Previous to our first research lab, I read the two articles by Daniel Pkoff in order to understand release technique and the questioning of improvisation. Daniel looks at Mary Fulkerson’s anatomical release technique. The technique focuses on eliminating habitual patterns in the body, as well as the mind, in order to create more unique contact improvisation’s. ‘by the time an intention has become realised in a physical action, it is too late to alter how the action is played out’ (Pkoff, D, 1999). This quote I found useful in understanding that taking risks is the exciting part of contact improvisation. Eliminating mindfulness in improvisation. allows you to become more involved within it. The article expresses the view that you shouldn’t rely on habits or reflexes to take over during improvisation. However, be prepared for the surprises in which improvisation obtains. Questions which dancers come across during improvisation are

where is my centre?

What surfaces are touching/ being touched?

Which of these surfaces offer support?

Throughout the research lab I took these questions into consideration, in order for them to effect my research. I wanted to find out whether applying questions within my improvising would allow me to create a better overall experience throughout the workshop.

‘Does the environment effect how me move during contact improvisation’

We related our question and practice from Daniel Lepkoff’s contact improvisation study : “The body’s innate ability to respond physically to it’s environment”.Lepkoff, D. (2008) . We wanted to see how the body would respond to environmental factors, whether it would benefit our improvisation process or make it more difficult to perform.Initially our focus was to benefit from exploring new questions which would expand our improvisation abilities and would allow us to move away from habitual movement. However, throughout the exploration of our question, new questions were developed along the way.

We went on to answer our question during the three hour workshop. We looked at several tasks which focused on changing environmental factors such as location, sound and surroundings. We began with experimenting with improvisation in a condensed corridor whilst performing s duet. We found this space rather difficult to move in as it was so condensed and people would walk past causing distraction. However, it made us question Does a small space allow us to experiment more with contact rather than individually?

Moving on from this we decided to perform movement in a less stable un level environment. We challenged improvisation by using stairs to perform on. Throughout the experience I felt fully conscious about giving my weight, and unable to relax especially with my eyes closed. It wasn’t that I was un trusting of my partner but I was fearful of moving in an un habitual way causing me to be become unstable.

Rolling became specifically difficult. However, I felt I did benefit from this exercise growing trust with a partner I haven’t specifically worked with before. The other two girls in my group went on to perform outdoors in the public eye. At first they felt apprehensive of the people looking, but as they closed their eyes they become less aware of their surroundings and began to feel comfortable. Me and Harriet also experimented with using contact improvisation on blocks outdoors. We found that different surfaces allowed us to experiment with movement and also giving and receiving weight.

During this experiment we decided to try different outdoor surfaces such as the grass. Our first instinct was that the grass would be a safe and soft surface for tactile rolling and sliding. We agreed that this surface would give us greater ability to experiment with weight as no surrounding or people would become a distraction. When we first started working on the grass we realised the grass was cold and wet so at first we felt reluctant to take our contact to the floor. Further into the duet, we experimented with rolling and sliding. But surprisingly we found it rather difficult to roll on the grass as the surface caused a lot of friction.  This led us to the question ‘which surface would enable easier rolling and sliding?’ Within this task we were asked to experiment with our eyes closed. Watching Naomi and Harriet within this task, I felt Naomi often held Harriet’s hands for contact, and I discovers that this was a safety barrier for hew. The two girls haven’t danced with each other before, so she felt Harriet’s safety was crucial in order for the improv to be successful. However, when I were to dance with Harriet I felt more of a connection due to having danced with her before I felt safe to give her my full weight and I was knowledgeable that we were supported by the grass beneath us.

Moving inside for our final task we experimented in the workshop space surrounded by people developing their research labs. Performing in this space became much of a distraction to our improvisation. I felt drawn in to the conversations around me rather than relax causing me to lose concentration on my movements with my partner. A question which I would take from this is

‘How can I cancel out any surrounding distractions?’.

Jam

During this weeks Jam I wanted to explore with movement and  further my feelings towards my surroundings whilst trying to work with new people. To start the jam we relaxed our bodies giving weight to the floor and to our partner. During this exercise I felt very relaxed, which allowed me to feel comfortable at ease and stress free throughout the jam. This week felt specifically different to the others. The whole group felt comfortable among each other giving and taking more weight than usual. I found myself working with people I wouldn’t usually work with  which really opened my mind to what I can do and achieve in the future. The whole group felt more trusting and I believe this could be due to the trusting tasks some other members of the group studied for their research lab. I found myself answering my own question from the workshop ‘How does environmental factors effect movement quality’. I felt the atmosphere with the lights off and everyone merging together to create a successful piece allowed me to feel at ease and totally relaxed.

