Discussion in relation to the duet: with Angie

As Angie wasn't involved in either my choreography or performance, I had my discussion with her. 

I told Angie how at the beginning of the assignment I was excited to have the only male/ female duet, as it flooded my brain with loads of potential ideas and concepts to challenge. 

Deborah was a brilliant choreographic partner, and we bounced off each others input to create a range of ideas to test out. 

However, absences and lateness from the performers made me anxious and nervous about how secure our end result would be. Nevertheless, we were able to produce a performance that communicated the choreographic idea and after speaking to several audience members after the show, had the desired affect: they kept guessing to see what they were going to do next, which demonstrated a journey. 

I found it hard, however, in the choreographic process to communicate feedback and ideas due to resistance and apprehensiveness. Though Angie told me how her experiences were the same, which didn't make me feel so at a loss to others in my group. 

As a performer, I was open to new ideas from my choreographers and we had good communication throughout the assignment. I felt at ease throughout the whole process, which made me comfortable and confident to suggest ideas and say when I felt something wasn't working. I enjoyed performing with Kelly and working with Abbie and Natasha as my choreographers, as there was always a sense of group coherence and a good vibe.
The overall experience for me was an eye-opener, and showed me what I am in fact capable of. I have learnt so much from this experience, including communication skills, openness to new ideas, and my ability to perform as well as choreograph.

Listening to Angie's experience, I felt she had similar issues to me involving the 'commitments' we had established as a group at the beginning of the process. She overcame them by speaking to her performers/choreographers to establish a mutual understanding. Angie also had to choreograph by herself, which added extra pressure for her. But I thought her choreography was something to be proud of and communicated a clear choreographic intention. 

Questions in Response to the Duets.

How has my perception of myself as a dance artist changed?

I am more capable than what I originally thought at the start of this assessment of choreographing a dance piece for other people. As the course grows, I am simultaneously growing and becoming more open to create and perceive dance in a new way. It is hard adapting to a new practise, but I feel the longer I am here the more open I am becoming and the more I understand and want to work in this way.

What was the biggest challenge I faced? & How did I resolve and work with that challenge?

Getting a mutual understanding of what is required from both roles i.e. the choreographer and the performer. It was hard for some people to distinguish between the relationships outside of the studio and inside of the studio, which made it hard to get a full rehearsal without interruptions occurring. I overcame this challenge by reminding the performers of the rules we, as a whole group, decided upon at the start of the assignment, such as being prepared, being punctual etc.

Identify and describe a moment of transformation in the process.

Similar to the first question, I felt a huge change in my own perception of myself in a sense that I thought "I can do this after all." I am forever learning on this course, and mine and Deborah's choreographic idea was taken from a Improvisation/ Instant Composition session with Nicola; at first I couldn't see how I could produce a duet from one idea, but as the material churned, my confidence grew, and I surprised myself with how capable I was of creating something that even kept me as a choreographer guessing.

If you could offer some advice to a group of first years, what would it be? 

When mutually making the commitments as a group, stick to them. Don't just say them as you think they are good things to say to impress your tutor, say them and stick to them to avoid any disruptions or problems.

How can a blog support you as an artist

When we was creating our choreography for the duet assessment, I researched blogs that I thought could assist me in my making. Now we have been given our 'placing practice in context' essays to complete over Easter, some of the blogs are still relevant to my new research:

I was told to watch work by Jerome Bel for my duet as it could potentially help me with what I was working with. Therefore I researched various blogs that made comments upon his work to get a wider range of views based upon his choreography and what he works like. Blogs included: 

- http://blogs.walkerart.org/performingarts/2014/01/09/jeanne-calvit-on-disabled-theater-by-jerome-bel/

- https://cap.ucla.edu/blog/?tag=jerome-bel 

- http://www.newyorklivearts.org/blog/?p=3291

Though these blogs can still aid me in the development and construction of my essay as Jerome Bel is one of my choices of choreographers to consider, I also researched blogs by Rosemary Lee as her work was also relevant to what me and Deborah was working with:

-http://www.exberliner.com/blogs/the-blog/a-chat-with-rosemary-lee/

Contact Improvisation 25/03/14

Here is an entry from my Artist Journal of what I recorded from a partner graphic we did in today's lesson.

