Ana Dance

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ODF Workshop at OFS this saturday on giving and receiving feedback facilitated by Rachel Liggitt. The session was based on the model developed by Liz Lerman for generating constructive feedback in which the maker is empowered to support their creative process through managed feedback. The session was supportive and friendly. There were plenty of questions and some discussion about criticism, feedback and support. For some of us it was also an opportunity to show a bit of work in progress and get facilitated feedback using this method. For me there were some really useful comments and observations that I can take away and use in the development of the piece.

All day session with DEC today.  We explored ways of using cartoon imagery round a theme of ‘gossip’.  In total contrast we worked with a mathematical formula to have a structured sequence of states to move between.  Strangely liberating despite the constraints.  These two very different ‘pieces’ will find their way in some form in to May’s performance at OFS.

Today was the first day of a 2 day pilot workshop by English National Ballet hosted by Oxford Dance Forum at The Old Firestation. We had presentations from Parkinson’s UK and from Roehampton University researchers Sara Houston and Ashley McGill. This was followed by a practical session led by ENB’s Daniella along with their two live musicians.
Live music and the use of music was highlighted as a key ingredient in the classes delivered as part of this project.
Besides the presentations and led sessions it was great to meet up with other dance practitioners and share and learn from each others experiences in a variety of settings.
Many of the participants attending were from different parts of the country. It is great to notice that ODF at OFS has raised the profile of Oxford as a place for professional development opportunities in dance.

Tuesday night’s choreocollective felt at the end more like a philosophy discussion group! I was concerned that we were not ‘moving’ enough to justify the cost of hiring a studio. However, when I asked, each person there asserted how useful and helpful it was to be discussing the concepts they were working with as much as trying out actual choreography. I think this reveals that choreography is about so much more than the practical side of putting together steps and sequences! How much extra time is involved in the creation of a work just doing the thinking, researching, questionning, discussing. Having a shared space and time in which to do this with fellow dance artists who can offer different perspectives enables further clarification of the themes we are working towards and is a valuable addition to the time spent doing this alone. On the cost of hiring the studio, if we had met in a pub we would have spent the same buying a round of drinks and here we still could turn concepts into physical expression.

Well, another scratch night.  Feeling unprepared till the last.  Had a terrible tech slot as all the live video effects we’d worked out didn’t work with the light available (but that in itself was a very useful thing to learn!).  Euton saved the day with a new light and squeezing in an extra 20 minute slot for us.  Finally went better than expected and it was useful to hear the feedback facilitated by Fiona Millward.  Really enjoyed watching all the other performances -great to see the variety and quality of work on offer.

Looking forward to delivering the second of our four introductory sessions to Butoh.  Last week we touched on ‘abstract body’ focussing on form,  space, being moved and watching from the outside.  This week I’d planned ‘Sentient body’ with exercises to enhance sensory awareness, connection and receptivity.  Unfortunately we had to cancel class because of  the snow.   I did get a chance to go sledging though.

Have just set another few choreocollective dates- the first of 2013. (Jan 29th, Feb 12th and 19th)  Held again at OFS loft space.  Following review of last year’s sessions have decided to introduce a led element  within the sessions whilst still maintaining the flexibility and openess of the previous format.  So there will be one artist/choreographer per session committed to bringing their choreographic exploration choice who will also be responsible for leading the warm up.  The rest of the session as before is open for suggestions, experiments and choreographic ideas both brought or inspired in the moment.  Looking forward to seeing how this works and if people will volunteer in advance to take a lead.

Preparing with Naomi to show 5-8 min excerpt of Inertia at next week’s scratch night at Pegasus.  Still very much in the process of creation so what will we show?  Something new whose place has not yet settled in the structure of the whole.

The New Year has begun, and so have new experiments with Inertia.  Playing with live camera and filmed clips involving rolling marbles and swirling glitter water.  Interviews continue trying to find our motivations and the things that drive us and also hold us back.

Good long session yesterday with the DEC group.  Taking a painting by Poussin as a starting point ‘Landscape with a Man killed by a Snake’ we worked with ideas of figures in the landscape, simultaneous narratives, disconnection, contrast of horror and mundane, layers and depth – spatial and of meaning. Much discussion as well as action across our art forms.