Hand/Face Study

So I'm just allowing the creative juices to flow. Maybe not exactly with any real, concrete purpose in mind, but more to just see what emerges. I use a lot of gesture and facial expressions in my work and decided to document some images. Images of particular gestures and facials expressions I tend to use and reuse a lot. With these, it's hand and face. I love playing with the reaction to just the contact, or touch of an object, and how it affects the experience for the performer, as well as the viewer. Enjoy!

#1 Contact

#2 Travel

#3 Grasp

#4 Hesitant

#5 Remember

#6 Surrender

Let the teaching begin....

I have finally started to teach everything I've learned and trained in Butoh. I have always had it in me to share these wonderful tools, exercises, and practices that can benefit ANYONE, regardless of dance experience.

My intention is to contribute my 10 years experience of training and performing in this movement practice, as well as making a safe and sacred space for others to experience and really be in their bodies. To connect and integrate all their experiences in their life in the present moment and create a container, so all that energy can move in a creative, playful way.

On Sunday, I practiced teaching some exercises to two individuals who had interest and a familiarity of butoh. Although, we only had an hour, which only touched the surface, it made a huge impact. They want more!

So let the teaching begin, but first, let the contribution and sharing of this amazing practice be dispersed out to the world, allowing integration of the mind, body, and soul....and all that it is made of.

Bare Bones Butoh Presents 23

BARE BONES BUTOH PRESENTS: SHOWCASE #23!

(Adventurous Shows for an Adventurous Audience)


WHEN:

Friday Nov 18, 2011, and Saturday, Nov 19, 2011
Both performances are at 8:00 pm



WHERE:
Studio 210
3435 Cesar Chavez St (at Valencia)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Studio 210 is located in the former Sears Building, inset from the corner of Cesar Chavez and Valencia Street. Accessible by: BART - 24th St Station; and MUNI - #12, #27, #14, #49. Plenty of on-street parking.


TICKETS:
Performances: $5-$20 sliding scale. No one turned away for lack of funds.
Additional donations are graciously accepted and gratefully appreciated.


WHO:
This time around, the performers are:

Ronnie Baker, Christina Braun (Saturday only), Darya Chernova (Saturday only), Ron Chornow, Michael Curran, Mark Deutsch (Saturday only), Coicoi Duncan, Liz Filippone (Saturday only), David Flaig (Friday only), Wolfgang Heinle, Luku (Friday only), Martha Matsuda (Saturday only), Ri Molnar (Friday only), Jeffrey Mooney (Saturday only), Angela Newsham, and Bob Webb.

Quite a line-up, wouldn't you say? Should be a couple of VERY GOOD SHOWS!

Surprise guest artists may also be performing as well. There are often last minute additions (local, national, and international artists) to the programing, it's that kind of show.


WHAT:
Bare Bones Butoh Presents is a performance Showcase for local, national, and International artists working in the areas of butoh, performance art, and/or ritual performance. It exists for artists to try out new material, show works in process, hone improvisational chops, and redo or revisit previous material. Bare Bones Butoh Showcases employ the grassroots ethic of working together to sustain an artistic culture. We are community building and performance all smushed together into two evenings.


Thank you for your time, and we hope to see you there.


Further info:
Bob Webb
bobwebb20@hotmail.com
510-284-7025

A-while

It's not only been awhile since I wrote on this blog (ok, only a month, but that's long for me), but it's been awhile (again for me) since I've danced. It's been awhile since I've been creative with movement. Yes, teaching a yoga class does require creativity, energy, and skill. But I miss the vastness and broadness of my butoh practice. I miss the fact that you don't really have to have a plan, and other times you can be more specific with your movement and inspiration.

I have been busy, but it's been a "good, productive" busy because I'm beginning to manifest and create what I want to do as a career and purpose in life.

Then I think of my dance practice and I feel this yearning. It's stronger at times. I trust that I will get back into it because it's what feeds my whole being and I find it therapeutic and a healing practice. I have aspirations to teach butoh exercises as a healing and self-care tool, and I'm working with a life coach on developing that. I also want to regroup with my fellow butoh clan and start generating ideas for projects, classes, workshops, or to just see them!!!!!

