Here is another weekly round up of something I have read, watched, practiced and done. I will be keeping these posts short for a while as I am a sliding gracefully down into the deep, dark depths of my PhD thesis and I am openly admitting that I don’t really have the mental bandwidth for more writing. Send me lots of productivity!
Something I have watched
Anyone who is interested in movement will have already watched “Move” on Netflix. It is a TV series that explores how world-renowned choreographers have and are continuing to shape dance as an artform. I have only watched the episode on Ohad Naharin so far. I love the work Gaga movement language he pioneered and to see more of the work he does with his dance company Batsheeva Dance Company. Here are some poignant and paraphrased expressions from this episode.
- Dance is an intimate act that you can do alone
- Mirrors spoil the soul of the dancer
- Gaga technique looks like you are losing yourself, but in fact, you are finding it
- Always be aware of weaknesses in your body
- Always hope to discover something new in your training
- Asymmetry exists in the body. Use it!!
- Move one part of your body with your whole being
- Find chaos in composition and use it
Something I did
If you want to learn more about my previous post, Pol(e)arity of Self, you can catch up with my Instagram Lives’ IGTV here. I talk about process and offer a movement task for the viewer, which, of course, you can participate in during your viewing.
Quote I am thinking about…
Can we perform our work with the intention and hope to reach total resolution? (Pagnas, 2015).
My automatic answer to this question is yes! Subjectivity, self-knowing, reflections, art, understanding through reading audiences, reaching conclusions about different versions of self…
A task I completed as part of my practice
I gave myself the task to develop a piece of movement material that already existed. I chose to challenge myself with a phrase of erotic dance movement that I was currently working on for one of my online classes. The movement was stylised, seductive and directed towards a self indulgent gaze. My task was to fragment the movement, make it less attractive, less isolated to certain body parts, weighty and paced differently. This task, that was originally intended to be a warmup, ended up keeping me occupied for 40 minutes and I had a lot to write about afterwards.
Thanks for reading. I hope you are ok.
Rowena x
I will be back with more notes next week, but in the meantime, you can see my daily updates by following me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook