Final Blog

My final blog!  My aim is to determine where I think I have improved, in what, have my personal goals been accomplished, am I more aware of my body.  Will I use this knowledge in the future and how?  What are the biggest insights I have noticed and felt throughout writing this blog.

As you may have noticed in most of my previous blogs I talk about my back.  This is because I find and feel that this has the weakest and the least amount of movement range and restricts me a little. From writing this blog and having to really consider and think about it, I have been trying to focus on it more in class. I am currently being choreographed for a solo and this is very much based on the spine.  I was cautious at first knowing the little movement I have in my back but do feel that the techniques we have learnt about and practiced have helped me with this choreography.  I have been aware of the workings of the spine through the techniques we have practiced and feel that they have possibly helped me personally extend the range of movement in that area within the solo choreography. Working on the blog has helped me to reflect as well, it really helps to put the practical nature of our classes into 'the whole'.   I have realised I have to put my body into different positions to get to the actual positions needed and stop compensating for the lack of the movement in another part of the body.  An example I have used is about about my middle back curve and how I used to compensate for my middle back by using my plie more when in fact this was hindering me from getting the shape I should actually have. Researching into different methods and techniques such as the Alexander technique and the Felkendrais technique has helped me understand more about the back and helped me realise I can extend the movement I have by using different exercises.  The positivity of thought is something which I have truly reflected on and the use of positive energy throughout other aspects of life. 
I feel that my personal goal in relation to breath and breathing is almost there!  It is a 'work in progress' rather than a weakness.  From practice and knowledge of techniques I do realise how breath does help increase stretches and breath helps the pain when stretching, sending the breath to where the pain is. Breath also helps in the Graham contraction and allows me to get to my maximum, helps in Cunningham again with the curves. Breath helps relieve tension in places whereas if your holding the breath it creates tension maybe in the neck or shoulders as an example. Breath helps movement look more fluid and adds weight into the movement. When I dance I have realised I hold my breath because as soon as I finish the dance I am so out of breath. Breathing is a natural body movement so why fight it?

I know that I will use many of the techniques we have learned and which I have recorded and explored in this blog for future use either for future technique classes or in my own choreography.

I am currently creating a solo which is energetic and I have included some breath techniques in this.  It has widened my choreographed movements.  Had I not done this course it certainly would not have been something I was aware of and would not have used - this knowledge has extended the range of movement I am able to ask in my choreography.  I really feel now an awareness that breath and breathing has to be part of the dance and should be embraced, not fought against.

An insight and something I could use or think of in the future is the barrier between ballet and contemporary, they oppose each other but at the same time some aspects of them both are so similar. This is something I would like to explore in my own time, I could experiment with this for a choreographic project e.g. taking typical ballet moves and putting a contemporary twist on to it. I am aware that this has been done before and this isn't an original idea but it would be something I would be interested in personally exploring and experimenting with. the idea of making my mind switch between the two techniques in literally a second rather than thinking ballet mode or contemporary mode.

Writing this blog has been very useful as it has made me think about my weaknesses and not just improve them by practical practice but researching into the meaning behind it and reasons why I am the way I am and how I can improve.  The focus on blogging has made me think differently and reflect far more on the techniques we have covered.  It iss also good to see myself dance.  Had we not been completing our blog I wouldn't have filmed myself dancing, but being able to watch myself I have being able to see what are my strengths and where I need to concentrate further work. The pictures show physical progression in my movements which help to have as evidence to be able to see progression rather than just feel it. I hope to keep blogging in the future with progression on techniques and also on ideas for choreographic practices over the next year.

Practicing pirouettes

This is just a short blog to show private practice of pirouettes because I really would like to be able to do a clean double pirouette and even a triple. In order to be able to do this I need to use my spot and spot quicker and also go into the pirouette with a positive attitude, I know I have the strength to do this and the co-ordination so its just thinking about my spot and not being negative about it going into the actual turn.

This video shows an attempt at a double but I actually think I only made a one and a half, this maybe because of my spot or thinking I had to do it because I was being filmed. No matter what I need to remember to finish the pirouette and not to just fall out of it.

This video shows an attempt at a pirouette that fails! I have uploaded this to show that I can go wrong . I have being uploading videos when something is right but when something goes wrong this is when you learn more, seeing the mistakes. As I mentioned above I should finish the turn off and land it no matter what but on this I just fell out of it and gave up and this is not the attitude I should have. My spot obviously wasnt quick enough.

I aim to keep practicing the pirouettes because as I have said my goal is to be able to do a clean double with no problem and possibly triples. I want to challenge myself and push myself.

Release Technique 17/11/11

Today's class was quite intense, and constant, we didn't have time to relax really because even if we were in groups we were watching the other people and getting ready to go. I love the feeling of being worked and constantly going even if watching,  even when sweating, it shows my body is working hard! When other groups are dancing it is helpful just to stand and watch because you learn a lot from other people and learn a lot from other people's strengths and mistakes. Watching I can see when people are out of time so that makes me think about the timing etc I feel that one of my main strengths in dance generally is timing and a lot of people say it to me, I think this is because I have been brought up in my dance life with counts.

When I first came to university for this course I found it strange when we had a sequence and there were no set counts and I would automatically set my own counts without even knowing. This class is very much based on counts there is a count for every move and we have to stick to that if we don't then we do it again till we are correct whereas in some classes we have counts but they're a bit more relaxed so we can flow through the counts.

The question is; do you have to be able to count and keep in time to dance? Is timing important? I'm sure there are many arguments both for and against this. From past study at university Cunningham uses the chance method and often doesn't bring the music with the dance until the last minute but I'm sure even in this case the dance sequence will have counts and will still use the same counts and timing even if the music doesn't fit to this. Something to explore is to challenge the music, be with the beat of the music or not? I have just typed into google " is it important to have timing in dance" and this answer came up:

In dance, timing refers to moving with the beats of the music. However, having perfect timing means more than performing basic steps perfectly with music beats. It's not difficult to move with the beats, but it takes lots of practice to teach your mind and body how to actually feel the beats of the music.