I was really delighted that I was able to let go and give up the weight and responsibility of my skull, as I normally really struggle with tasks like this, especially due to me holding so much tension in my jaw.

I felt such a difference in my skull and enjoyed the experience that much that I am going to take Katye's advice and repeat this graphic outside of the lesson as I loved being able to "give my skull a break". I also think its an experience everyone should be able to enjoy so I am going to share the graphic with my family, as I know my mom will definitely appreciate it like I did.

It was also an accomplished feeling being a successful supporter and hearing that Angie felt safe in my care and was also able to let go without a feeling of doubt or nervousness.

Improvisation / Instant Composition 24/03/14

Today was Nicola's first session back with us, but was a shorter session due to our group and Polly's group going to watch Katye's class show us what they have been working on in their sessions.

Nicola first told us to go outside and collect 3 movements that we see people do as they go about their every day lives. My 3 movements were:

- folding the arms

- brushing your fringe out of your face continuously (due to the wind)

- pointing

We then came back in and also performed those movements for ourselves. After making associations such as: folding arms = protection, cold, angry. pointing = curious, instructive... We paired up and exchanged with a partner what we had. Then choosing the words that stood out for us, we used them as our guidelines / instructions to perform our movements with and make a sequence together out of them. By being true to the words we had chosen, we managed to create a sequence that asked questions and created associations. By watching each others performances we then used our associations with another's duet and made another version of there's, for example: me and my partner watched another duet and for me it demonstrated a 'class system' with an ill poor person and a rich ignorant person, so we created something from this.

I would have loved to have done the full class today instead of I being a shorter version as I was amazed at how much material could be created from such a simple task. The pedestrian movements we collected transformed into something that suggested a variety of associations and meanings, and then those associations and meanings created something else, which I found fascinating.

I'm sad these sessions are now over, but I am grateful I have a new knowledge of choreographic techniques and approaches and am excited to use them.

Performance! #FirstYearShow #CoventryUniversity

I managed to film Gabby and Lewis in their first rehearsal today as we were unable to watch the performances on the night. 

I feel the lighting and the costumes really add to a 'journey' theme, and add interest and thought into how they move. 

Me and Deborah spoke with Katye at the end, and decided that the points to give them to be aware of included:

- not to over dramatize the impossible tasks, which we appreciate is hard as they have to believe they are in these tasks and are genuinely involved in them. However with things like when Gabby is gripped onto Lewis' ankles at the end, those things are genuinely hard, and don't need any extra fake noises as the difficulty can be shown through authentic noises of struggle.

- if Lewis is going to bang on the curtain after the 'human shadow' section, then he needs to do it harder but be careful not to rattle the chains at the bottom of them. 

- and to walk into the darkness with Gabby still gripped on to Lewis' ankles, as it looks more effective and as though their journey is continuing somewhere else.

They both agreed, and said they did the performance with these things in mind and felt good about how it went, which made me feel very proud and happy. Both I and Deborah are very pleased with what we have choreographed and how it was being performed in the rehearsals, and are excited for any feedback next week. 

For my performance, I felt it was successful in demonstrating the choreographic idea as I could feel my breath leading my movement, which was a scary thing to share with an audience as it is unusual, but was exciting at the same time. I was nervous about running as changing corners and directions can potentially cause someone to fall over or slip, but thankfully it didn't happen, and I was able to continue with the choreography and allow myself to really 'be in the moment' and explore the breath.

Overall, I really enjoyed choreographing a piece for the first year show, as well as performing in it (including the group piece). The overall assignment and experience involved a variety of emotions (which sometimes all came together at once!) but was all worth it in the end. 

Lighting & Costume Rehearsals 19/03/14

Today we had to work with Cath and John the technicians to decide about the lighting options and changes to happen throughout the performances. 

