Due to a mild chest infection, for Rebekhah’s next class I had to sit and observe as she was worried my body wouldn’t be up to the challenge of a combination of Graham and Cunningham. As one of my five technique teachers I full respected her decision to ask me to sit and make notes on the trials and errors that I could recognise in my fellow peers, as she is a fully qualified teacher and I admire her ideologies and views.
It is always an interesting aspect of dance training to step out and watch the class that you have been working with for the last three years, frustrating yes, but also very helpful to recognise your own strengths and weakness in comparison to some of the other girls.
Graham once quoted “Great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion."
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martha_graham.html#ixzz1dOHjysUE (accessed on 29.11.2011)
I fully agree with that quote, especially when I myself am dancing. Sometimes your technique might not be fantastic, yet if you have the passion for dance you really try to exceed in yourself to stride in improving. This is also something I could recognise when I observed the mornings class. In my own technique my weaknesses lie primarily in my footwork, especially when discussing Cunningham and Graham work. In certain exercises dominating the foot I regularly lose my way, because I am heavily concentrating on my arms or my turn out instead of trying to focus on all three aspects. My feet, arms and turn out. I know that I have improved with the use of the foot since beginning of this course. As a few teachers have commented on how I use the foot to it full facility and not cut any corners when it comes to the simple things such as its pointe. However, despite have a strong pointe and the ability to stretch my foot from the heel to its ball then then to the toes. When giving a foot exercise that includes using our arms or bringing in a tilt or perhaps a high release I begin to lose my way and over complicate things. To work on this I need to begin to release the tension in my neck and shoulders to allow the arm positions to feel natural and flow easily. When my arms are in second, especially in this class I know they have to be strong yet soft. I know that appears as a huge contradiction but to soften in the elbows the forearm and hands need to be solid. Hopefully allowing me to release any tension will thus let the foot work feel less forced and more controlled.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/martha_graham.html#ixzz1dOHjysUE (accessed on 29.11.2011)
I fully agree with that quote, especially when I myself am dancing. Sometimes your technique might not be fantastic, yet if you have the passion for dance you really try to exceed in yourself to stride in improving. This is also something I could recognise when I observed the mornings class. In my own technique my weaknesses lie primarily in my footwork, especially when discussing Cunningham and Graham work. In certain exercises dominating the foot I regularly lose my way, because I am heavily concentrating on my arms or my turn out instead of trying to focus on all three aspects. My feet, arms and turn out. I know that I have improved with the use of the foot since beginning of this course. As a few teachers have commented on how I use the foot to it full facility and not cut any corners when it comes to the simple things such as its pointe. However, despite have a strong pointe and the ability to stretch my foot from the heel to its ball then then to the toes. When giving a foot exercise that includes using our arms or bringing in a tilt or perhaps a high release I begin to lose my way and over complicate things. To work on this I need to begin to release the tension in my neck and shoulders to allow the arm positions to feel natural and flow easily. When my arms are in second, especially in this class I know they have to be strong yet soft. I know that appears as a huge contradiction but to soften in the elbows the forearm and hands need to be solid. Hopefully allowing me to release any tension will thus let the foot work feel less forced and more controlled.
This is also recognisable in an exercise on the floor in which your feet change from flexed to pointe several times with an inclusion of contractions and arm work. When I usual flex my foot I feel a tight pressure under my Achilles due to the fact I have weak ankles. Therefore when changing position several times I have a habit of not giving 100% to avoid the pain. However if I really applied myself I know that the exercise would probably appear to show vast improvements. Again arm work becomes a flaw of mine, as I contract; the arms change from a solid position to a softer hold. However the feet are also working in collaboration with the contraction and the changing of the arms, which allows me to become confused and forget about my feet.
Graham’s floor work is a challenge, and Rebekah has advised us if we ever got the chance to take part in a professional Graham class to recognise a difference in speed and quality of movement. I do generally enjoy Rebekah’s class and it was a shame that I had to miss out this week, but the next week I will be able to focus on my weaknesses and learn to control them so they start to gradually improve. I feel like this class is one of my classes that will show my improvements as it is a new technique to me, like ballet I struggle with aspects of different ways of moving to what I am used to. However this is the challenge of third year and I am looking forward to feeling the effects.
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