This week we watched two videos based around contact improvisation finding the differences and looking at how well they connect with one and other. During the first video The play of weight, Martin Lleogh and Niege Chris Tenso play a lot with balance and how it links them to each other. The dancers they use in the video both take a very slow pace allowing one and other to feel how the other is moving. Even though they connected this only lasted whilst they began to use gravity and take weight, which was clearly led by the male, in contact there should be no obvious leader. However, there was always a constant support between the two when using gravity and weight, but this would always move into a floor sequence or they would lose this connecting chain between them going into an individual improvisation which looked very habitual points. To contrast, the second video Contact improvisation Mikea Molekinen and Otto Akkamen, looked a lot more fluid and their centre of gravity was more equal. As well as this they each took one and others weight and lifted as it fitted rather than stopping and starting to go into them, they both went with the flow and allowed their bodies to feel what the other was saying. This pair was always moving the connection between them allowed them to move at a faster pace adding more momentum. If they lost the contact they would automatically come back into some form of contact. Whereas when we contact we tend to break away and just leave the circle waiting for another opportunity. Also they use down to go up thinking about the support you give your partner. If you don’t go down to come up and up to go down even though you are supporting the partner it could end up with them landing heavily or the lift going wrong.
“We change centre of gravity when we change shop, and often compensate so automatically that we aren’t even aware of it.” (Ann Woodhull) Jumping back into our partners hands I could the gravity and momentum bringing me up into the air to come down. I felt supported in the moment although my landing out of the jump could be smoother from this. Jumping back like this has made me more aware of my centre of gravity and I may come in or out of a lift. I found it helpful for momentum and realising that the flow and pace of which you do this can help with the accuracy of lifting and good for focusing and what point your gravity will be at. “Wherever this point is above this point is above the point of support, the shape will be balanced.” (Ann Woodhull).
During class today I really enjoyed being told to work and experiment with new bodies and found that some bodies within the class I really linked well together with and wished id worked with them sooner. When we began body surfing we decided to take it at a slower pace and our bodies had to keep completely relaxed also thinking about the pelvis to pelvis connection. By taking this slow I found it helped me focus on the fixed points of contact and really think about two bodies as one, how they move together. After finding this in our bodies we then began bringing it up from body surfing to our middle and high kinesphere this experimenting brought me to paces I have never been and brought me to new and experimental positons in which I had to really think about moving in and out of. When experimenting you had to really think about “the further your centre is above your base of support, the less stable you are.” When going up into middle and high kinesphere the centre of gravity is always there and the connection is constant trusting the support and gravity is there.
Contact Jam
During this week contact jam I felt very confident within myself and went in much more this week, this I found as I have become more comfortable with the process of lifting and weight baring with people. I have realised now where I can place them and trying to find new ways of coming in and out of them. During the jam it felt interesting but exciting to be able to place them in, when the momentum and the gravity took over I felt like I flew and flowed because I knew how to get in and out of them I found myself feeling very relaxed. Moreover, as we experimented with new people at the beginning when it came to being in the jam I felt like I could just go up to anyone and pull them into the jam. During this it didn’t matter if it was the smallest point of contact or if I was using gravity, weight or thinking about were my centre of gravity was. The point was it was all contact even if it’s bigger or small it all looked good, I got into using other contact devices and I enjoyed the new sensations I felt and my body was feeling.
Bliblography
Woodhull A. Center of Gravity. Contact Quarterly/ Contact Improvisation Sourcebook I Vol. 4. Pp. 43-48
Chirstenson Neige. 2009. The play of weight. [accessed 13th November 2016] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltq6y06E8ew
Omegbranch. 2011. Contact improvisation Mirva Makinen & Otto Akkanen [accessed 13th November 2016] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMLbWxujoGw