Rolling around your midline
Marina Collard session


The previous session contained explorations and hands-on work in order to find the centre of the energy in the body, the point,from which it spreads out.

The session I was witnessing, contained the work on rolling around your midline, which was kind of building development in relation to previous week explorations.
Arching the back laying on a side, and then lining elbow-ribs-hip-knee made me notice that one side arching and lining seems somehow clearer than the other. There was a specification in order to achieve different movement quality, that body should curl less, leaving everything more open, and lengthen everything; send, rather than curl. Other specifications were seeking to find the room/space between the pelvic and ribs rather than pushing hips from foot; basically lengthening the front of the thigh, from ribcage-pelvic bone. It is a long long part of the body, from pelvic bone all the way to knee.
After exercise of exploring these instances, and the other rolling exercise, 8 counts phrase followed. It contained of squatting, roling, going into downer dog, walking hands towards feet, rolling up,rising whilst sending hands and shoulder blades down. The exercise was repeated in 1st position.
With the intention of reaching qualities, expanding the movements into beyond the body, there was an exercise in a 2nd position, which was repeated several times in following sessions too, that made the quality change.

Qualities, such as not squashing in, being light, releasing the tensions and letting the energy flow from pelvic, bringing the easiness in movements.

Some other phrase work followed, involving traveling, sequences of steps. Different dinamics, and increased speed made the body react quickly, not to loose the quality. You have to be really aware three dimensionally of your body when doing this exercise.

Technique phrase class with Marina Collard


First term of second year we worked with Marina Collard, developing our movement techniques. One of the first classes we focused on spine and vertebrae. We were trying to find 12th thoratic vertebrae of the spine, in order to initiate movements in a different way and develop awareness of the body, by separating the upper body and lower body from a line of 12th vertebrae.
The warm-up contained hands-on parner graphic. Receiving partner was laying in constructive rest position. Other partner places her hand on the belly to let receive and get used to touch and temperature of the touching body. Then the knees are sent on a side,placing hand on 12th vertebrae; brushing from the back all the way down the leg, then the same action is done through shoulder blades and down the arm to little finger and from the chest all the way down the arm to the thumb; sending back the knees; receiving person being upstanding,holding ribs pulled up in place. brushing down the hips and legs, and then brushing covering only one side of ribs-front, then back and each side of it.
This experience gave me some awareness ,drawing my attention to 12th vertebrae and possible ways of moving this awareness offers. It also felt therapeutic and been warm, gentle, relaxing and releasing the tension in my body as well as kinaesthetically longening my limbs.

When moving, I focused on imaginary filling the space around me. The use of floor as a support to move, the starting point allowing the body to move has been present, up to sensation of flying, which is a very interesting kinaesthetic sense that this kind of work can bring.


This is the drawing I made in my journal after this session:
It talks about downward and upward energy flows from the point of 12thvertebrae.

Improvisation class with K.Coe
Neglected places


At the end of previous session me and Julia went around the building looking for a neglected place. We chosen the little space near the lifts. We were trying to pick up the discarded things, noticing sounds around, the atmosphere. Some of the things I noted in my artist journal was :

Social life. / indviduals.... very different and so similar; very personal and individual but very interrelated.

footsteps.

passing through.

doors; corridor; lift; wheelchair lift;

music/ singing somewhere on the background.

becoming louder and louder and louder and then absolutely quiet.

We left the space thinking about what is left behind, what is left alone and with an intension to bring some neglected things next week. So when we came back to the same place having some random stuff, we were supposed to change the space highlighting and using the things that was already there. However, when we looked at the stuff we picked and brought, something completely different happened! we didn't highlighted the space itself, but we made it alive in a different way - we kind of made a piece about students nights out! We found out that everything we had somehow just made sense and also connected to the space as well, even I would call it pushing the boundaries rather than fulfilling the task we were given.

That was very interesting task and idea we worked with, and the way we ended up was even more interesting as it was so unexpected! very good material for visual arts, work with objects and dance as well, if wanted.

Improvisation class with K.Coe
Breath. Contact improvisation.


This session contains concentrating on the breath, being comfortable, starting from moving in the rhythm of your own breath. Then we improvised in pairs using the same idea. The interesting thing happened when we were asked to move towards other pair for group contact improvisation, but as we worked with our eyes closed, we suddenly ended up in a group of 6 rather than 4. Impressive, how even if few people are leaning on you or just giving lots of weight, it doesn't feel difficult to move, heaviness somehow doesn't exist!

Fact I didn't know - Laying on the front gives different release for the nerve system!
I find it really interesting, because I usually sleep laying on the front, so I presume it is something to do with my nerve system, it is maybe the release that my body requires in order to balance my nerve system.

Technique class with Oscar Scott

Body Centre

We had a very intensive class with Oscar, working with body centre, center power. We did different exercises and phrases, mostly very dynamic ones, in order to release the pelvic area and feel the central power of the body as much as working with the core stability and balance. Squats and lengthening the limbs, forcing the pelvic as an impulse of movement/ letting pelvic lead rather than limbs give the sense of ground but also gives the potential and energy for active moving. You feel more stabil and balanced but also makes phrases more smooth and energetic. Mastering using your body center make movements much more effortless, soft, fluent, but not too tender. It is very helpful dancing at all levels, give a lot of power for wide, energetic, fast, 'air-level' movements.
        Even I felt a lack of technical details given of some particular movements and phrases, it was a lot of fun and really intensive. Anyway, really quick speed of his teaching I could find beneficial in a way of getting slighly different experience of learning, it keeps you perceptive, focused and keeps your body warm and continually active. Intensiveness also somehow releases some unnecesarry tensions in the body, as body becomes a bit too tired to keep being too tensed; makes movements somehow easier to get into, because the lack of technical details given take off the confussion and too much thinking about what you are doing and rather let your body work it through itself.
      I liked the feeling of being very free and active at the end of the session even I was very tired. I also felt inspired and using that different quality of moving complemented by inspiring music improvised using very spacious, energetic movements in all levels. 
     It was very interesting and beneficial to work with this person, but I am not sure if the speed he uses and lack of technical information would work for me as much if we had him all the time. Here come questioning myself what works best for me. At this moment I think more detailed information is required for my body, but little change and range of different learning ways is also good. It can also be a bit related to my body not being prepared enough for that intensive practice yet, after the summer when I didn't do a lot physical.