For my choreography, we originally weren't going to adapt the lighting as we didn't want to take the attention away from what was happening. Then after feedback from Jenny Coogan, we decided to have the lighting dimmed to add to the 'mystery' of the performance. Yet now Gabby and Lewis were in costume: cagoules and combat-like trousers to add to the 'going on a journey' theme, we thought we'd adapt the lighting to this too. So for the beginning we had lighting to highlight the back wall that Lewis was travelling across, and the floor that Gabby was shadowing him on. This then changed to a warm bright lighting to match the impossible task of 'walking on the sun', and then changed again to a cooler lighting that signified the start of the new tasks to follow, such as 'speaking without speaking', and then the final lighting change of a fade out as Gabby and Lewis travel from Downstage Center, to upstage keeping contact with each other, and still travelling even once the lighting has gone completely. 

I was really happy with the results of the lighting and the costumes as they added to the feel that I have been experiencing more and more since the choreographic idea blossomed: that the two performers are on a journey, moving through different atmospheres, worlds, places, realities (tasks), sometimes separate, and sometimes finding each other to complete the changing-journey together. 

For my performance, my choreographers Abbie and Natasha decided on a blue wash to cover the performance space as we let the breath lead our movements such as gestures that show the origination of the breath, and repetition of a variety of breathing techniques e.g. panting, blowing, sighing etc. Then for the ending, 2 spotlights which highlight both mine and Kelly's bodies appear as we first breath whilst pushing the pelvis, then the head, then the chest, then finally 8 heaving breaths that force the head from side to side, until the 8th one is completed and a blackout happens. I felt the ending was quite dramatic, but matched the idea of this 'Eternal Breath' that has flowed continuously throughout the performance and lead the bodies into various activities. Our costumes were blue shirts and grey trousers to connotate associations made with the breath and its flow. 

'Get In' #FirstYearShow

Today we had the 'get in' for our first year show, where we will perform and also present our choreography.

We first discussed costume; from this, I also went down to the room where all the costumes are kept and helped pick out an extra pieces of costume we needed.

After this, I participated in the 'get in' by cleaning the stage floor, and helping John with the lights.

 

 

Duet: Rehearsal 17/03/14

Today we went over the material from the last rehearsal so it is firmly in our movement memorys for Thursday's 'First Year Show'.

We also addressed any issues and made changes to things so that the desirable effect is enhanced. For example, to really demonstrate the idea of the breath leading the movement instead of the movement leading the breath, we needed to test out different ways of showing this to the audience. So we have added a motif of where I will make a variety of breathing noises/movements such as blowing, panting, sucking the air in etc and Kelly will respond by moving her body in the direction of where my breath is going. This along with other added motifs demonstrates that the breath is the leader and is therefore initiating the movements which follow.

The idea of us running at the beginning is really having a positive effect on the performance as the breath is real and active, and more importantly not forced; which increases it's authenticity.

Improvisation/ Instant Composition 17/03/14

 

Today was our last session with Becca who had been covering for Nicola. We worked with the same principle we started off with when Becca first came, of 'yes and no' and what that can produce as a solo and with a group of people.

We did tasks similar to the past few weeks, where we have the choice to say yes to a movement, or no. Say yes to the floor, or say no. Say yes to anothers manipulation or touch, or no.

 

Another task we participated in was for one person to stay in the middle of the circle that the other people would form around them. The middle person would then let go and fall and the others around them would catch and gently push up back to the centre. I was very hesitant to have a go, and I knew Becca sensed this. However, I gave it a go and was proud of myself for doing so. At the end of that task I shared with the group why I was hesitant: As someone who has panic attacks on a daily basis, an effect of an attack can be the fear of losing control of your own body. I have found it hard in lessons such as this and contact improvisation to let go and relinquish weight etc, and I know I hold a lot of tension in my body, including my jaw. I am gradually overcoming this, and participating in that task with Becca today has been a step forward. Becca said my fear is justified and understandable, and that I should be happy with what I had done. The other contact task which followed: of relinqushing and giving up our limbs to other people, then saying 'no' and applying a force which sent our bodies to the ceiling at a great height, felt really good to perform. I wasnt nervous about this task as it was similar to stuff I have done before, and I think the previous one was very new and different which didnt help my anixety. I loved the feeling of being lifted, and felt effortless to be in the hands of other people. Similarly, it was surprisingly easy to lift other people also and too felt effortless, which I found very interesting.