It's all about trust. I feel the fire getting ready to ignite. I'm gonna breathe, breathe, breathe.....

Dancing on a tree spine

I will one of these days be more proactive in providing pictures with some of these posts. Especially the tree I danced with this weekend....

I went to Tilden Regional Park north of UC Berkeley with my friend/mentor/teacher/collaborator for a short hike and a butoh practice/play. On our way back, we stopped at a tree that resembled a spine with the ribs jetting out the sides. We decided to pick this area for practice. Without any plan in mind, we began climbing the tree, which was at a slant, so if you fell you didn't have a long way to go down.

We laid on it; sat; leaned; walked from branch to branch; perched on a branch like crows taking a break; and, of course, danced. There's something calming, spiritual, and grounding when in nature, especially when you take the time to really BE in a spot.

Even though the bark on the tree trunk was dry and falling off, there were living pine needles at the edge of the some of branches, so we both knew it was still alive. Gazing up toward the sky, the other pines around us provided a blanket or net of protection. The wind traveled all around and through us and the tree, adding more of the natural atomsphere.

I wonder if that tree was dancing too. I hope we made it happy because I felt better afterward, even though I felt fine before.

Perhaps it's the connection with nature. With butoh practice, I find the exercises very primitive or related to nature. You learn to embody them as a whole, through a break down of body parts and senses. For example, I loved making my arm, hand and fingers mirror the tree branches. Then, I would allow the rest of my body to join in. Also, the sounds of nature. For instance, gawking like a crow or some other bird. Although, it may seem absurd at first (and we were laughing quite a bit at first), it's quite playful and animalistic.

Aaaahhh, nature! Give me some MORE of that!

I think we all could use a little more.

Do you dance in nature? If so, where?

My Relationship with Butoh

What is my relationship with Butoh?

I asked myself this question after attending, Between Experiment, Form and Culturalism: Butoh in History and Contemporary Practice at UCLA on May 20-22. I drove down with two other women, who also practice and dance Butoh. I received so much information, it was almost too much! But I got to see some amazing Butoh Dancers perform and connect with other like-minded Butoh enthusiasts.

So what is my relationship to Butoh? I don't know where to start, so let's ask another question, what is Butoh to me? Here's a list:

• mysterious
• transformation
• different from other dance forms such as ballet, modern, etc.
• cathartic
• emotional
• physical
• dark
• beautiful
• violent
• sensual
• moving meditation
• chaotic
• disorganized
• surreal
• healthy
  

This is only the short version of the list.

I love it because it's everything for me when I witness, perform and practice it. I can't stand it sometimes because I can never explain it in words to someone, who has never heard of it. I usually say, "Go on youtube and search 'butoh'." I guess that's why I keep doing it. It's a continuous, ongoing practice, which changes each time you experience it. Something new emerges and more becomes clear or confusing. There's no set form because everyone carries it differently.

For example, Maro Akaji, who was one of the panelists and workshop facilitators at the UCLA Butoh Symposium, explained how we have "molds" or histories within us. These "mold" come from our past, ancestors, traumas, etc. We bring these molds to our Butoh practice. This is why I find it so intriguing and rich.

Although, I could probably write an entire essay on my relationship with Butoh, I feel, right now, it's complicated. But open. I'm open and willing to see what it presents itself to me, and not pushed or pressured into finding its meaning. Only a sense of allowing and appreciation for its mystery and beauty at this time.

For those of you who have practiced, performed and/or witnessed Butoh, what's your relationship with it? What keeps you interested and/or coming back? Love? Hate? Meaning?

Moving in outdoor spaces 2

Over the weekend I got to experience moving on the beach in a variety of different ways and forms. I hope to add some photos and video from this day to this blog soon. Above is just one of the many images captured.

Playing with elements was so exhilarating! The wind, ocean, and sand inspired me immensely. Also, some man-made elements too: cement walls covered with graffiti.

