14.11.2011 - Monday mornings.

Monday morning came around again, we waited in the studio in suspense to which teacher we will get. It's Mona. So our class today will again be focused on release technique. Everyone including myself looks extremely tired. We begin the class with opening exercises that we have been working on over the past few weeks. In relation to my own technique, this class feel like my weakest. I don't think I excel in it. But again this could be because Release is new to me and I haven't trained in it prior to this year.


"In Release technique, we release through the joints and muscles to create ease of movement, releasing the breath to aid the release of the body. A great relaxation technique as well as a dance style." http://www.blackfishacademy.com/dance.htm (accessed on 14.11.2011)


We refreshed our memories on the previous exercises and Mona asked our percussionist Keith to slow down the tempo of the rhythm that he was supplying us with. I haven't commented on the live music in any of my previous blogs. But I thoroughly enjoy the live music; I believe it is a really helpful way for our bodies and minds to connect with the movement. It also lets you make your own interpretation of the counts as we are encouraged to take the chance and risks in not following other members in the class. Many professional performances use live percussion and I think it is an interesting element to look into. It is very valuable for us as young aspiring dancers/choreographers as it looks at a wider interpretation of dance. the music sometimes reflects not only movement type but mood, attitudes and styles.


In this class I feel like I’m not fully concentrating, I enjoy the movement and exercises that we are taught. But the class becomes very repetitive over the same movement. In some aspects it is really helpful to work on certain characteristics of certain movements such as the rolling of our shoulders without moving our hips out of parallel position. It was also helpful that Mona asked us to partner up and place our hands on the lower abdominal of our partner to feel the tension and help them not to shift their weight or their hips when rolling the shoulders. This was also really beneficial when my partner was holding me, as I could feel myself wanting to rotate my hips as an alternative to remaining in parallel position. In this sequence we also had to focus on timing and release. There were many movements of suspense that allowed us to really relax our body in comparison to strenuous movements.

This video is a demonstration of an exercise that we are working on shoulder rolls that do not initiate from the hips but the centre. It also looks at the use of suspension and allows our body to release. Despite the video being unable to rotate, it is clear that one of my weaknesses is to relax my shoulders down the back and not alter my hips. Mona explained how if we are holding our centres correctly we should be able to avoid shifting in the hips and concentrate on our just movement in the shoulders.

Rosalind Newman once stated that "I have done Authentic Movement and Skinner Releasing Technique as well as othersomatic techniques. Getting deeper into the body in a more reflective way has affected my work, whether that's because of age or being affected by other ideas about the body."  Further Steps 2: Fourteen choreographers on what's the RAGE in dance? Kreemer, C. Pg158.