I forgot:
Boris made a nice suggestion on how to continue the 'rotating leadership'. He mentioned that he would really love to concentrate on one thing, a specific viewpoint, for example 'time', and keep working on that, to dive deeper into it, grow a greater insight. So I thought why not keep the 'rotating leadership' going but giving the restriction, or let's say task to focus one's session on that theme, for a while. For example March is the month of 'time', April of 'architecture'. Like that we all could share our own vision and experience of that specific theme. Cool?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Music
Again it was a busy week for me. I would love to write the summaries of the practice right after, but never get to it...untill now.
Last week Agos and Ana joined the crowd, fresh and sunloved from Argentina, what a contrast to Boris, Barbie and me, all white and quiet.
We started with warming up our feet, flesh and bone, articulations as well as sensorially using each others' backs as an alternative to the surface of the floor.
I introduced the viewpoints work to Ana and Agos, who haven't been there in the previous sessions, using again simple exercises to bring the group together, waking up awareness of the energy that we all create together in the space. This time I put more focus on architecture and topography. How does the concrete space (solid mass, texture, colours, lightening) and the objects in it inform our movement? Enjoying building relationships with the floor, pilars ect.. It's nice to fall in love with a brick wall for a while (that's my story). Then we moved on to focus on time, doing the same exercise I have done previously with Boris on linear time. It was great to do the same thing in trios, having the possiblity to not only focus on your actions related to time but also to the others, sharing space and time. And as we were four, one person got to watch. Being more people can really be a treat.
After lunch we warmed up working with a limited movement vocabulary on the grid to juggle with more viewpoints, like duration, repetition, tempo, kinesthetic awareness... to add music to the impros a little later. Music is really an exciting ingredient, it can be overriding, dictating but also like another dancer. Music as someone else's interpretation of time.
The last hour and a half we made pieces, mostly trios, with a spectator adding music to the composition. Music proved to be a very strong frame that embraces all of the actions that are happening, providing a context and therefor meaning. We thought it would be really great to achieve that without this frame.
Really nice work. Looking forward for more. I'm happy the group is taking the dive with me.
Last week Agos and Ana joined the crowd, fresh and sunloved from Argentina, what a contrast to Boris, Barbie and me, all white and quiet.
We started with warming up our feet, flesh and bone, articulations as well as sensorially using each others' backs as an alternative to the surface of the floor.
I introduced the viewpoints work to Ana and Agos, who haven't been there in the previous sessions, using again simple exercises to bring the group together, waking up awareness of the energy that we all create together in the space. This time I put more focus on architecture and topography. How does the concrete space (solid mass, texture, colours, lightening) and the objects in it inform our movement? Enjoying building relationships with the floor, pilars ect.. It's nice to fall in love with a brick wall for a while (that's my story). Then we moved on to focus on time, doing the same exercise I have done previously with Boris on linear time. It was great to do the same thing in trios, having the possiblity to not only focus on your actions related to time but also to the others, sharing space and time. And as we were four, one person got to watch. Being more people can really be a treat.
After lunch we warmed up working with a limited movement vocabulary on the grid to juggle with more viewpoints, like duration, repetition, tempo, kinesthetic awareness... to add music to the impros a little later. Music is really an exciting ingredient, it can be overriding, dictating but also like another dancer. Music as someone else's interpretation of time.
The last hour and a half we made pieces, mostly trios, with a spectator adding music to the composition. Music proved to be a very strong frame that embraces all of the actions that are happening, providing a context and therefor meaning. We thought it would be really great to achieve that without this frame.
Really nice work. Looking forward for more. I'm happy the group is taking the dive with me.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Last week
I didn't get to it sooner...Here's a little review of what we did last week at the Raffinerie:
The morning again it was just me and Barbara. We dove into the very sensorial organ, the skin. Through skin we travelled to fascia. Initiating movement from there is unpredictable because it makes you change directions in surprising ways. Great for catching yourself in your habits. I tried to introduce shape and gesture from bones, but as we were in a different mind it had to wait till after lunch break. Later on in the day Barbara felt that the work with tissues resurfaced unexpetedly, informing her dance. I like when that happens.
In the afternoon Boris joined us. Being three, which is already a group, I came back to the viewpoints work. We tried a few exercises being in the same energy, creating the energy in the room on which to float or surf or play with. It was simply walking together, increasing the speed from stillness to running (max speed) and then decreasing it to stillness again. In this the task was (as actually always is) to live in the triangle of Concentration (here on the task), Attentiveness/Listening (to each other) and Individual Freedom (I stole that insight from Peter Brook).
From there we went into working on shapes, or rather shifiting awareness to it, as you are always in shape (ha!), curves and lines, baby, it's all about curves and lines. And then came gesture and with it meaning. Can be scary at times to be dragged into a situation that the gesture evokes, or emotionality. Live and let die.
The last hour or so, we just created pieces, solos, duos, one trio. It's really fun to let go of the tasks and see how the previous work informs the creations. Out for more tomorrow. Maybe with some music.