On the beach, surrounded by sand, water, concrete, mountains, people, and animals, I danced for my Nana. It's the 1 year anniversary of her passing, so I felt the need to acknowledge and honor that. As the wind pushed and penetrated me, I embodied my Nana's qualities as I remembered. I allowed my body to move with those memories and experiences of her as a person, woman, and spirit. I really love the concept of embodiment with movement, especially with butoh. What are some ways one unites the mind and body in the performance arts? I would love to read more about this. Those who are reading this, if you have any recommendations, do share!

After my dance "For Nana", my dance partner and I began to embody the dogs in the area. I'm not sure where to begin in describing this, so I'll just go for it. We began mirroring a dog nearby, that was hysterically digging into the sand and jumping around, probably to get his owners' attention (they were laying on a blanket). So we began digging in the sand like wild animals. The energy and work involved in this was so much, my dance partner said, "it's tiring to be a dog." Then we began playing "stick." Literally, throwing the stick out to a point and the other going after it; however, in our case, we were leaping for it. There was a lot of belly laughing in between leaps during this time, which went on for 15 minutes. When do you decide and say to your friend/companion, "Let's play stick." What a concept. In fact, what a great time! Everyone should do this.

Our final spot, was the concrete wall of graffiti, which had a steep hill of sand directly in front it, creating a dip formation. We played with this construction by jumping and hopping from sand to wall. The wall had a slight curve to it, so you felt like a skateboarder, only without the skateboard. Running, jumping, hopping, turning, pausing, and embodying. Embodying the energy from the concrete and graffiti. One could inquire what the purpose was for a particular piece of the graffiti; when it was created there; etc. I love how the sand intersected with it, bringing this natural element into the play.

Moving in the outdoors gives so much possibility and inspiration, I want more......

Just physical

This is my intention I want to create this Saturday for my movement practice. I want my movement to just be physical, and then see where it transforms. Tracking my thoughts and imagination will be very interesting.

I tend to put meaning into my movement all the time. In other words, there's some chatter that says, "your movement HAS to have meaning" and "if it doesn't have meaning, it's boring." I just blogged about this in detail on my other blog HERE if you're interested.

Although my intuition and heart says that isn't true, it's just my ego again looking to sabotage. You're so clever, ego!

Anyway, I'm interested in the movement itself and how my body/mind/spirit reacts to it. I do want to teach movement more, but at this point, I just want to move. Experience the physical. Watch, observe, and witness the body as this movable, expressive vehicle, and not get stuck in the head about what it means! Sometimes ya need a break from that.

Why do we tend to put meaning into everything, especially movement? Can we just appreciate it for what it presents?

Unleashing energy

My butoh/movement practice was truly engaging this past weekend. A lot of great exercises that warmed up and released some energy that was stored up in my body. Although, I had an energy session prior to practice, it was no accident I did some of these exercises.

One of them was about resistance. You pick a point across the room, and another person creates resistance with your body as you try to walk towards it. My partner grasped my ankles, while I moved toward the point using my core. I felt a struggle and my edge. I allowed myself to safely fall forward when I lost balance, but I kept pressing on. All of a sudden, guttural sound escaped me and I was grunting, yelling, roaring and screaming. It was like a fire was set within and I was unleashing it in any possible way I could. Afterward, my whole abdomen (power center) was humming. There was so much energy going through me I felt dizzy and almost nauseous. I got some air, sat down, and drank some water. As I took some deep breaths, I released some more emotion and I felt this very calm, sense of relief. I have been doing a lot of work on re-tuning my sense of power, will and intuition (also chakra 3). It's wonderful to be able to feel and acknowledge it!

The rest of the exercises were grounding and less intense ;-) I realized that I put a lot of meaning into the movement I do, and sometimes, it's okay to be "just physical" with movement. One of the exercises was playing with gravity; allowing yourself to fall and roll on the floor. Very playful! The other one was moving along your axis. You stand in a spot in a space and close your eyes, visualizing your body's axis. With a soft gaze, you move in a circle along your axis, while taking in the world around you. A big difference than looking out, but rather receiving what comes into your field of vision. There are more things you can add to it, which can make it engaging in different ways. One can make contact with another or not. It depends on the intention of the exercise.

