Workshop 6

 How can the dynamics of jazz combine with the dynamics of release?

Date of workshop: 11/12/19

Aims

• To stimulate ideas by using the floor as a starting point.
• Improvise and create movement that is motivated by the focus of segmentation and throwing away my energy which are two techniques in release.

Planning 

• Workshop Schedule

14:00pm-15:00pm (1 hour) - Create and develop movement initiated by the idea of  segmentation.

Video One

Video Two

Video Three

Quotes

'Letting go of unnecessary holding in our body.'  (Skinner Releasing Institute, 2009)

'When we are letting go of habitual holding pattern we can move more freely, articulately and powerfully.' (Londondance.com, 2010)

Reflection

Initially, the workshop resulted in producing three phrases; therefore I provided three separate videos to demonstrate this. Furthermore, each video presents a gradual development, the last video being the final product of the workshop. In order to warm up for this session, I recapped my current phrases from my previous workshops, ensuring they stay fresh in my body.
     As a choreographer, I am interested in the use of floor work as the choreographic device, repetition. Whilst using these as a starting point for my workshop, I also discovered a release technique video that is listed in my academic sources. Within this video a woman portrays movement that ripples through her spine whilst she is sitting on her knees, this lead to me using this idea and developing it so that the full use of my spine could ripple through the floor. I did this by shooting my feet from my behind me which left me in a plank position, making it easier to show segmentation from my feet to my head. This task lead to a focus on dynamics (my second sub-question) as it felt natural to segment my body from a slow to sharp rhythm. The feeling of segmenting parts of my body helped me to release an outward breathe , specifically when my head relaxed onto the floor.
    My second video shows my development of aiming to make my phrase more complex and  I thought about how my body could continue to roll onto the floor but differently. Finally in my last video I adapted my foot placement in my plank which enhanced the ripple of my spine and there was a moment added in which I lift from the floor but there is the feeling that gravity pulls me back down again therefore I experimented the use of dynamics.
    This workshop has challenged my comfort level as it was very different to when I normally create large, complicated phrases too quickly. This time, my process began with one simple aim, which was to explore a type of release and this developed into a short but detailed phrase. I found these quotes above at the beginning my workshop, they were inspiring to me and reminded me of the key aspects of release technique and the dynamics that need to be conveyed.
      

Sources I have looked at:

Eaton, L. [Online Video]: 2017. Contemporary Dance (Release Technique) Exercise 7. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMuKjhgRDgg> [Accessed:18 Nov. 2019]

londondance.com, [Online]: 2010. What is Skinner Releasing Technique? Available at: <http://londondance.com/articles/features/what-is-skinner-releasing-technique/> [Accessed 11 Dec.2019]

Skinner Releasing Institute. [Online]: 2009. About Skinner Releasing Technique. Available at: <http://www.skinnerreleasing.com/aboutsrt.html> [Accessed 11 Dec. 2019]