Monday 9 December 2013

November Blog review



Time is a tricky thing in our lives. It just flies by and does not wait for those who are late…. I am talking about myself :) It is already December, so where is November gone so fast?
I think it is the best time to reflect upon my November practice as a dancer. 

As in previous review, I will reflect on Experiential Anatomy classes as I find them useful in order to understand my body. November was full of explorations as October, however, I have faced some difficulties. Exploration of movement patterns has continued whilst I was still stuck in one of the most complicated patterns for me which is mouthing pattern. The biggest surprise arises in my mind when I keep reading handouts given in class about infant’s development and I understand that all these patterns were done when I was a child. So why is it so difficult to go through them now when I am 21 years old? 

Mouthing pattern which is related to digestive system is one of the patterns which I would like to explore more. Maybe then I will become familiar with it? It is one of the most important patterns that have been used since I was a child: for searching food as well as vocal development. And now when I have used to it, it has never made me think that it is something amazing and it can be a stimulus for movement.

Studio practices have helped to go into depth of each movement pattern individually. I am looking forward to start term 2 in order to continue the research of my own body. One idea just popped into my head: every human being more or less went through similar movement patterns, however, have you ever realized how different we are? The only common thing is that we have 2 arms, 2 legs and head. Nothing else is identical. The way we walk, the way we sit, the way we execute different movements…. The world is full of surprises!

Touch...

Models: Ioana Budaes Dabija
   Greta Pliavgo


Tuesday 12 November 2013

Research and Performance Practice

Exploration of touch continious...



October blog review

October is over and it is the best time to reflect on it today!!! 
First of all, I would like to go into depth of Experiential Anatomy lessons  which were always fascinating me with its complexity and way of understanding my own moving body. During this class we are constantly exploring different movement patterns starting from cells and ending with ... (we will see at the end of the term :)). We have explored so far cells, sea sponge, jelly fish, starfish.
 
 Our next exploration point will be sea squat. These explorations of evolution made me understand how complicated is the world around us. Nothing just happened without reason. Each, even the smallest creature of the earth, has its own complicated system which I would not even notice if not these particular sessions where we are able to 'zoom in' each of them separately. In addition to that, even though human being obtains wide variety of movement patterns, exploration of those unknown and unfamiliar awaken forgotten movements in our bodies. The most exciting session for me was where we had move from navel, Navel Radiation Pattern. Hand out about this pattern while you are infant, helped to understand that this is the main movement pattern that we have as soon as we born. As I said before, nothing happens without reason, however, everything in this world is connected...

Skinner Releasing Technique, Release Based Contemporary, Feldenkrais Technique and Experiential Anatomy are the session where I try to involve all the knowledge I have gained from all these classes. As we all know, principles that have been applied in Skinner Releasing Technique, will be very useful for Release Based Contemporary and vice versa. Intergration - that is the key word I would use to describe the process of my personal learning and development.

Finally, challenges and success are always full of surprises and You can not predict them. In my opinion, I try to give my best in order to gain as much useful information as tutor can offer. Goals that I have set in the beginning of the year are slowly getting towards the FINISH line, however, I have to be very focused in order not to lose what I have gained so far.

Saturday 26 October 2013

Nicosia University

Some lost material was found :) however, it is never too late to share these amazing experience with You guys! :) Enjoy! Performance was in Limassol, Cyprus 2013

http://youtu.be/bJ-c_ULOHqs

Research and Performance Practise



The intention of my Final Major Project is to investigate one of the most important human’s perceptions - touch. My attention will be especially drawn towards human’s touch, body to body touch. Live piece will be performed in mostly improvised duet where two human bodies will play around with the idea of touching and being touched which may lead into some set material, gained from the working process and memories of it. The intention of this experiment is to be as opened as it is possible for anything that might happen. I believe it will be an ongoing process in order to explore all the possible effects that touch may bring. I will explore different ways of touch on my own body and other body next to me as well as different responses that might occur during the process. Responses can be very different and quite unexpected for that particular moment but my personal motto during creative process will be NOT TO NEGATE and see where it may lead me and my partner. Dialogue between two live bodies will be ready for manipulation, rejection and playfulness…
Research and Performance practise module will be my starting and the most important step towards the creation of my own choreography piece. Where am I at the moment? Good question to investigate right now. 23/10/2013 we had a presentation which gave me an answer to this question. I think, I am somewhere on the right way :) Basically now, my research will be focused on studio practise. 