What does energy mean to you? How do you unleash your energy when you feel you can't contain it anymore? What are some ways you contain it? i.e. stimulate acupressure points, sing, chant, dance, etc.

I feel we all have a fire within us.

Teaching movement

I had the opportunity to guide a movement exercise over the weekend. It was nice to be the guide/teacher/witness for a change. I'm always the one following and moving from what someone else is saying. I really got to hone in on my teaching chops and this inspired me more and MORE! Although being a yoga teacher helped, I know my strengths are voice projection, being present, and holding the space and group involved. I got feedback from my group of movers, but I want more constructive feedback. What worked and didn't work.

I'm totally down with going for it. Ya have to start somewhere, right? There are going to be things that don't work, but how do you know, unless you try?

For all movement teachers, what obstacles did you run into in the beginning? What are your strengths as a teacher? What works well? Did you ever have a bad experience?

I would really LOVE to hear your experiences. If you want to respond privately, feel free to email me, lizsfilippone@gmail.com. Thank you for sharing!

Intentions for movement practice

• Continue meetings every 2 weeks with group
• Free-write once a week about ideas, inspirations, thoughts, emotions, etc.
  
• Obtain small notebook to carry around with me everywhere to jot down ideas and inspirations
• Practice butoh/movement exercise once a week for 15 minutes
• Complete group intention questions by the end of April

I think these are doable for me at this point. I tend to overload my schedule; however I've been doing a brilliant job of keeping it quite open for myself. As movement and creating performance work is important to my well-being, creating and writing down intentions is very grounding. It brings you home and reminds you of your purpose. For instance, why you do what you do; what do you love about it; how it feeds you mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Do you have a movement practice? If so, why do you do it? What are your intentions for that practice? How does movement feed your whole being?

Outdoor inspirations

It's been a few weeks since I've written in this blog, and I honestly have felt a little guilty about it.

A week and a half ago, I had the opportunity to dance outside within the UC Berkeley campus. It was raining very lightly, and it was chilly. We found an area that was covered by beautiful, tall redwood trees to protect us a little from the rain; there were many bushes, and a loud, gushing stream nearby.

My dance partner and I began an exercise called seaweed and current, an exercise I've done in many butoh and movement workshops. One person is the seaweed; representing and posing as a piece of seaweed attached to the ocean floor and then eventually detached. The other person is the current; acting as the movement of the water, affecting the seaweed body and also holding space for the seaweed. For both participants, it's important to breathe and be as fluid in the body as possible.

Eventually, we both broke away into improvisation; playing with the elements all around us: earth, wind, rain, the sounds of the water and people that would pass by. We also would connect at times, playing with each others' energy and mirroring one another. At first, it took me some time to focus and ground myself to begin to embody everything. I think it was a little overwhelming. After about 15-20 minutes, we became apart of that space. Time escaped us.

For the last 10 or 15 minutes, a church bell sounded off. It wasn't your average church bell. It was a harpsichord instrument. I began to embody this music, transforming into a Lady of the Victorian age. I imagined myself (and other women) dressed in bodices, huge, puffy hoop skirts; and then those wigs of the wealthy. The music was quite playful and, afterward, I told myself I must find some music like this! I was inspired to do a period piece, which I've never imagined doing. I felt playful, sensual, powerful, and oppressed all at the same time.

What elements of the outdoors inspire you? It doesn't have to be from dancing. If could be from an area you were walking, running, picnicking, driving, hiking, etc. What emotions arise from those inspirations, and do you express them? How do you express those emotions?

Moving in outdoor spaces

I had the wonderful opportunity to move in the outdoors this weekend. I don't mean just walk or run somewhere in the park or city. I got to experiment with some butoh exercises with another mover as well. We checked out areas in the embarcadero and financial district. What I found so cool about this area of San Francisco (which I hardly visit) is that's it's practically empty on the weekend. Like most financial districts in cities, every business closes for the weekend, including Starbucks.

