Hey Dancers,
As you can see, modern dance is a very different subject depending on who is teaching. Each teacher will offer instruction based on their own experiences as a performer with various choreographers and companies. Tonya and Rhonda are very different teachers and dancers. What did you learn this week from these teachers?
Louis
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Rhonda and Tonya both had very different ways of teaching, however even though they were complete opposites I loved both their classes. Tonya’s class was much more about improvisation. She taught us the basic skills of contact improvisation and I really enjoyed the exercises she had us do. It was a really cool experience to be led around the room with your eyes closed and completely rely on someone else’s eyes to keep you safe. It was actually really fun and one my favorite exercises so far. On the other hand, in Rhonda’s class we did all specific choreography. She taught us across the floor combinations to learn and dance starting from the corner. All of these combinations required mostly big movements and staying grounded into the floor. They were fun and enjoyable as it was different from the improvisation that we’ve mostly been working on. These dances required us to use our brains more as we had to remember the exact movements, rather than just dancing and doing improv. I greatly enjoyed both Rhonda and Tonya’s classes and learned a lot from both of them.
Tonya definitely had similar teaching styles as you. She was continuing with the contact improvisation and I learned that dancing with a partner is all about the connection between them and how much they understand each other. No one leads or follows, it just becomes something extraordinary when you get that connection with your partner and it's like you become one performer.
Rhonda was more like my teacher back in high school, except less severe. She started with a warm up that involved loosening the limbs and strengthening the upper body. I was very sore this weekend because of that dance class. We worked on choreography and going across the room. It was pretty challenging to remember so much in so little time and to perform it, but it was fun. Even though it was specific choreography, you can still make the dance your own unique style.
It was a pretty interesting week to have two completely different teaching styles, but it was really fun and I enjoyed the relaxed improvising as well as the choreography.
Rhonda and Tonya had very different styles of teaching. I noticed That Tonya was a lot like you. She did many exercises that were similar to what we did and she worked on contact improvisation. Rhonda on the other hand was very structured. She started off class right away with combinations which she taught very quickly and moved on from quickly as well. It felt like a more traditional class with elements of abs and other warm up exercises. She then had us do some across the floors and jumps. I feel that because Tonya has been in the class a few times and because she dances a lot with you she knew what to work on while Rhonda just had to fill in blindly with what she knows.
I was not there on Friday but I have taken Jazz with Rhonda before so I feel like I can definitely relate to the descriptions given about how class was on Friday. I really enjoyed Tanya's class wednesday. Even though I have done contact improv before, the series of excersises leading into that connection with you partner was really awesome to do. It was a challenge for me at times to allow myself to trust my partner and let her lead me or follow me while I had my eyes closed. The more we did though the more comfortable I became and it was really enjoyable after I got more comfortable with my partner. I learned a lot about what it will take for me to dance with people I am not used to dancing with.
Tonya and Rhonda definately had different teaching styles. Even thought I enjoyed both classes and definately had fun, I feel like I grasped more out of Tonya's class. In Tonya's class, we took the partnering/listening information a step farther. Here we were allowed time to experiment and play around with our partners taking our time and having a chance to actually learn and grow. With Rhonda's class, even though I had a great time learning the choreography, I felt like it was just another dance class. We were taught the steps and told to move. It was definately fun, but I felt like I emotionally grew more in Tonya's class.
Although Tonya and Rhonda both taught in their individual style, I thought that they both had a lot from which we could learn. Tonya has been in the class a few times already and I felt that having been with us, she could more easily fit into our course and its direction. However, Rhonda challenged our class with a change in direction. I liked it a lot because it reminded me that a good dancer can get comfortable and do well in a type of style, but a great dancer is adaptable to anything. I admit that I had a hard time keeping up with Rhonda and her choreography (and...embarrassingly...the strengthening exercises) but honestly I loved the challenge and it really awakened me into realizing my weaknesses and motivated me into working on turning those weaknesses into strengths.
