Dance Training Journal 13: 2/23/15

Dance Training Journal 13: 2/23/15

Process/Product

Gestalt: Form, Shared work, Identity

Unity

Narrative

Name-Writing

 Body Parts, Movement Vocab

Floor Pattern

3 shapes with transitions

Literal to abstraction to literal

Group dance

I found this class very enlightening. First of all, it was the first class that focused on creating a final product. Most of our prior classes, while having a capstone event or activity, focused entierly on process. in this one, we prepared, and BUILT something. Introducing the concept of Gestalt, seemed very relaxant, as we needed to function as a group. The name-writing exercise, opened up my body vocab quite a bit, as well as putting the concept of "identity" into this class. More of who I am, leaked in when we added the three poses with transitions. I naturally was attracted to photos that resonate with me personally. I wound up with a kneeling soldier, a macho guy holding a baseball bat, and a ninja kinda guy on his toes in a tree. I associated my youth in religious service, my sword training, and my current interest in dance with these images. This colored how I held those poses, as well as the motion I put into them. When we did the animal exercise, pretending to be tigers, than an anmial of our own choice (I chose monkey). I started to really "get" the idea of character insertion in this context. I'm a bit of a hyperactive, gregarious guy. Putting that into the routine, with me switching from various life roles, with a lightheaded impish attitude, felt like ME. When it came time to do the group dance, putting it all together, and working with others, I showed who I was, by putting that monkey/impish nature into protecting our group's "puppy" from the "tigers" as well as trying to be enthusiastic with the indifferent tigers, as humans, and the receptive, and kind "puppy" All in all, it was a pretty awesome experience.