The area (pictured above) we practiced was a wide, open concrete space in front of a huge high-rise building. There were various potted plants, flowers, huge wide steps for sitting at different levels, tables and chairs and glass windows. We each took turns blindfolded, moving within the space. First the blindfolded is guided by a partner throughout the space. This allows the other senses to kick in. It's amazing how we go throughout our days and lives relying on sight the majority of the time. In this exercise, our other senses--smell, sound, touch, taste--are awakened and enlivened.

When I was blindfolded, my sense of trust kicked in as well! Although, I knew my guide wouldn't allow anything or anyone to harm me, I had to trust myself. I reminded myself to soften, in my mind and body. When I would feel the wind blow, I felt it in a way I've never felt before, like a prisoner, who had not been outside for year and had not felt the wind that whole time. The feel of the concrete planters and the smell of the flowers and plants within them. The whole experience was so primitive.

Then my guide let me go to move within the space, but also making sure I don't run into anything and hurt myself. What was so unnerving about this experience was letting go of my guide as well as a concrete object I was holding onto. Emerging into the open space was liberating, fun, scary, and exciting. Then the blindfold was removed by my guide and I moved and danced a little longer. I felt more exposed and seen without the blindfold. Not the way one feels in front of an audience, but more exposed by the world and my surroundings. By the flowers, plants, the tree, the concrete, the concrete planters, the high-rise buildings, the wind, the sky, and the other elements that were present, and that I had connected with.

What a wonderful way to exercise your senses and challenge yourself. Why don't we do this more often? This exercise is very playful and awakening. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone did this exercise? Wouldn't it be nice to have a group of people witness this exercise?

Object placement

Objects in performance really bring a richness to the work. I had the opportunity to play with an exercise I did quite a few times in many of my past movement and theater practices. One of them is object placement, or placing objects/items in a "certain way." The objects used were personal, non-personal, food, liquid, even bodily fluids such as saliva. The motivation and idea comes from a crime scene; what happened there; who was there; or did it just happen and when. The way it works is one person takes any amount of objects/items and places them in a specific space without thinking about it as best as one can. Then everyone else looks at the scene, taking time to take it all in, and look from different angles and levels. Then another person arranges the objects/items in a certain way, either adding or taking away objects. My partner and I did this for 15 minutes. The first two photos above are examples of what we created.

Next, we, individually took 10-15 minutes, found a space to set up our own scene with any amount of objects/items. Then we viewed each others' scene. The second two photos are our individual scenes.

The 3rd photo can depict a scene from an accident, car or bicycle; where someone's stuff was just scattered after being hit. You may not be able to see it, but there was saliva and crushed/bitten pieces of food. The paper was from CPR/First Aid training exam, where the phrase, "attempted to give breaths" was circled. Although, it seemed like it could be an accident scene, the pen impaled through the paper, gave it another perspective or feeling. So anyone can ask, "What happened here?" "Why/How was the pen impaled, instead of just lying down?" "Who was this person and where were they going?"

The 4th photo can depict a memorial or burial for someone. What gave me this idea was the text, "In Silence and Visiting." There was also objects in front of the buried book that looked like an offering: a lipstick and then flowers and a watch encased in pebbles. Also the altoids laying next to text about bad breath, which I thought was clever; then the binoculars, for me, gave a sense of being seen or watched. I felt some sadness while being with this scene. A sense of longing to know more about this person, who has passed on. "Who were they?" "Did these objects represent this person's character?" "Were they loved and/or hated?" And with the watch encased in pebbles, "Was time frozen?"

Also, you have to think about the archetypal images as well for the one who created the scenes. Was this scene made for them or someone else? Did they have intentions before creating the scene or not? It really delves into the unconscious.