-Shanna Dulin
Rhonda and Tonya's classes were quite different, but both very fulfilling for me in their separate ways. I definitely was more internally focused in Tonya's class, as we explored further into contact improvisation. An interesting thing for me was actually hearing a different voice guide us when our eyes were closed. I realized that I am very used to and comfortable with your (Louis') voice, and I actually had to focus more to get into "the zone" hearing Tonya's voice while trying to relax. Even though this was different, I learned a lot from her really enjoyed all of the exercises that we did. I also learned a lot from my partner through the trust and listening exercises. Rhonda's class was focused on choreographed phrases, in the warm-up and in dancing across the stage space. At first it was a bit weird doing set phrases because we haven't done it in so long, but I ended up really enjoying figuring out how to do it on both sides, and just the feeling of knowing exactly what to do was refreshing in a way after doing so much improv.
I really enjoyed both of these classes!
I wasn't in class on Friday but I really enjoyed Tonya's class. It was very similar to what you have been teaching us so far this quarter. We did a lot of contact improvisation exercises and partner work. I really liked the warm up which is something you have us do in class every so often where we start on the floor and center ourselves. Then we slowly become more aware of the floor and how our bodies come into contact with it. It's very relaxing and is a great way to start the class. The partner exercise she had us do where one person closed their eyes while the other led the person around the room was pretty scary for me at first because I felt like I was going to run into people all of the time. It was hard for me to put all of my trust in my partner and believe that she wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. The exercise eventually became a little more comfortable and I became more trustworthy of my partner. Overall, I really enjoyed the class!
I don't believe I can give a fair evaluation, I only was present to the class that Tonya conducted. But what I can give my thoughts on, is the fact that every teacher has something to give. It is amazing what you can really learn from every person in your life, even those younger than yourself...sometimes your children can teach you great things. You yourself are a teacher in many aspects of your life, how you behave, the way you conduct yourself, you teach the world how to treat you. You teach by being. I always try to gain some new perspective or simply gain a greater appreciation for a teacher in each new class I take. Look at the people around you, I challenge you to discover how they teach you and how in turn you teach them.
I agree with what many said about Tonya's clas being along the same lines as Louis' class. I really enjoyed exploring the improvisation with the sides of the room and felt an effortless connection with my partner while exploring points of contact.Quite honestly I had a difficult time in Rhonda's class. I knew from the minute she walked in the door that it was going to be a more traditional technique class. I was resistant to it from the start.Louis, I have been so pleasently surprised at how much I am enjoying your class so far. I actually look forward to coming instead of feeling dread(my past experience with technique classes) In general I have a harder time doing set choreography and I felt like my brain was really rusty(not to mention my bod)! I would like to learn how to transfer the enthusiasm that I feel in Loise or Tonya's style of class to a more traditional technique class with the set steps. To me,this presents a problem because when you are doing set choreography there is a right and a wrong way and with this comes a whole set of restrictions that seems to freeze me at times. My challange is to take risks and engage in the Rhonda style class like I would in the Tonya style even if it is uncomfortable.
Juanita
I got stuck behind a major research traffic jam on Wednesday and missed class, something I was really sad about because I was looking forward to working with Tonya. Working with Rhonda was really interesting, mostly because she conducted a traditional class - less experimental - the kind of modern class I, well, used to be used to. It took me a while to get into the mode but once we started going across the floor, I was able to return to the however intricately choreographed, but mostly thought-free dancing I love so much about modern. We did a specific phrase toward the very end of class that I really enjoyed, it involved striking arm movement with a high-kneeed, high-paced chugging leg motion. It reminded me a lot of the Afro-Haitian pieces I've done (more primitive, ground based movement), which I really enjoyed. It's always nice to take classes from new teachers, if not inspiring, each instructor has the ability to teach you something unexpected; I love that.
I enjoyed Tonyas class. It was a continuation of the improvisation and the touching exercises we had been doing in class, taken to a new level. The duet exercise I had to close my eyes and try to follow my partners movements was very interesting. There were beautiful moments of connection and flowing together.
Rhondas class, I must admit, jarred me at first. I was so in tuned to the improvisation and touching exercises that the switch in teaching method made me disconnect for a moment. After I allowed myself to absorb what she was teaching, I really, really enjoyed it. It caused me to think and to allow my body to move from here to there and up and down on the floor in smooth free-flowing transitional movements. When I connected with the rhythm of the movements, it was very freeing.
