This week there was a focus on the pelvis, boundaries, limitations, the idea of play and how much improvisation is present in our everyday lives.

The class began with warming up the pelvis with the hands to bring an awareness to it, as we went down to the floor. It is important to keep the pelvis aligned, use it to lead movement and for stability. We continued with a focus on the pelvis and the front to front connection, in which the under dancer creates a platform for the over dancer to explore. The body needs to be stacked to create a solid platform and the joints need to be aligned. It created more freedom and opportunities to play with exchanges of weight and it prevented people from reverting back to surfing. Instead, new levels were found, new twisting shapes and a connection was maintained for longer, so couples moved as one, in a fluid mutual way, as apposed previous classes where the dialogue was interrupted.

The concept of frames was then explored, person A created a stable frame for person B to find points to balance against. It provided new possibilities for weight bearing and once it had been exhausted another could be tried. Overall our class needs to work on entering and exiting these positions, so that when partner A exits partner B goes with them. To create a fluid motion and transition a connection needs to be maintained, at times it can be lost between the torsos, so this needs to be worked on by focusing on being released and aware.

The class then moved into a score, the only restrictions were that a minimum of two people had to be in the space and a maximum of four. It was important to pick up the energy in the space as a collective and not to rely on the same people to do so. Scores can often have more limitations; this  inspires creativity by  breaking the mould that we are comfortable with, as Keefe says that “the boundaries we set for ourselves, limiting space, time, sequence, or body parts provide challenges that inspire invention. Outside of the improvisation, those limits fall away” (Keefe, 2003, 234). Although this score had only a few limitations, I noticed that it created a sense of freedom and play, as there was a vaster skill set, we have learnt to maintain a flow and there was more space so couples could travel, expand and perform. I noticed some couples laughing and bringing in pedestrian movement. “Improvisation happens everywhere” (Keefe, 2003, 234) and it is interesting to consider how your everyday life affects your mood and movement choices. Each person moves differently and this week more worked with new people, which created new dynamics. The idea of working as a three still poses a challenge, as there are so many different personalities and ideas sparking.

Keefe draws connections between Baseball and Contact Improvisation, highlighting “an infinite variety of ways to travel from the beginning to the end of the game” (Keefe, 2003, 233) much like there is from the beginning to the end of a score. The idea of ‘play’ aids innovation and prevents reverting to habitual patterns. Keefe “sees the play as invoking a sense of freedom to dance” (Keefe, 2003, 234) and this helps dance and contact improvisation to move forward and to be true and present within the curernt social, political and cultural frame.

Keefe, M. What’s the score? Improvisation in Everyday Life. In Albright, A. C., & Gere, D. (2003). Taken by surprise: A dance improvisation reader. Middletown, Conneticut: Wesleyan University Press.

Our research lab question: How can we explore our centre of gravity?

We began by focusing the mind on the centre of the body, the class said that the imagery of standing in sand made them feel grounded and the coloured beam of light through their plumb line helped to work out if their weight was too far forwards or backwards. 3/17 benefited from this component the most and 15/17 felt safe during the warm up. We then experimented with the Flying Angel, Woodhull states that “sometimes our instinctive changes of centre of gravity do not compensate correctly” (Woodhull, 1978-79, 46) instinctively putting your arms down will cause you to fall, you need to find balance and a connection with your partner. Cutis comments that “on top of Alan’s shoulders I could feel the ground through his body solidly supporting me against gravity” (Curtis, 1988, 158) so it should feel as though the bodies are stacking on one another with minimum muscular effort. The idea of going down to go up is a consistent theme with all weight bearing exercises, it provides a steady anchor and platform, provides momentum and the correct positioning of the body. 7/17 benefited from this the most. We then worked on the idea of having a shared centre of gravity by turning and pulling, trying to find a shared motion, however everybody said that this did not work enough, as they did not feel grounded. Conversely, the wheelbarrow exercises and playing with the weight in the arms was fairly successful, as 7/17 enjoyed this the most. Overall, 16/17 said that they felt their centre of gravity change throughout the different exercises; 10/17 felt more grounded on the floor; 5/17 felt grounded and safe in the air and 17/17 felt that they will now be aware of their centre of gravity and use it to enhance safe practice and exploration. The point of our research lab was to bring balance to the bodies in the space individually and as couples; to find stability exploring new angles and developing a bond and connection, as though there is a supportive substance around you and your partner that you mould shapes into, as Curtis explains that “learning where and how one’s contact partner senses and carries their centre of gravity is essential to the development of trust and rapport” ” (Curtis, 1988, 160).

During class we revisited the repertory that we learnt at the workshop with the company Feet of the ground at Dance4. Many discovered that they are not afraid of contacting, but improvising, however our technique is better during improvisation as we lost some of the fundamental skills. Over the next few weeks I would like to revisit it and find more release, fluidity and flow, using the concepts of going down to go up, anchors and leavers and centre of gravity, whilst considering safe practice. I feel that the workshop has made our body more open and receptive to new ideas, because “when we don’t make fences around our bodies, all movement becomes acceptable” ” (Curtis, 1988, 159), however during today’s class it felt as though both people in the partnership were trying to be the dominant role and we were fighting against each other, or both were being submissive and the follower; therefore a balance needs to be found.