Memory. Receptiveness. Spacial awareness.

Improvisation Practice
Session with Katye Coe


Memory. Receptiveness. Spacial awareness.


We started our second year practicing improvisation in a mixed groups - half second year students and half 3rd year students. I think it give us slightly different experience, as we work with a different people (some of them we don't know very well), which is very good and much more interesting.
A very nice and fresh start was 'telling stories' game, which made us communicate to each other a bit more, in a more personal way maybe, and really awaken perception and memory. And it was so much fun as well! I believe awakening perception and memory was the main purpose of this game, as it didn't develop further, as I expected.

Later on, we worked in pairs with objects in the room. One of the partners kept eyes shot and was lead by the other around the room, taken to different places of the room in order to explore particular places and objects around, not knowing what exactly that was. I was lead towards the doors and played with it for a bit, but for some reason I felt uncomfortable and got bored quite quickly. I  think it was something about limitating myself, and I found out that I need to open myself more, be more brave and take all the possibilities, push the boundaries, when I feel I could do so.

WHAT THE WORST CAN HAPPEN?  this is the question I made for myself, which encourages me from now on, because usually in the dancing world u realise that there is nothing bad or wrong that could happen!

There was few more interesting exercises we did in order to sense the space and be aware of the other moving bodies in the room (we walked across the space using different speeds and tired to get to the other side of the room at the same time as your partner does, without looking at each other after we pass each other). I find it interesting and quite difficult, it makes me question what does it build up, and I think it is a lot about coordination and spacial awareness as well as being very attentive to the quality and speed your patner moves, even it was just walking.

Another thing to mention from this particular session was witnessing your partners improvised dance with your eyes shut! I think it becomes a lot about sound, hearing the movement becomes the way of "seeing" it. It is also very impressive, as I find it as a new way of creating new movements, especially when struggling with finding new ways of the same movement. When 'blind-witness' is trying to repeat the 'heard' dance, it makes it very different, but still keeps such a similar pattern.  Other interesting thing about this exercise - witness can easily feel where the dancing body is in the space even at the moments when movements can't be heard.


Questions and reminders for myself in order to develop:

Pushing the boundaries.
Trust people you don't know.
Being playful.
What the worst can happen? 

SRT
With Polly Hudson

Last two classes of SRT was about instant letting go. We improvised in duets a little bit, thinking about supple instant movements.I found it as a really nice work in pairs, giving and responding impulses, at the same time thinking about spaces in the body (having an image of light/ windows between vertebrae) and floating skull - having awareness of your own body. It was such an easy improvisation, with an UNEXPECTED movements happening. I liked that feeling when you respond and react to suggested touch as an impulse of unexpected movement and being actually aware and careful of you inner landscape at the same time. It makes the movement quality better.
Then we had some hand touch work in order to release and open hip.
As a new experience, I could mention something, that I felt laying on the floor. Somehow, I felt disorientated. It is probably because I felt quite awake before, so when my body was trying to get into inner landscape I felt disorientated. It was something new and even strange, even in a good way.
Moving around I was focusing on circulation in my body in relation to energy circulation. By the way, working with bouncing with suspended torso I found it really easy, which was a big step towards a better quality, first time it felt that effortless!!!LIGHT and EASY. I explored that in "river" exercise and in solo dancing at the end of the class. However, it is important to notice, that exploring bouncing was about lightness and easiness in movements, about keeping going in order to make jumps effortless by keeping going rather than using extra muscles which you need to start a movement and about rhythm.
By the way, finding that easy bouncing is really useful for ballet classes, as we sometimes use that image!

What is the influence of disorientation in my body? what makes our body become disorientated?
How to keep our body supple, soft and easy in our everyday life?

bouncing images

UNDERSCORE workshop
With Amy Voris

This time we kept exploring and getting an understanding about what underscore is. Being in the space I somehow became tired. At some point I lost receptiveness, readiness feeling. I explored all the levels, but when I lost what I was doing (just felt like I don't know what to do next), i felt tired. Even until this particular moment I was enjoying the improvisation and exploration my own moving in that way, when I left space, I didn't want to come back, but I did, and encouraged myself to move, even very slowly. It was different, because moving really slowly I was thinking about my moving quality and kept noticing people passing me, at some points having contacts. I explored walking backwards on four, passing, stepping thou everybody else. That was impressive, unexplored, such an unexpected moving way involving people around. When I left the space again, I stayed there because of the need to witness - my minds were more awake than my body, and I enjoyed that, because as the space became very active, it gave me some choreographic ideas. I started to notice senses again, taking the environment, noticing senses such as smell, touch (which was a bit different this time, because I felt I didn't really wanted to be touched, but at some points, passing people and touching them just like letting them touch me I felt getting different directions to move, which is good when you improvise). Music also helped me getting into, it was another sense, giving a direction to change the movements (like rhythm). For example, When I heard it playing, I started to move on beats, but later on, i somehow lost it. I think that was the moment I felt tired. Sense of gravity felt as support, which I liked because of the way it affected my movements. I also had some thoughts about lightness in my body. So, I could say, even my thoughts and feeling changed several times during this class, all of them gave me different experience and choices to explore.

    My task for future would be try to explore the lightness in my body more and how to keep it?

Sensory walk
Receiving the environment

It was a class with Amy Voris. This time we concentrated on our senses, which I always love to work with. At the beginning we talked about it,what made me start noticing and think about the senses, how powerful they are, how gifted we are so we can be sensible. Also, we thought about conceptional responses, urban spaces, emotional responses, poetical responses coming from our minds, about being receptive. This gave me so much ideas coming into my mind, especially when we got a task to go outside, have a walk being receptive. I noticed many things, which interested me. For example, as it was really cold outside, I started to think about coldness, and notice temperature everywhere around. I started to touch things, ground, stones, water, etc.. another thing which came into my head - directions. As I started to think about it, I had some interesting choreographic ideas, which I probably use in the future.
All this work gave me so many things to think about, to explore and it reminded me IPP classes. I really enjoyed that and find useful for me as an artist.