Perfect timing is being able to "let go" and allow yourself to express your feelings through your movements, instead of trying to keep count of the beats in your head. When you achieve perfect timing, your dancing will appear relaxed and natural. You will no longer need to count beats, as your body will be fully aware of its place in the music at all times. Professional dancers are masters at perfect timing.

Bedinghaus T. http://dance.about.com/od/getstarteddancing/f/Timing.htm (accessed on 17/11/11)

My opinion is this may be applicable to some styles e.g. ballet or lyrical but I think in contemporary dance it varies and Cunningham proves this idea wrong with his "chance procedures".

This video below shows the floor sequence in this class and I think you will be able to see that every movement has a count and the movement goes with the music. To apply this to choreography it would be interesting to explore in the future going against the music and not going with the natural beat of the music, It would be an interesting exploration for me for the reasons I mentioned above about being brought up with going with the beat of the music and having counts for everything.

In this sequence I feel quite strong and grounded into the floor, In certain parts I could give more weight into the floor this gives a sense of 'umph' and shows the strength in the body gives it an extra dynamic.  the parts where I could give more weight are in the roll on my back make sure I get my feet planted into the floor and don't arch out of my back,feel all my back and feet connected to the floor. also on the very beginning don't control my legs too much, let them fall into the floor and also on the leg swings let my knees fall into the floor and let them be the initiation for the leg swing and my back coming off the floor.

This is the same sequence but of a different side, The bit that really catches my eye on this side and from this angle is from the backward roll and the spin round onto the floor, it gives a really nice twist in the back and head movement it allows me to give my weight into the floor but on this part I need to remember to keep my leg on the floor and not let it fling upwards,I need to find the right balance between being controlled but also giving my weight and not being controlled at all.

This is the Right side again but from a different angle can you see the movement that I mentioned above? I think this is a more clear angle and from this view I can see that in my press up that I let my core go down to the floor first instead of being in one piece. This is something I need to work on, my upper body strength as I feel this is quite weak and even if I'm strong for this sequence most of the way through this little bit lets it down brings attention to it for the wrong reason.

For this sequence I have had many corrections, before this quick section we do this movement but slower and feel quite strong and connected between my legs and arms whereas when we go quicken the movement up I feel that I loose the connectivity. I really need to think about this and also on the slow but at the end I need to think about leading from the knee and not letting the knee drop either when extending it or bringing back in. I think you will be able to see this more when I am doing it towards the back.

I have uploaded this video of a slap turn because in a previous blog I mentioned about having length in my movement and this is one movement that I had corrected.  At first I didn't really understand what was meant by length or having length but I have practiced and feel that I have understood now by the feeling in my body. In this turn I also need to remember to show my leg in second but again not to be too careful and let the initiation of my leg "slapping" against the other leg take my body round with weight and heaviness.

This technique feels comfortable. My body, feels relaxed but also quite strong and connected, I think when doing floor work I need to let more weight be given into the floor. I take the corrections given on board and practice and hopefully go to the next class improved or still working on it but showing that I'm thinking about it and haven't forgotten the corrections that have been given to me in the previous weeks.

Bartenieff Fundamentals 16/11/11

I know I have uploaded a couple of these video's on previous blogs or that they are the same sequence, the reason I have done this is because throughout the weeks working on the Principles of the Bartenieff Fundamentals we have often kept the same sequence but added different principle to them. In this clip we have been focusing on the pelvis on the ball and socket joint connecting the femur and the pelvis. We started off at the beginning of class improvising the pelvis, what surfaces of the pelvis can lead us and can we make it travel us through the space. When doing this I am always cautious of using my pelvis to so much extreme or just focusing in on this one particular part of the body as I have a back problem which can lead to my pelvis becoming out of place so in this respect I feel I do need to look after my body.

We then looked at using the pelvis in different ways, we tried an exercise that involved us laying on the floor on uor backs with our feet planted on the floor not in line with our hips but in line with our sits bones we then had to press up using 'yeild and push' through out feet and switching to having more weight in our heels or in our ball of our foot. How does this feel different? well for me personally when putting more pressure on the heel of my foot  it felt as if i was curling my pelvis up and shrinking it almost whereas when putting weight through the ball of my foot it felt as if the pelvis and my back were being opened and had more of a sense of lengthening behind the movement.

We also look at the rotation of the hips and different ways of moving your leg around yourself e.g from the front to the side rather than lifting your hip up. Peggy Hackney used the term 'gating' when opening and closing your leg and taking it straight round, opening it up like a gate. A different exercise  was to feel your pelvis rotating underneath your leg almost at your sits bones and feel the femur rotating. When I practiced this at first, laid on my side on the floor I could feel my legs start to work and ache this must have been because I was using them in a different way, I could especially feel the rotation in my inner thigh and feel my pelvis rotating. I could feel the two way battle that my body was having because I knew deep down I wanted to lift my hip up to rotate my leg because this is the easier way but trying to stop it from doing it and using my femur and the ball and socket joint that connects the femur and the pelvis physically rotating. Apparently we don't use this joint enough we use the knees and the back to compensate for not using it when in fact it makes everything more natural to do even walking!

This video shows one of the sequences that we have been using to explore all the principles.  It gives me a chance to feel how different principles work on different feelings rather than having a new sequence for each principle. I  feel I will be able to apply this more to future work and technique and it wont be just for that one sequence. For this sequence today you can see the pelvis and the legs working from the pelvis, when we first go on the floor, the legs are hanging from the pelvis because all the core is doing the work.  To see myself do this I can see that I don't use my 'scoop' this means I'm not holding my core correctly if I used my scoop it would give me more stability and strength to hold things for a length of time. Also on part of the video when we lean on to hand I have been lifting my leg up right to the side rather than in line with my hips and my turn-out this might mean that it is slightly forward compared to my body but this is the correct line.

At the very start of this video it shows the idea of the gating and the rotation rather than lifting from the hip, I hope this shows in the video because I find that when practicing these principles I get the grasp of the idea but when coming to put them into practice in an actual routine its not that I forget about them but I feel I have a lot to think about so its almost like an after thought or I remember in some places but not others. Can you see the gating and also the yield and push? The yield and push is a big part to play on the handstand I have to really yield into the floor before pushing to go out and reach out into the handstand. I also need to try to go through my feet more when coming out of the handstand which makes it more fluid and helps regain myself for the next movement. 

This is an old video of the same routine as shown above, when watching this for the first time I thought I seemed grounded but from watching the updated version I feel I am more grounded and I am focusing more on the yield and push for example right at the very end doing the arabesque line and using the yield and push to get out of it, I think I am focusing on more in the new video above. I think I can see an improvement can you? One thing I really do need to focus on is walking out of the movement remember to take my pelvis with me and not leave it behind, walk heel first and feel connected to the floor, lift out of my waist, it looks then as if your walking for a purpose and not just relaxed.

From watching new and old videos I can have a sense of improvement and I can see the focus on the principles of the bartenieff fundamentals, I think its making my work stronger and I hope to take this on to other technique classes and also in performance and choreography also give me the opportunity when teaching to try things out on students to help them improve.

14/11/11 Video's and Pictures

This video shows the two way movement and separation of the hips and the upper torso in more detail. I need to take more risk before falling in to the lunge, find my centre in rise and let gravity do its work to bring me into the lunge and also make sure I get a deeper lunge and push myself to the maximum. Use breath to add more dynamic to the movement and add phrasing to the movement, without breath it all has the same dynamic and length of movment whereas breath emphasises different parts and sections of the sequences and adds a softer feeling to others.

Using the back for the initiation of the movement, I find this difficult because I think I could use my back and spiral more but I know that I need to keep my hips still at the same time. Its like the two halves of your body need to be separate and independent of each other, spiral the upper part whilst keeping the bottom half still. This means keeping the two independent of each other. Also include my head in the spiral don't forget about it.

Preparation into the handstand/cartwheel. Preparing to lift my hips up and keep my legs low. You can see that I'm not really thinking about keeping my head relaxed it should be relaxed in this position ready for the handstand.



You can see the stretch in my right side whilst leaning into my left side, I think from looking at it I could take the risk more to lean more to the right side and trust that my centre will bring me back and if not I fall over so why does this matter? as I have said many times before its about taking the risk in class and not being perfect. Doesn't matter if I fall over just pick it up with the group at the next chance I get. Also I'm not holding my ribs in this position but I need to keep them 'quiet' so it gives nicer line this Will also show me holding my centre.



This picture shows me about to go into a lunge, as you can see in the background of one of my fellow dancers. I need to be down further to the floor and then use my front leg to push off from to get to the middle for the next move. To help me with this I could draw upon another technique class and use the idea of the 'yield and push' to help me up.



This picture shows the handstand/cartwheel you can see that I'm lifting my hips up here and keeping my legs quite low. From this picture I can see that I could push my hips up more so that from the front view there is a straight line down the back, to enable this as well I need to drop my head more so my head is in line with my spine and my neck isn't 'crunching'up. We have been given an exercise to do so that we get the action of the handstand correct it will also help us on our upper body strength.



This is the first movement of the sequence the idea is to brush the floor like you would in a grande battement excise and then bring it back into the body, use the length of the leg and more before bringing it back into the body. The momentum of this will allow my supporting leg to go up on to a rise as you can see my fellow dancers doing in the background.

Full video and sequence. The pictures are a broken down version of this sequence, I appreciate that the picture above are not perfect but they have been taken in class, this give me a true picture and what I actually do when I dance and I'm not putting it on just for a photo. 

Release Technique 10/11/11

This is exercise was all about using the back, which is one of my big weaknesses I think. I know that I have a bad back so I get scared of over using it in case it starts to ache or hurt etc. After doing this exercise for a few times i felt that I had improved just in that short space of time, really knowing how my back work in connection to my arms as well. I need to try and almost think of the back and arms as one rather than two separate limbs almost.  For example in ballet or in fact contemporary when we hold our arms in second we need to feel like we are holding are arms from the centre of the back, not from the upper part of the back as then we will be pinching our shoulder blades. The back needs to feel open but in turn can feel the muscles engaging to hold our arms. 

In a book by Linda Ashley called "Dance theory in practice for teachers: physical and performance skills"  ( 2005) she mentions that for an example we should imagine a current of electricity running from one fingertip to the other this can help the arms look 'alive' and 'energised'. I think also that this makes you also connected to your centre making you feel more sturdy and in control of your balance this will help in a rise etc as well.

The back gives many weaknesses away you can tell that someone is not using the back as this restricts their movement if they are using the back then the movement almost ripples through the body e.g. Graham technique has a strong connection to the back in contractions, the contraction is the initiation but you can see this straight away in the spine and the back and also on the release the back is the initiation and you can See it starting from the base of the spine and the ripple up through the back to the tip of your head.

At the end of this video sequence I could make the movement ripple through my spine more thinking about the release at the base of the back all the way up, this could make this move a lot more fluid and striking to watch as well to see the spine really move. I also think I could take more of a risk in the turn, and really let the weight of the body take me round and the use of my back, technique classes are about taking risks and not being perfect. Its a chance to test things especially In release technique let gravity take us, Use the initiation of the back to take me round in my turn lea out of it more and trust that if  hold my centre that I will balance but then again so what if I fall over its about testing the grounds, how much I can give, do I need less momentum or more?

Some other feed back that I got in class was to lengthen my movement out more especially when I finish my moves so that I don't just get to a position and settle in one set position constantly keep moving. It gives the movement more fluidity but in a way more of a sense of grounding and always one movement to flow into the next for example in a slap turn when I land and finish the turn don't just 'slump' out of it let the length flow out of my arms and out of my waist and legs.

This could also work on grande battements if you use the length of your legs to reach and brush against the floor and reach past the length of your own leg then it makes the movement more 'juicy' and gives it more ' umph'. This is something I need to improve on and through time I think it will come, this has only just been brought to my attention so I haven't been able to work on it as of yet but I will and upload videos and pictures to show an example of this.