I have started to enjoy the jams more, I have more energy and I am more active, as I have a vaster vocabulary, however sometimes I just stick to these specific moves and my creativity is limited, I would like to be more innovative. Many of us got stuck whilst surfing, bit we discovered that the front to front connection can be used as a way to lead to any movement and stay connected, you can go anywhere, roll, take weight, come to table top or standing. I did not think of this connection, but thinking of the body as a vast space with many possibilities is important as Curtis states that one should “maintain an active and attentive relationship to all areas of the body […] there are no “dead” or unfeeling parts” ” (Curtis, 1988, 162).

I find disability and contact improvisation interesting and it can be translated into our practice. Bruce Curtis, who is in a wheelchair and has a spinal cord injury, focuses on “the dance within us” and to him “the micro movement is just as much dancing as what everyone else does with their whole body” (Curtis, 1988, 156), which links to the small dance; he highlights that we can work with a limited range of movement or injury, sometimes this “limitation” can create a block in our minds but Curtis says to that you should “keep your eyes open and don’t get lost inside your head” (Curtis, 1988, 158). At the start of the practice I over thought which made me more anxious, but over the weeks this has improved.

Overall, if both “maintain this bodily-felt relationship to weight exchange and shared movement and stay open to sudden impulses and influences upon either of our bodies, a playful, energetic and innovative dance is created” (Curtis, 1988, 160).

Curtis, B. (1988). Exposed to Gravity. Contact Quarterly/ Contact Improvisation Sourcebook I, Vol. 13

Woodhull, A. (1978-79). Center of Gravity. Contact Quarterly/Contact Improvisation Sourcebook I Vol. 4.

The first video, The play of weight with martin Keogh and Neige Christenson had a consistent under and over dancer, they did not have interchangeable roles, the man mostly supported the woman in what appeared to be a choreographed piece, possibly resorting to habitual movements as if they had worked together for a long time. Whereas the second video, Contact improvisation with Mirva Mäkinen & Otto Akkanen, had equal and interchangeable roles, it was more explorative and took risks. The dancers also used the rolling points differently as they pushed off from one another with more force to create momentum to find something new and there was a giving and receiving quality along with weight exchange, shifting weight, the use of anchors and leavers and fluidity. Conversely, in the first video the rolling points had gliding qualities, it was calm with clear sections. Both videos demonstrated that “shifts in the centre of gravity of the person supported and shifts in the support by the bearer lead naturally to mutual shared motion” (Woodhull, 1978-79, 47) however they used the rolling points differently and the interchangeable roles of the under and over dancer was more evident in the second video. The play of weight was gentle, like a wave, whereas the second video showed grabbing and things going wrong. Woodhull describes that the “thrill of contact comes from support and movement that is non-grabby, non-invasive” (Woodhull, 1978-79, 47) so this is something to strive towards, but taking risk is an important part of the process and sometimes it can be clunky and disjointed, but our practice feels as though it is becoming more fluid and explorative. Last week marked a turning point as we have acquired new skills and mentality, which made the jams more vibrant. In the video with Mirva Mäkinen & Otto Akkanen, Mirva Mäkinen dropped to the floor at one point, if that happened in a jam I would leave the space, so it has taught me to carry on, as Mirva continued and knew how to facilitate and control her body to ensure safe practice, for example taking the impact through a roll. If something goes “wrong” it should not be used as a negative.

Continuing with the theme of the center of gravity, since we have started to explore going up I have noticed that it can be outside of your body, it changes as the body moves, we automatically change it, it creates a balanced body and “the further your center is above your base of support the less stable you are” (Woodhull, 1978-79, 47). It also links to Ideokinesis in which you find balance by having an internal awareness of of your skeletal system for support and the muscular pathways for stabilization and release. For example as we developed surfing by creating platforms, such as coming up to table top and standing at times I felt unstable if my head was below my body, but by slowing it down and focusing on the details enabled us to move beyond set positions and lifts we have been taught and be creative.

I enjoyed having more of a vocabulary to explore in the jam, such as holding your partners wrists and rolling on your back, jumping and being supported under the scapulae to propel you and using the leavers in the knees and the shoulders as an anchor to push your partner around, using the hip. This enabled me to enter the space more than I usually do and I worked with different people. As a warm up, we knelt and rocked onto our hands, we did this for a long time and once we stopped I could still feel the rocking motion, I tried to use this idea and sensation in the jam and it enabled me to stay in the space for longer, as I could not escape the flow. Woodhull explains that she does not “want to contribute to making contact form that is only about physics and not about humans. Contact is about communication and one element we share is playing with the consequences of physical laws” (Woodhull, 1978-79, 48). This week felt as though we were not just using what we had learnt but we twisted, expanded, pulled out the details, embellished and expanded to create a conversation with our partner. We had a vaster skill set and mentality.

The Play of Weight, the male is constantly the under dancer.

Contact Improvisation, they switch showing the interchangeable role of the under and over dancer.