 

Body Systems

Exploration through the direct experience of our own body systems, tissues and cells...


http://www.nsdpoker.com/2011/02/human_body/ 

Reflection on moving with the idea of cells:
  • feeling grounded
  • quite heavy whilst at the same time quite light
  • relation towards sponge 'a lot of cells create a spongy surface'
  • cells create my body - MOVING BODY!
Quote from Lewis Thomas's `The Lives of a Cell' (Viking Press, 1974) – “I have been trying to think of the earth as a kind of organism, but it is a no go. I cannot think of it this way. It is too big, too complex, with too many working parts lacking visible connections. The other night, driving through a hilly, wooded part of southern New England, I wondered about this. If not like an organism, what is it like, what is it most like? Then, satisfactorily for that moment, it came to me: it is most like a single cell.” Yes, the cell is truly amazing – amazing in its complexity, yet fundamental to all forms of life including the human organism.

 http://www.biology.buffalo.edu/courses/bio531/lecture7.html

Friday 18 October 2013

Experiential anatomy

What is Experiential Anatomy?


Experiential Anatomy is a creative / humanistic approach using movement, touch, drawing, partner work, and creative writing to embody and personalize your learning. One’s experiences become the basis for understanding one’s physical body and movement potential.  
 
 

Thursday 18 April 2013

Contemporary Dance VIII (Release)


Contemporary Dance VIII (Release)



Contemporary Dance VIII (Release)


Contemporary Dance VIII (Release)


Contemporary Dance VIII (Release)

Dancer: Nora Meldere

The Dynamospher

The Dynamospher was Laban’s term for the imaginary structure that illustrates the eight basic efforts.

They dimensional cross within the cube is structured in such a way that it illustrates the nature of time, weight and space.
Light to Strong: goes from the centre of the floor to the centre of the ceiling, indicating that light is high whilst strong is deep.
Flexible to Direct: goes from the centre of the right wall to centre of the left. This is because of the action of raising your arm or leg to either side. If you were to raise your right arm and move it to the right side of your body, you would be relatively free of resistance (freedom) but if you move it across your body to the left side, you would encounter resistance and the movement would be very limited and would, therefore, direct.
Sustained to Sudden: goes from the centre of the front wall to the centre of the back wall. Laban noted that we mainly use are arms and legs in front of our body where movement is easily sustained. If we move them behind our body, we encounter more resistance and our movements are necessarily short and therefore sudden.

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Contemporary Dance VIII

Dancer: Nora Meldere

Contemporary Dance VIII


Dance Pedagogy

TASK: create a 5 min exercise with knowledge of contemporary dance for beginners of 13-15 years old.

As I have never had the opportunity to teach adolescents before, I decided to go for improvisation in partners:) It explores the weight.
  1. Face each other, feet comfortably balanced, arms forward and slightly bent with palms resting against partner's palms. Take turns passively leaning forward into your partner's palms, allowing him to support your weight. Try to develop a trust in passively giving your body weight and receiving your partner's body weight.
  2. Do the same and try to balance yourself with one leg forward and one leg backward.
  3. With feet comfortably together and knees bent, hold hands at the wrist and lean back away from each other. Play with moving up and down, sideways.
Leading and following

Facing each other with only fingertips touching, take turns alowly moving, with one partner doing a free pattern of movement and the other following. Explore all the space...

Contemporary Dance VIII (Release)

Contemporary VIII is based on Release Technique and information from other techniques such as Limon, Laban, Yoga and Pilates. The course focuses on deepening the knowledge about Release technique, such as gaining speed through letting go of muscular tension and developing movement patterns into more complex combinations with varying speeds and dynamics. The students will intensify the search for connections in the body and connect movement to the breath of the body in order to enlarge the range of dynamic changes. A focus will be on personal approach to movement through improvisation and research as well as on the execution of more complicated movement patterns using the combination of floowork and travelling through vertical positions.

Learning outcomes:
  • trust gravity whilst sustaining strong in the center of the body
  • let breath travel and expand the movement
  • stabilize the basic body positions even in complicated combinations
  • let energy travel and connect movement without being imprecise
  • release without being weak
  • apply coordination and precision in difficult patterns
  • develop a personal approach

Contemporary Dance VIII


Dance Pedagogy: Adolescents to Adults

This course will give students the knowledge and practical experience to teach dance tp adolescents and adults. It will be suggested to students how to teach effectively and safely to senior adults and how the teacher can maintain the interest of adolescent students. Students will explore how the dance teacher can create appropriate challenge to the specific group without causing fear and intimidation in the sensitive learners. Through discussion, research and practice students will explore and acquire the educational tools, knowldge and skills appropriate for each age group and population from adolescence and beyond.

Learning outcomes:
  • teach the basic dance elements to adolescents and adults
  • create lesson plans
  • manage class room activities
  • handle specific issues surrounding adolescence and adulthood with sensitivity and awareness

Special Topics in Dance: Ensemble

The purpose of this course is to allow students to experience the process of learning and creating choreography with emphasis on ensemble work. Students will be encouraged to contribute to the process through improvisation and learn given material.