Cunningham Technique 7/11/11

Again one of the most challenging  sequences in this class is the triplets sequence, I get the general gist of the triplet, three equal steps taken either forward, backwards, turning any way really but the sequence that we do involves turning a 180 degrees I find this hard because to enable me to do this I have to be able to turn in one piece, to accomplish this I have to hold my centre lift out of my waist and legs and also changing the focus quicker will help me. I think since we first started doing this that I have improved and it is starting to feel more comfortable rather than awkward. Through practice and practice then I will keep improving but at the moment this is one of my goals for this class to turn a weakness into my strength.

Weaknesses

• My arms in second are always a weakness, I  need to keep my elbows on top and not let them drop and also not hold tension in my wrists and , let my arms hang from my back and not hold them from any other place.
• I also need to use the depth of my plie more, I know I don't have a massive range of movement in my plie because I do have tight Achilles but what movement I do have I need to use it to the full e.g. in the jumps.
• focus-especially on the feet exercises I need to look more present and alive in the room rather than getting sucked into the mirror and sucked into what I'm doing, I should just let my body do what its doing and think afterwards
• Need to finish movements off before I go into the next movement rather than it all moulding into one big mess. This helps with phrasing as well!!!
• Also need to flow through the movements and not make them jerky, me on the counts but don't stop at every count.

Before

After

I know I have uploaded this picture before but this is also something I need to work on, being in a curve while being in this position, let the curve be the initiation of the movement, not the head dragging the body down. and also the leg doesn't need to be very high it just need to be in relation of the curve because if you have a high leg then there is a possibility that you could release the curve.

Before

 After

From a different angle

Again I have uploaded a picture of this before and I plan to upload another one so I can show some improvement,  I feel like I have suddenly clicked with the concept of the curve and hopefully this will show on picture etc although it might just mean that i feel it more internally so should this matter if it doesn't make a difference to the external view?  Dancing is internal as well as external ?

I feel out of everything that jumps are my strength and that I travel through the space when I perform them, this is because I am confident that I have the strength in my legs and also I feel comfortable in my body when doing them. I think from this sequence you can see one of my weaknesses that I don't use my plie to my full potential especially before the barrel jump in this sequence. If I got deeper into my plie it would allow me to get off the floor more and also take more of a risk with the lean backwards on the barrel turn to make it more on a diagonal. When I jump I also hold tension in my shoulders and in between my shoulder blades I think I need to relax more to release the tension but also, like I mentioned above if I hold my arms from the back this will give more space between my shoulder blades and less space for tension.

Bartenieff Fundamentals

We focused on the 'yeild and push' and 'reach and pull' principles I think the sequence we focused on best shows the two working together but also working opposite to each other. 'yield and push' adds a sense of grounding to the sequence yielding into the floor and pushing yourself out of the floor, the movement travels up the body from these ideas. It gives one a sense of gravity and the pushing allows one to separate one from the other.

Peggy Hackney mentions in her book "making connections" that an early example of 'yield and push' is the early process of the birthing process, the babies lower body yields and pushes against the uterine wall, sequencing through the head, which then pushes against the cervix, causing it to dilate. Later the yield and push and the reach and pull leads to crawling and power to propel towards something becomes apparent and then eventually the yielding into the floor and pushing out of the floor leads to standing. Babies know these ideas naturally and don't have to think about them, it just happens for them.

Reach and pull gives me the ability to move in and out of the space and cover the space, it works in relation to the world that you are working in. Peggy Hackney mentions in her book "making connections" that when reach and pull is supported by yield and push it makes it possible to go towards something or someone and therefore giving the body a "choice." Again the birthing process is a good example of this as reach and pull guides the baby down the birth canal, again without out the baby knowing.

 I find it interesting how the baby can know all this and automatically uses these principals to crawls and stand up, how and when does this change and when does it change to not being a natural thing to do? why does it change when we get older? why is it more difficult? I have to think about it even though I know more about my body than a baby does, does this mean I'm over thinking how to move? Its a difficult question to answer and maybe it doesn't need to be answered as of yet, but something I can research into as personal development.

How it feels for me?

I love the feeling of the yield and pull not only in this sequence but in any sequence, the yield makes me feel really connected to the floor and grounded and the pull then makes me feel like I can accomplish anything e.g. jumping to any height because I am so connected and feeling the gravity and then the push gives me the push out of the floor I'm connected to to enable me to jump and then to land I have to yield back into the floor and feel it beneath me. When practicing the yield and push in class I could really start to feel it working my quadriceps as you are putting a lot of weight through your legs and allow it to fall into the floor again to feel grounded. This is a feeling that I only think about when I think about it specifically but I think in the video that I am going to upload shortly you can see it straight away on the certain parts it gives me the energy to push away from the floor and to get to the places I need to be, this would help me to move quicker as well because although I feel like I'm doing more work it gets you somewhere quicker and the drive and the strive to get there. The energy from the floor that travels up through your body gets you there.

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Graham Technique 4/11/11

I haven't spoke about Graham technique in a while. My last blog was a while ago so what I aim to do in this post it to go over what my original goals were and explain how I feel I have improved on these, hopefully upload some pictures and video's of progression in class.

Original Personal Goals

• Breathe into the movements and the contractions, don't fight against it.
• Over time I need to work on deepening my contractions and getting a bigger range of movement, this will only come over time and with practice, not just a class once a week
• Trying to create a bigger curve in my back when doing centre work.

With the first personal Goal about using the breath more, I have explained in previous blogs that I'm quite self conscience of doing this but as the term has being going on I have been trying to experiment with the use of breath and see how it works, I still need reminding to use it as I have not trained my body to do it automatically yet. I can definitely feel a difference in curves etc when using the breath I think this is because the body is following its own natural movement and not trying to fight against it, this allows me to get a deeper curve, I'm not sure whether it looks different from the outside but I can definitely feel it internally.

 For one of my other module: performance research I am going to research the idea of breath and how it affects the dynamics of a performance both internally and externally. I have chosen to research this because as I find it hard to use I think researching into it will give me greater understanding on how and why it helps movement and also I will be able to relate the different ideas to myself, technique wise and also in my choreography module.

I think that from when I last wrote about the Graham Technique, I said I had to work on contractions try and deepen the contraction. I do feel that I have improved slightly as I am understanding the technique more and more. The contraction is one of my main goals for the whole of the technique module because the contraction is the basis of the technique, just like the curve is like the basis of the Cunningham technique.

