Improvisation- Steph

Steph Class
ONLY SET PHRASES...we went through them very quickly and I feel like a lot of the details were lost, were simply not present. Sarah usually goes very fast through her phrases, but her explanations are very rich and valuable, fact that I didn't feel in Steph's class. She just threw movement to us without offering so much "brain work', but I need to admit that the energy was fantastique!!! At some point the movement was so fast and my arms and shoulders got so tensed and I could really feel that! In the next moment SRT principles came to my mind and I took a moment and a released all that unnecessary tension out of my arms and shoulders and the chance was amazing! I could dance faster and easier! I started to enjoy those quick movements and my body had more volume and I started to expand myself!

I also noticed that I don't enjoy doing set phrases anymore, I feel restricted and copying the one who is teaching. But I do enjoy improvising, I love when the movement comes from myself, it is natural and MINE!!! I fell free and alive what I do what I feel like doing! I feel this is a massive change for me and I think I am on the right track!!!

Improvisation Session- Gemma

We had a very different improvisation session beginning with some sequences and continuing with using the movement and voice. We played with the idea of a set and clear movement progression on a diagonal. It is interesting to see how a dance group perceive so differently a simple movement and what transformations it can suffer. A very playful class opening up some senses and pushing my boundaries. I couldn't cross some of them...like improvising from a certain word, so there is a negotiation of what I can or cannot do when I have a little audience. SPONTANEITY is a key work of the next game...the "fortunately and unfortunately" story: move while telling your story phrase.
It was a special experience, based on games and playing rather than serious body study, which is great to have sometimes...but not all the time!

Impro [27.01.2011] - Polly

Warm up- individually- 5 min.(stretching, running, relaxing, roll down)- relaxing music.
Bring the attention to the bones, one movement follows the next, and the next, and the next (bones of arms, shoulders, neck, shoulder blades)- bones fold and unfold...
Finding surprising ways to move perhaps, maybe those tissues around the bones soft somehow; moving from the structure-skeleton; follow where the movement tales you; duets between the bones of the skull and foot, or arms and legs, find new duets! become curious! allow to your attention to move to a new duet! the movement takes you somewhere in the space, on th floor or off the floor;

{ I'm sitting here, at the edges of the dance studio...observing the other dance students! Even if my whole body is in pain, I feel like dancing, like exploring some new movement, maybe some new duets! }

The feeling of stillness...they go to one side of the room, staying in their bones, skeleton, architecture.

• sitting, rolling, stretching, alignment, simple movement---> crossing the floor by expressing the simplicity of the structure, moving by unexpected ways, just keeping it simple!
• work in pairs---> crossing the floor( play with the architecture of the body and space between partners); being curious, how does it feel?

[Free writing: I AM.....Oana, bored, sick, happy, in love, ME, a dancer ands actress, I am in Coventry, I am a body, fluid, dangerous, free, beautiful, white, natural, 19, away, writing, skinny, sometimes alone, but also a big family...many families, I am celebrating myself everyday, I am a girl or a woman? I am following my body voice, originality, sensitivity! confused, scared...in the dance studio.]

I observed how energy changes during this session while receiving information and while practicing!

 

Impro [24. February.11]

We played a really interesting game today during our improvisation class, with Polly.
A group of 8 persons do normal things like: sitting, coming up, rolling, watching each other...
The idea as to feel where you were into that space and to be aware of relationships with the others, being confident and feeling comfortable with the idea of having people around and coming in contact with them.
As a witness I could observe how the people in the group started creating a particular society with specific habits and gesture. It is really interesting to observe how people build up relations just by being natural and not acting anything special.
I think this game is useful for my theater workshop that I need to deliver next Tuesday. I chose a different game but now I'm pretty sure this is the one I was looking for!
In my theater workshop I want to explore the idea of trusting each other and being comfortable with people touching. It is related as well the idea of working in partnership and teams, fact that develops confidence and trust.

Find a place to be...

Find a place to be; it may be somewhere that you are familiar with, or somewhere that is new to you, or somewhere that you are drawn to for a reason you cannot explain. Let your mind to go blank, let your thoughts float away like a cloud passing in the sky. Listen to the sound you can hear, write them down Pay you attention to things you can see and make some notes about this. Begin to notice how you feel, write or draw it down.

It is a totally new place for me! With new faces and sounds; crisps;
I'm in front of a music studio because I need to find new things in my life!
                            guitar             feelings                   tears                  words          Valentine Day
                                                             Tuesday

The first sound I can hear is the sound of my "inside voice".Guitar music! man voice, breathing, aaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

• the sound of my pen on the paper;
• different instruments, violent, funny, rhythm, beat, laugh, talent, ~~~~~~
• steps...harder and much stronger, it goes deep inside; it stops...it starts again, WHY? ...life-cycle;
• variations;
• hop hop hop hop, feet, adidas, nike, taratarrr atatataratata ratatara...

It gives me power to go over my problems, pure, natural, perfect sound, heart, love, art; Daaaaaaaa

- The longest one! second!

-Smiling, purity, inside, open, forgive and forget...slow...sad :( :( :( what's next?...curious, scared, suspense, voices, influence, again, boring, lalalala

-> after just a few comments and sounds! Steps, stress, annoying