 

At the end of the session we had a 'jam' and was able to return to anything we had participated in over the past few weeks with Becca. It was amazing how much we have actually covered, and all of the new movement ideas I have been introduced to, e.g.: conversation through movement, travelling with keeping the hands/feet on the floor, going 'over and under' with a partner, the idea of 'yes and no' etc.



Pilates 17/03/14

Today we used the elastic bands to perform some of the poses we practise in pilates.

Even though they assisted in the positioning of my pelvis and was able to stabilise my core further, they used a lot of upper body strength originating in my biceps and triceps which was where my focus kept wondering to.

However, I was able to increase the depth of the poses by pulling upon the band to pull, for example, my leg closer to me.

It was nice to introduce something new that could help with the poses, similar to the 'roller' we have also used to stabilise poses and deepen stretches etc.

I felt the benefits of the bands as my balance and general stabilisation was better at the end of the session than it was at the beginning.



Duet: Choreography Research

After the 'work-in-progress' we had which provided us with feedback on what we had produced so far for our duets, me and Deborah were told to watch work by Jerome Bel, who is a french choreographer and dancer. I had already done some research on him for our 'placing practise in context' work, but decided to do some more and see if it can assist me when choreographing.

 

Many articles and information that I found on the artist, described his work as "non-dance", such as 'The Show Must Go On.':

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpBbafP-Qdk 

 

However, I know that as my time on this course has grew, my open-mind has simultaneously: I have become more open to what is considered to be 'dance' after particpating in exercises in choreography workshop lessons, improvisation/instant composition lessons, and watching work by a variety of artists, including Liz Aggiss. What me and Deborah have produced, some may not consider to be dance, however, both of our performers move through the tasks they have been given and embody themselves in its nature, much like the performer's in Jerome Bel's work.

 

We began the Duet assignment by agreeing we were lucky to have the only male/female duet to choreograph with. We therefore looked at in depth the work we briefly watched in Choreography Workshop by Rosemary Lee: 'The Suchness of Heni and Eddie'. The work addresses the issue of assuming a stereotypical relationship between a male and female in space together. Me and Deborah said we also wanted to challenge this assumption. The interview I found shows Rosemary Lee's processes and ideas, and how she concentrates more on age differences than gender differences:

 

http://www.rescen.net/Rosemary_Lee/suchness_int.html

Duet: Choreography 13/03/14

In todays rehearsal with our performers we re-arranged the order of the tasks. This was due to feedback from Jenny Coogan, as we needed to increase the 'togetherness' between Gabby and Lewis to show it is a duet. The result was positive as it gave the performance a clearer view of the 'journey' that they both are travelling on, both separately and together. It also gives a clearer invitation to the audience to go on this journey with them; this is mainly due to the audience not knowing the nature of the tasks and therefore their own imaginations can interpret Gabby's and Lewis' movements.

We decided to begin with the 'human shadow' task:

 

 

 

Despite the range of dynamics that conflict and can show the spearation of one task from another, the new order also has a sense of clarity which shows the flow and therefore unravels the journey of the 2 performers.

We made some adaptations such as facings, and included the task of 'speaking without speaking' which brings them together from either side of the studio on a diagnol pathway, which with what we dicussed with Jenny Coogan: cuts the space. They then end the performance with the 'walking in space' section they created together by interpreting the task separately then using both sets of material came into contact with eachother.

 

Now its just about tightening any timing issues, and really engaging in the task so that they believe what they are performing, and hopefully so will the audience. 

