did not want them to stop this task. I saw performing bodies! I wanted to be there as well! It was clear to see that imagery really wakes up our awareness, but then I was thinking how not to forget to think about imagery when you jamming and especially when you are not leaded? Continue reading “Week 8: Research Labs”

This week Contact Improvisation and Jam sessions did not feel right to me. I do believe that body and mind play very important role in this dance practice and I think that I have been losing that connection since the very first beginning…  Continue reading “Week 7: Exposed to Gravity”

I think The Reading Week is a bad idea for dance students, because it takes us couple of weeks to wake up our dancing bodies after the summer break and then, when we finally feel in the right place and the right time, we receive a break again, which really makes us to loose the balance! After all, I thought that participation in CI was going to be even much more complicated, but here I was completely wrong! Contacting and dancing with Georgie in the beginning of the class, was one of the best experience I have ever had! Hence, I am not too sure whether that was because I missed dancing while being away from uni, or maybe a week off  really helped my body and mind to sort out all the information I have received within 5 weeks: both practical and theoretical.

To make thing more interesting this week, it was the first time when I understood the reading text through the practice! To be more specific, when I was reading the Center of Gravity at home, I was very worried, how am I going to reflect it in the class and my blog as the given information and examples sound quite confusing in the paper. However, when we started to move and do various lifting exercises, the image of doughnut, which was mentioned in the text, suddenly appeared in my mind and made sense for everything! Also, the text’s author says that in CI in order to move, we change the center of gravity and by shifting center of gravity we are allowing gravity to do the rest which means that this is the way how we can find new movements and go away from our habitual movement pattern. That is why our lecture always keeps repeating to us not to be afraid to risk to do something. Risk really might help us to move in a way we have never thought we could! So, that made me cautions, but in a good way – I really want to find and build something when dancing.

When it comes to the exercises we did on Wednesday, all of them were quite challenging. While lifting girls, I understood, that it is absolutely true that the body weight does not influence your dancing with a partner at all. It is all about my strength. It made me be more aware of how to use my core properly and I think I need to work on strengthening my arms now.Also, I was very surprised when I was lifting Lizzy (the exercise when we were bouncing partner’s shoulders down while she was jumping), because she seemed weightless to me! How is that possible? How is the gravity works here? Is that because of mementos? Although, the other exercise I did with Claire was a little bit more complicated. I needed to lift her while she was running to me. Here everything was alright with Claire, it was just me, I did not know how to use my body, how to engage my muscles and how to find her hips and knee as soon as she jumped to me. And that was my fault, because it is in my responsibility to make it sure that my partner is going to have a solid response from me when contacting. And it is not necessary only when it comes to this lesson. It is just always in CI…

Before this lesson, I was thinking more how to improve my moving habits and not to be boring while improvising, and now, I found some more goals to reach in CI. One of them is how to be useful as a partner. Because only a good partner can guarantee you a valuable experience in the session.