The Contraction came from the physical manifestation of grief in the body, it is a fundamental movement for Martha Graham's choreography and therefore this is why a lot of her exercises are based on movement with the contraction in mind. The contraction begins from the pelvis and travels up the spine, lengthening the space between each vertebrae in the spine, from the base to the neck and head. To enable for the contraction to take place it is accompanied with an exhalation of breath, this is another reason why |I need to improve on the use of breath. any change of the ribs, head and neck is a result from the contraction in the pelvis. From an untrained eye it may look like a hunch in the gut and hunched shoulders.

I have mentioned quite a lot about the Cunningham curve in past blogs and I feel like I understand the anatomy more now and to think about pressing my belly button towards the spine and not to bend forward from the hips.

Here I am doing an over curve on a rise, when I first tried this I was unable to balance and this is because I was not holding my core, I need to go up and over my rib cage to get a good curve and this will also help me engage my centre. I can see from this picture I hold tension in my fingers and also I sickle in me left ankle.

The same picture form a different ankle, You can see more here the tension in my fingers and also my weak left ankle. To be able to correct this I need to strengthen my ankle by doing rises's at the bar and making sure I get to the top of my demi-point.

This is a clip form the final phrase that we have been working on over the past two weeks. I think my strengths in this are that I cover the space well and also my jumps although on this clip I think I throw my weight a little bit too much on the side jete so I need to learn what is just the right amount for this. My weaknesses are that I need to remember to hold my centre and be precise on the movement and finish everything off because otherwise it all just melts into one big movement. Use dynamics and accents to make things stand out etc.

Practice Practice Practice!!!!

Practicing in the studio when its free with friends to try and push the movement and try with different music, to see if it brings up any different feelings within the sequence and how it changes the movement with the music changes.

I know on these videos that my technique isn't perfect but when i practice in the studio's with friends I like trying to push it and not be perfect with technique. You can tell that I'm not concentrating because my centre isn't held this is why I need to be able to hold my centre without thinking about it to be able to free up my legs, that will make it easier to dance and also more pleasing for an audience member to watch and see a performance. I love dancing to music that I know and I like because I just get lost in the movement and it brings out a quality in me that just enables me to enjoy it and not constantly think about whether it is right or wrong. If I was in a performance and if I went wrong I would have to just improvise and act like nothing happened I mustn't let it show on my face or let the audience know as this would ruin that section for them. Dancing to music helps me do this and helps the confidence to be able to do this. I think I am slowly staring to improve on this as when I used to go wrong I used to just stop and give up almost but now I just carry on with movement until I remember or find the best place to pick it back up again.  I also think that dancing to music gives you musicality and the chance to be able to get lost in it and have a steady beat,  it gives phrasing to your movement.

Ballet Vs Contemporary

We have only one ballet class a week and the other 4 technique classes are contemporary. It is difficult because of this balance to get out of the contemporary ways and in to the "zone" for Ballet. I find that contemporary as a whole is quite relaxed and although physically challenging  it does not seem that as much of the hard work goes into the movement as in Ballet. I personally think this is because people are used to going to watch ballet more so they think "wow, look at that" etc where as contemporary dance is still only starting to be recognised by certain people, who don't know the technique and hard work to achieve the relaxed style that is projected. 

When I dance contemporary style I feel more relaxed when moving even if it is hard work, fast etc, I have recognised that this is a more natural way of moving. However when I dance ballet I feel like I am going against what my body wants to do, e.g. try and have the spine straight. Contemporary choreographers want their dancers to look like regular people all different shapes and sizes. Mark Morris wanted his dancers to look " sturdy, solid, with weight held low and the feet flat on the ground"  Bremser. M (1993) "fifty contemporary choreographers" published by Routledge. Yvonne Rainer was one of the main initiators for post-modern dance and also the Judson Dance Theatre wanting to move away from ballet, Rainer wanted to take the drama and theatrical side of dance out of it and strip it back to just being about the movement, she wanted the movement to become something of an object rather than something 'fake' be true to the movement that you are dancing. Feel the movement that you are dancing if you feel this personally and deep down then this should be portrayed to the audience there is no need to over-exaggerate the movement. Rainer wanted her dances to present the human body and the natural movements and refused to create a persona or a narrative behind the dance, let the movement speak for itself. From this she created a piece called "no manifesto"

No Manifesto:

No to spectacle.
No to virtuosity.
No to transformations and magic and make-believe.
No to the glamour and transcendency of the star image.
No to the heroic.
No to the anti-heroic.
No to trash imagery.
No to involvement of performer or spectator.
No to style.
No to camp.
No to seduction of spectator by the wiles of the performer.
No to eccentricity.
No to moving or being moved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikaj6QFLZnU

Above is a link of Yvonne Rainer's 'trio a" a piece choreographed on the basis of the "no manifesto"

My personal view on this is that yes it is interesting to watch.  Contemporary dance is very much more commercial now and people will go see it in theatres and it will get good reviews however when this was created I think that it was very brave and would have been quite a shock to watch, no music? no story? no gestures? maybe people were offended by this being called dance? I think for people to see this for the first time they might have found it quite lethargic to watch as although it has movement in it, the dance is one long phrase which consisted of workmanlike movements and task based choreography. This post modern movement of dance has put the dance world where it is now.

Ballet goes against contemporary dance completely, in fact it could almost be near enough the opposite. The Ballet technique needs their dancers to be thin, strong, tall but not tall enough that they couldn't be lifted and for me long legs, good arches in their feet, flexible ankles and strong ankles for pointe work, shoulders slightly wider than your hips. This is the typical classical ballerina that people look for our in time whereas George Balanchine preferred his dancers to have longer legs, a little taller than usual and long arms and also a small head. You can see that from this description and that the description that Mark Morris gave, they are completely the opposite to one another. Ballerinas are told to be light on their feet, pull up out of their waist, free their legs again this is the opposite to Morris' description.