Prior to the workshop I found this weeks reading rather useful. Susanne Ravn’s sensing weight in movement, looks at ‘how the weight of our body’s can be perceived from within when moving’ (Ravn, S, 2010, 21) . Throughout the workshop I found this quote inspiring as it allowed me to think internally about my weight whilst falling and rolling to the floor. I questioned whether it would move me to the floor along with gravity, or resist not allowing me to fall to the floor effortlessly. The data within the reading states that ballet dancers had a greater tendency to acquire a vertical balance, which allows centred control of their mass. However, when looking at contemporary dancers she found them with weighted limbs and relaxed joints, something which I tried to achieve throughout the workshop. I attempted to give up my control, allowing my body to be connected to gravity.

During the workshop this week we focused on not being in control of our bodies, allowing gravity to take control rather than resisting against it. We discovered ways to you gravity to enable us to fall and move without causing injury. We began the class with watching a video of Steve Paxton’s ‘Small Dance’. Where we saw a skeleton structures small movements in an upright stance in order to stand in a stable position. It was fascinating to see the amount of movement standing up right could cause, and also the amount we resist gravity. The video clip made me think ‘Do I actually move this much?’When I performed the task I noticed how much my body was resisting gravity, causing me to perform movement in order to stay stable. Moving on we were asked to release this resistance in order to let gravity take control. Throughout this task I noticed my body weight always shifting to the right or backwards causing me to come off balance and move backwards, allowing gravity to take control this caused the class to fall/roll to the floor. I felt relaxed throughout this exercise as I felt a real trusting connection with gravity, knowing the floor would always be there However, I felt rather afraid of falling forwards head first, this I believe would be because the head is deemed to be the most precious part of the body. If I were to perform this exercise again however, I would put more trust into the ground and experiment moving my weight forwards to the floor.

The next exercise which we experimented with was the cat and the owner. In pairs the person who was the cat was to give their weight to the owner whom would make strong structures for the cat to rest upon. We then developed this by rolling in to other poses as a cat would. I found this method very helpful, as before this I was reluctant to give my full weight. However, I discovered trust in my partner knowing they would always be a supportive structure for me to rest my weight on. When we swapped roles and I become the structure, I felt at home. Being the supportive structure felt natural to me and I felt able to take my partners full weight. Despite this I would like to move forward and be the over dance more to allow me to experiment how much weight I can give to my partner. The next step was to flow in and out of being the cat and the owner. This I felt helped with the flow of the movement. I often forgot who was the under dancer and who was the over dancer, I felt less apprehensive with giving my weight allowing a real connection to arise with me and my partner.

To end the workshop we were asked to split into groups of 4 and write down any questions we may have about Contact Improvisation.

From a variety of questions we discovered that the topic which came up the most was how different environmental factors could effect improv.

From this we came up with a task for the following week:

Location: Inside/outside, different flooring, compact/open.

Sound: Silence, Music, People around

People: People watching, Public, Duo, groups
I look forward to discovering how these factors effect improv.  And will our expectations change?.

Within the jam this week I focused on giving my weight to my partner allowing them to guide my body in several directions with their hands as well as other body parts. Specifically focusing on giving my full weight to my partner, whilst being conscious of the movement I was trying to pursue, in order for it to be safe. Throughout the jam I tried to work with as many people as possible in order to explore with different weights. I found myself to be a good structure for my partner to balance on. However, I was fairly shocked when I found myself fully comfortable with giving several people my full weight incorporating taught rolls and balances from the previous workshop.

Allowing the weight of the head and focus of the eyes to assist easy changes of direction and level.

Danielle Lepkoff’s Movement of Intention, came into play prior to the workshop. Reading this interview, I found her answers helped answer several of my own questions about contact improvisation, Her reply;  ‘I feel many of the younger dancers who are exploring improvisation or spontaneous composition are unaware of a wealth of inspired research and developed knowledge that I think might be very apropos to their questions’, influenced me to research more into contact improvisation in order to become more knowledgeable about the history and development of improvisation. The videos which we watched in this weeks workshop are an example of research in the development of improvisation. Steve Paxton’s “Interior Techniques”: Contact Improvisation and Political Power, expresses the view of improvisation being a form of power. He sees the potential impact of contact improvisation to return the decision-making authority to the dancer, by developing the habit of attention. He gives importance to having an awareness of the body’s reflexes as a way of communication between the reflexes of people. The reading allowed me to think about how I should react to peoples reflexes in order for the improvisation to run smoothly.