Duet: Performance, Rehearsal 13/03/14

I felt pain in my shins from the last rehearsal we had due to running without the correct footwear, but I feel by changing directions more whilst doing this at the start of the routine, and therefore being more agile, I will avoid this from now on.
My choreographers, Abbie and Natasha, decided to adapt the routine again today so that the idea based upon the 'breath leading the movement' is realistic and is actually what is happening with our bodies. We now run at the beginning of the routine whilst changing directions, which leads to running with the occassional movement from another set piece of choreography based upon the breath. These new adaptations are powerful as I can genuinely feel my breath leading my movement, which shows the choreographic intention clearly.
I often feel slightly dizzy at the beginning of the routine as the running combined with odd movements from the set piece, as well as the following 'gliding with whirlpool' idea from Skinner-Releasing technique, involves a lot of spiralling. At one point me and Kelly bumped into eachother which told me that as well as being embodied in the movement, I also need to maintain my spacial awareness and my proiferal vision so I am aware where Kelly is to avoid any accidents.

Yoga 13/03/14

I really enjoyed today's yoga session and felt a sense of determination within me to go through the sequence without any hesitance.

I worked a lot with Lauren today, such as the 'wheelbarrow race' at the beginning of the lesson, which even though fun, showed to be extremely difficult when considering the placement of the pelvis. I also worked with her when performing hand stands, and the pose in the above picture that works on core strength. After feedback from ballet, I know I need to work on my core stability which will have an inevitable knock on effect on the stablilty and correct placement of my pelvis. So I am concentrating hard in Yoga on improving my core strength. The picture shows the stages of the pose, and how the difficulty can progress e.g. from holding hands to not holding hands.

 

I love the feeling of 'achievement' I keep experiencing in yoga as I master a new pose. At the beginning of the course I felt no confidence in myself to achieve a lot of the poses within the sequence, however, I am achieving a lot more than I ever expected and feel really proud each time I can perform a new one. This of course means that my flexibility is improving, and my determination to grow in this practise gets stronger as the weeks go on. 

Choreography Workshop 11/03/14

For a second time today we had Jenny Coogan lead our lesson, which I was excited about after the morning lesson we had with her. We first of all looked at a variety of pictures out of a book that Jenny bought with her. We discussed what stood out for us all, which lead on to the discussion about space. We were in the large studio (room 221 in ET) and started to analyse what was avalible to us.





We stated where the 'strong' space was i.e. the centre, and where 'weaker' space was. We also discussed pathways and how they affect an audience e.g. diagnols cut a space, but coming towards an audience can feel intimidating for them, and circular pathways create a sense of isolation. However, this created an arguement for me as within a 'placing practise in context' lecture with Nicola, we discussed how Merce Cunningham decided that every space is important, and that not one specific space should overpower another.

After this discussion, Jenny wanted to see our duets and what we have so far. After she saw them, she gave us each some feedback on how to possibly improve or adapt our choreography:
Gabby and Lewis performed mine and Deborah's choreography based upon the impossible task, and it went really well. However, after watching it I felt as though they were too separate from eachother still, even after adding in moments of contact and unison. Jenny Coogan first suggested that we have the lights dimmed; she said that this creates a sense of mystery, similar to the mystery of the 'impossible tasks' that Gabby and Lewis are playing with. She then said how about beginning with the 'shadow' section to distinguish the sense of a duet, and then they can separate into individual interpretations of other tasks, but come back together regularly so we can establish a duet relationship between them. Me and Deborah had a discussion after this feedback and decided after originally saying we wanted to keep the lights how they were, that it did indeed look more mysterious and intriguing with the lights dimmed slightly. We then stated that Jenny was right and that the relationship between them is too distant, and that we are going to re-order the tasks so that they come together more often.