Ballet is very typically theatrical with a lot of gestures and story telling behind the movement, this makes it easy for the audience to watch to be able to just enjoy it and not think about the movement where as contemporary dance challenges the audience members mind, what do they think of when they see the movement? do they make their own relationship between the movement and a story. Overall I think this is why ballet has being seen by more people even in the times we live in now. Before I studied contemporary dance I loved watching ballet it was satisfying to watch I could just relax and enjoy the quality of the movement and the story being told.  Contemporary was mystifying to me in comarison, now I have studied contemporary style I realise that movement can have it's own interpretation and challenges the audience to think and make their own interpretation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHYwVfN3wY4

This is a link to the classical ballet "the nutcracker" you can see the story telling and gestures made, adaptations have being made of this where the costumes are more elaborate and comedy being added but the principle of the story telling and gestures have being the same principals. The movement has kept the basic shape but with a bit more "quirkiness" you can see not only has contemporary dance developed through the years but so has ballet, pushing the boundaries more. Is this still classical ballet?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Mstom_7Mw

Above is a link to Mathew Bournes adaptation of the nutcracker.

When I myself dance ballet I feel very rigid and feel like I have to stand like I am standing against a brick wall so that nothing moves. One of my main weaknesses in ballet is that I don't lift out of my waist to enable me to free my legs this is one thing that I really struggle this. I also need to learn to lift my legs from underneath my thigh rather than from my hip or quadriceps. This will allow me to have more control over my legs and also allow my legs to go higher.`

And another go at it!!!

Position that I need to hit in the centre in the adage exercise. Make sure the weight is central and turn out is to my own maximum.

Just a practice but from  watching this little bit, I can tell that I'm not holding my leg from underneath the thigh and from the hip, I also need to present more and use my upper body to make every exercise like a performance.

Practicing pirouettes, I think I have a good turn and spot well, my problem is landing neatly this requires me to have less force or just a single turn and use my core to stop myself. Also from watching this video and being picky I'm not always closing in a good 5th position this is not just for neatness but it allows your brain to know exactly which foot is in front so therefore which foot to use and stops you getting confused

Although I go wrong on this clip I have put it on to show an exercise for the co-ordination of the arm in the pirouette and how it helps you to turn, the first pirouette on this clip is the best and I think this is because the co-ordination between the arm, head and the actual turn is correct.

This exercise is a combination of some of the steps we did throughout the class. From this I need to have my arabesque line out, this will also make it easier to balance because all my weight will be forward and scooped up and over my core. I also need to decide before I set off for my pirouettes just how many turns I am going to do because if I'm unsure or decide to go for an extra one while mid-turn, I know I wont make it. Its mind over matter, If I tell myself I'm going for a triple I will probably make a triple.

Bartenieff Fundamentals and Improvistation 26/10/11

Today, we didn't continue with learning the fourth principle of the Bartenieff Fundamentals we looked at improvising with the three principles that I have previously wrote about; breath, core-distal and head and tail. As well as improvising we practiced movement sequences that we had done in previous weeks and then adding these three principals to them, we practiced them separately but then tried to think about them all at the same time. We then split into groups of three and each one of us took one of the principles to focus on as the rest of our peers watched and observed how the quality of the movement changed within each of the three.

When just focusing on breath I observed that the sequence flowed more than without the breath. Instead of just getting to a place and stopping then moving onto the next step, using the breath made it flow through the movement added a sense of continuity to the sequence and also added more dynamic.  This was especially on one of the parts where we have chance to take a deep breath in and then exhale in one go this adds a sense connectivity between all the parts of the body to move as one and also makes it a bit of a surprise factor.


When observing the person concentrating on the principal of the core-distal, this also adds more dynamic because whenever there is a movement it comes from the core so shows more strength behind the movement and also it makes it more aesthetically pleasing because there are bits where we can really stretch out with all our 6 limbs and reach out and then places where we can curl up in a ball around the core.


Head and tail gives the sequence more fluidity and movement a softer feeling behind it, for me personally I find this principle the hardest, there is a lot to think about and with it being about the spine I feel that I don't have very much movement in my spine so even when consistently trying to improve, there will never be much movement in my back as to some of my other peers. I feel this gives me a dis advantage but if I can work my range of movement to my best and always putting effort in then this shouldn't hinder me any way.

Improvisation and Contact Improvisation

Improvisation is supposed to be the spontaneous creation of movement material for choreography but it can also be used as a warm up or to relax, improvising is quite a freeing exercise to do as it allows you just dance without thinking of technique or whether or not what your doing is right. There is no such thing as right and wrong in improvising even when given a starting point or a score to work from. Improvising is what ever feels best for you, what you think is right its your body and what you think might be completely different to one of your peers in the group.Its about doing what you personally what you want to do and what you have been told to do.
Improvising can also consist of contact improvisation, Steve Paxton began to develop the idea of contact improvisation, he trained for three years with merce Cunningham and then when on to perform works by Yvonne Rainer and Trisha Brown. Paxton had a contribution to the formation of the Judson Dance Theatre, this was an informal group of dancers, the dancers and the founders were extremely interested in experimental movement who reject the ideas of modern dance and therefore inventing the precepts of postmodern dance. Contact Improvisation is a way of experimenting with gravity, friction and also kinect movement. contact Improvisation can be explored with two people of a group of people, finding different connections between different people, lifts and experimenting with different places to place your weight and people, interesting balances its about being spontaneous with people and also trusting people. Contact Improvisation can be performed and explored with people that have never danced before, Paxton came to this idea from working with Cunningham and his idea of chance choreography, the idea that any movement can be dance no matter what. It doesn't have to fit with the music it can go against it or not go with the music at all and have no relationship.

...together with other Judson choreographers

such as Steve Paxton, Douglas Dunn, and Trisha Brown. However analytic

and austere these participants' independent work may have been, when they began

to improvise together, the invention and variety of their dancing knew no bounds.