The workshop started by viewing two movement pieces online:

Steve Paxton’s Magnesium (1972)

Nellis and Brando Earth Dance (2010)

The two dance pieces were significantly different as they were both created forty years apart, see video’s above. Within them you can see the similarities as well as the differences. The videos allow us to see the significant difference between early contact improvisation and the development of improvisation within the 21^st century. The main difference I found was the obvious fluidity difference between the two. Earth dance appeared to be much more fluid, controlled and involved safe practice. Whereas Magnesium appeared to be more stop and start, unsafe and non-flowing. I almost felt as though during Earth dance there was a friendly loving relationship between the two. However, during Earth dance I felt an atmosphere of war and the eagerness to get away from their partners. However, both videos gave me an insight to what can be created through contact improvisation. Magnesium shows a clear progression and development of contact improvisation throughout the years. It shows use the use of safe practice, knowledge and strength in order to create a successful improvisation.

We then went on to move around the space, slowly reaching the floor. Next we were given a task to keep our head connected to the floor whilst moving, rolling and sliding along the floor. We then went on to partner work where we both had to keep our heads attached at all times. I felt this soothing as I gave full trust to my partner, following their movement and her following mine. The challenge often became difficult if one of us moved drastically however, we eventually came back into contact. For the majority of the workshop we practiced rolling along one another’s backs with our backs, finding the appropriate position in order for the movement to run smoothly. At first I found this difficult as my partner was significantly taller to what I am, therefore getting the right body on body connection was key in order to perform safe practice. I also found it rather difficult to relax my head and neck at first as I was conscious of where I was going to land, but after a few practices I felt more comfortable and able to relax my head. During my partner rolling on my back I felt as though I was a sturdy base creating a table with my back on all fours. I took the weight into my hands which allowed me to maintain the position for a long time. Each task during this week’s workshop has allowed me to gain trust in myself as well as others, transferring my weight onto them, and vice versa.

During the jam this week, I put the principles of rolling into practice. Unlike last week, I felt fully comfortable rolling across my partners. I found a connection between my body and head relaxing the muscled in my neck in order for the rolls to look effortless. I found working with the lights off helped me to relax and engage with my environment. At one point in the jam, I found myself and my partner becoming entranced in the movement, giving our full weight to each other during rolls,connect and flow together effectively. I left the jam feeling fully relaxed and at ease with the rolling aspect of contact improvisation. I started to ask myself questions;

How can we bring this movement off the ground?

How can we travel the rolling movements more, creating more diversity?

This week’s reading was based on the experience and knowledge of touch. I found the reading useful as it inspired me during the class. The reading looked at ‘experience of touch as an embodied form of social interaction’ (F, Bannon, 2012, 215). The reading helped me understand the aspect of giving weight, as it spoke about the potential to become absorbed in multidirectional interrelationship between partners. I found this was the case when giving weight. Becoming fully absorbed in the moment giving all my weight to my partner. The reading then goes on to talk about the complexity of touch. Intriguingly, touch is viewed as a subject of power within the article. Stating that touch can potentially cause unequal power between dancers. This I found useful, to help me understand that taking someone’s weight can be just as powerful as giving weight.

Coming into week 2, I felt positive and excited about the module. We started the lesson by exploring with weight not only with the floor but also giving others part of our weight. We were taught the most effective and efficient ways in which we could give someone our weight.  The exercise started with me laying along the floor whist my partner lay across me. She then used a method of rolling up and down my body experimenting where it was good to give more weight, and to notice the areas in which she had to take more of the weight such as the knees and the head. During this exercise I felt very relaxed almost as though I was been given a massage. I had total trust in my partner. When the roles changed and it was my turn to give my partner my weight I felt very conscious to whether I was giving too much or too little. After several practices I felt myself becoming more relaxed, and almost found it difficult to distinguish between my body and my partners.

