Right now, I am in St. Louis Missouri taking my Foundation course in the GYROKINESIS® method from the master trainer Kathy Van Patten who continues to work closely with Juliu himself. After this course I will be certified to teach as an apprentice in order to gain enough hours of teaching experience to become a Certified GYROKINESIS® Instructor. Not only am I understanding my own body and its weak and overzealous places, but I am able to work hands on with other people and their bodies to better problem solve for each individual. The Gyrokinesis method oddly provides a sense of presence and calm as well as a sense of energy and awakening. The small muscles close to the bones strengthen, the large muscles relax and lengthen, and the body slowly becomes balanced and full. I have never felt my deep, lower abdominals as I do in my Gyrokinesis classes, especially considering how short the "abdominal series" is! Can't wait to start instructing so I can dive deeper into my own body and knowledge by teaching the form to other people.
I went to Seattle to visit my friends and to audition for WhimW'Him, a leader in Seattle's contemporary dance scene. It was wonderful to finally get into a studio with Olivier Wevers and experience his movement within the environment he creates. I've admired from afar, through other people and the screen in front of me, but being in the studio with someone is different. I didn't get the job, but going to Seattle wasn't just to audition for the company, it was to understand Seattle, its atmosphere, its community and its dance. I will move out there someday, probably fairly soon. And I'm excited for that day. So apprehensive, and yet so hungry and exhilarated by the thought of something new and scary.
Yesterday I was blessed with the opportunity to speak with, take class from, and be taught by Matthew Rushing, rehearsal director and senior soloist with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater prior to seeing their performance at the newly renovated Northrup Auditorium in Minneapolis. In regards to pre-existing works and how a dancer inserts themselves into a work that existed before they did, and took place in a time that they know very little about, Matthew spoke of stripping. I had some problems with this initially, and still do perhaps, but I have never gone into a work with such history like he has. Maybe I never will. However, to have that little nugget in my back pocket, that one must completely strip themselves of all their notions, their person, their background, their abilities, in order to embrace the notions, person, background and abilities of the body that originally developed the work, is a true gift. Just thinking about a person having to do that is humbling let alone actually doing it. The dancer must realize, this work is not about them or for them, they are just representing it. They are doing it for the sake of the work and its history. How then, can they allow themselves to be fully engulfed by the work while still shining enough from the inside, that no one can quite tell if it is the work shining or if it is the person representing the work shining? That blurred line is quite lovely. Will I ever want to do that myself?
I have been back in the states for over a month now. I am taking dance technique classes, dance academic classes along with other liberal arts classes for my last semester at the University of Minnesota. A pilot course launched this semester at TU Dance Center working closely with Toni Pierce-Sands as well as TU Dance company members in learning company repertoire. Another course giving me insight to the world of dance as an entirety is Theorizing Dancing Bodies. This is a course taught by renowned artist and scholar Ananya Chatterjea. Amidst all these robust opportunities, I am surprised to say how extremely difficult it has been coming back to the United States in regards to dance. Experiencing such different worlds invokes pause to understand what exactly I value in a dance company, and actually, in dance as a whole.
I had the amazing opportunity to take class from Ohad Naharin alongside the Batsheva company members at Suzanne Dellal in Tel Aviv, Israel, aka the birthing place and continual research of the Gaga movement language.
An experience with such surreality and reality all bundled in one is such a blessing to have in my back pocket. It reminded me of humanity, the effects of self deprivation, and how to find courage within my inspiration. I can hardly find words to describe this day. 03/15/16 I've been thinking a lot about this day lately. I was never one much for shining god-like light on a person too much. But seeing Ohad in a room just like he does every other day is still a shock. He seemed so comfortable as he spoke to us in class and afterwards. There wasn't a God-complex but rather a security, demand, and comfortability. While we were students, he expected things from us. Having us in his class was not a chore. Having us in their studio, with them in their space, did not put them off. The dancers mixed among us, encouraging us in very passive subtle ways. My favorite was the atmosphere. He spoke of this later, his large collection of music and how he picks music solely on what kind of atmosphere it produces. One of his most used playlists has mostly Lady Gaga music for his daughter. And the atmosphere you create for yourself in the class. Baby is home. That is where we have all come from. Baby hands, feet, limbs, joints. Let us return to that body, that curiosity, that hunger, and that mind. Let us go there, now, together. I am currently in Jeruslaem, Israel taking a semester abroad at Hebrew University and Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. So far, I have worked with Vertigo Dance company and performed an informal rendition of Mana, I have worked with various Batsheva alumni to informal present section of various Batsheva repertoire such as Three, Mamootot, Black Milk, First Line, and Ingoor, and have just began working with Amir Kolben to reimagine a repertory piece from his company Kolben Dance Company. I am only about to start my fourth week at the Academy, but so far, it has been an incredible experience! I have begun diving deeper into my knowledge of Release technique, am taking ballet class from 3 very different but amazing ballet instructors from Israel and Europe, and to gain more skills in composition with Melanie Berson, a well-known choreographer and critic in Israel. In other words, this experience already has been worth every penny and I am only half way done. For more week-to-week blog updates about my Israeli experience visit my Israel blog!
|
AuthorDance professional and instructor always hungry for new experiences and inspirations. GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® are registered trademarks of Gyrotonic Sales Corp and are used with their permission.
|