What have you learned this week? What thought or idea has inspired your dancing? Were there any ideas that you understood but feel will take more time for you to develop?
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About Me
- Louis
- My efforts toward enlightenment through creativity and physicality are what my dances and my teaching are all about.
25 comments:
This week I've learned that even the simplest ideas can be transformed into movements and beauty of dance. The creativity to quirk one idea into many different ideas is one way to do it. The idea of being a-rhythmic has inspired my dancing a bit more. As a young adult, I've choreographed many cultural dances but they've always been incorporated with the music. I'd like to change that. As Martha Graham advises, "Don't follow the music; you are the music."
Ideas can be understood but unfamiliar ideas are challenging to inhabit. I believe it takes time and practice for further development.
I couldn't go to class on friday but what I learned on Monday and Wednesday was that when you're doing partner work it is extremely important that you're open to the way your partner dances and to not try to rush the piece.
Usually what inspires my dancing has to do mostly with what music I'm listening to. I'm a high energy person and I feed off of high energy music, I can dance with or without music but the message the music sends greatly inspires how I dance. So the idea of conveying a message through dance and the music is even stronger for me.
Yes there were ideas that I understood but will take more time to develop. I used to be a gymnast and I remember learning that it takes around 500 times to learn a skill to the point of executing it perfectly, so of course it's easy to understand a concept but for muscle memory and everything else to kick in, it will take some time.
Something I have learned from this class is how I have been taught to dance from move to move, I never really thought about the concept of having the motions in between the movements being part of the dance as well. Also, I am learning to be more free with my movements, releasing my head has been difficult for me because I feel like I am always thinking and concentrating but I have been working on just letting go. I think that it will take longer for me to fully get into the idea of interpreting music and just moving, especially because I feel as if I get stuck in these ruts where I go to what is comfortable and repeat it over and over. When we walked with out a rhythm across the floor, it was very difficult at first to always be doing a new move but became easier as we continued to practice it. I think I will improve more in this as the quarter continues as well.
This week I've learned that unlike many other styles of dance, modern isn't about moving and dancing all of the time. I've learned that it really makes an impact if you take a short pause in between movements to just relax and center yourself before moving on to the next move. It also makes the dramatic and exciting parts of the dance stand out more if you slow down in between them. Learning to dance arrhythmically was definitely a challenge for me because I'm so used to dancing to the beat of the music. It was hard to put the rhythm out of my mind and dance with to no pattern whatsoever. I like dancing to the beat of the music so it is going to be a challenge that I will have to work on throughout the quarter to get used to not dancing to a beat. Also, some of the moves we've been doing are completely foreign and different from what I'm used to. I find myself getting a little self-conscious so it's going to take me a while to get comfortable with it but I think it will become more natural with time.
It's interesting that the theme of this week was letting go of inhibitions and worrying only about the now. This ironically intrigues me to see what's to occur in future weeks. So I obviously worked on dancing uninhibited this week. On a more personal level, I learned this week (especially Friday) to think strongly about what I'm doing with my body and to sometimes not think at all. Basically, if I'm going to occupy my mind while dancing, it should be on/around what I'm doing and not on anything else. My dancing has always been inspired by emotion-driven choreography and performance, especially in modern and contemporary dances. The concept I think I'm taking the most time to connect to is the idea that my body won't translate movements in the exact way I see them, wether that be fluidity or speed or something different. It's probably also important to remember why I'm in any class in the first place and strive to accomplish those goals.
I have never been able to improvise. All my years of ballet and jazz, we always learned routine after routine and how to perfect those routines. Any time I had to improvise, I wouldn't know what to do and I would watch other people to make sure I looked alright. This week, I learned that I can do whatever comes to mind while improvising as long as I relax in front of other dancers. Especially when it comes to something that is completely different and out of my comfort zone, I need to forget what others think and just let my body dance.
What I definitely learned this week was to let my body be free and to move without thinking about it, to let our personal wall down. Thinking about our movement restricts the way we dance. It was hard to let go at first. I felt like the way i moved was only half-committed and awkward. It made moving hard. But i stopped thinking about how my body looked and just moved to the way i felt. It was a relief and made me feel free. I think I started to let go of my wall when we were told to walk across the floor like we were drunk. I don't know why but that really inspired me to let go. As to the last question, I understood i needed to just move and not think about it, but it takes time to get out of my comfort zone. More practice of this improv would be great!