As further question and task for myself I think would be thoughts about how to keep receptive?

underscore

Experimental Anatomy
Class with Katye Coe
Introduction of Underscore

Ariving to your body

That day required me to move a bit more than usual, to get warm in active moving rather than laying on the floor looking for stillness, because it felt like my minds were ready to work already, but my body felt a bit tired somehow. I just wanted to renew or wake up every cell of my body.

This time we started to learn about underscore. We were given some articles to read about it, and started practicing. I found nice and interesting, when I got ability to choose between staying "in my own bubble" space or leave it and travel, explore the sensation of passing someone else. I also explored some new things, such as keeping the attention, noticing the moments when I loose it, at the same time keeping open my creativity, imagination and keeping moving. I also found some unexpected movements during this class, and I found myself very opened, full of readiness, I even noticed that laying on the floor didn't required me to close my eyes - even opposite- i couldn't close them. It was a new experience of a bit different improvisation way compared to the one's I was involved before. It felt like following the body so naturally, using instructions that i heard only as suggestions for further movements and things to concentrate. I heard all of them , but my body just kept going so naturally, effortless. Softness; Freedom; Warmth; Readiness.
Some thoughts then came into my head:
Natural progression of my body.
All I have got in my body - it's already there.... using resources of my body.
However, as soon as I left the space to write in my journal, I couldn't come back at the same state. It felt weird. But then I started from the beginning and found myself working absolutely differently- I explored levels differently, and I started to travel instead of staying in "my own bubble" space. Even it took a bit of time to get into again, it gave me different choices to move and explore, improvise. I really liked the opportunities to let go, or to change the direction of my exploration any time! I am looking forward to find more about underscore!


My question for further exploration would be, how to keep that state of readiness, how to keep concentrated and open?

I found this amazing picture in the internet. I liked it, because we often use the image of painting all your body in some color, especially in improvisation classes. It is really inspiring! and I also like the colors in this particular image, because I recently I found these colors as a spring colors for me this year.

I saw Oana's Rotariu IPP2 work in ICE building few days ago.It was a nice work about relation between materials around us and the human being. It was interesting to watch her moving and exploring. When I saw her imitating pregnancy using material, I was a little bit shocked, because it felt like she shouldn't do that, considering that she was improvising, and that "pregnancy moment" seemed a bit rude, as it supposed to be really meaningful and deliberated (even my thoughts have nothing about judgment). However, after discussion with her I've changed my mind, because she explained her work for me more. I liked how she choose the space, the decorations and light as well, because that little light made some deeper sense and she looked beautiful. I really enjoyed.
That bit with pregnancy reminded me my own work about circles, so when she gave the task to do for all of us, I decided to do it in my way, because I think it's more useful for me (especially when time limits press me these days) and I did similar tasks in my IPP1 sessions.



We were supposed to go few days to different places, choose there an object, explore ways of forming and transforming it within it's setting, etc. To be honest, I didn't actually fulfill the task, but I did it a bit differently. Walking in different places, or being in different places, I've noticed some objects, related to my own IPP1 work - circles and had some thoughts about it. For example, one of these objects was a moon.
This object straight away made me to think about other sky objects, like other planets or stars. As soon as thoughts about stars came into my head, I started to think about relation between sky objects (which are circular shape what cause my attention) and people. It is believed, that stars can tell so much about us, our character, or even that we are all born under some star. It was just a random thoughts about relation between and influence to personality.



Another object was a wheel of the car- which make for me sense of continuous wholeness, sense of keeping going continuously. And even civilization winning in relation to this particular action.







Then I noticed ring road as well.  It just gave me the image, that circle involves separate things into one relation and then anybody can leave it and come back into it again, come back into same relation. I could compare it to some other circles, like... life itself - people or animals or whatever born - get involved into the same life circle, and the die - pass or leave the circle. i think we can find even more similiarities as well.





The next circle I noticed is clock. We can not transform it at any chance actually, we can not change the direction it goes on and another interesting thing about it was that it goes around the score, nowhere else. It reminded me some sentence I heard several times in classes, like we all are the center of our lifes, everything else goes around us. It also shows time, which itself has a lot of meanings and relations to circles.

This picture shows more circular shapes in nature. A lot of plant has circular shapes.

In addition, I took a picture of apple, which also has some relations to Bible, and some sacral story behind. It adds and make an image of some of my findings, that circular shape/form is explored since thousand years ago; and some divine meanings as well. This is kind of deep i think, and a lot of to think about. By the way, this is a thing, which is possible to transform, but then it gets even more and different meanings, similarities and things to think about.

Rainbow ! it has half-circular shape and includes whole color spectrum! Whole spectrum that we can ever see and find! It inspires me as well, because sometimes when I look at it, I think about that we can see only half of circle, then I imagine, that somebody else being on the other side of Earth can see the rest half of it :) I also like the fact, that it somehow connects earth, water and air, earth and sky to become visible. It is so beautiful! 

I took this picture, in order to show my findings and notices about how circular shape can prominence anything - as soon as something is in circular shape, it catches the eye and become important.

All this work give me ideas for my IPP1 work! 

Self-directed task of Joana Tischau
Joana Tishchau IPP2 performance "fieldwork"

I saw her IPP2 performance last week, which I really really liked. I read the sheet about that work before I saw the performance, so it was easier to understand what she is about. The performance was really well made, I liked everything about it - the space that she chosen, the audience layout, the objects she used, the music and way to include it and, of course, her own actions in it. I liked the naturalism and context, familiars to reality which most of us actually experience. Especially I do, because I also came into another country and I am so familiar to all these things she showed. Some personal interests of her, which she involved, was also very interesting; I liked that she included her native language and that she made a rhythm using it, which was really fun and impressive. The nakedness gave her performance very personal meanings as well and gave the reality sense. The composition and choreography was also used very well. It was really professional and understandable for everyone, which is really good, because it extends range of possible audience. It was her own space, her being as a center of her life and experience in a wide world context, with a touch of sociological meanings.