Overall, I think this exercise can do many things for creating and developing work. It can also be therapeutic. The binoculars spoke to me a lot. It was kinda creepy the way the binoculars would show up in the scenes. For instance, it's as if you're always being watched; or it's as if they say, "always remember this or whatever happened here." The environment and atomsphere also played a huge role in this exercise and made it better in a lot of ways. There are other objects/items/greenery/concrete around the space to get inspiration, along with sounds and smells.

This embodied memory in objects is quite interesting. I feel lots of objects have embodied memory, for example, the person who made or designed the object; the sentimental value that came from the object if it was a gift or handed down; and if it was old, what was going in your life when you obtained the object/item? Objects can have memory just like people and animals. We can also put our own memories and stuff into the object without even knowing it.

I'm sure I'll be visiting this exercise again.

Movement and emotions

I was thinking about how movement really helps move energy, especially emotions. If you break down the word emotion, you would get e-motion. In other words, energy-in-motion. I think I heard about that in my holistic health coaching program. When I was doing a lot of solo performance work, most of my ideas and concepts came from personal experiences and struggles within my life, present and past. I would put myself back into positions when I was feeling scared, angry or sad, which, in somatic psychology, is a way one heals from past trauma. There was a particular piece I did, where it was so intense, I cried a lot during my rehearsals. I even cried after performing it at a venue! I allowed myself to feel what was happening without any judgment. During the performance, at times, I would feel the currents and tingly feelings move throughout my body.

After showing this work, I got a lot of wonderful feedback from people. They connected to my piece on a personal level. At one of my showings, someone told me they cried while watching my piece. But there was no need to explain why. I didn't feel a need to explain why. It was movement, energy and emotion. Moving with and from the emotion is what I learned from Mexican, ritual butoh teacher/performer, Diego Pinon. I love his mission statement because it really resonates with me and my solo work experience:

“As human beings used the energy of nature to survive, they created the first primitive forms of movement. In the Butoh dance we relive the sense of these primitive forms as a way to rescue all the lost parts of the human being. Butoh questions our habitual actions, expectations, and judgments.

Butoh challenges us to awaken and explore all human qualities ranging from the subtle to the outrageous, both beautiful and ugly. Butoh seeks the emergence of the deeper self, to touch if only for a moment, the inexplicable matter of the human soul.

Through this process of transforming our daily life by transforming our dance, we can offer more creative energy to our community. “

It's amazing what we can access through movement. Do we really honor and feel the emotions that come up through dance in general? As a performer or observer, what awakens within us? What makes us come back for more? What scares us? Excites us?

There's so much to explore with this.

Why I do this

Someone asked me yesterday about my butoh and movement practice. What does it really do for me? I immediately answered "it makes me feel human." It's an opportunity to express the human condition, emotions, and existence. I feel when all people watch performance--music, dance, theater, etc.-they can relate to it in some way. Music is emotional, just as movement and dance. The reason I love butoh so much is that it can go deeper on so many levels. There's expression and transformation happening simultaneously. There are breakthroughs within the work consciously and unconsciously/subconsciously.

I do this because I feel amazing after I do it. I feel connected to myself and those around me, who are either witnessing or dancing with me. I feel connected to those loved ones in my life, who are not on this earth anymore. I connect with the child I once was. I do this because I feel raw, human being.

Katsura Kan workshop Day #2-4

I definitely was transported into another dimension this weekend because I didn't even turn the computer on once all weekend! That's how wonderful this workshop was.

Day 2:

We did more walking, but graduated into a 20 second step. Kan had us close our eyes at one point. I was amazed how shaky my balance was, BUT I walked in a straight line the whole time. When I got to observe my partner during her turn, she walked straight up until a point then she became pigeon-toed and began turning to the right. I feel Kan wanted us to test our other senses, as we always rely on sight. It's a way to sense and feel your surroundings in a different, deeper way. We also did some group movement work, moving in figure 8's across the room. That was such a Brain Challenge, at first, it gave me a headache. I really didn't want to do any thinking in this workshop, but I realized that it's how Kan works, and he likes to challenge you.