Following (or disobeying) the slightest of plans for the evening's show, the Grand

Union performers would perform set choreography, improvise skits, quote stock

characters and movement idioms, extemporaneously devise new characters, and

comment meta-theatrically on these activities as they were happening. According

to Banes, "a social as well as an aesthetic world invaded the stage": 

Monten, J. (2008) ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed…: eclecticism in postmodern dance’ in Bales, M. & Nettl-Fiol, R (eds.) The body eclectic: evolving practices in dance training.  Urbana ILL: University of Illinois Press. 
I feel that one of my main weaknesses throughout the whole of university has been improvising, I don't have the confidence to do it and even when I start to get lost into the moment I think that I start just doing what I do all the time, always going back to my old habits and never finding new material. By using bartenieff fundamentals as a starting point for an improvisation gives me something to work from, something to think about, having a starting point helps me but its hard to not go back to old habits. Paxton wanted to break down the barriers between dancers and non-dancers, he wanted it to be a free expressive way of moving and to not focus on the aesthetics of the movement.
In my opinion I think improvising as a dancer is harder than improvising as a non-dancer, as a dancer I automatically think what does this look like or what do other people think about what I'm doing? I am too self conscious about my movement and should have confidence, it doesn't matter what improvising looks like its about what happens and not thinking about it before I do it. As in our degree at the moment we are doing more and more improvising and while I don't look forward to it to start off with, when I get into the "moment" I do quite enjoy it and lose myself in the movement. To be able to improve on this I could do it in my own time and just play some music and dance and see what comes out of it, I think if I did this it would help me when improvising in a group and give me confidence in what I do, not thinking or taking notice of others around me or letting their movement influence mine, stay true to my own ideas.
I need to take into consideration improvising is a great tool for choreographing allows you to come up with movement that is original rather than something you have seen elsewhere or go back to my old habits and place them in the choreography. Using the bartenieff fundamentals as a starting point for improvisations gives me something to work from and concentrate on which wont allow me to go back to old habits, thinking about the head and tail relationship will make me move differently than to what I'm used to as this is not something that I automatically do, it will give a different quality to my choreography making it flow as I see this as a more slow, gentle way of movement which is the opposite to what I normally do as I'm normally quite a fast mover. Also incorporating breath into my choreography will help with the dynamics, again this is something that I don't normally think about but over the past 3 years at University it is something that I have being trying and consistently trying to incorporate.


We study the Bartenieff Fundamentals in one of our technique classes which adds some variety to our other technique classes, its not about being perfect its about exploring different ideas and how it feels for me personally whether I think this would work or not, seeing how it changes the movement. Its really helping me at the moment also with choreography its allowing me to be individual and with this my choreography will not become like a technique class.

Release technique 25/10/11

Release technique covers a number of different techniques, it is a kind of umbrella term. This technique is based on the use of breath and also weight, being able to release your weight into the floor. this makes it a more heavy way of dancing and although you need the control obviously to dance, when you watch someone dancing it looks so natural to move in that way.

The technique has strands of different techniques with in it, such as the Alexander technique, feldenkrais technique as it is also very much focused on the alignment as well as the breath. Using these techniques gives it a somatic approach as well, where the aim is to have a feeling of an internal experience of the body as well as being able to see an analytical outside view of the movement. Somatics in dance is becoming more and more common, I have personally only recently heard of this and when I have been taught it I can very much see the relevance to it in contemporary dance and especially in release technique.

Somatics and dance
somatics and dance are now becoming more and more integrated together, a lot of dance courses at universities are using somatics to help the dancers when coming to technique. Somatics is a sense of mind-body centering, the idea that they both work together and not against each other. When in class this morning a correction was given to me to use the breath more. When I did this I found it helped with the movement, helped me get deeper into this movement and also make it look better from an outside view.

In class this morning we were doing the exercises that have become a set routine, from doing this I am starting to be able to improve from week to week. from looking at my past blog that I wrote about this class one of my goals was: To use my breath more as this will give me a deeper movement quality and allow me to really get into the positions that are needed for this technique. From learning about somatics in one of my lectures today this will help me to improve on this. One main thing I need to remember is on the final phrase of this class, I need to remember to breathe all the way, it seems that I almost hold my breath all the way through I think this is because I am under pressure whereas if I used my breath it would add different dynamics as well as giving me time to think about whats coming next as I will be  more relaxed.

The very first exercise we do in class is very relaxing and just involves getting in tune with our body, feeling our weight fall into the floor and getting a sense of gravity, after researching somatics. The idea of somatics in a dance context is to

          " remove dancers from a typical space-time-effort constraints and physcological demands of a dance class. A somatic learning environment often begins with quieting the mind-body "chatter" in order to focus attention on the body's sensory stimuli (from breath, muscle tension,contact the body with the floor etc)"

http://www.iadms.org/associations/2991/files/info/somatic_studies.pdf accessed on the 25/10/11

This is exactly what we do in the very first exercise, there is no counts no sense of having to be correct in technique it is just about becoming centred and allowing your body to get used to the way of moving and get ready for class. This is all becoming clear now as I have researched it further, This is something that really interests me so an additional blog will be uploaded about somatics in more detail.

I now know that out of my 3 goals that I have previously listed, I need to focus on the breath one the most as I know when I improve on this everything else will follow, obviously corrections with technique will still need to be made but I feel that if improve on breath this will help me not only in release technique but in every technique that I study.

Looking into the Spine In More Detail

As I don't have much movement in my back, I have been looking into different techniques to help this that relates to the Bartenieff Fundamentals idea of the 'yeild and push' and "reach and pull". These two ideas help initiate movement in the spine, and looks at where it comes from. One of the exercises that we did was to lay in the child pose and push our head against the floor, reaching away to create a curve in the spine. Another technique that looks into helping with posture and back pain etc is the Alexander technique. This isn't a dance technique as such but it looks into posture and the correct posture. Peggy Hackney says a healthy spine should have a bend in it at the base of the spine is this correct?
I want to look into different techniques on how to increase movement in my back, the principal that we looked at of alignment has really interested me and made me want to look into it more detail.

Alexander Technique

This technique has been around for over a 100 years and was created by an actor Fredrick Alexander who suffered from voice problems and had general health issues.  The technique can help anyone to increase there range of movement in the back neck and head, from athletes to management of disability. it is simply about learning to strip away old habits that cause distortion in your body and learning new techniques on how to over come these and through gradual improvement and classes to be able to do this without thinking.

