Dear Students,
Please read the new post, Dance Improvisation, under “Resources”, in advance of our work in CRC this week (7) on our final Pilgrimage project. It describes a method we’ve been using in our movement workshops. Together with the “16 Ways to Manipulate a Phrase” handout, I hope it is useful. You might consider applying the “rewriting” technique to your own work. Identify your own movement terms, forward them in new ways, and don’t be afraid to counter or disagree with yourself…in a playful, authentic, and unconditionally positive way.
Please experiment on your own by “manipulating” your Presence-Shadow-Presence phrase using any of the 16 manipulations in the handout. Choose ones that seem right or appropriate, or, just randomly apply manipulations and note how they make you feel. Don’t be afraid to distort what you’ve already set. The basic FORM, or ‘gestalt’ of your phrase, some of it always hidden from us, will always be there and viable. In manipulating your phrase, you’re essentially having a conversation with yourself through the medium of your composition, hopefully finding more meaningful CONTENT.
In gestalt fashion, and in the context of power-freedom-belonging-fun, what does the ‘shadow’ want to say to the ‘presence’ shape? What does the presence shape have to say to the shadow shape? Does one say to the other, “Get bigger”? Does it say, “Hey, that’s important. Could you please repeat that again? And again…” Or does it say, “Get smaller”, or “Go back”, or, “Please say that with your heart, not your head”, or with your feet, not your hand [‘instrumentation’]…” Allow yourself to play with your creation. Don’t be afraid to change. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Allow yourself to riff or improv your journey…
~ RE