Reflecting on November

I feel like November was a good month for me.  I had a breakthrough in terms of both my moving and my understanding of the work we’ve been doing.

 

The month began with workshops with Jenna Hubbard and Park Hill School.  As part of Movement Studies 1, the first years had to teach a small group of children.  I was invited to also take part in this because my final project is teaching based and it was a way for me to make some links with the teacher and with the possibility of working with her class for my final project.  After spending the morning with the children, in particular the group of 5 boys I was working closely with, I found it had an effect on my moving for the rest of the day.  That afternoon, I had studio class with Katye and I felt quite disconnected from the moving we were doing.  I wrote in my journal “I want to be back in my body” and phrases such as “feel my body”, “stretch”, “move fully”, “move like me” and “I am a dancer”. I spent most of the session trying to regain a sense of self and how I usually move.  I also found myself trying to lose the sense of having fun and being child-like and to become a 21 year old dance student again.  Towards the end of the session, we had to travel across the space speaking to a partner about our moving.  I found myself embracing the playfulness of the children I had been working with earlier that day and I was saying “I have a body.  I am a body.  It likes to move.  I like to move.  Stretch.  Play.  Bounce”.  This sense of play is something I have continued to notice in my studio classes this month particularly in Katye’s class and improvisation with Polly.

 

I feel like I’ve taken in a lot of information this month, especially in Natalie’s classes.  In Experiential Anatomy, we’ve moved on from The Navel Radiation and have been working with the Mouthing Pattern and the Pre-spinal Pattern and have been introduced to the Spinal Yield and Push Pattern.  The Mouthing Pattern is one pattern that I struggle with.  I understand the concept of it but I find it difficult to experience it in my moving.  The Pre-spinal Pattern is much easier for me to experience in myself.  I really enjoy working with a soft spine.  I feel like one movement is pouring into another and it is all fluid and relaxed.  Some notes from my journal say, “Moving in a way that is comfortable for my body yet still pushing it” and “Relaxed but alert body”.

 

Towards the end of the month, we have been beginning to explore the Spinal Yield and Push Pattern.  This pattern took a while for me to get my head around.  I wrote in my journal about understanding it in my head but not always felling it in my body.  This is something I want to explore more in the last few weeks of term in December.

IPP3 Assessment - My Thoughts

On Thursday 29th November 2012, I had my assessment for IPP3.  My chosen research project was 'Chance'.  I've spent the term researching chance procedure and carrying out different tasks.

 

I felt like my assessment went quite well.  For my performance piece I had a number of different instructions written on pieces of paper that I would carry out.  These were folded up and scattered on the floor so when I picked one up, I wouldn't know what I was going to do.

Some of the instructions I had written myself but I didn't know what order I would get them.

 

I also asked my peers and my tutor Polly to write me some instructions. I had no idea what they had written down so when I picked up their pieces of paper, what was written was a complete surprise.

 

 



One of the pieces of paper had 'The End' written on it.  When I picked up that particular instruction, the performance would be over.  I was slightly worried that it would be the first or second piece of paper I picked up but luckily, it was the 18th!

As to be expected, there were some instructions I didn't get to carry out before the end of the performance. (See Below)

 

I was quite disappointed that I didn't two of the instructions.  These had the words 'Dice' and 'iChing' on them.  If I had selected these, I would have got the opportunity to show some of the chance tasks I had been working with.  If I had chosen either of these instructions, I would have used them to create a small movement phrase and demonstrate some of the research I had been doing over the term.

 

 

 

 

I'd also would have liked to explain to the group and Polly my research and what I had been doing prior to the assessment.  As I wasn't sure how long the performance would be, I didn't really give much context to my performance before hand.  Instead, I handed Polly my journal to look at.  Part of me wishes she had taken it with her to have a proper look through.

 

Something that worked well was where the audience were sat.  I'd asked the group to sit wherever they wanted to in the space.  This added another element to taking things out of my control.  I also enjoyed the audience interaction I had during the performance.

 

I've really enjoyed researching chance through out this module.  Something I picked up on during my research was how well some of the techniques would work with children.  Next term, for my final project, I will be teaching a class of 7 year olds in a Primary School and I will definitely use some chance tasks in our sessions.