My feedback for the dancers that I noted down whilst watching included:
-Timing in some moments of unison.
-Lewis needs to use the curtain more as it is there avalible to him to take advantage of in the task based around the Sun.
-Gabby needs to embody herself further in her indiviudal tasks so we can as an audience empathise and have a better guess at what she's doing. It also then draws the audience in.
-And a final and main point was to: TRUELY BELIEVE IN THE TASK YOU ARE INTERPRETING!

 

*Above is the video from todays choreography workshop*



Duet: Performance, Rehearsal 11/03/14

After the feedback that Katye and Andrea gave to my choreographers: Abbie and Natasha in the work-in-progress session, they decided to take on board the points that were made and start again. The idea of the breath seemed to have been lost whilst me and Kelly were performing, and one point of feedback was that maybe me and Kelly should run before the performance so that our breath is clear and realistic. Abbie and Natasha have decided to include the 'run' as part of the performance, which then lead to a variety of movement ideas such as breathing that leads the movement of the skull, the pelvis, the spine etc. We also added some more contact work including body surfing, and alternate breathing that forces the other person to move too.

 

We now have around 5 minutes of material to perform, all of which is based around the breath and how the breath can lead or initiate a movement, instead of the other way round. 

Contact Improvisation 11/03/14

Today we had a guest teacher Jenny Coogan who lead our contact improvisation lesson. We addressed a variety of things in the lesson, including the relationship between ourselves and the floor and how that can vary with a range of points of contact. We also performed an exercise of curving the body whilst lying on the floor.

Whilst doing the movement, Jenny came over and offered me some feedback: similar to a principle we are working upon as a group in Natalie's Release-based contemporary class, I need to work on "quiet ribs", and therefore not over-arching in my spine which inevitably sticks my ribcage out. After a mini group discussion in Natalie's class, we concluded that as dancers, it is a habit of most of ours to present ourselves to our audience and therefore this can lead to things such as pulling the shoulders back, the ribcage forward, and an over-arch in the back. I have been told this various times and I know it is a downfall of mine, but with each movement studies class I feel I am gaining more of a concious control over this habit, and so I can feel myself progressing, which I am happy about.

 

We also added a section on to the set material that we have learnt with Katye. This material is based around spiralling; and therefore my points to focus on include the "quiet ribcage", keeping the spiral continuous without hesitation (which also links with my movement memory), and a 'soft' body in general with less tension. 

Duet: Choreography 10/03/14

In todays rehearsal, Gabby and Lewis went over the material we have so far which include the 'impossible tasks' of:

- Lifting the sky

- Taking the colours out of the rainbow

- Hiding from the light

- Human shadow

- Walking on the sun

- Listening to the centre of the earth

- Re-arranging the skeletal system

Me and Deborah have now again decided to add another task which will bring them eventually together into some contact work, produced by improvisation. We gave them the task of 'walking on the moon', and told them to interpret it separately. I really love watching people's interpretations of a dance idea as it's always going to be different to another person's approach. Gabby produced material that was slow, consistent, and doesnt travel much. Whereas Lewis' choreography travelled around the perimeter of the studio, and included elevations, walking, and contrasts of dynamics. We then told them that once their pathways cross, they should remember the impossible task at hand and the material that have just produced and improvise around it. It was a working progress, but the result was interesting and showed both of their indivudual ideas as well as variations that arose due to them now being in contact.

In the next rehearsal, me and Deborah have decided to get our performers to rehearse what they have so far as one piece rather than lots of individual motifs. We have also decided to include the task from todays Improvisation/ Instant Composition class of 'speaking without speaking'. From the feedback from the 'work in progress' we had, we feel our duet is looking like 2 solos and therefore hopefully the task from today and the next task we introduce will simultaneously introduce some established relationship between Gabby and Lewis, without it being a stereotypical one between a male and a female in space.