I have learned this week to trust my movement. To trust that any movement can be beautiful if given the right energy from the dancer. When I choreograph I loose faith that what I'm creating "looks" good. I just need to trust that if it comes from the right place it will translate how ever I desire. I am also learning so many teaching techniques to help my own dancers give themselves to the movement, to be in the moment. This class has become a very comfortable place for me to express myself and move with unbound movement in a way that anywhere else I would feel silly! Thank you for your passion to dance, Louis & fellow classmates!
This past week was very much about connection. Sometimes I find that I am not as fluid as I would like to be and that I think too much about what my body is doing instead of just letting go. The exercises we did on Friday really helped me tune into thinking less and challenged me to reach outside of myself and my comforts in order to achieve that movement.
I would love to continue working on that improvisation that just comes out of my body without any direction.
In reading the comments by other classmates, a few things resonate well with my experience this week. I definitely agree that learning to release and express is the key to both looking and feeling good while dancing. I particularly liked Rachel's insight that what translates to an audience is where the inspiration for a movement comes from more than what it looks like (especially once you're at the point that the technique component is natural, which I'm not with dance but am with aerial arts). I've been struggling with trying to inspire my movements and express openly to the audience for some time now with aerial performance, and was continuing to hit walls when I attempted to force it to happen. What has been most valuable for me to learn and practice recently in this course is that letting go of inhibition, as well as being present in the moment of the movement and the physicality of the body are key in achieving a connection with dance and the audience. I'm really eager to continue developing my comfort with open expression through movement as I continue dancing with this class.
What I learned this week is to stop thinking. I learned the importance of letting the body go and just dancing. Through my years of previous dance training in ballet and jazz for example, I was always taught through specific choreographed movements that had to be done in the precise way the instructor showed. This required a lot of thinking as I had to make sure I looked just right. With this type of modern dancing, that whole concept of specific, precise, choreographed movement is not always present. There are many moments of improvisation where we are able to freely express ourselves in any way we choose. At times, I am able to take an image and dance it in any way I want and move however my body leads me to move. This freedom of movement is somewhat new to me as I have not yet mastered the concept of improvisation, and I still find it somewhat of a struggle. I have found myself to be a little self conscious, and sometimes I start to wonder how I look, but I have realized that the key to looking good is to stop thinking. The people who's improvisations are the best are those who just let go of all self doubt, let go of all thought processes, and just let the body be free to express itself and dance in any way that just happens. Through this class, I am learning to step outside my comfort zone and let my body be free to just dance. This idea of letting go is something that I look forward to improving on in the classes to come.
This week we have been experimenting with quite a lot of improvisation. Generally I like improvising but it is one of the most challenging things for a dancer to do. One of the ideas that has been reinforced for me this week is that when I'm out there dancing with confidence and conviction it's more enjoyable to watch then if I act really self-conscious. Now, I realize that the day may never come when I can be completely unconcious of the things and persons around me, but certainly it's becoming more of a reality for me.
This week I learned that any move can be used in the creative process, no matter how silly, no matter how small.
When connected in a manner that flows, they can add the texture or bring out a deeper meaning to the creative flow. They can be the period, or the exclamation mark or the question at the end of the creative sentence or the ... in the middle of the creative sentence.
I was able to allow a small part of this creative flow to come out but I would like to delve deeper and truly give myself permission to step outside of my comfort zone and create, using all moves, no matter how small, or silly they might seem
It's amazing how much metaphors and your imagination can add to a movement. When, instead of just having to repeat movements, we were given things to imagine (like light beams or lasers in parts of our bodies), I found myself thoroughly getting into the idea, or into playing the game. Then, when I wasn't thinking about the metaphors, or was watching others move, I realized how much richer my movements become, how much more interesting.
I think what I've also learned so far this week, is that every movement has to have an intent. If you are making every movement intended and important, it will keep an audience's interest and attention longer.
When moving my body leading with the head, tail, or chest I realized my focus was not so much on whether the movement was right or wrong but how my body felt during the movement. By doing this I was able to let go, causing my body to just move. I became less subconscious of myself and found out I had more fun with the unstructured movement. When going to my dance composition class I now use this in my dancing more often causing less tension in my movement. To me it was hard expressing my internal and external movements in order to draw my audience in. I believe that with practice I will be able to develop this idea to a greater extent.
This week I have learned that focus is crucial and dancing is more than just mirroring steps that the teacher shows you. personally, the exercise that stood out to me the most was having to keep eye contact with a partner without making and facial gestures. we talked about it in class a bit, but I loved the whole process of the exercise From the initial "awkward/nervous" feeling to looking deeper and deeper into the eyes of the person walking next to me, it taught me that you have to make yourself vulnerable in order to expect the same from your partner. Not only is it finding this trust in your partner, but it's finding trust in yourself. Not simply to look your partner in the eyes, but to carry it over into the way that you dance and portray yourself as a performer.