 

We have our feedback for IPP3 on Thursday so hopefully I'll get some good comments.  I would really like to hear what my peers thought of my piece as well as my tutor.

Reflecting on October

Since we started back at uni on the 1st October, time has gone so quickly!! This post is to reflect on my practice in Movement Studies 3 over my first month of my last year at Coventry University. 

I began by struggling to get back into moving.  On the first day back, we began by finding connections between the jaw, wrist, ankles and hands with the floor.  I put this down to not having moved in this way over the summer.  As soon as we began moving in a way that opened the spine, everything instantly became familiar again.  I spent my second year investigating finding open spaces in the body. 

I've been really enjoying the Experiential Anatomy classes this term.  I feel like everything we do in these sessions are carried through into all the other Movement Studies classes during the week.  In particular the concept of cellular breathing.  This idea of the entire body breathing and yielding into the floor is something I continue to experience in my moving ever since it was introduced to us. 

At the end of the month, we began looking at the Navel Radiation which I posted about a couple of weeks ago, this is continuing to have an effect on my moving.

The Navel Radiation

In an Experiential Anatomy class earlier this week, we were introduced to the Navel Radiation.  This emphasises the significance of the centre.  The navel is the organising point for a starfish.  It has no brain and no one part of the starfish is more important, each limb is equal.

(image from Google)

This make up of a starfish is the same as a human when they are 8 weeks in utero.  At this point in our development, our life source and nourishment comes from the umbilical cord attached to our navel.  Also as new born babies, none of our 6 limbs (2 arms, 2 legs, head and tail) are more important than another. 

As part of this session, we performed a partner graphic using this concept of navel radiation.  We had to lie on the floor (like a starfish) and our partners had to find our navel and trace along our limbs always maintaining a relationship to centre.  When my partner Alix found my navel, I was quite surprised at where it was, I had pictured it being much higher when I was imagining it.  When my limbs were being traced, I felt a sense on length.  Like they were very long and stretching far away from my navel.  I also found that the way I was breathing made me feel like I was floating in water; very gentle, calming and with an even pace to it.  When we began rolling and extending and contracting around the navel, it felt very natural to me.

Below is a sketch I made in my journal after the partner graphic.

Cecilia Macfarlane - Give your heart to another person

On Friday, the IPP3 students had a workshop with Cecilia Macfarlane.  At the beginning of the class, Cecilia asked us to locate where our hearts were at that moment in time.  In other words, where was a light or a heat in our bodies.  I felt like I had a warm yellow sphere glowing on my forehead that was guiding me and leading the way.  After moving with this idea, we were asked to draw it and make a score.  We then had to exchange scores with a partner and choreograph a short phrase of movement in response to our partner's score.  Both me and my partner Emma had spheres as our heart and this shape was clear in both our choreographies but in very different ways.  I interpreted Emma's large red sphere in the centre of her body as a shape that grew in size and controlled my torso.  Emma interpreted my warm glow as something very gentle and comforting.  While watching her perform, I really enjoyed the peaceful quality she brought to the movement.  After watching our partner perform, we could return to our own personal scores and add anything that we liked when witnessing our partner move.

At the end of the session, Cecilia asked us some questions about the scores and one that particularily stuck out to me was, "How would this session fit into a wider context (community)?".   Everyone seemed to agree that it would be unsuitable to use on anyone younger than third year undergraduate students but I disagree.  The idea of making a score and sharing it with a partner would be interesting to do with younger people, even children.  Obviously a much more simple version would be needed but I am interested to see how it would work.  Instead of giving someone your heart, it could be something less personal. 

Below is my score...

Moving again

I expected my body to take some time to adjust to moving again after having 4 months off over the summer but from the 1st class last Monday I was fine.  I am surprised how my body has automatically switched back to moving this way.

Our first session back was with Katye on the first day.  At the beginning it felt hard to connect with the task we were given but when we moved onto an excerise involving rolling down and hanging, I felt like my body was much more responsive.  This is probably because last year I work a lot with the idea of finding space and opening up which is something this task was quite similar to. 