She gave us a suggestion to think about our own culture, cultural and social rearm; the things that we are engaged with.
Influenced by these questions and her work, I had some thoughts about it, some general ones. I feel being different being here, in England. First of all, it's because people obviously point it, like saying it straight ahead, like excepting me somehow from all the others, like some different rules would be set for me as a foreigner. Unfortunately, I am not usually happy about that. However, being a foreigner and seeing the differences between cultures, acknowledgment of both of them is really good for me, it broadens my horizons, make me become more open-minded, give me ability to choose and find priorities and possibilities. As long as I can cope with unpleasant things I face here being foreigner, it makes me stronger and even better as a human, as well as an artist.
Joana also forced me to think about stereotypes. And, in addition, what does it mean "being an artist" for me? Thinking about stereotypes, as much as I noticed, people unrelated to art usually have a stereotypical thought, that artists are not so clever, like they are a bit insane and not able to understand and cope with "earthly" problems. However, there are people who think artists to be gifted, and there is much more truth I think. In my opinion, artists are people who look deeper into humanity, into values, human being priorities and beauty in the world rather then concentrating on materials. I think, that is why we are people - not animals, that is why brain for us is given, that we would understand the meaning of our life rather than thinking about how to make our life easier in order to survive. That's what "being an artist" means for me. This is my way of life, this is a way to express myself, this is the way to improve myself as a human. What can be better than your work being the way you love to be improved? :))) That's why I would never agree myself to be a careerist.

Circle

This is a short part of my piece for IPP1. I am exploring circles and everything related to it. Researched a lot about it, I've got into idea, that every circle starts somehow (circle of life,etc..) and I found a lot of relations and meaning between woman and cicles (for ex.- womb is circular shape) that's why this bit shows the birth. There are some videos of my work (which is still on it's way) and some feedback from my course friends. 

Any feedback?:) 

Iliopsoas
Self-directed studying no.3

At first time I read the sheets about iliopsoas it did not make any sense for me, I almost didn't understand anything. But I read it several times after, and I started to understand a little. Then I did the exercise. I found it really interesting, it actually reminded me Pilates, because I was concentrated on inner muscles, which I never explored before.I was looking for that belly hollowing moment rather than bulging it forward. I found myself stopping quite often every time I felt my abdominal muscles popping out. However, even I needed to stay for a bit longer or to repeat the exercise several times, I found several hollow moments. I felt my spine much more supported, and I felt lighter. I also felt like I need much less efforts to sit down from laying and vice versa. However, I know I didn't find all these points to support my spine with iliopsoas more, but I think it takes time to do that by repeating the exercise several times. I think this practice and knowledge should improve my movement technique quality so much.

Place in the leg

These images gave me clearer understanding and view of iliopsoas and it's place in the body.






My question is : does anyone know or have any thoughts about different exercises or ways to find iliopsoas and work with it?    

Ribs
Self-directed studies no.2

Doing these exercises I was exploring my ribcage and functions of it. I noticed that it is easier to feel your bone shape when someone else touches rather than doing it myself. I found quite difficult to find the gaps between each rib. It was really useful for knowledge of my body. New thing for me was finding that diagonal shape of the rib in my back. This picture shows our ribs and shape of it that I found.





My other notice was laying on the floor - however we would lay, our body (including ribs) adapts easily so we can get as comfortable shape as possible. Skeleton and muscles automatically do that, and if it's not possible, they give signals for us to change it. This notice allows me to trust in my body, which is needful for me as a dancer.

Joints
Self-directed studying no. 1

We were given some tasks and instructions for individual or small group work. The first one was related to joints. Doing this exercise, I noticed some interesting things about my body. Mainly, I noticed the relations in the body. I didn't notice it before that much, how dependent from each other my body parts are, that even the positioning of the spine affects all other body parts.
As me , Emma and Emmie explored relation between periphery and the spine laying on the floor, it was so easy to feel dependency between one joint to another - for example, noticing how moving ankles in different directions body automatically include knee and, dependent on movement width, hip. The same happens in whole body- the more you move, the more extended your movements are, the more joints and body as a whole gets involved.  My other notice was that rotating your arm is so much effortless than your leg. Also, you can move your hips without much movements in your ankles or knees, but you can't move your ankle not involving knee and hip. In laying position it was easier to notice all this in relation to your spine. When I did the exercise again in standing position as it requires, I was trying to keep my spine long and concentrated more on relationships and dependence between body parts in whole body. Standing I explored the articulation most, having different feeling in my body than usual. It was really good experience to know my body more and for my moving quality.
And it was really useful for me as I am exploring and working on my feet articulation.

Line and dependence between hip, knee and ankle.

Arthrometric  model - zones of joints that I explored.

Another notice was that dependent on joints, human can move the legs so differently forward and backwards than side ways. This picture shows that:

Disorientation

Theatre warp up
Katye Coe
5th March 2012

Disorientation

I was watching this session, so I noticed some interesting things. We started from curving and uncurving spine reaching forwards, which I evaluated as a really good warm up and practice for people who don't do much physical activity practice.
Thinking about disorientation, we started to play reminding childhood - doing everything or whatever to get disorientated - spinning, turning round and round, swinging, spiraling, going up-side-down in all possible ways. In my opinion, all this disorientation practice was on a kind of purpose so participants could find up-side-down position - standing on hands, because last time most of people were a bit frightened about that and didn't do that. So this time, doing a phrase in order to get disorientated before the final - up-side-down movement, most of participants did that, or at least tried. So it means this disorientation practice really worked!





     

Personal notice - I think, that physical practice for theatre students is really important. Probably they just need a little bit more time and instructions or ideas for improvising given. I noticed them a bit struggling going thru levels, which could also be improved. A little bit more technical instructions is also needed, I think.



