Improvised Not Memorized

Weekly Dance Journal

[chamaland]

Dancing with self echo (Gaga tool)

[ballerinaproject]

Emily - Prospect Park, Brooklyn

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[improvisednotmemorized-blog]

Week #7 Journal (Monday)

Monday’s class was a little tough for me. My back hurt through class, in rest and in movement. I ended up having to sit down for the end of class. I hate doing that, feeling held back by my body when I really want to dance. The walking phrase we learned looked really interesting and I wished I could have been doing it with everyone. 

Luckily my back feels better after going to the Shape Clinic...but I’m sick now. I was sick before but it finally caught up with me and got worse. I said this at the beginning of the school year, I need to get better at self-care. I push myself pretty hard and that’s not always good. I need to rest, eat well, sleep more, and listen to my body. 

-Rachel

[improvisednotmemorized-blog]

The Tallest Man On Earth - This Wind

I don't own any of this content. Artist: The Tallest Man On Earth/Kristian Matsson Song: This Wind Album: Shallow Grave Label: Gravitation

[improvisednotmemorized-blog]

Andrew Bird - "Armchairs" (HD)

From the album "Armchair Apocrypha", released 2007.

Improving through some feelings.

[soyunhuachafo]

[improvisednotmemorized-blog]

Week #6 Journal (Wednesday)

Today we had Nathan as a substitute teacher. The change in pace and content of the class was intense. Compared to the work we’ve been doing these past few weeks, Nathan’s class was a wake up call for my body. His classes are always very intense and energy demanding. It reminded me that I should be sleeping more, stretching more, going to the gym more...just generally maintaining my body more carefully. I realized today very clearly that my body is a tool for expression and if I want to be able to be clear with my expression I’ll have to condition my body more. It was a good wakeup call...much needed. 

Outside of class I’ve been thinking a lot about light. I had a conversation last night with a friend of mine with whom I was sharing my hobby of portrait photography. Most of my portraits are explorations of the effects of different usages of light on people and environments. He made the comment, “photographers are always obsessed with light.” I realized that to not only be true for me as a photographer but also as a dancer/choreographer. Since then I’ve been thinking more pointedly about my ideas surrounding site specific light use. I am fascinated by time specific natural light. Nearly every morning I take a photo of the way the light looks from my bedroom window. These pictures differ  slightly day to day because of the changing season, the weather, and the different times I wake up. These photos are going into a long term study of the way light looks when it enters our homes. I’m not completely clear on where it’ll go, but I’m feeling it’s connection to dance piece for video. 

-Rachel

[aestheticgoddess]

Ann Veronica Janssens, Spacial Temporal Experience with Fog

[thecreatorsproject]

1,000 Light Paintings Form One Beautiful Stop-Motion Animation

[improvisednotmemorized-blog]

This made me wonder what a stop motion dance piece for video would be like. 

[improvisednotmemorized-blog]

Week #6 Journal (Monday)

Today was a good dance day for me. I had a lot of movement thoughts out of class and in class. Class today was completely improv after our discussion of last weeks guest workshops. I loved spending so much time on the improv we did today. I felt it really helped bring my focus to a few particular things that I wouldn’t usually notice (my facial expressions, my breath, etc.), and that is always important...for learning obviously. 

Outside of class I had some interesting experiences and thoughts. While walking to my first class there were not as many people on court street as there are at the time I usually go to class. There were, I noticed, multiple pairs of students walking arm in arm, northward on the sidewalks. One of each pair was blind folded. This of course stuck out to me because of the unusual nature of the sighting, but there were so many more things about them that really caught my attention. None of them were really talking about the act of being blindfolded or talking about being cautious, they were just talking and walking like normal. They all were normally focused and calm. The ways in which they held on to each other were tender and interesting. The nonblindfolded partners walked normally, looking forward, and the blindfolded partners had a softer more tender look to them. I was struck so deeply by the pairs on the street that I called my friend, a fellow dancer, and asked him if he'd want to do some blind folded contact improv. We spoke briefly about the idea and came up with a few different ways to go about it and reasons for each. 

-both partners blindfolded : I want to explore how two people would move together without relying on their sense of sight to see where the other partner is moving. I think this could be an interesting way to gain a deeper awareness of bodies in the space as well as a stronger ability to react to things you can't see. 

-one blindfolded partner, one nonblindfolded parter : This exploration would be more about exchanges of trust between movers. I predict that the contrast in movement qualities would be one of the most obvious focal points of this exercises much like the differences in the walking and gestures of the pairs I saw on the street.  

Anyway! I’m happy I finally got this blog working. I’m excited to post more types of media (songs, drawings, etc.) soon. 

---Rachel

[chamaland]

movement like a river