Day 3:

This day (and day 4) was a longer day (5 hours). This was all about developing and learning choreography. Kan taught us a 16 count score of movement, and then we got to do it with a partner. Then we moved into two large groups, where each person would take turns being the leader and go through the choreography. It got more fun when he asked each of us to play with the tempo and put pauses within the choreography. Finally, each of us got to start and end with the original choreographed move, but in between we got to improvise anything we wanted. This really got our brains working to not only remember the score of movements, but to pay attention to each other and mirror each other's different movements. Even though we were doing the same thing, the quality was different. These exercises continued into Day 4.

Day 4:

We did a different score of movements this round. Then our partners watched us do the movement, then Kan would stop us at a different moment throughout the choreography. The "observing" partner would kind of fix our position such as turning the foot out more, looking up versus down, etc. Then partners would switch. The exercise I really loved was the "soft movement." Everything about your movement and expression had to have a soft quality. It was amazing to watch each group of 3-4 show their scores of soft movement. Our group ended up showing this in the student performance later that evening. We got great feedback from Kan and other students. Our group really sustained the quality of movement throughout the 5 or 8 minutes.

What was so amazing about this workshop overall was the feedback. How are you suppose to grow in your own work without feedback? How does anything develop? After I thanked Kan for the amazing workshop, he explained that it takes time, but the more you work with people, that's when things will develop. It was so refreshing to hear that, as well as have the experience I did. It all came together for me. As a soloist, it's hard to grow at times because you're the critic. This can be so isolating and monotonous at times. Although, in my own solo, I've always invited people to view my work in a rehearsal because I found myself wondering does this or that work? Am I doing the same thing over and over? Does the movement convey my ideas and concepts? But I reached a point where I was starving for a group dynamic.

I'm looking forward to exploring more in choreography and group-ensemble work. How everyone can be doing something different, but with the same quality. I discovered in this workshop that IT IS possible.

Katsura Kan workshop Day #1

I'm attending a workshop with noted butoh master and teacher, Katsura Kan. The first day was last night. It was so wonderful to be practicing movement again in a class setting and with other people with such a wide range background in movement, dance and theater.

After warming up, we jumped into a walking exercise, or a.k.a. "slow butoh walk." We worked with a partner, where we just observed their everyday walking-down-the-street walk; then transitioned that into each step being 5 seconds long, until we finished a step being up to 10 seconds long. Very difficult, but also a great way to increase your overall awareness. After the first round, I found myself getting into this meditative, almost trancy, state. Also, when I watched my partner, I was fascinated by the placement of her arms and legs with each step. The way the breath would almost stop at moments, and her trying to remember to breathe.

We ended the workshop by lining up across the room and then our partners sat further down to watch us. We began the slow, 10 second-step walk toward our partners, with the gaze always forward. Then when Kan would end our walks, we had the opportunity to hear feedback from everyone. I love this process because people pick up on different things, and notice things about the way you hold yourself you never would pick up on. Next, I got to observe my partner and the rest of the class do "the walk." My partner had this softness, fluidity and consistency. I also noticed that every time her foot would make contact with floor, this ripple or wave would travel all the way up her body and out the top of her head. As people got closer, I noticed all sorts of things going for people such as faces, tension in the body, inner and outer processes, and different ways of holding the body in the movement.

The questions and insights that Kan brought up were what is neutral? When you're performing or in front of people doing your thing, are you acting or being neutral? Do we hide our true character? I'm glad he brought this up because our "walks" changed as we got closer to our partners. Is there a type of neutral character? Is that what "natural" is?

Aaahhh, such wonderful insights! Such great research! I'm looking forward to Day #2.......

Another blog for another passion

I realized that I don't have a blog dedicated to movement arts. I always include it in my other blog, and most of my passions integrate, connect and blend to a certain degree. But I know if I have a separate blog for my movement practice, it will inspire more ideas for teaching and performance.

Movement is energy. An ebb and flow of a collage through many genres and forms of dance. I'm always interested or trying new forms of movement. My background is in modern dance, but throughout the years, dance has fused and branched out.

So I welcome you to read and comment on upcoming posts.