Rooted

Everyone who achieves success in a great venture, solves each problem
as they came to it. They helped themselves. And they were helped through powers
known and unknown to them at the time they set out on their voyage. They keep
going regardless of the obstacles they met. W.
Clement Stone Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/voyage.html#ixzz1gGuEbEy5

I would like to say 'Thank You' to all 'Rooted' Dance Company, Denise Rowe and Omer. I had a really nice time with You!!! xxx

''Rooted'', what did You experience during the first performance on Tuesday?

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150495631880140&set=o.184839424929099&type=3&theater

Rooted

One performance is done. I think we did our best! Well done ''Rooted''! Next performance is tomorrow, I hope that it will be as good as the one before :)


ROOTED...

Dear ''Rooted'', ''Influx'', and ''Unwritten'' Dance Companies. How did You find all the creative process in collaboration with choreographers?

Performance Projects

11/14/2011 Rooted company had a rehearsal. There is some words I underlined after the warm-up:

ARTICULATION

CENTRE

BE OPENED FOR CHANGES

CONNECTED

FLUID BODY

PERIPHERAL VISION

EXPLORE

BREATH

"ARTICULATE BODY IS INSIDE THE FLUID BODY" (Denise Rowe 2011)

2nd rehearsal with Denise Rowe

11/9/2011 we had the second rehearsal with Denise Rowe. Our attention was drawn to connection to the earth. We did some exercises for breathing deeply into the centre and breathing deeply out of it.

In the afternoon we went to the site.

It was the advantage to work with bare feet even if it was wet and cold. It helped me too feel the earth, to be drawn to one or another place... Admire the trees, feel the gentle breeze... all the surrounding nature...

Warm? Stay longer.... Cold? Move to another place... = Be opened for changes. It is good if sudden destructions happen. Allow them to motivate the changes...

Rooted. 1st rehearsal with Denise Rowe

First of all I would like to say 'Thank You' to the tutors of Coventry University for the opportunity given to us - work with choreographers for The Performance Projects. Another 'Thank You' I would like to say to the 'Rooted Dance Company' and their choreographer Denise Rowe for the amazing time spent together.

11/8/2011 we had the 1st rehearsal with Denise Rowe. It was challenging for me as I have never danced before African Dances. It was exploration of your own body. African dance mixed with environmental movements. We used improvisation in order to emerge something happen. We were told to be opened for unexpected changes.

Awake to imagery Awake at both ends

Fluidity around rhythm Landscape of sound

Following the inclinations The fullness of yourself

Articulate body Body as vessel

African Dance - non-stylised movement! Intimate with the present movement

A listening body Making space to emerge

Rhythm as support container

Every movement starts from the centre. Let the sound be inside you...

We finished our first rehearsal with the workshop where we used all the practices that we have learnt during that day. Weather report? Sun is shining inside me!!!!! :)

Rooted

LISTENLISTEN...

LISTEN...

LISTEN...

LISTEN...LISTEN...

LISTEN...

Rooted

Company preparations. Work with the scores.
LISTEN
to the sounds of the room
eyes closed in silence
What is the soundscape of this place?
the soundscape of the body
the breath, footfall, heartbeat
Warm up in silence - sounds of the room as a score
Open a door to let the sounds in from outside
Map a sound landscape of daily sounds
fridge, clock, wind, rain
Find categories of sound
ugly/beautiful uncomfortable/ soothing
Combine and use as score for movement

Improvisation with Katye Coe

• 5 minutes warming up in silence
• I found a partner and together we found a place to sit
• We read each other's poems. Discussed our choice.
• Using a timer one person was moving for 5 minutes witnessed by his partner. Changed roles.
• We did the same as before but this time the watching partner dropped in words, phrases or the whole of the moving partner's poem while he watched his partner moving. We changed the roles and then discussed both roles.
• Later we danced together for 5 minutes (through memory spoke words of either my or partner's poems as we were moving together).
• We grouped with another pair, witnessed them and affered supportive feedback.

REFLECTION:

Dropped in words were helpful in motivating myself for moving. For me it was better use the word as a starting point. Game with sound which had sense or without sence kept us concentrated during the task. In addition to that, my partner's poem was in spanish, so she dropped in words in ather language. This situation made this task more interesting.

Performance Projects

Score with the company

Strategies for joining another person's activity

Do the same thing.........................................................................one person walking up and down

two people walking up and down

Set up a related activity in harmony with the first..................run up and down and cross their path

Set up a similar activity in rhythmic counterpoint...................walk, turn

Set up a contrasting activity........................................................stand still

Help what is going on................................................................... tow them along with the rope

Obstruct person's activity with a contrary one........................fill their pathway with furniture

take the object they were working with

Change the environment within which someone is working....switch of the light

turn on the radio

Exist in another time or dimension........................................... be present as a ghost

Start simply run walk roll

allow changes in response to what is occurring

(in joining and being joined)

Conflict as well as collaboration often gives sharpness to the work

Reflection

My company saw it like an opened score. We played with objects such as chairs and table. We changed the environment by switching off the lights. We started to feel ourselves like one big part. It was nice to play with different activities and being involved to continuous creative process.

Class with Sarah Watley 27/10/2011

Experiential anatomy with Polly Hudson

''Containers of organs influence your movements''.
We worked in pairs:

• Let your partner to lay down still on his back.
• Put your arms on his stomach and rock him carefully from side to side.
• With your arms try to find organs: lungs, liver, heart. (Imagine that you feel them).
• Finally, help your partner to start rolling from organs.