This week I've learned how each moment is important. The entire scope of movement is open to dance, so that any position or place or method is within our artistry scope. This has inspired me to improv with a focus on all types of movement, as well as helping me enjoy all parts of a dance.
I also learned how thouroughly some idea can be taken from around us and implemented into a dance or an inspiration behind a dance. The toy dancing was enjoyable to watch, as well as perform, and it struck me that I enjoy dances most when I have something very finite to relate them to. In other dances where the connection to real life is not so obvious, it is harder for me to enjoy it and remember it as something moving.
I think that the ability to draw from the creative world around you and transform ideas into a dance will take time to develop, especially when the ideas are more abstract or hard to dance (I still dream of the day when I will be able turn the rain into a dance).
I have noticed this last week that I feel very different when I am dancing a choreographed phrase as opposed to when i'm improvising. It feels that my movement quallity completely changes when I am doing a set piece of movement(not my choreography)and I become stiff and kinda in my head. When we had the class that was mostly set movement(i think on wednessday). I felt myself getting stiff. I found it challenging when we had to let our bodies go and improvise and then incorperate some of the phrase into that movement.For me, they feel like two seperate worlds. I would like to further explore how to connect these two worlds(improvisation and choreographed phrases) I feel like we are exploring how to do this in class and am anxious to do more!
Juanita
This week I was able to understand more clearly that dancing is about putting your whole heart into it, no matter how silly or ridiculous it may look. It is often difficult for me to dance without thinking about how I look or whether what I am doing is "right" or "wrong." It is much easier for me to deal with these insecurities when I realize that everyone else is just trying to feel open and dance in the same way that I am. Even though I have always been taught to dance without any reservations, it is difficult to do without exercises and reassurance that IT IS OKAY. I especially liked dancing with my eyes closed this week because I can forget about who is watching
me, and just become aware of how the movements feel.
This week I also discovered how difficult it is to be arhythmic, while remembering to use each part of the body and also perform something interesting, all without trying to think too hard about each of these things in the process... It was a great learning experience that really helped me understand how many different ways I can move my body.
Tonight I tried to hold eye contact with my boyfriend for 3 minutes. It was difficult not to say anything, as he was quite confused as to why I wasn't
answering any of his questions. It resulted in a kiss from him, him laughing, and me trying to maintain my focus. All in all it was a strange interaction. However, in the time that I was able to look into his eyes, I felt a great connection with him. On the contrary, he felt almost threatened and weirded out.
-Amy Brandle
Like many of us, last week I also learned to just let go of everything and just dance. It is such a different feeling to just trust your body and let it move how it wants to and just see where it takes you, rather than having a specific phrase of choreography that you rehearse until you get it right. This was such a new experience for me, and it was fascinating for me to just follow my body, rather than my mind. It was like my body had a mind of its own, and I have to learn to trust it and go with it, to not think about what I'm doing but at the same time, commit to whatever it is that I am doing so that it comes across as powerful to an audience.
Things I feel I learned last week:
-that the human body moving freely through space without thought or control but actually complete release is such a beautiful sight
-that i need to work on not thinking about what i look like so much, and just letting my body go
-that moving a-rhythmically is really difficult but it can be really powerful because it presents a kind of clash which can really call for attention
-that the slow progression of the intensity of movement is a lot more exciting and beautiful to watch than just slow or intense movement that stays at the same level
-that slow, soft movements should be just as appreciated as strong, powerful movements
This week was a really awesome week. I love discovering how new ideas can inspire a dance. I really like expirimenting with the different initiation points and how that can affect your movement. I also loved doing improv, it's continually challenging for me because you have to get past the "discomfort." The whole idea of improv will take me some time to develop because I am still relatively new to it. I get nervous about but love exploring it because I find new movement each time.
These are all such fantastic learning responses. I am really glad that you are inspired by the improvistional work. We will do more of it, but for now we will move on to Twyla Tharp.
Through paying attention to other people dancing I have actually learned a lot about myself. I realized that I find the music to be very important for dancing, and listen to the music for instruction and inspiration. Also, I have learned that I need to keep myself open minded, because anything can become a dance, and does not necessarily need to fit to the music.
The idea of inner and outer focus has inspired my dancing. Not necessarily the idea of applying outer focus and inner focus to a dance, but to focus on myself or what surrounds me to make a dance.
The idea of really taking control of a dance, and just do my best is an idea I understand, but I know will take some time to experience. I tend to think too much about the moves and not just do them when I am dancing. It seems that I need to change this fact and be more sure of myself.
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