Feel the floor under your feet, the distance between your back and the wall; observe your breath, the taste in your mouth. Now, imagine an open field in early summer blooming with wild flowers, a forest in fall with leaves that crunch under foot, or a city street in a rainstorm. What does your dance become when you embody imagery? What happens when the images dissolve and we allow the body’s desire for expression to materialize while remaining present with the room and people around us?
Free-form movement as well structured prompted improvisations will be explored in solo, duet and group configurations. We will explore the spaces between sensation, movement and action. Within group improvisations we will work on preserving the integrity of our movement vocabulary as we interact with others and the space around us, exploring the subtitles of dancing with someone with minimal contact. Explorations will be culled from Butoh, Qigong, and embodied environmental, and contemporary dance practices.
We will use improvisation as a tool to examine where our tendencies and habits live within our movement vocabulary. We will witness each other without qualitative judgment and verbalize what we see. At times choices will be made to dive deeper into those tendencies, do them on purpose, and at others the choice will be made to construct prompted limitations to thwart those tendencies. The aim is to gain more presence and freedom within our movement vocabulary and increased access to a personal authenticity while dancing.
As the course progresses we will invite latent characters, animals, and natural elements to emerge and interact like ships passing in the night. This class is open to anyone interested in using movement practices for creative expression. No dance experience required.
Learning Outcomes:
*Listen to internal impulses and shape external responses
*Develop spatial awareness while maintaining integrity within movement language.
*Sense the subtitles of dancing with someone with minimal contact
*Self awareness through movement tendencies and chosen forms
*Support through witnessing and observational feedback
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Corequisites: Dance / Drama Lab required for students enrolled in 4 or more credits in designated dance courses.
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 2
M/Th 1:40PM - 3:30PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Course Frequency: One time only
Categories: 2000 , All courses , Dance , Fully In-Person , Two Credit
Tags: dance , improvisation , Somatic Practices