I had looked forward to our next class with Rebekah as I felt personally challenged in the previous technique class that she had taught. For our next class, we focused on the technique of Merce Cunningham. Cunningham himself once explained his technique as “This technique is rigorous, and is designed to create strength and flexibility—of both body and mind,” he says. “You have to be alert and focused in class.” http://www.dancespirit.com/articles/11. (accessed on 12.10.2011)
As we began with the centre work we focused on the sharp focused movement from the ribs and holding our arms in second without shifting our body weight. We also concentrated on the isolation of the rib cage shifting from the right back to the centre. I really enjoy the element of this exercise as it allows you to really isolate the rib cage without focusing on movement in the shoulders or arms thus just keeping everything in the centre. I think I can control my weight shifts quite well as I really enjoy isolated the body. I find it interesting as a choreographer how parts of the body can be isolated in many ways without having to use your whole body to initiate the movement.
A weakness that I can recognise in myself during Rebekah’s class is that when down in a plié, I am avoiding my turn out and rolling my knees forward. I need to work on my plié in first position making sure my knee is heading towards my middle toe as a guideline. To help me work on this I intend to practise holding my hands on my waist when completing plié’s without moving my hips to become uneven. This will hopefully allow me to practise my plié’s and see for myself in the mirror where I need to have my knees and really plant my feet down into the ground to recognise a different feeling.
We have also been working on our contractions in this specific class. I struggle the most with my contractions when my legs are in second position on the floor. During the exercise on the floor we focus on contracting from our centres then releasing to a flat back. However after I have contracted, the next motion of releasing the body forward over the legs to then sit up properly on the sits bones (in which the back should theoretically be in a straight line). However I think I am struggling with the release as I am trying to concentrate on the alignment of the back therefore I am forgetting to really drop my shoulders into the back and not strain my neck resulting in my back not placed in the correct position. To help me prevent this I am going to check the alignment of my back side ways on in the mirror to fully feel connected with the position that it should be in.
“Cunningham technique challenges a dancer’s ability to change direction within the body and in space, so explore your internal sense of direction as you move through a day. Observe the sensations that occur in the body as you round corners and make sudden changes of direction. Take note of how those changes impact your sense of self and your relationship to the space around you.” http://www.dancespirit.com/articles/11 (accessed on 12.10.2011)
During the Adagio, I would like to focus again, on my balance. I think a solution for this would be to lift my head up to project my performance out. I also think lifting my whole body from my centre will help me to balance on my standing leg. I know I don’t really get my legs very high when demonstrating a ponche; however I feel I still feel very present when holding my position. I believe my head alignment with my legs may need work but I would like to think it has improved since our technique classes from previous years. I know I need to have the confidence to push through my feet to keep my balance and just attempt to hit the right positions with the right counts. With the beginning arabesque I believe the extension of my leg is conveyed very well, as I am really trying to push my body to its limits.
When looking back on the travelling sequence across the studio, Rebekah commented on the energy of me and my two of my fellow peers when working in a group demonstrating the movement. As a dancer it gives you great confidence to hear constructive comments and criticism and it also pushes you harder to succeed. When I was told we had great energy it felt as if my hard work leading up to the end sequence had paid off. It also encourages me to persevere even more so, I love phrases that allow me to extend my body and throw my weight about. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed our class and I am looking forward to working with Rebekah every week as I believe I can learn a lot from her lessons.
No comments:
Post a Comment