Learning outcomes:
  • perform a contemporary dance work at the Annual Dance Programme Concert
  • improve performing abilities
  • demonstrate a clear understanding of the contemporary dance making process with technical elements
  • learn how to adapt to different styles and movement physically and dramatically
  • demonstrate an artistic and technical growth through instructor feedback and self-assessment

Contemporary Dance VI (Release)

This course is based on release technique and icludes information from other techniques. It will focus on moving on the floor. Easy exercises to find center in horizontal position, which lead to more complex combinations over the flor as well as standing up, finding connections in the body to get a flow in the movement. A main focus will be to work on the ability of not 'cutting' the energy of movement but transforming it and using it for next movement. The course will have another emphasis on initiating movement from the center while maintaining the alignment, especially in motion.


Learning outcomes:
  • giving weight and finding support from the floor, using the floor
  • finding and strenghtening the center of the body in the horizontal, revising body alignment
  • utilizing the breath in movement
  • analyzing connections in the body in order to get into a flowing quality of movement without being imprecise
  • using the space, exploring 'to move big'
  • predicting how much energy and muscle action is needed/not needed
  • applying different movement qualities and distinguishing between them
  • demonstrating a three dimensional quality of movement

Ballet II

This course is a build up to the basic principles of classical ballet technique learnt in Ballet I. During this class, the students will deepen skill, knowledge and appreciation of the ballet technique and develop the understanding of the technique onto another level. Emphasis will be directed towards learning and developing both technical skills and the aesthetic sensibilities. Exercises will become a little more complex and new movement vocabulary will be introduced. Differences in movement quality, energy and rhythm will be explored.

Learning outcomes:
  • to increase the understanding of the proper alignment within the personal limitations
  • to be secure in the use of the basic positions of arms and feet
  • to develop the knowledge of terminology according to the new material given
  • to increase strenght and flexibility through the barre and center sequences
  • to increase the coordination of simple steps and arm positions
  • to learn movement with quicker footwork and dynamics
  • to develop musicality and rhythm through longer and more complex combinations

Spring semester!!!

Modules:
Ballet II
Contemporary Dance VIII, Technique 4 (Release)
Contemporary Dance VI (Release)
Special Topics in Dance: Ensemble
Dance Pedagogy: Adolescents to Adults
Pilates II

The labiryth of shared happiness...

Saturday 23 February 2013

Trapped. Final.

Big thank You for all my dancers that helped to achieve this result! Nora Meldere, Tamara Sanchez, Sotiris Sotiriou, Louis Apostolu, Alvaro Hernando Gavilan



Advanced Dance Composition



TRAPPED

Creative process is never ending process which provides each choreographer with feeling of satisfaction as well as disappointment. During the creation of this piece I had to face a lot of difficulties. However, there is no situation without a solution. In my opinion, dance is an art form which is wide enough and full of answers to all our questions. I just needed to have a will and intellect in order to inquire into my own nature and find those answers.
Trapped is a dance piece which explores our True Self. According to a philosopher Kenneth Wilber, each of us has that True Self. However, most of us have an intention to hide it. Due to the research I have done so far, I strongly believe, there might be a lot of reasons for that. First of all, all the humanity is trapped in a wide variety of systems. Whether it is political system, economical one or others but at the end of the day we are all from the same planet, from the same universe and we are all different individuals. Secondly, each individual might have a fear to be heard or seen more often than others. It might be the issue of low self confidence. Finally, depending on environment, experiences and circumstances a person’s unique self will either express itself or hide itself. It is everyone’s personal choice.
The first idea to explore the true identity came to me when I saw a movie Requiem for a dream directed by Daren Aronofsky. I was inspired by one episode which has shown what people are ready to sacrifice in order to be liked by others. The concept and intention of my piece kept changing many times till I stopped by the exploration of everyday movements.
Consequently, exploration has turned those movements into robotic ones in order to express the systematic concept. There is no feeling expressed due to the fact that being trapped in everyday system and routine does not allow enjoying it. What you can see is only blank look in their eyes and bodies doing the same movement over and over again.  Dancers have chosen their own movement to explore. That is how all the repetition has developed from one simple movement which was individual’s personal choice. There was no right or wrong.
Except Requiem for a dream, I found a lot of useful sources in order to deepen my understanding of the idea. It includes books about self – disclosure and relation to others, videos from www.youtube.com such as Be yourself by Australian Dance Theatre. In addition to this, I have read the opinions of philosopher’s about individual’s uniqueness.
Soundtrack is a mixture of voice records and song taken from Enigma musical project. Voice records were created by dancers where they tried to be as opened as possible in order to express their real self and opinions about fake self.
The experiences and challenges that I have gone through helped me to understand a lot of things that are important for every artist. Understanding of the idea is not enough to create a piece. Motivation and interest are the main factors in order to achieve my goals. What is more, I had a chance to experience how it feels to be in charge of my dance company. There were a lot of mistakes I have done during this creative process, however, the best thing to learn something is to learn from my own mistakes.




Episode from 'Requiem for a dream'