This exercise helped me to be concentrated. When I was receiving this exercise, I felt like my body is a jelly container. After that, I had the feeling to expand myself as much as it is possible.

Looking for right place to stay....

African Dance

Session with Katye Coe

Performance Projects

Denise is a movement artist, choreographer, dancer, singer and mbira player with ten years experience performing and teaching traditional and contemporary pan-African dance.Co-founder of Tolo Ko Tolo fusion dance company and principle dancer in the international world music outfit, Baka Beyond. Recently a member of Sakoba Dance Theatre, Denise also performs with Spirit Talk Mbira and works as a solo artist and on various collaborative projects including the dance film Erw Dinmael and the issue based dance piece Obey the Wind in 2010.A recipient of one of ADAD’s Trailblazers fellowships and supported by Dance Bristol, Denise has trained in African dance in the UK, Ghana, Gambia, Senegal, Zimbabwe and with the Baka hunter gatherers in the Cameroonian rainforest. In 2006 Denise completed contemporary dance training. She is also a student of Aikido and has recently completed Helen Poynor’s Walk of Life movement training in non-stylized and environmental movement.

Experiential anatomy

We had to work with a partner: trying to find bones in his skull. Explore. If you can not feel bones with your fingers, you can imagine them. Pictures of the skull were really helpful in exploring person's skull.

SRT

• Movement without force
• Awareness what is around us
• Work with image
• Senses and breath
• '' In a space there is no up and down!''
• Letting go tension of the body
• Multidirectional awareness
• SRT is never ending process

2nd Year!

Make it or break it!

Journey...

My blog is my journey with dance. The ‘blogging’ process has supported my learning in choreography and dance making. It is as helpful as my artist journal but there is one difference: my journal is personal while the blog can be shared with others. With the help of examples I will explain how the blog has helped me in different ways.
First of all, we have already started the process of making our own dance in duets. On my blog I have a lot of posts related to this process. I had the opportunity to share my ideas with other people in different ways as well as to show everyone how I am improving. In addition to that, I put a lot of scores which are helpful in creating process. There is also video about contact improvisation which was developed by Steve Paxton. In this way I can show everyone what exactly I will use in my dance and who was my inspiration. Finally, I have also posted feedback which is strongly related to my duet with Ioana. Before every rehearsal of our duet, I go back to my blog to read the feedback from witnesses over and over again. It is helpful to improve myself and to not do the same mistakes.
The second example which I want to demonstrate is from our improvisation classes. I have posted a lot of scores from these classes which are also helpful in creating and making dances. There is a lot of useful information: drawings, videos and written opinions as well as reflections. The most important thing about this post is that I can use all of this information in my Body Story.
Nowadays we have the fast progressing world of technologies and everyone has access to the internet. In my opinion, that’s why a blog is the best way of documentation. You can go back anytime to your personal blog and remember the whole journey which you have already done.

Movement studies with Katye Coe

• 
  
  
  Today in the studio we were looking at possibilities of jumps. There is a great variety of them: from one foot to another, from 2 feet to one foot etc. But we can jump not only in the high level. In low level during jumps, arms can help us as well.
  Another interesting exercise was to play with levels. We know that the most important and usually used are low, middle and high levels. But between them there is a great variety of levels too :)
  As our 2nd term is going to an end, we had conversation about learning outcomes. My individual learning outcomes you can see in pictures.

Thoughts .... :)

,f


Short dialogue with Nora. Conversation about moving in the studio, duets and solo as well as general development :)

Improvisation

On 14th of March we had an improvisation session with Polly. Every person had to walk in circle ( it does't matter big, medium or small). We had some rules to do that exercise. First of all, everyone had to walk only in his trajectory (to avoid crashes with others). Secondly, we could choose between walking, running, walking backwards or pausing.

Before start, I thought that it is very easy to hit another person, but later I was sure that if you are walking in your trajectory, there is a small chance to do a crash.

We did that exercise few times. After that I realised that I started to move with the aware of others as well as in relationship to others.

My Body Story :)

Everyone knows that different somatic based practises can have many benefits for the dancer. In my body story I will consider how the different techniques we have been introduced to have contributed to my development as a dancer in both formal 'class' settings and in my every day life.
To do that, I will use information which I gained during classes in Coventry University: Skinner Releasing Technique (SRT), Alexander Technique, Improvisation and Contact Improvisation.

I will also pay attention to bones and joints and discuss how these techniques can influence attitudes towards our body.

Questions...

First year dance students!!!! Which one do you like more? The process of creating duets or process of creating solo? Why? I am waiting for your opinions :)

Improvisation

On Thursday we had an improvisation session with Polly. In groups of 4-5 people, everyone had to do an individual score. It could be improvised score or not. Score consisted of very simple movements: walking, running, jumping, falling and recovery etc. When everyone finished his score, we shared them with partners in groups. We had to explain what means every line, every sign. A few moments later, everyone had the opportunity to set a choreography using his score. It was a good experience to see how you can create dance with the help of scores. Finally, every person had chosen a small part of their score, we put them together and made another score, which included 5 individual scores. Session was really interesting. We saw all scores, as we shared our works.

Duet (Feedback)

Feedback is very useful during the creation process. For me it is a stimulus to develop my piece of art. Feedback can be given in different ways. The best one is to receive feedback from others. So, after sharing the duets, me and Ioana, received written feedback.

Puzzles

Work in progress and the assessment is coming soon...

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