Tonya's work was focused on helping us develop our improvisational skills, as she helped us learn the tools to be used in contact improvisation. Rhonda's class was all choreographed pieces (except for a small 30-second improvisation at the end).
Tonya did help give me a greater understanding of contact improvisation when she had us do the listening exercise with our body, as we explored the wall. It helped me think about incorporating that same exploration and sensation into contact with another human being, as with rolling energy points it is not about the other person so much as it is about yourself.
Rhonda's class was a great refresher since it was all intellectual and it was a cessation from the constant internal focus required in improvisation. Her pieces were fun and exciting to learn, as I got to exercise my body and break a sweat, which I usually don't do when doing improv.
I think I learned that there are mroe ways then one to gain new creativity, as you can learn from others and yourself through improvisation, or you can learn from others by simply learning what they already know. Both are equally valid ways of gaining inspiration, and I feel I need both to help me learn to dance in more ways than my own comfortable style.
Sounds like Tonya and I worked very similarly and Rhonda was a breath of fresh air and challenge.
Louis and Tonya had very similar ways of teaching in the sense that Tonya focused of helping us listen to our bodies and movements as well as other dancers. The exercises we did made us very in tune with the space we were in. Rhonda's way of teaching was more fast paced and movement was a bigger focus, which was a nice change. We learned faster combinations, but with previous knowledge of staying in tune with your own body and new knowledge of how to focus, it gave me a whole new perspective on how to perform.
This was a very busy week for me and I completely forgot to respond to the blog. I hope I can still get credit!
Anyways, I too thought that Tonya's teaching style was similar to Louis's. The exercises she had us do helped us to prepare for contact improv. I really enjoyed the exercises where we got to close our eyes and be led around the room by our partner, however when it came time to just dance freely with our partner and use them, I felt pretty uncomfortable. I think it is really hard to be so intimate with someone that you don't know very well. I think I would have enjoyed this last part of class more with someone I was already close to.
I really had fun in Rhonda's class. It was definitely a more traditional class, with warm up exercises and then across the floor. I LOVE warm-up exercises, they always make me feel so good. The choreography was fun although she did go over it really quickly, so that was a challenge.
Overall, 2 very different and both fun classes! I learned that there really is no one right way to teach a class, everyone can have their own style, just like in many other aspects of life!
Both new teachers were a bit more intense in their approach to teaching than our regular classes have been. Tonya continued on the same thread as our class has been following with contact exercises, but her approach of moving through many exercises quickly was a little different, and led to more of a feeling of being thrust into something rather than considering it and reacting to it slowly as we went through. In Rhonda's class, we blasted through quite a bit of technical material, which was a good challenge and a good reminder than dance is sometimes shaped by rules, expectations and uniformity. However, I felt that I could still apply the art of letting go and inhabiting the movements to make a sequence enjoyable to watch and to dance, and that was especially useful when I was feeling confused or clumsy about executing the combination correctly!
Well, Tonya's class felt more similar to your style. It was very much about looking at the concept and letting that control what your body was doing. We further explored the idea of listening to your partner. At the end of the class we were able to practice a little contact improv and i feel that my partner and I(shout out to Juanita!) really achieved something. We got to a point where there was no real leader or follower but really it was just the point of contact that was determining the movements created. Rhonda's class was also really fun in that it was more about the sole physicality of modern dance. There was one specific 'position' very interesting. It was kind of like a turned-in table top arabesque. It was interesting to just find myself sitting into it and feeling completely balanced.
I was not in during Tonya's class. However, I was told that she worked a lot with contact improvisation. FUN!
As for Rhonda's class, I enjoyed it very much! It was a mixture of strengthening exercises and dance combinations. We moved along in class rather quickly; learning combinations across the floors, diagonally, and in the center. It was great practice for quick movement and sequence absorption... =) Our brains were working..
I personally enjoyed Tonya's class very much. She was really into what she was teaching, as if she was the teacher and one of the students all at once. I enjoyed all the exercises we went through. While I learned improvisation, I also learned to use my other senses as much as I use my sight. Also, I got to get to know other students at a more personal level by watching them do the exersices.
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