WEEK 2
I went in disliking the idea of improvisation and left feeling open minded about it. I did not say I like it, but I am open minded.
Again, this week started with internal body focus. I remembered form last week that I had to let go of all judgement of myself and just focus on the breath. Laying down helped me to track my body and address the areas that were sensitive, and also areas that were in contact with the floor. I felt heavy the second we started to tense our body parts one by one- for example, the feet, the legs, the pelvis, the lower back, the shoulder blades and arms and ever so slightly the head, working the way up through the body. I noticed that one side wasn’t as comfy as the other, I especially noticed this when we rolling my head from side to side ( I found it really hard to track the pathway of my head ) . Slowly, we transitioned into the fetal position, then the child’s pose, table top and downward dog. Having the freedom to move in and out of these positions as and when I wanted to, helped me to stretch properly and then relax. I felt so relaxed doing this and it helped me prepare my body for the pair’s task. Using our peripheral vision, we sat opposite our partner and had to move in synchronicity. Spain, K says “What you track is usually a function of your improvisational values”. (Kent de Spain, 2014, 48). This helped me to think of a move I wanted to include next, but as I was performing that move, I knew what had come before and what was coming after from thinking about the tracking. As a pair, we worked well with each other on keeping fluidity and keeping synchronised. By doing this pairs task, I realised how important it was to keep focus, and that your focus can drive the energy.
Spain, K also said “Most people may not think of it, but the profundity of the body is not restricted to your body. There is plenty of inspiration to be found through connecting- visually, physically, spiritually- with the bodies of others” (Kent de Spain, 2014, 96). Individually in the space we thought about tracking and improvised, very slowly, thinking about tracking and trying something new- also known as habitual movement. I must say, I found this hard as I would get stuck and resort to a shoulder roll or a movement that initiated from my arms or chest. My feedback from this also told me that my movement was circular, fluid and soft. I noticed patterns and repetition in other people’s improvisations, lots of habitual movement that I definitely need to step away from. I found it useful knowing what I was doing as now I can notice it, track it and improve on it, so maybe next time I might not have as much habitual movement in my improvisations.
The improv jam was the hardest for me as I felt so exposed and hated being in the middle of everyone. I waited till the last minute to enter the circle as I felt so under pressure, which I’m sure everyone else was feeling. After I had done it, I felt at ease knowing we all felt the same, and speaking about it, I knew I resort to habitual movement when I have people watching as I feel comfortable doing it, where as I need to be creative and experiment with my movement.
Definitely something to work on… a lot!
Bibliography:
Spain, K. (2014) Tracking in Landscape of the Now: A Topography of Movement Improvisation. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press.