The Alexander technique is used to control back pain, it is a holistic therapy rather than a dance therapy, there is a lot of movement in this technique but it also focus' on a lot of thinking. The technique looks at self-improvement for back pain and any other muscular pain. It wants to re-establish the relationship between the neck, back and head, the core of your body in which your limbs are supported by and also provides the structural support for your breathing and internal organs. People may prefer a holistic way to help their back pain instead of a physiotherapist session or steroid injections etc. It aims to build and re-discover a balanced mind.You can normally see the relationship in the back neck and head the best in young children. this is because they just move naturally and don't think about the movement. In most children as well they don't have any stress to cause tension and injuries in the back un-like adults.

The focus of the lesson is the neck, the format of the class is trying to find different ways to move from a sitting position to a standing position and aimed to change the direction in which your neck and head go without you having to think about it. The idea is to be able to lengthen your neck in a "forward and up" position, this reminded me of the exercise we did in the bartenieff fundamentals class the principle of alignment. The "forward and up" position is designed to make subtle movements that affect your whole spine and get the whole spine moving just like the child pose exercise I have explained.

Showing the right and wrong posture. The right posture and correct position focuses on the neck going "forward and up" as in the second diagram

The technique helps dancers such as myself and other performers by increasing stamina, free up spontaneity and also it could help with stage fright. Relating it to myself  I could increase and improve improvising, rather than thinking about what is coming I can just free up my mind and let my body take me. It can also to help to get rid of poor habits occurred over time and dance training throughout the years and also develop a wider knowledge of your body. As a Musician their instrument is their tool and they  know it inside and out so as a dancer, my body is my tool so I should know everything there is to know about it.

The Alexander technique also influence other techniques such as the Feldenkrais method.

Feldenkrais Method
 
This method is also based on the idea to help gain more movement in the body not just necessarily in just the spine but in the whole body. It helps to realise our potential more fully It is and exploration of body/mind movement and working together, working on an exploration of self discovery as well as movement enquiry. Feldenkrais wanted a more flexible mind rather than a more flexible body, he believed you couldn't have one without the other. The method can potentially improve permenatly our posture, balance and co-ordination. This method uses gentle touch, movement and directed attention to increase your own self-awareness of your body, what its suppost to do? what does it feel like when something isn't right etc.It helps to explore easy fluid movement and balance which is the natural feeling of the body.  This method aims to deepen your sense of movement and focus' on your brain as the core of the movement, this comes form a quote "I think therefore I move" Thomas Hannah.

A lot of dance techniques go against this idea, such as ballet. Ballet tries to make us completely upright and doesn't use the breath and the release of the body to help the movement easier whereas some contemporary techniques embrace this because it is the natural body movement to use breath and to relax.

In the movement classes precisely structured movement exercises and explorations which involve thinking, imagining, movement and also sensing. The lessons are not intense movements they are comfortable movements that gradually improve your movement capability. There are two ways of learning the felderkrais method and these are : awareness through movement and also functional integration. Functional integration is more often than not a one on one session with a trained teach manipulating your body in order for you to feel the movement correctly whereas the awarnesss through movement classes are normally a group class with an instructor telling you what to do this allows for self exploration and allwoing you persoally to feel what feels right and comfortable for yourself or not.

I will continue to look and different techniques on how to help movement in my back because I know this is one of my main downfalls and weaknesses. I would love to be able to improve on this so I will continue to research this in more depth.

Bartenieff Fundamentals- 19/10/11

This is the 3rd lesson we have had on the Bartenieff fundamentals, which consequently means we are on to the third principle of the technique, alignment.
In the past we have worked on exploring breath within movement and how this can assist you not only in this technique but in every technique, every step that I do. Look at whether it helps, how it adds dynamic to my movement and the opposite effects whether we hold the breath when under pressure or if we relax and breathe does this help? We have also looked at core stability, the strength and how using this also assist us when moving, how curling everything in and stretching everything helps again with the dynamics.
 These are interesting principles to look at and remember when choreographing, if I ever get stuck or a block and I need to change some movement to give it a different look or dynamic I can remember these ideas and ask my dancer/dancers to move in a certain way focusing on one of them and look to see how this changes the movement and whether this gives me any more movement material to work with.

Alignment brings focus to the movement of the spine, the different sections of the spine and being able to explore the range of movement available to myself; whether one part of the spine moves more than the others, whether I have more movement than I originally thought. There are main parts of the spine: atlas and Axis, cervical, thorasic, Lumbar and sacrum and coccyx.

http://www.spineinfo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/spine_anatomy_diagram.jpg (accessed on 19/10/10)

Peggy Hackney who wrote the book  "making connections" mentions that a healthy spine should have a bend and not be completely straight, we think as dancers that we should have a straight spine and always be upright this is especially the case in ballet dancers. Ballet doesn't really explore the movement of the spine in the same way as contemporary dance does  e.g. Cunningham and the back curves and release technique. In this class we did exercises that involved using all the spine which felt nice as I personally tend to not focus on the movement in the spine, at first we improvised and then we added it to a movement sequence, I could tell the difference straight away when watching other people dance, I can see the connection between the head and the tail. I found that when focusing on spine and after dancing that actually my spine ached this goes to show that I really don't use my back as much as I should be doing. we also did an exercise where we either led the movement from our head or from our tail and the let the rest of the spine and body follow. Its hard to class this as a true improvisation because I find it difficult to not think about what I'm doing, improvisation is supposed to just happen but when focusing on different parts of the body I do find myself thinking about it.

http://www.spineinfo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/spine_anatomy_diagram.jpg (accessed 19/10/11)
This is one of exercises we did which involved being in this position and rolling the head forward, we did this so we could see all the movement in the spine and where abouts it gets stuck or where the least amount of movement is in the spine, from doing this we could also feel the weight of the head into the floor, you have to lead with your head and pull back with your tail. we then applied this to movement material that we already had to see where about we can add this principle in to the movement. e.g. on a handstand you the tail that bring you back down.

Technique classes are about being able to explore movement and to push your body, its not about being perfect or precise. You have to push your body to improve and see what you can really do, with exploring these principles that's whats it all about just trying it and seeing if it works and how far your own body is able to go.