What movements can be used, what kind of movements can be used to get disorientated?

Archetypes

Archetypes; half-face masks
Theatre class with Glen Noble
5th March 2012

Character consideration / development

At the beginning we had short discussion about archetypes, a quick review about how do we understand i is, what examples we know. I didn't have much knowledge about that, but I think I understood what it is like.
We warmed up walking in the space, added stops, jumps - tried to jump as high as possible without noise coming down and catch the moment after. We tried to jumps like cats do, what I really enjoyed, because I am personally interested in cat's moving quality. POSTURE: Then we worked in a really interesting way - we looked for heighten leading points - knees, pelvic, belly, chest, head - nose, skull, etc.. It was really interesting, when we started to include making/acting characters walking in these different positions. I really enjoyed it, because I found that there is so many ways to create a character or even a number of characters based on these different body part leading positions. For me it was amazing and really powerful experience and practice, because I found it really natural and even gentle or simple way to explore and find possible characters I can build myself. It somehow ruined the barrier in my character making practice, I'd say it was like releasing technique for character building practice. Voice, sounds (actually-unknown language using and playing with voice range) inclusion made the practice more effective and characters more affective.
As soon as we started to improvise using half-face masks we became more concentrated on our body moving quality rather than face. However, half of our faces were still included, the lower side. It was new for me and a bit strange that I had to use my mouth so wide and it became so meaningful. I noticed feeling more free using these masks, because when you have an eye contact, and you can not see faces fully, it is easier to think that you are talking to character, not that particular person. By the way, farce should be avoided.
This is how we explored our acting abilities, but I can not fully reflect yet, or recognize my own ability range of different characters, because I think I need more practice on it and a feedback from side look.

Personally, it was the best and the most impressive work with masks I ever had, even we had some other workshops and opportunity to work with different masks and different methods.

My question - how effective are small movements in our body?
If you were at the same class, could you tell me what goes from me if you noticed? what energy ? (when I am building a character)

Skin Release Technique                    
Polly Hudson class
8th March 2012

At the beginning of the class we focused on our feet and hand, on it's articulation, softness. I found myself quite active on moving it, looking for different shapes and quality of movements. It got warmed up quite quickly, just ankles took a little longer to warm up. Then we had a quick game which I found really fun and amazing to test how articulated your feet is - we sent a sock without touching the floor. I noticed that I still need to work with articulation and softness of my own feet, but I noticed myself quite balanced standing on one foot. I liked adding flips.

we continued moving our feet and hands in a duet, and this particular focus let me find different ways of moving exceptional parts of the body, which might be useful for my choreography skills in the future.

The work in pairs related to hips' and lower body releasing was really fun and it really worked. The most weird thing about that was when Lottie hold my legs in her chest and lifted them a bit, took a weight of my pelvic. It was so strange but at the same time nice, releasing,and comfortable somehow. We had an individual moving around after that, when I explored the most effortless movements of lower body . Adding torso suspension when someone hold it from behind, made a sense that it is possible to keep your lower body so released and light even using it a lot and using as a support. Even being very active.

Working in pairs concentrating on skull suspension and skull leading, made me a bit disorientated (because of other person's touch), but showed me that it can be much lighter than I thought, much more floating. In the past I already noticed the soft tissues at the back of the skull, but didn't think that releasing it can be that effective.

Anterior fontanel - soft tissues place used to release the skull.

My question is : How to keep this lightness for longer? 

The traces left behind; Fiona Jackson's work

I saw Fiona's Jackson Work about traces in Lanchester Gallery. I really enjoyed watching her work, especially when I am interested in feet and hand, and she mostly used them imprinting. I also liked the shadows and merges - it made a piece really beautiful and it signed the movement. It also made a sense, significance (whice probably wasn't meant to come) of disappearing, which is so real. However, I expected more printing, or ways to find printing in moving, because sometimes she seemed exploring more shapes and forms, edges possibilities rather than prints.
 I recognised that it was not a result of her research, that she is still exploring. After a discussion to her I saw how excited and how interested about the traces Fiona is, which is really important. She invited me to notice the traces that I (might) leave behind myself. This question made me think so widely about the traces figuratively (it is probably a bit related to my own work about circles) - the traces that we leave in other people's life, the meaning of what we have done or what we do. But trying to stop myself from going too deep into this kind of thoughts, I am going to start noticing other prints.  As Fiona suggested, I noticed that I can really feel traces of energy in the body after most of classes, and I always try to keep it as longer as possible. This kind of thought allow us to know ourselves better, really interesting findings, that builds as as better artists, dancers. However, I think it is long-term exploration.

Her next question was about impression of colors. I notice, that sometimes I use colors as an image of my feelings or mood (some of them is probably related to stereotypes). I also notice, that last couple of years I like and prefer colors which is called as "earth colors" - green, hazel, brown, sand, creme color. It is not flashy colors. Unfortunately, I do not recognise or understand why it is like that. Maybe I like naturalism, and these colors are familiar to it for me.
Does anyone have any thoughts about that? 

However, I think that colors are important, especially in art world, because every color can be significant and meaningful, or probably invite audience to get the wrong sense of artist's work.

My own further question - what impression colors make for the others? What other kind of traces can be noticed?

Performance IPP2; answering the questions; Behind the Mask

There are some thoughts and answering to questions that Julia McCaughley suggested me to thing about. As I saw her IPP2 work "Behing the Mask" yesterday, and a discussion about this, I had the impulse to think about perfection, hiding.
Julia's work I found really interesting. The most I liked that it was so clear and obvious what she wanted to show, what she meant audience to see. I liked the place she performed - the remote location, cement made some pureness', deepness' sense. The small space and the way performer was surrounded by audience revealed the deepness and relation to society. It also made a sense of feeling, emotions related to hiding and imitating the perfection, and so much other possible personal feelings.

What is perfection for me?

