DMT-Session Two

Contra-lateral Pattern

Moving opposite body parts...Senses start to come together...freedom of head...Reaching...

DMT-Session One

Homologous Pattern

http://true-wildlife.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/frog.html


Two arms and two legs working together at the same time.... symmetry...Part of birthing process ...Support from the organ system...Sense of sight to guide is in space

Skull

In contact class I have started to think about how we can use our heads to be in contact with another person and how this offers a new way into movement. It is a strong support, but yet the skull can remain soft and floating as I move. The front of the head in particular seems to be able to connect to new discovery and finding very quickly.

Yield and push

Goes backwards, before forwards...support from the floor...connection with the core

Yield and Push

The idea of how yielding with the whole body pulls you back and then you sense a response to be repelled into activity. Through hands-on-work I felt like I was actually stuck to the ground. My partner and I talked about the imagery of pushing play-dough or blue tack onto a surface. When I began to move my movement was really fluid and free. I noticed that in moving my partner, there was a strong sense of body reacting to each movement and that no matter what direction I pushed my partner, there was always a willingness to go there and give in to the movement.

Core Support

I want to investigate the involvement of core strength and dropping the pelvis whilst moving to see what it offers me. Strength...stability...connection to shoulders...floating head...Relaxation...Tension.

Spinal Pattern

LATERAL LINE: One of the fish's primary sense organs; detects underwater vibrations and is capable of determining the direction of their source. Fins help the fish in terms of balance...How does this relate to my core... They are the first version of limbs for mammals and humans. The head to tail connection begins to offer more clarity and the centre line can remain soft and fluid within us as we move in space.

Mouthing Pattern

When Alix's hand came into contact with my face I found it quite natural and easy for my mouth to follow in that direction. However, it was a bit more difficult to return to the centre without a sense of touch for direction and support. There was also a strong awareness of my centre line and how that travels with me in space when as I move. The Mouthing Pattern offers a fluid and soft centre line.

Digestive Tract

The stomach is located just under the ribs. Why when we have a stomach ache, do we tend to rub our intestines? How is food digested? Digestion involves mixing food with digestive juices, moving it through the digestive tract, and breaking down large molecules of food into smaller molecules. Digestion begins in the mouth, when you chew and swallow, and is completed in the small intestine. (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/) As I ate my sweet, the main observation that I noticed was how many different elements of the body have to work hard in order to digest food. On a day to day basis, this is always taken for granted!!

Naval Radiation

Equality between the limbs. No one part of the fish is more important than the other. A baby growing in the womb is similar as a result of the connection to the cord. The head is not dominant.

Condensing and Expanding

The starfish pattern is becoming helpful in phrase class as I start to recognise movements as patterns that I have investigated. Movements can become more free without thinking of an order.

Naval Radiation/ Starfish Pattern

"Sea stars have no brains and no blood. Their nervous system is spread through their arms and their “blood” is actually filtered sea water". (http://animals.nationalgeographic.co.uk/animals/invertebrates/starfish/) After exploring the Starfish pattern one of the main things that I realised is how I tend to have quite a small image of my own body shape conjured up in my head. I often forget that by using my core strength for stability, I can allow my arms, legs and head the possibility of reaching out into space and sending energy with it. Similarly, if my movement explorations become too big and I want to draw them in again, sensing the support from my naval will allow for this to become possible.

Skin

How the skin is thick to protect us...How it can repair itself...How can it be soft and bouncy through movement?

Cell

How much goes on within one cell....Thinking of al the cells working together within the body as one.

Touch and Environment

Sensing the environment of a forgotten place...the use of touch to investigate temperature....warm carpet...cold walls and pipes.....The use of sound...Eyes closed....Eyes open...Unusual noises...Observations of others movements in that space...Distance sense of time

BMC

A journey of dicovery through movement with my main interests and curiosities at the center of the investigation. Touch and breath are the cornerstones of BMC. The cells in our body play a large part in helping us discover touch. They combine to make tissues of the skin and this in turn is our way of sensing the environment around us "Touch is the other side of movement. Movement is the other side of touch. They are the shadow of each other." (Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen)

Somatics

One View: Founders of Somatic Movement Training Thinking about how many pioneers of somatic training are involved in contemporary dance and who often make published works of art. How then does my dancing benefit from somatic training.....Thinking of a strong connection between dance and pilates....core stability.....softness that Skinner adds to my dancing.....How quiet can the body be as it moves in space.

Begin to change the "wrong" elements of a dance to become a strong part of the dance. How can stiffness and tension become part of the dance, instead of a distraction.....Listen to the body.....Return to the beginning to find new discovery and adventure!