The morning again it was just me and Barbara. We dove into the very sensorial organ, the skin. Through skin we travelled to fascia. Initiating movement from there is unpredictable because it makes you change directions in surprising ways. Great for catching yourself in your habits. I tried to introduce shape and gesture from bones, but as we were in a different mind it had to wait till after lunch break. Later on in the day Barbara felt that the work with tissues resurfaced unexpetedly, informing her dance. I like when that happens.
In the afternoon Boris joined us. Being three, which is already a group, I came back to the viewpoints work. We tried a few exercises being in the same energy, creating the energy in the room on which to float or surf or play with. It was simply walking together, increasing the speed from stillness to running (max speed) and then decreasing it to stillness again. In this the task was (as actually always is) to live in the triangle of Concentration (here on the task), Attentiveness/Listening (to each other) and Individual Freedom (I stole that insight from Peter Brook).
From there we went into working on shapes, or rather shifiting awareness to it, as you are always in shape (ha!), curves and lines, baby, it's all about curves and lines. And then came gesture and with it meaning. Can be scary at times to be dragged into a situation that the gesture evokes, or emotionality. Live and let die.
The last hour or so, we just created pieces, solos, duos, one trio. It's really fun to let go of the tasks and see how the previous work informs the creations. Out for more tomorrow. Maybe with some music.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
today's practice
'the development of an artist is related to his/her ability to percieve differences' -Anne Bogard
Today I introduced Viewpoints to the the group which consisted of Barbara and me in the morning, Boris joining us later and Yoann popping by to tell us the good news he'll be free to work from next week on.
I was a bit worried that the viewpoints work could be too simple, but I was reminded today that its thrill lies in the simplicity. And so we dived into the viewpoints of space: tempo, duration, repetition (which includes memory and copying) and kinesthetic response, working very simply with walking on an imagined grid.
I love the work as it trains awareness, listening, and group mind. Even if the group was so small it worked well.
In the afternoon it was just Boris and me. We made the big discovery of time. We were time for each other in space. Linear time worked much better than circular or 'eternal' time (as in a figure eight). Something opened and the space became very clear and sharp, there was time for every movement and freedom to do whatever.
We finished with performing solos for each other.
Fun work today. Looking forward for more!
Today I introduced Viewpoints to the the group which consisted of Barbara and me in the morning, Boris joining us later and Yoann popping by to tell us the good news he'll be free to work from next week on.
I was a bit worried that the viewpoints work could be too simple, but I was reminded today that its thrill lies in the simplicity. And so we dived into the viewpoints of space: tempo, duration, repetition (which includes memory and copying) and kinesthetic response, working very simply with walking on an imagined grid.
I love the work as it trains awareness, listening, and group mind. Even if the group was so small it worked well.
In the afternoon it was just Boris and me. We made the big discovery of time. We were time for each other in space. Linear time worked much better than circular or 'eternal' time (as in a figure eight). Something opened and the space became very clear and sharp, there was time for every movement and freedom to do whatever.
We finished with performing solos for each other.
Fun work today. Looking forward for more!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Solo Conversations Open Doors
Solo Conversations Open Doors Dec 08
Wednesday 17/12/2008 15:00 -17:00
La Raffinerie-Salle des Machines (2nd floor)
Rue de Manchester 21
1080 Bruxelles
An opportunity to experience our working process as a collective. Feel free to come and watch for as long as you like between 15:00 and 17:00.
Solo Conversations is a performance project around the practice of improvisation. In its essence it is a place and a time dedicated to the exploration of time, space, emotions, the sharing of a particular universe that is expressed by each of the performers in a unique and unrepeatable manner, in a spirit of communication.
The project is proposed by 9 performing artists based in Brussels: Ana Iommi-Agostina D'Alessandro-Yoann Boyer-Domenico Giustino-Hanna Scholtyssek-Susanne Bentley-Michel Yang-Barbara Pereyra-Boris Cossio. Solo Conversations is currently working regularly at La Raffinerie (Charleroi Danses).
http://www.soloconversations.blogspot.com
Wednesday 17/12/2008 15:00 -17:00
La Raffinerie-Salle des Machines (2nd floor)
Rue de Manchester 21
1080 Bruxelles
An opportunity to experience our working process as a collective. Feel free to come and watch for as long as you like between 15:00 and 17:00.
Solo Conversations is a performance project around the practice of improvisation. In its essence it is a place and a time dedicated to the exploration of time, space, emotions, the sharing of a particular universe that is expressed by each of the performers in a unique and unrepeatable manner, in a spirit of communication.
The project is proposed by 9 performing artists based in Brussels: Ana Iommi-Agostina D'Alessandro-Yoann Boyer-Domenico Giustino-Hanna Scholtyssek-Susanne Bentley-Michel Yang-Barbara Pereyra-Boris Cossio. Solo Conversations is currently working regularly at La Raffinerie (Charleroi Danses).
http://www.soloconversations.blogspot.com
Thursday, December 4, 2008
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