I have double-sided understanding and opinion about perfection. The word "perfection" itself has some fake meaning, because it is natural to notice that nothing actually is perfect in the world, we can always find something to pick against. Also, in my opinion and experience, nothing make things more perfect than accepting and dealing with disadvantages or imperfections and aspiration to change or deal with it. As an example I could use people we love, because when we love we idealize the person and accept their defects, weaknesses or imperfection. I think perfection is much related to approach.

I notice myself hiding something I don't want to public or other people to notice. However, I think it is about security or keeping privacy. Sometimes I just feel that there is no need for the other's to see my weaknesses or imperfection, it is about having own space. Hiding is also about how we want to be seen of the others.
However, all the hiding and understanding about perfection depends on approach, whatever reasons and influences form it.
The ways of breaking it depends on surroundings, circumstances, people arround mostly. Finding the things, spaces, activities where you feel comfortable, accepted, able to express yourself is the main need to become more self-confident, to accept imperfection you have. Maybe as soon as you change approach to things you admit as imperfect, this feeling would dissapear?
I find dance and theatre practice as a step towards recognising, noticing or breaking my own imperfect admits.

Being still; general thoughts;

Searching on Youtube I found this beautiful piece, which I found amazing in showing that we are never still, that our body is always looking for balance, dealing with gravity. I think the only thing that also would be grate to include, or keep in mind - muscles, because they actually do all the work to keep possible stability in vertical position. 

What things this video invites you to think about ?

Watchable State ; Being Still

We explored the watchable state at Katye Coe's class doing some exercises/games. The contact with someone else's attention, staring or not, made me feel comfortable, because I felt comfortable of who I am, didn't worry about someone's judgments. I just didn't matter. However I noticed, that when you know to be seen, you try to be in a present state, try to look neutral, but still nice, sometimes you try to hide emotions, feel more focused, care about the look from side - "look" at yourself from side, basically, try to look as you want to be seen.
But when my voice was included in that watchable state, I didn't felt that comfortable, because I worried about my English and others' judgement for strange dialect or accent. I worried about spelling someone's name incorrectly, but it was okay. As I was the last person doing this in our line, and the other line was already finished, I felt interesting, because I realized to be seen of both lines - in front of me, and behind me. It was strange, but I kinda liked it, felt okay being in the middle of whole room attention. I felt I can deal with that.
The feelings we explored is just the first step I think, because it can change hundred times in different situations. By the way, it was quite easy to relax this time, because we all know each other, we all do the same, and we trust each other, which is really palliative factor.

After this session, I always notice how people change, when they hear "come into your watchable state", they kind of become responsible and careful about how they look like. I find it really professional, because we have to know how to get focused on what we are doing, to be conscious, considering that coming into watchable state is the first thing we do at the beginning of any performance.

I think this is so important to keep exploring watchable state, feelings of being seen, especially being still, when there's nothing and nowhere to hide. It is important skill for every artist to develop, and even every human, in order to become self-confident.

HANDS & FEET

I took this picture, because during the class with Katye, when we explored our hands and feet, I found this shape, which is interesting for me, how perfectly hand shape can match and adapt to foot crook. I find it really beautiful, and I think it is a proof of how flexible these parts of body can be. It reminds me a puzzle.

During that anathomy class with Katye Coe we massaged our feet, warmed up articulating and rotating it, including ankles; we looked for shapes,  noticed the arch, temperature (I felt that the more I move it, the warmer it becomes), tiny bones - more bones on the top and bigger at the bottom (heel) .

Later on, moving on fours - feet and hands (like an animals) we played with a weight in moving. I found it quite hard at the beginning, because my body wasn't warm enough, especially knees and elbows, so I felt very tired so quickly and that cause pain in my lower body muscles, which I didn't like. However, when I accelerated and warmed up, I became more able to articulate my body parts in moving, able to find different shapes, move in a better quality.

Then we explored 20 different levels from laying to standing- upwards and downwards. It was kind of mission for me. It was interesting to watch others moving, notice their concentration and that they keep forgetting all the body parts' articulation possibilities, not only focusing on feet and levels.
It was quite challenging for me to grow, especially in lower levels, avoiding kind of waves , ~ this kind of thing was happening when I was trying to change levels straight towards the next level, without coming back to the one I was before. I also noticed that in the level (somewhere in the middle), where is no support of hands on the floor anymore, I make the biggest jump between levels, because my body needs to settle having only feet support. Thanks Fiona for responses and help for me to notice! :)


Other notices -
- Concentration on whole body shifting and moving on purpose;
- Care about the skull, axial and appendage skeleton;
- Tense in the legs by holding muscles;
- Articulation.

Disabilities in Dance

Today, during the session with Amy Voris and Andrea Barzey we had a discussion about the disabilities in relation to dance. We had two good examples in our group, one person from our group who has some not physically seen disability, and another one was girl 3rd year student of Dance in our university. First of all, I think it is really useful for all of us to discuss these things, especially when we have in any way disabled people around us. It is needful to know each other as much as possible so we could find solutions, support each other and work things out. It is useful for us as a humans as well, the humanity and tolerance is also something to learn. It also give us some knowledge in order to be better teachers in the future, the knowledge that we can adapt in so many situation we can probably meet up in the future, because some of the disabilities signs can be understood as a hightened problems that everyone can face sometimes, independently if person is disabled or not; it make us more attentive, able and ready to cope with it. Finally, it make us more sensitive and patient.