Map Dance

Watching the performance by 'Map Dance' on Friday really broadened my mind about what dance is, and how it can vary with a stimulus or dance idea.
Each performance was different and I never knew what to expect. It showed a range of movement ideas and even styles, and included a wide variation of performance aspects including voice, use of props and moving in silence as well as use of accompaniment.
I always find that whenever I watch a live performance there's always something inparticular that remains in my mind. The 2nd piece 'The Three Acts of Change' by Hagit Bar had an imapnt on me that I thought about for days after the performance. At on point the whole of the company shouted and repeated the word 'change' for ages, until that very word 'change' began to change into the word 'train'; this then kept changing when they had chanted the word simultaneously for a period of time. This for me meant a variety of things but really reminded me of the game 'chinese whispers' when the word is passed around from person to person and changes are made along the way, and a lot of the time the ending word isnt the same as the beginning word. It then reminded me of the placing practise in context lecture we had with Natalie where we discussed 'multiple realities', so for one person their reality could be one thing (or in this case word) and for another it could be something completely different.
I also noticed the similarities between the piece that we watched choreographed and performed by Liz Aggiss previously, and the one she choreographed for Map Dance 'Cut with the Kitchen Knife'. The similarities included the variation between a dark sinister atmosphere aimed possibly to shock or scare, and a playful colourful one created for humour. The use of singing and the sedductive mannerisms of the dancers were also similar, and showed me that Liz Aggiss must have a certain style of choreographing, which I would like to learn more about.
Overall I really enjoyed watching Map Dance, and will take with me now certain performance aspects into my own practise after seeing how effective their performance was.

Pilates 10/03/14

Today I began Pilates with good balance and focus, but not feeling particularly strong and therefore dreading some of the positions. However, I have been feeling more determined lately to overcome the points each of my movement studies teachers have been repeating to me e.g. in Katye's contact improvisation lessons I need to work on relaxing my jaw, and in Pilates I need to work on "quiet ribs" similar to what Natalie says to the whole class in Release-based contemporary. So in order to maintain these "quiet ribs" I need to engage my core more but drop my centre/pelvis, which was the feedback I got from Jane in Pilates. I found positions such as the 'plank' much easier than usual by working on these focus points.

Other points Jane mentioned to me was that I need to pretend that I am on the roller when performing some exercises such as the bicycle so that I maintain stability in my core, pelvis, and that my moving leg doesn't move my opposing hip. This visualisation of imagining myself on the roller helped my stability and allowed me to maintain the correct position. 

Improvisation/ instant composition 10/03/14

Today we continued with the idea of saying 'yes and no' through movement. We did this via a range of exercises such as travelling individually and imagining someone making resistance to restrict your movement, and then being free. We then repeated the exercise but did it in partners with someone restricting your movement and saying 'no' to you via movement.

We later did a task that required two people to have a conversation through movement whilst travelling. From this, me and Deborah had a similar idea of transforming this task into an 'impossible task' for our performers Gabby and Lewis to interpret. We had a discussion after today's improv lesson and decided to name the task 'speak without speaking' and to give this to Gabby and Lewis in our next rehearsal.

My favourite exercise of today's lesson with Becca was the last task we did called 'flocking'where we got into a tight group, then the front person would perform an action or actions that the rest would follow, then if the facings changed a new leader would therefore be present and take over. Later interventions from Becca included 'you can be a follower, or break out and be a leader, or repeat'. With these new options, beautiful choreography was produced from improvising. Listening to people's thoughts after the task was interesting as some had similar experiences to me and others didn't. For example, I felt an urge to be a leader and break out, where others wanted to repeat previous movements. Regardless of this, the dance idea was brilliant and I really enjoyed the task and moving with the group as a whole. 

Skinner Releasing Technique 06/03/14

Before today's class began, I felt particularly tense and serious. However, as the lesson proceeded, I began to loosen and became really embodied in the tasks. 

We began with the idea of 'loose bones' which really allowed me to loosen my body, as well as my mind, and I was able to fully leave my problems at the door and concentrate on the 'now'. The 'loose leg dance' that developed from this allowed me to feel free, soft, and ready to explore. I felt like I was walking on water at one point during that 'dance' and therefore felt supple, delicate, but purposeful. 

