Through the Wednesday morning Zoom classes we are exploring dance/movement through various themes and have found useful insights by doing this.
The Elements
We have been exploring how we can embody and find creative expression through the Elements, and have discovered for instance:
Earth is our reality and a good place to begin and come back to
That all the elements are balanced by each other and therefore need each other:
Water is shaped and contained by Earth
Fire is controlled by Water
Air is anchored in Earth
Earth is activated by Fire
We also realised all the elements are multi dynamic, for instance:
A still pond, a flowing river, a tempest
A hearth fire, a bonfire, an inferno
A breeze, a gusty wind, a tornado
Security, instability, an earthquake
Dance and poetry are good companions.
The words of the poems bring simplicity and clarity of purpose to the movements, and also imagination and vision.
The movement can reveal the underlying landscape of the words and energise them through embodiment.
Conversely the movements of dance create a poetry of their own with words arising naturally from the movements.
Working with Co-ordination
We have discovered working with co-ordination over the last few weeks that: Co-ordination can be mentally and physically challenging It highlights the balance (or imbalance) between left and right It brings attention to detail and deepens focus It enhances awareness, integration and connections through the body It creates new pathways and better internal communication in the body/mind
The Contrast of Light and Dark
Light and dark define each other, demonstrating the importance of contrast When one part of the body is in the shadow, another is exposed to the light We have to go through the darkness of the night to get to a new dawn The imagination comes into play particularly in the dark Moving with the eyes closed gives a stronger access to internal awareness and sensation The transition between dark and light - emergence takes courage and leads to growth Every Spring needs it’s Winter
Colours
By working with Colours as our theme we became aware of the strong influence colours have on us, and how they affect different part of the body. We particularly enjoyed dancing with coloured cloth to immerse ourselves in colour Some of the observations we made GREEN - Associated with the heart, the colour of nature, harmonising and healing, sense of growth and renewal. ‘When in doubt use green’ Created balanced, harmonious movement. RED - Associated with root of the body and blood, life energy, highly energising, not always comfortable, sense of independence, can trigger anger. Created strong, dynamic movement BLUE - Associated with the throat, cool, calm, truthful, reflective, inner peace, cleansing. ‘Depths of the sea and reach of the sky’. Created simple, deeply felt, reflective movement. YELLOW - Associated with the solar plexus, seat of emotions, bright and uplifting, clarifies thought and emotion, positive. Created energised, happy and uplifted movement.
Stone, Silver, Gold
SILVER The metal of the moon - we worked with the idea of increasing and decreasing shapes and movements Also thought about moonshine, silver linings and reflection - self reflection moving with eyes closed and also reflecting another’s movements We imagined a shine and shimmer around the body, and moved fast like quicksilver. GOLD The power of the sun - We worked with self worth through good alignment (crown on head!) The movement was expansive and generous, drawing attention to itself We took on board a sense of positivity and success We danced like royalty.