Another really good reason to know these things is for us as an artists. Having some thoughts about how these people cope with problems and adapt, looking for another possibilities they find in order to get the same result was really interesting. Especially watching this. As a proof we had some exercises that we did following instructions that gave the person who lives with this everyday - we tried to work only trying to use one side of the body, as less as possible including another one. It was something nice in noticing particular body parts in our own bodies, specifications of it. It also give some extra thoughts about things we might not always notice, like where the movements are initiated from, or how we can change shape of movement having the same prospect. I think it is also a work to think or notice:

- our own strong and weak sides or parts of the body;
- about what is acceptable for us;
- where are our limits;
- how we can deal with problems made by circumstances (for ex. - mood, physical state (like tiredness), feelings,etc.)
- what and how do we feel about touch; what are the limits of it; when it becomes too intimate;
- our own space need; how it changes depending on a day or particular time;
- our body as a unique creation;
- distinctiveness;

General thoughts; Body Story
Being a bit selfish and thinking about my own feelings, reactions and my own journey, I had some general thoughts about that (however sometimes being selfish on purpose when you are studying is not so bad thing, we all need to experience and find things in our own bodies to be able to understand the others). So thinking about my own journey, I think I am still looking for my weak and strong sides and parts of body, even I noticed that the right side is usually leading a bit or initiating from (especially when I do turns); I find myself usually quite brave and open in trying new things even it can be quite dangerous; however I need some personal space, but it's more about my mind space (it's still probably about my distrust of my English, and I think I need some time things to make sense), I find a very little of limits thinking about touch when we are working, because I get them as a way to experience and support rather than something intimate - it is better when other people feel the same and touch me being confident of what they are doing; I find myself a little dependent on mood or other circumstances, maybe because it is because it's too much going on; I am still thinking about the distinctiveness of myself and my body;
However, I can see some really big change in my journey - in the past (including last months) I was really taking everything so kind of wide, I was trying to get as much as possible not necessarily thinking how much sense it actually make, a simple example - my movements - it was usually so wide, high, I was trying to learn as much as possible in any quickest way, not even thinking of possible injuries; I was like trying to reach higher and higher growing apples from the tree not focusing on an actual taste of the one's I can reach without much efforts. And now I catch myself more and more focusing on less, getting deeper in a smaller things, exploring small movements. Now for me THE LESS IS MORE. And I really enjoy it because I think it makes me stronger in so many ways. So this time working thinking about disabilities I worked with a "LESS IS MORE" idea. Somatic practices and wake up sessions really support me working with that!!! So I find it a way to cope with stress as well, and a better quality in my whole studying.

By the way, at the moment I think I wouldn't be ready to teach disabled people, I think it is because I need to do some findings in myself before, to study more, probably my own state is not ready to do that yet. And I am quite impatient. However, I don't mind and it is useful when some disabled people are around when I am studying, and working with them also give so much for both of us (even I am not actually distributing people into able or disabled groups). It is even quite encouraging and inspiring, it can sometimes be like a stimulus point when we struggle somewhere or get lazy or lost, giving up. If these people can do, why can't I?

I think we all are disabled sometimes or somehow, so we have not that big difference from people who actually are, it's just probably the different amount of help, support, time or other needs are needed to cope with things.
At  the end of the day, it is important what we improved, developed or reached for ourselves, what limits we exceed in our own life rather that being better than someone else.

Objects and puppets. +play

OBJECTS

As far as I remember, the first work related to objects was Theatre class with Glen noble on 10th January 2012. It was improvisation session about spontaneous performance making. We were creating invisible objects with our hands, gifting them and responding being gifted, having a clever idea and adding some information about gifted person. In other words, we created imaginative things, objects, having an idea, making a piece of story, creating the situation, character, relationship, activity and ware, as object becomes not the prime thing. Invisible objects itself allowed to find situation ahead, continue actions. We worked in lines, in pairs (creating particular continuous situation) and in groups (playing with a soft ball), noticing people reactions and spontaneous actions that everybody make, especially when their status changes.
 I found it really interesting, because working with invisible objects and creating them, I had an opportunity to open my imagination and "make" whatever I want, I wasn't limited by things I actually have. However, it wasn't that easy for me as I thought - it was difficult to create spontaneously, quickly react, find similar shape of invisible object, thinking about the size, the temperature, state, etc.. Responding was tricky to avoid questioning, keep natural, worrying how do I look (if i'm doing it right, if my English is good enough to explain what I wanted to explain, etc.). I feel I am still fighting with my fair of audience on acting, especially improvising.
I liked the spontaneity of actions, and I was impressed what a surprising situations were created. It was interesting to notice, how few words or few sentences can create such an clear situation, can give so much information. However, I still need to keep working with saying YES for everything I am suggested, because I still catch myself saying NO, and it limits or probably distracts my partner to keep improvising, it doesn't allow to open creativity as much as possible. It is also very useful experience for responding, working with other people negotiating and in co-operation development.


Next time I was concentrating on objects was during the Theatre class with Joff. It was about ANIMATION. It was a work with a piece of paper (we used newspaper). We explored the natural quality of it, (how it moves, falls, speed...) we crumpled it and repeated our exploration, checked this quality and differences. Then, as we started to play with it more and more, I was surprised and impressed what kind of shapes and ways of changes we can find and how many things we can create playing and using our imagination. When we watched ways to move it in different shapes, I found it really strange that it was actually interesting and catching the eyes, the piece of newspaper suddenly becomes a character, becomes alive, and you can make stories! It was so unexpected for me, I thought it should be boring and disappointing, but it actually wasn't. Moving it the speed becomes important, can make it so effective. Sometimes such a delicate, small and slow, careful movement or moving can be very interesting. Literally the material doesn't really matter, because it gets totally different quality and form. Watching other people creations I found some objects so cute even it wasn't anything spectacular. It became obvious for me, that the more you play with particular object or thing, the more you find and you can keep improvising like days.

Some weeks later we continued our work using PUPPETS. We made our own puppets using a square piece of material. This time we focused more on HOW to move it, the quality of moving in order to make it as much similar to something alive as possible. It was so fun when we added some sounds as well. The most important things to think about working with this kind of puppets are gravity, fixed points, bending quality and slow motion, which works the best, as it is so hard to make even simple movement that would make sense.  This experience for me showed how creativity and imagination can show such a big things which usually are not noticeable at all. And it was another time, when I found playing really worth in a creation process.