The graphics bought my attention to places I often forget about: including their structure, weight, and assistance they apply to your body. I focused upon my skull and legs and realized through the graphics that we sometimes forget the movement these features can allow, but also how much care they deserve. 

Work In Progress 04/03/14

Today we presented to Katye and Andrea, as well as the class, what we had all choreographed so far for our duets, and what we have learnt so far in our performance duets. 

As mine and Deborah's choreography isn't pieced together yet and is simply in separate sections, we decided to show it in the separate sections. We told the audience that the dance idea was based around your interpretation of a given impossible task, of which there are several throughout the performance. The dancers then performed and we awaited feedback. 

Feedback included: 

- Watch some of Jerome Bel's work as he may be useful ... I researched Jerome Bel for the previous lesson which was 'placing practice in context' and found the work I had watched very interesting. Therefore I am going to continue with my research and see if I can get any inspiration or ideas for my choreography. 

-Giving people the definition of 'impossible' before the performance would be a good idea. We gave the quote we had after the performance and we were told it'd be good to put in the programme so the audience knows this before they see the piece. So that's what me and Deborah have now decided to do. 

"Impossible isn't something that cant be done, its just something that hasn't been done before."

-Some of the audience wanted to know what the impossible tasks were that Gabby and Lewis were interpreting. However, I said I didn't want to reveal the tasks to the audience as it defeats the object of personal interpretation. We found that as we gave the dancers the tasks to make movement from, that we ourselves would have carried them out in completely different ways and different approaches, which we found very interesting and intriguing; why then would we stop this imagination that the audience can latch onto if we reveal the true nature of the tasks? 

Katye said: "I don'/t know what it is and I don't want to know." This I really agree with, as for example: Gabby made an interpretation of the task: 'raining pillows', but her movement could suggest 'an explosion of teddy bears' to a member of the audience, and therefore the creativity continues. 

-Find a relationship between the two people. Both I and Deborah established our fortune at the very start of the duet assignment, as we were the only choreographers to be given a male/female partnership. Watching Katye and Charlie in their performance triggered an idea that was re-enforced by ‘The Suchness of Heni and Eddie’ by Rosemary Lee: Could we create a piece for a male and female without an audience assuming a stereotypical love-based relationship between them? When watching Katye’s and Charlie’s performance I remember my focus being upon the puzzle I thought they were solving. My focus was also upon the trust and partnership they had, and therefore their relationship, but no stereotypical assumptions were made. This was a similar outcome for me when watching Rosemary Lee’s work; therefore I and Deborah shared this interest and too wanted to experiment with movement ideas that could disperse of stereotypical assumptions. However, our feedback from today’s session suggests that we took this too far so that no relationship was established, which isn't what we wanted. Therefore we are going to work on this development of a relationship being present between Gabby and Lewis, but without an automatic assumption that it must be, for example, love-based.

Improvisation/ Instant Composition 03/03/14

Today I wasn't feeling to great as I had pain in my right side similar to the one I experienced a few weeks ago, so I decided to just observe. However, via observing I was still able to make myself a part of the lesson by visualizing the tasks and interpreting the poetic language within my own mind and see what that developed for me. 

I still made a journal entry from the lesson including various quotes from Becca, and some of the imagery used. The lesson also triggered movement ideas for my duet that I am choreographing for Gabby and Lewis with Deborah, as they can be edited into 'impossible tasks' which is my dance idea. I asked Becca for reference points if I was to use and modify these tasks in my choreography, and she said they came from 'Wendy Houstan' from DV8, and others came from Motion House, and Yale Flexor; therefore I am going to research these artists and companies and see if any inspiration for my choreography arises. 

Ballet 28/02/14

Today in ballet, I had my one-to-one with Denise. I was delighted to hear her tell me a number of things about my progress in the lesson, including my correct placement of feet and legs, co-ordination, and presentation. She told me the only thing I need to work on is my core stability, as that can sometimes alter which can effect the placement of my pelvis. So I am going to pay attention to this in future classes so that nothing alters in my torso, which enhances stability throughout my whole body.