Onwards from this we went on to develop the exercise. Instead of just the over person rolling along their partner the under person was to also roll. Kayla described this as ‘catching the wave’ which helped to understand the task. I found the exercise fairly difficult when trying to ride the wave. It was fairly difficult to concentrate on being conscious to certain body parts. Whilst waiting for the right time to ride the wave. We then were asked to use different body parts to lead the roll with. The body part which challenged me the most was leading with the head. I felt very weary doing so with such a precious part of the body. But as time went on I felt more comfortable and trusted my partner more. I found the exercise fun as it allowed me to let go and fully give my weight to my partner trusting her to take my weight.Finally we went on to giving our weight whilst performing movement. To do this the non-moving partner asked the moving partner to stop in a statuesque position which they felt created a base for them to balance on or against. As a base I made sure I took my partners weight in the most efficient place such as the hands. Changing roles, I was conscious of when to give more weight or restrain from giving too much weight in order to create a sturdy balance. Throughout the exercise me and my partner both experimented with different positions and dared to fully rely on one another to take each other’s full weight. I found both exercises during class challenging however beneficial to understand the importance of giving weight safely and efficiently.

During the jam this week I felt more comfortable and familiar with the setting starting with a Pow-Wow, and moving onto finding our kinesphere and skinesphere by rolling along the floor, changing direction as we do so. As the jam moved forwards I found myself rolling amongst people I don’t usually work with, experimenting with giving weight and taking weight. I often felt cautious of giving too much weight, therefore, I would restrain myself to do so. However, towards the end of the jam I found myself becoming more comfortable with the aspect of giving weight, creating a trust between me and the other dancers.

Prior to our contact improvisation workshop I felt anxious yet intrigued to what may come my way. Although thoroughly enjoying improvisation in first year I was drawn to the thought that whether working with another individual would either further my improvisation skills or that I would shy away from the process.

However, throughout the workshop I became more accepting and felt comfortable working alongside another dancer. The workshop started with everyone walking around the space coming into perspective with the kinesiology around us and becoming familiar with the space we were in. Lowering to the floor allowed us to experiment with our senses and the way the floor felt on our skin. Playing with tone was the key direction of the workshop. We explored rolling, pressing and sliding movements along the floor whilst enforcing tonal qualities to the improvisation. Physically I found it difficult to press with a fairly low tone, however I decided to link the pressing movement into a sliding movement which allowed me to bring the tone down to a minimal level. We then went on to perform this task with a partner. My chosen partner was Stacey and the objective was to follow her movements with the palm or my hand. I felt fairly comfortable doing this as it allowed me to experience viewing different movements and taught me to let go a little and to not be afraid of what your partner or other people may think of my chosen movements. We then performed this task again but with both of us following each other’s movements.  When Kayla added tonal qualities to the task such as tone 8 the speed and force allowed me to experience more with my movements as the given tone didn’t allow me time to think about my future movement, I felt my movements were more  ‘in the moment’. Surprisingly me and my partner felt very comfortable and trusted each other throughout the course of the task. When asked how we felt during the improvisation we stated that when we were experimenting with a lower tone we felt almost as though it appeared as we were love making whereas throughout the higher tones it felt as though we were fighting.

Which we then realised linked to a quote from Novack from this week’s reading: A cross between jitterbugging, wresting and making love’ (Novack, J, 1990, 179) .I found the pre readings and the first weeks readings beneficial, as it enabled me to gain an understanding of what I could expect from contact improvisation. I found that improvisation helps create a mind and body relationship. Steve Paxton’s book; Taken by Surprise, taught me that, to be successful throughout improvisation you have to be conscious and reflective, as balance and direction will often change subject to being lifted and lifting. A statement which occurred in the reading ‘ A partner has to respond to ever changing landscape of their partners bodies’. This quote left me intrigued, wondering what was to come throughout the semester.

I also participated in a Contact Improvisation jam which will take place once a week. The Jam started with Kayla explaining the outlines of what a ‘Jam’ is. The Jam started with each of us laying on the floor familiarising our sense of touch and skin with the ground and those around us. This introduction allowed me to feel at ease with the space and totally relaxed.  We were then introduced to the concept of grazing, we worked in partners and in groups to experiment with the tool. Due to the Jam being held at night and no use of lights I felt totally at ease and more willing to try new things as I felt I wasn’t being watched. The darkness also I feel created an informal atmosphere and we connected as a group more than ever before which felt really great and gave me a positive feeling about future contact improvisation workshops and jams.