On the 13^th November we went to Dance4 in Nottingham to take part in a workshop with the company Feet off the ground. I really enjoyed the energy of the class, there was always an active space and it was important for us to contact in a different space. Along with forming a routine, which I had not done before and it developed our ability to link together things together, maintain a flow and keep the energy up. It was such a positive class and we can go back to the phrase to keep it on our bodies and incorporate the new weight bearing exercises and techniques that we learnt.

Woodhull, A. (1978-79). Center of Gravity. Contact Quarterly/Contact

Improvisation Sourcebook I Vol. 4.

Keogh, M and Christenson, N. (2009) The Play of Weight. Available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltq6y06E8ew (accessed 09/11/2016)

Mäkinen, M and Akkanen, O. (2011) Contact Improvisation. Available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMLbWxujoGw (accessed 09/11/2016)

What is Contact improvisation? It involves many techniques and concepts, including release technique, the line of the centre, leavers and anchors, momentum, catching on the up, jigsaws, pendulums, suspending, hooking, hanging and maintaining a connection. However, in this weeks practice I have realised that it more than this, it is “putting the body into unusual, disorientating and often emergency situations” (Lepkoff, 2008, 1) and this “empowers the individual to rely on their own physical intelligence to respond” (Lepkoff, 2008, 2). Grasping these newly learnt concepts gave me a base and from that base I could explore. After working with one partner with a planned line of action, in the jam the unpredictability and the different bodies made it challenging and exciting, awakening the insightful imagination of my mind and dancing body (Lepkoff, 1999, 3).

I feel that my confidence and release technique is dependent upon my mind, as Lepkoff states that “releasing is not simply release of excess muscular tension, but releasing deep physical pre-conceptions as well” (Lepkoff, 1999, 2) I have tried to erase my preconceptions that it may go wrong before I try a new weight bearing exercise or entering the space in a jam. In doing so I am more released, which makes my practice safer and freer. Considering the line of centre and having a shared line of centre was crucial in the pulling and flying through the space exercise, the strong connection through the line of centre and the resistance made the movement travel and feel as though the bodies were one as we glided along the studio. I drew on my release technique and Mary Fulkerson’s “system of anatomically based images that map out functional pathways through the architecture of the body” (Lepkoff, 1999, 2) to realign the body so that the weight is supported through the centre.

In the following exercise we used our knees and hips as leavers, by going down to go up, and using anchors to create stability and trust. We laid over each other’s backs whilst standing and we also developed our surfing by coming onto all fours and releasing onto our partners backs. I felt in this session we explored supporting and taking more weight on more body surfaces, for example rolling up and down and twisting, hanging our weight and giving and receiving. Lepkoff explains that contact “demands accessing support from any area of one’s own body surface, in physical contact with any area of another person’s body surface, both which are in motion” (Lepkoff, 2008, 1) this requires coordination and the skill of maintaining a contact point, which is harder than it appears once you start exploring being upside down and twisted, new shapes, parameters and levels.

I discovered that most exercises were successful when there was momentum, for example when we connected the sides of our bodies and wind milled our legs, travelling across the space, it was more successful if you aimed for fluidity by being released and keeping the connection and not stopping or jolting, as it could hurt your partner. In the jam it was easier to travel when there was momentum. The times that it did not work were due to tiredness, lack of energy and momentum, a lost connection and frustration.

Another technique to aid our practice is catching on the up, it requires less effort as there is less weight to support. I discovered this through a partner exercise in which my partner jumped and I cached her on the up, it took some time and the person needed to jump high, we developed this by sitting on the floor and being pulled up onto the others shoulder. It required focus and links to the Duet Form, receiving real time information and the exchange and decisions between bodies (Lepkoff, 2008, 2).

The image of a jigsaw also aided this session, for example when hanging spine to spine the backs need to slot together into the curves. Similarly the curves on the side of the body need to come together and fill the gaps during the travelling exercise in which the legs wind mill round. The spine to spine hanging brought to my attention that my back is weak as it felt uncomfortable, so I need to do conditioning exercises, work out where to position my body and practice more so it does not feel so unfamiliar.

I also discovered a newly found swinging pendulum quality, which had momentum, flow and an equal balance of weight, as we connected the side of our legs, wrapped our hands around each other’s waist and lifted each other. We found it easier when we travelled this movement as there was more momentum. It felt free and required minimal effort from our bodies and brain, I did not feel stressed or pressured.

Finally, suspending, hooking and hanging brought a new dynamic to our movement, for example being pulled up from the floor onto our partners shoulder, lifting our partner and twisting them around our body and holding under our partners leg and lifting them up. Suspending, hooking and hanging along with the other concepts mentioned created “never before seen movement pathways, physical sensations and relationships” it was all very new to my body, but I felt as though it settled well and I enjoyed it, as it created new challenges when working with different people more so than the previous sessions.

Lepkoff, D. (1999) What is Release Technique? Available at:

http://www.daniellepkoff.com/Writings/What%20is%20Release.php (accessed 01/11/16)

Lepkoff, D. (2008) Contact Improvisation: A Question? Available at: http://www.daniellepkoff.com/Writings/CI%20A%20question.php (accessed 01/11/16)