Ana Dance

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I believe the cost of property in this country has a hugely negative impact on the arts  (as well as on the whole of society).  For a dancer to hold a rehearsal or a class an adequate room/studio costs a minimum of £15 per hour.  That means that for a 2 hour session (which is barely enough for a rehearsal/ research session) we have to find £30 minimum.  When paid dance work (outside the big companies) is irregular and insecure and a dancer’s need to create work or maintain and develop skills in the studio continues during periods of low/non employment how is that sustainable?

I realise studio space is a luxury compared to the concerns  of putting a roof over one’s head to live and there are many people (soon to be many more) for whom this is a very stark and harsh reality.   I wish the government and society as a whole had a radical rethink about our escalating house /property prices which makes such a basic need so difficult to achieve.   Besides making housing affordable,  the benefits of lower property prices would have the knock on effect of making renting space for creative work an attainable option for more people therefore  increasing access to and participation in art.

It may be idealistic and possibly unrealistic but surely it would be better for society if its members were not having to work such long hours just to put a roof over their head.  There would be time and space for so much more creativity, kindness, generosity and good health if property prices were lower. (in my opinion)

Butoh is notoriously difficult to define.   Cafe Reason Butoh Dance Theatre will be offering an ‘introduction to butoh’ starting January 11th next year followed by further explorations and investigations focussing on the senses led by different teachers within the group and joined by guest teachers.   But how to produce a flyer and communicate what Butoh is, what kind of things we do in class, what makes it different from other dance/performance art forms but also what benefits, insights, experiences  and techniques it brings which is useful to other disciplines and also to non performers who can engage with their bodies and the space around them in completely new ways.

Great turn out for today’s Dance forum meeting at The Old Firestation with lots of familiar as well as new faces present.   We had an update on Homebed from Claire Thompson and heard about the Spring programme from Miranda Laurence -some really useful and interesting intensives/workshops to look forward to.  We also heard more from Claire about the plans for next year’s Dancin’  Oxford festival which will be the trial of a new model.

Outside guest to the meeting was Claire Soper the new dance relationship manager from the Arts Council who filled us in on the changes happening in the restructuring brought about by the cuts.  It was good to hear her inside perspective and  reassuring that she understands a freelance existance.  The difficulties we all face in the current economic climate was never far from the surface and provoked some discussion.  We were reminded that we all need to do what we can to make the case for Arts and Culture.

However, the ’round table’ at the end revealed what a wonderful variety of  practices, projects and work all the various individuals of the dance forum are yet still managing to engage in.  The opportunity to meet up and share through the Dance Forum is a really valuable one and gives the sense that we really have a supportive dance community in and around Oxford.

Oxford Dance Writers is a space where dance enthusiasts can share their views, write up performances they’ve seen and debate issues relating to dance, dancers and the arts.  See the link  for a write up of  Cafe Reason‘s latest Diamond Nights.  Saturday’s performance included work in poetry, dance, film, live music, voice and projection. The line up featured: Anne Ryan, Ana Barbour and Naomi Morris, Ayala Kingsley and Bruno Guastalla, Peter Jones, MUE – Dariusz Dziala, Macarena Ortuzar and Bruno Guastalla.

Last night Naomi and I gave another airing to some of the ideas emerging for Inertia at Cafe Reason’s Diamond Night.  I was almost more nervous than the previous scratch at The Pegasus as Diamond Nights usually has such a good standard of performance and the availability of lighting support makes for a more theatrical atmosphere.

Again I tried to invite the audience to contribute their motivations, the times they look forward to getting out of bed etc.  Unfortunately I didn’t give them a clear enough idea of when to make their contributions – so I am looking forward to making that aspect work next time!  Besides that we continued play with shadow and live body, live drawing in conjunction with static body and various uses of my big green rug as a prop.

I received some really useful feedback from fellow contributors and some audience members too along with some very positive encouragement so, despite the nerves and a certain lack of energy I’m glad we took the opportunity to show these workings towards a piece.

This Saturday will be Cafe Reason’s 10th Diamond Night ‘bringing uncut performance gems into the spotlight’.   An opportunity for works in progress and new experimental pieces in the cosy atmosphere of Brookes drama studio.  Looking forward to seeing other people’s work there.

Enjoyed exploring the sense of touch last week in class.  Used a range of human touch and the textures of a wide variety of objects.  These exercises received with eyes closed were unnerving and strongly disconcerting.  (I almost wished I hadn’t brought them !)  We used these experiences as stimuli for movement and built on these to include communication between dancers. We will be continuing exploration of touch and other senses in next classes.

A  group review after the first six sessions of choreo collective showed a clear enthusiam to continue with a second series.  We discussed how the sessions and the approach of participants had begun to change and develop.  We considered different ways of structuring and running the sessions as well as further possibilities and directions.  All felt they had benefitted from the focus of a regular slot and the support  of fellow dance artists in exploring their choreographic ideas and most felt they had gained confidence in expressing their ideas and in directing.  I’m looking forward to seeing how the sessions develop.  Next one Thursday 8th Nov.

Continuing Susie Crow‘s  series of contemporary classes we were treated this time to an insight into some core principles within ballet.  Examining the ‘why’ for some of the forms and movements and offering an approach which demonstrated how particular exercises  supported and could be explored through ideas of placement/alignment, direction and attitude.  Stressing the dance and making visible the line  between what can sometimes otherwise become a series of static poses.  We also discussed our own perceptions and experiences of ballet.  It was good to be reminded of  the many positive things ballet can offer – while still struggling with my own emotional reactions to a form which I have never  mastered. It was also great to hear and discover the points of connection between our different dance forms.

Last night was Joe Lott‘s scratch night ‘Flourish’ at Pegasus studio.  Organised as an opportunity to show the early work in progress of artists selected for the ‘homebed’ programme.  It was Supported and funded by Oxford City Council, Pegasus, Arts at the Old Fire Station, and Oxford Dance Forum through Home-Bed.

The event attracted a full house.   Showing work were home bed artists: Jenny Parrot, Joe Lott, Emma Webb,  Marina Collard, myself and guest artists David Hudson and Ji-Eun Lee.

This was the  first public outing of some of the fragments emerging from my exploration of ‘Inertia’.  I showed elements I’d begun work on with Yael Karavan.  It was also the first time I have been joined on/off stage by fellow dance artist/videographer Naomi Morris.  Our presentation included, prop, text, live camera projection and shadow interaction. I also used the opportunity to ask the audience to think of and write down what gets them up in the morning, what motivates them in what they do.  The answers to these questions will be informing the development of  ‘ Inertia.’

It was great to be able to see the other artists’ work and have the opportunity to hear audience feedback.   I enjoyed Jenny Parrot’s brave and humorous monologue, the middle section of Joe Lott’s dance of the periodic table and the beautiful dancing of Marina Collard.  Emma Webb’s waiting woman again evocatively conjured ( and  I’m disappointed I won’t be able to see the full length version of dead man dancing on the 23/24th)

However, as I expressed on the night I feel ambivalent about scratch nights: what do you show?  how do you show work at its best when it’s not ready and when there is limited technical support and a studio setting with no raked seating which makes any floor work invisible… ?

One suggestion proposed to me by more than one person was not to worry about what you were ‘giving’ the audience so much as to work out what you wanted to get from the audience.  With this in mind I was pushy about asking for written thoughts on inertia/motivations which I could use as part of my reasearch.   What I gained actually is the spur of a performance deadline to focus the creation of new work, the shared support from other dancers and the energy of a live audience which reminded me that actually I love performing.  Even when I’m not ready.