shanmonster (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shanmonster) wrote2011-05-24 03:33 pm
shanmonster) wrote2011-05-24 03:33 pm
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A Fortnight of Dance
It's been a hectic couple of weeks filled with dance.
First of all, I attended a workshop with Daniel Lepkoff. For the first time in all my years of dance training, I quit the workshop early and asked for a partial refund. The workshop was called Making and Seeing Dance, and I was under the mistaken impression it would be about creating dance from improvisation. Instead, it was an extremely slow-paced class that appeared to focus more upon meditation than dance. I learned a rolling technique that is somewhat interesting, but I think that's the only thing I took away from two and a half days of workshop. On the third day before 12:30, we managed to do two exercises. One was basically us moving very slowly for five minutes. The other was us going somewhere for 30 minutes and keeping perfectly still.
Although I can understand the value of stillness in dance, as an audience member, I would never want to watch a dancer remain motionless for half an hour. If I want to see stillness, I'll go to a figure drawing class.
And so I left.
That same weekend hosted the Ontario Regional Contact Improv Jam. I am very new to contact improv, having only tried it once before. That time, I left early because I was nauseated and thought I was coming down with a flu. It ends up that no, I wasn't ill. I was nauseated because of all the rolling and basically had motion sickness. After doing the whirling workshop with Ziya Azazi a while back, I seem to have overcome motion sickness due to dance. I participated in workshops/classes all weekend without even once becoming dizzy or nauseated.
![[Contact Improv dancers]](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/247327_10150197977864864_511799863_7216088_7447064_n.jpg "[Contact Improv dancers]")
I found the contact dance training very interesting. I enjoyed the improvisation and the organic nature of the dance. I like how one move will flow into another without forethought, based on the sensation of the moment. I learned how to do basic lifts, and was also lifted many times throughout the weekend. Friday night introduced me to different contact techniques, so not just rotating around one axis of contact, but using that contact for sloughing and brushing in order to change levels.
On Saturday, I attended a contact dance for newbies class, and picked up a lot more basics. In the afternoon, I worked one on one with a variety of experienced dancers and got more valuable feedback. On Sunday, I did a workshop on authentic movement and contact dance. While I still couldn't tell you what "authentic movement" is (I thought everything I was moving was pretty real), I was able to put into words a basic concept I'd never really considered before:
I didn't participate in the large jams going on, because I am much more interested in dance for performance rather than as pure experience. I personally think couples and triplets look more interesting than a big mash of dozens of people. I'd love to have one or two people to practice with so we could develop a performance piece.
Then came the training I've been most looking forward to all year: the workshop with Louise LeCavalier, who is one of my all-time favourite dancers. I learned a couple of things over my two days with her:
Louise is much tinier than I had imagined. I think she might be only a smidgen over five feet tall, which makes it even more impressive how she tosses her dance partners around. She is also much friendlier than I imagined. She is a really sweet, friendly, and thoughtful person. Though she was teaching about 60 people each day, she knew each of us by name and offered individual feedback, praise, and corrections.
We started each day by running laps: running forward, backward, sideways. She was strict about our running technique, ensuring we ran in a relaxed fashion, and paid close attention to our breathing techniques. We started with inhaling through our noses on four steps, and exhaling through our mouths for four steps. As we got hotter, we inhaled on a three count and exhaled on a two count. Afterwards, we did some intense cardio training with more drills (done twice):
Afterward, we did a few more running drills, a pile of burpees, and then went through a series of boxing drills. We worked on jabs, rights, uppercuts, and hooks. This was familiar territory for me, although the stances are quite different from what I'm used to in my own martial arts training. Although the stances may make sense from a strictly boxing perspective, I couldn't help but think they'd be disastrous for any situation in which you might get kicked. In any case, it was interesting. I don't think most of the dancers in the workshop had martial arts backgrounds, but they picked up the basics quickly.
The last part of the workshop was devoted to a piece of choreography by Edouard Lock. It was unlike any other dance I'd ever studied before with its tiny, precise hand gestures and leaps. I got pretty lost, and could only really remember the gross movements. I followed along as best I could, but everything was so tiny and fast that I could only just keep up.
It's easy to see how all the boxing and cardio drills fit into her dancing. Although we weren't punching, the movements had the same feel and flavour, and there were elements of the bob and weave in the short choreography we practiced.
On the second day, many of the other students (most much younger than me, and all very fit) were moaning and groaning in pain from delayed onset muscle soreness. I was pleased to discover I was only a little sore through my lats from the uppercuts, but otherwise, I was just fine. I couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Huzzah for being in great shape!
That being said, I still had to take a huff off my asthma puffer during the cardio section on day two.
Louise is really inspiring, and I wish I could train with her regularly. Despite being worked very hard, and me sweating more than I have in years, I didn't leave the classes exhausted. I left exhilarated.
And here we are, all frizzy and sweaty at the end of the workshop:
![[Louise LeCavalier and me]](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/248898_10150197971374864_511799863_7215988_453494_n.jpg "[Louise LeCavalier and me]")
Tomorrow I start my third session of contemporary dance with Kymberley Feltham. I'm looking forward to it.
First of all, I attended a workshop with Daniel Lepkoff. For the first time in all my years of dance training, I quit the workshop early and asked for a partial refund. The workshop was called Making and Seeing Dance, and I was under the mistaken impression it would be about creating dance from improvisation. Instead, it was an extremely slow-paced class that appeared to focus more upon meditation than dance. I learned a rolling technique that is somewhat interesting, but I think that's the only thing I took away from two and a half days of workshop. On the third day before 12:30, we managed to do two exercises. One was basically us moving very slowly for five minutes. The other was us going somewhere for 30 minutes and keeping perfectly still.
Although I can understand the value of stillness in dance, as an audience member, I would never want to watch a dancer remain motionless for half an hour. If I want to see stillness, I'll go to a figure drawing class.
And so I left.
That same weekend hosted the Ontario Regional Contact Improv Jam. I am very new to contact improv, having only tried it once before. That time, I left early because I was nauseated and thought I was coming down with a flu. It ends up that no, I wasn't ill. I was nauseated because of all the rolling and basically had motion sickness. After doing the whirling workshop with Ziya Azazi a while back, I seem to have overcome motion sickness due to dance. I participated in workshops/classes all weekend without even once becoming dizzy or nauseated.
I found the contact dance training very interesting. I enjoyed the improvisation and the organic nature of the dance. I like how one move will flow into another without forethought, based on the sensation of the moment. I learned how to do basic lifts, and was also lifted many times throughout the weekend. Friday night introduced me to different contact techniques, so not just rotating around one axis of contact, but using that contact for sloughing and brushing in order to change levels.
On Saturday, I attended a contact dance for newbies class, and picked up a lot more basics. In the afternoon, I worked one on one with a variety of experienced dancers and got more valuable feedback. On Sunday, I did a workshop on authentic movement and contact dance. While I still couldn't tell you what "authentic movement" is (I thought everything I was moving was pretty real), I was able to put into words a basic concept I'd never really considered before:
How you move is very much a part of who you are.This is something I think I've pretty much always known, but never defined. I mean, any time I've played a character, whether on stage or at a larp, they've all had different ways of moving. And I've always noted the different ways people walk. But while I was doing the exercises at that last workshop, I worked with my eyes closed with a few different people, and noted how incredibly differently each person moves. One woman very obviously had a strong yoga background, and her movements flowed like asanas. One man had a kickboxing background, and his movements were sharp, precise, and almost violent. My own movements were fluid, because of my own dance background.
I didn't participate in the large jams going on, because I am much more interested in dance for performance rather than as pure experience. I personally think couples and triplets look more interesting than a big mash of dozens of people. I'd love to have one or two people to practice with so we could develop a performance piece.
Then came the training I've been most looking forward to all year: the workshop with Louise LeCavalier, who is one of my all-time favourite dancers. I learned a couple of things over my two days with her:
- I'm in much better shape than I thought.
- I still suck at choreography
Louise is much tinier than I had imagined. I think she might be only a smidgen over five feet tall, which makes it even more impressive how she tosses her dance partners around. She is also much friendlier than I imagined. She is a really sweet, friendly, and thoughtful person. Though she was teaching about 60 people each day, she knew each of us by name and offered individual feedback, praise, and corrections.
We started each day by running laps: running forward, backward, sideways. She was strict about our running technique, ensuring we ran in a relaxed fashion, and paid close attention to our breathing techniques. We started with inhaling through our noses on four steps, and exhaling through our mouths for four steps. As we got hotter, we inhaled on a three count and exhaled on a two count. Afterwards, we did some intense cardio training with more drills (done twice):
- Run forward four steps, spin and run backward four steps, then touch the floor to our side before doing a grapevine at speed in the other direction and touching the floor. Repeat for one minute.
- Chassé at speed one way, touch the floor, and chassé to the other side and touch the floor. Repeat for one minute.
- Running in place with knees high for four counts, then leaping up high leading with left arm, leading with right, then with both arms. Repeat for one minute.
- Balance on one foot with other leg held high behind us, bending forward at the hip and swinging arms at speed for four counts, then switching to other foot. Repeat for one minute
Afterward, we did a few more running drills, a pile of burpees, and then went through a series of boxing drills. We worked on jabs, rights, uppercuts, and hooks. This was familiar territory for me, although the stances are quite different from what I'm used to in my own martial arts training. Although the stances may make sense from a strictly boxing perspective, I couldn't help but think they'd be disastrous for any situation in which you might get kicked. In any case, it was interesting. I don't think most of the dancers in the workshop had martial arts backgrounds, but they picked up the basics quickly.
The last part of the workshop was devoted to a piece of choreography by Edouard Lock. It was unlike any other dance I'd ever studied before with its tiny, precise hand gestures and leaps. I got pretty lost, and could only really remember the gross movements. I followed along as best I could, but everything was so tiny and fast that I could only just keep up.
It's easy to see how all the boxing and cardio drills fit into her dancing. Although we weren't punching, the movements had the same feel and flavour, and there were elements of the bob and weave in the short choreography we practiced.
On the second day, many of the other students (most much younger than me, and all very fit) were moaning and groaning in pain from delayed onset muscle soreness. I was pleased to discover I was only a little sore through my lats from the uppercuts, but otherwise, I was just fine. I couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Huzzah for being in great shape!
That being said, I still had to take a huff off my asthma puffer during the cardio section on day two.
Louise is really inspiring, and I wish I could train with her regularly. Despite being worked very hard, and me sweating more than I have in years, I didn't leave the classes exhausted. I left exhilarated.
And here we are, all frizzy and sweaty at the end of the workshop:
Tomorrow I start my third session of contemporary dance with Kymberley Feltham. I'm looking forward to it.
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Tonight, I want to work on taxims. Be prepared for pure improv.
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