The beginning of the end.....

I've just completed my first week of my last year here at Coventry University.  It's exciting but also terrifying!!  Although I knew the workload would dramatically increase this year; it has still been quite a shock.  These next 9 months are going to be very full on but it is important to also enjoy myself because it'll be over before I know it.

End of Term Two

Tomorrow, I finish my second term of my second year, which means I'm over half way through my time here at Coventry University.  For the past couple of weeks, I've been writing my Movement Studies essay on how my moving and witnessing has developed during my second year.  I thought this was be quite an easy thing to write about as it is about my personal experience but I'm finding it a bit more challenging.  My moving developed lots in my first year, and I know it will continue to develop in my final year but trying to put down on paper exactly how I've progrssed this year is difficult.  I feel like I've written how I've developed but trying to expand on this is proving tricky.  This does slightly make me worry about my Viva next term, where I have to talk for 5 minutes about this.  Hopefully, I'll be able to work hard and do well

Deadlines!

With modules coming to end, I have loads of different deadlines to meet.  Having three pieces of coursework all due in the same week is hard work.  Its difficult having to switch between Artists in Education and Community Settings,  Movement Studies and Dance Analysis.  It always comes as a shock when we have this much written work to do because most of our time is spent in practical sessions.

Having this blog is really helping with my Movement Studies essay.  I've found it a lot easier to blog this year which is great when it comes to reflecting on what I've done.  I would have never guessed I'd actually enjoy having a blog!  I will definitely keep posting in future. 

My Movement Studies Aim

At the beginning of this term, Katye asked us to identify one thing that we would be working with during our Movement Studies 2 module.  The image below is from my journal (form 9th January 2012).  This has been my focus in each Movement Studies class.  Yesterday, in a Skinner Releasing class with Polly, I felt that the idea of finding space and opening the back and spine was really prominent in my movement.  The curling and uncurling exercises began opening the spaces of the back and the work we did with axis (imagining an axis running directly down the centre of the body) helped me explore the full range of movement of the spine.

Placement Complete

This weekend I finished my placement with Jenna at Kenilworth Creative Dance.  I've really enjoyed my 5 weeks on placement and Jenna has said that I can continue with the classes next term.  

The first class has children between the ages of 2-5 years old and their parents.  The sessions are very creative and involve lots of storytelling.  These classes are so much fun and the children have a lot of say in what they want to do.  One participant made an 'Ideas Box' so the other children can submit ideas for future classes. 

The second class is for 5-7 year olds.  Most of the children in this class have some kind of disability and parents also take part.  This class can be more difficult at times.  It seems that there are good days where the children are very interested and keen to take part but there are also bad days when one or two children decide they do not want to be there so it can be struggle to make progress in the session.

I've loved every minute of my placement and it has most certainly reminded me why I want to be a community dance leader.

First post of 2012!

I am now well into the second term of my second year and things feel back to normal after the craziness of Performance Projects last term.  This term we all do our optional modules and I have chosen 'Artists in Education and Community Settings'.  For this module, I have to do a placement for 5 weeks and write an evaluation.

My placement is on a Saturday morning in Kenilworth.  It is 2 creative classes for children and their parents.  I started my placement last Saturday and I really enjoyed it.  Before coming to Coventry University, I had spent 6 years teaching these kind of classes so it was great to get back into it.  I was meant to spend the first session observing but when I got there, it felt more valuable to join in so I could really get a feel for the class and the children in it. 

The first classes went really well and I can't wait for next week.  Being back in that creative, playful environment instantly reminded me what I love to do and that it is definitely where my future lies.  I've thought for a while that coming to University has taken me back 10 steps.  I felt that what I was doing during my gap year was my dream job and that spending all day dancing around a studio here at Coventry was disappointing and a waste of my time.  I know that sounds harsh but coming from working for companies like DanceXchange and Youth Dance England doing project management and teaching classes with DanceFest, to suddenly being a student and having to spend all my time in class and not 'out there' has been tough.  Taking part in this module and being able to be back out in the community has been great. 

Hopefully the next few classes go just as well, if not better than the first!