22nd February 2012
Improvisation
Amy Voris

The last but the most impressive work with objects was with Amy Voris during improvisation class. We played with a stuff we found around the space, 3 objects each person. Moving around the space and creating and making changes by playing in other group's compositions we saw the variety of beauty or meaning in compositions. I really liked how teamwork can assist finding something new, something beautiful and meaningful. I also found that it helps to keep going, by giving a new ideas ahead for the others as much as showing how creative everyone can be, and what a difference it does in the result. As we continued working connecting all these little compositions into one big composition, which was amazing. The more we played, the more we enjoyed finding new and unexpected, undiscovered ways to change the whole picture, the more creative we became. But the most fun and impressive was placing ourselves into that picture, becoming part of it. It was like different, unexplored land, and we were the part of it. Then we started to explore one particular object from that picture and noticing the quality of it, etc. I choose a pillow. It was such a simple object to explored by I liked it and was looking for things I didn't notice before. Support was the nicest thing of this object, even it is quite obvious. I also found that making composition using such a simple objects we use everyday, gives some character, meaning of being for each of it, the cause to be there, which makes ourselves to think deeper about things we don't usually think about too much. Hightening or using it not on purpose or not as usual we make it important somehow.

In my future work I will definitely explore it more and more, because it gives so much really good ideas for performances in so many ways, starting from giving idea or fulfilling it, going to a space filling compositionally  , etc... I found that objects actually make sense.







The project of 3rd year students that we went to see after we finished class, their experience, their exploration and work they did working in the same method using objects, really fascinated me. It showed how endless this can be, and how open-minded we should be to create something really nice. And how fun as well, because I've tried to get involved into their work. It was really easy going process, which made sense.

Green stuff:)

Allocation according to colors.

A part of the final result we reached:)

1st year student's creativity :)

General Thoughts 

All this experience exploring objects should be very useful for me during my all course, especially on IPP1 projects and in my future works of course.
It also reminded me the Mel Brimfield : This is Performance Art exhibition we were in Warwick mead gallery with Polly Hudson in the autumn. There were some pictures of objects, objects' compositions that I  can still remember and it was beautiful.
I also found relationship between this experience and researching, reading that I've done. Gary Izzo in his book "The art of play" writes so nice about playing, and I really liked the way he described power of play talking about the children playing, how they create some beautiful, magical places using their imagination, and  if you want to see what they see, if you want to be the part of that magical space and creation, a part of game, you can not say NO at any time. I also like his statement that play is a natural state. And notice that play has it's own unique and unalterable rules,how it builds community and so many other things that is useful to know and notice.
So I find more and more interesting things and importance of play in artist life.

Addition.
In some way,we all can be an object ourselves. This thought came from the Theatre class with Glen when we worked about Organic improvisation, about copying, mirroring each other, exploring other people habitats, behavior, then transforming it, including sounds, etc... the copied person becomes an object. Considering that objects itself can be a start of creating process, "using" people as an objects to get the idea is quite interesting in my opinion, and it gives a chance to make something familiar for the audience in a result - performance.

Following the practice of Skin Release Technique

23rd February 2011

Polly Hudson session

We continued working with supple and soft body, softness, especially in the joint sites. This time the beginning was similar as we started working with Florance Peake, on our feet, finding the supplement and softness. I have noticed, that this time I found that supple feeling quicker than some weeks ago, that probably shows the development and some kind of result already. I think it is because I am really getting into this technique and I really like it, it works on purpose for my body and even mind. 

Later on we experienced some new thing, when the back of hands helps. We tried to find kind of edges reaching with the back of our hands, what reminded me my personal work related to circles and some IPP1 workshop  about bubble of ourselves with Glen Noble. Another step forwards still working with the back of the hands was in contact to other people, when the touch of this part of body gave the impulse to move. It helped me notice which body parts I move least and reminded me these places, which gave a different quality as the supplement comes after the touch. It was really beautiful contact improvisation work with purpose, giving and responding. 

Laying on the floor and releasing the body, this time I needed a little more time to get the released state. At the beginning I wasn't able to concentrate, because I could hear someone out of the room talking, making some noise, it really annoyed me. But as soon as the music came, my state, focus and even mood changed somehow. In addition, maybe because I was quite awake before getting into this state, it took a bit longer to release as well, but I got some unusual feeling on my releasing journey- this time instead of heaviness before released state I felt something like being lifted without any of my efforts. It was so interesting and strange so I   kind of miss the words to explain it. 

We did "River" work again. The basic thing before working further is sliding. The whole foot sliding takes basic here. I found really difficult to start sliding fluently and continuously, and then I've tried to speed up, and quick moving helped me sort this out, my feet probably adapted or got used to. Then I was able to work with tipping,  falling, flowing... in supple movements. Doing similar thing I usually was concentrating on, for example, lifted leg, or other body parts that do biggest changes of natural shape, but this time I was focusing on my supported leg. I noticed, that the more supple and soft it is, the more free my movements are, and I can do more with the rest of my body, even like it is the lifted leg. The support we take from the floor is really important for a better quality of movements.

Concentrating on that back line, that I've explained in my previous posts (similarities between human and horse tail), the pelvic position also helped to improve the movement's quality, length and alignment in my body.

We also had the discussion and notice of shoulders' alignment, because some lifting or tense sometimes comes when we hold our ribcage. It is quite tricky but important to keep our shoulders released when we keep ribcage holded. And the lower part of ribcage as well, because we don't want to be in tense, we just want a nice posture. I found it nice to feel someone tip-topping under the bone in the chest that are one of the most important ones in shoulder movement. A new experience of getting know your own body structure. After that I moved my arm in different ways, to notice how this bone gets involved in movements, and I found it very active.

WARM UP

I was thinking about what works the best for me to warm up, get opened, make my body become awake and ready to go, or even to get creative. As soon as our body becomes awake, the same happens to our mind.
The thing I noticed, that is important for me to find a comfortable space, a nice place that I like to be in. Another important thing I found - silence. It is needful to really arrive into myself, to get out of unrelated things, to leave things behind, get off the stress and annoying things; To release my body and mind. When I get enough time, suitable place and silence, I do slow motion movements, stretches, articulation, curving and uncurving, folding and unfolding. I like the support of the floor and trying to find every piece of my body. Then I speed up step by step and slowly go into the standing level. Then I am ready to go. I find this notice important, because it means I know my body more and more and I am more able to work with it and develop in a less possibility of injuries.