Last night was the last of our sessions with the Cannock Wheelchair Dancing Group at the Cannock Chase Youth Club.
The previous week we had a fantastic time watching... and learning... some of their dances. It was the first time for most of the young people to experience dancing in a wheelchair and it caused great excitement. I got to use Sally's chair and got a teeny insight into the delicate and exact nature of her particular chair's centre of balance. Easy to tip it is! The great news is that two of the memebrs of the Youth Group went along to the Wheelchair Dancers' session this week! Result!
So last night most of the Youth Group were out at the panto.... oh no they weren't.... (couldn't resist!) and so inspired by watching the patterns they make during their dances, we presented them with the choreographic task, The Grid.
We were very impressed by the group cohesion and creativity. We are currently working on a video that will be uploaded shortly.... watch this space!
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Monday, 25 January 2010
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Wheelchair Dancers and Tuesday Youth Group, Cannock
Last night was one of those nights...
...when I remember why I am a dance artist
A roomfull of disabled young people between 12 and 18 dancing in duet and trio with a group of much older adults who use wheelchairs to dance in.. and have been doing so for 40years.
Laughter, movement, joy, communication... physicality, touch.
After a particularly tentative start to the evening, Sally and I got back into the car after the session had finished, looked each other in the eye and 'whooped' with absolute delight.
...when I remember why I am a dance artist
A roomfull of disabled young people between 12 and 18 dancing in duet and trio with a group of much older adults who use wheelchairs to dance in.. and have been doing so for 40years.
Laughter, movement, joy, communication... physicality, touch.
After a particularly tentative start to the evening, Sally and I got back into the car after the session had finished, looked each other in the eye and 'whooped' with absolute delight.
Friday, 8 January 2010
Wander: A Human Landscape 遊蕩於人生風景 (reflection)
.
We were walking back from dinner to rehearsal in an obscure part of Hong Kong, when I asked Rachel how she found the city.
Rachel had to think about it. “Well, I find Hong Kong to be a very tolerant place.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. Tolerance and generosity are not really the first things that comes to mind when I think of our bustling metropolis. But then, Hong Kong is home. It can be a bit hard to tell from the inside.
“Well, for example, just now at the restaurant [and we were with Kwok Wah, a wheelchair buddy], they were happy to set a table outdoors for us. In England they might have thought it to be a lot of hassle, made a lot of fuss.”
Much later, when I was struggling over the two lines of reflection I had to hand in for the program notes when things finally clicked into place. The world is our mirror: Rachel finds Hong Kong to be a friendly place because she is a generous person with a wide-open heart. And when I say wide-open, I mean flood-gate wide. It’s a sort of life-force that sweeps aside all jet-lag, embraces the struggle of working in a different language, and says yes, yes, YES!
Looking back, it’s pretty incredible to realise what the group has managed to achieve in a period of twelve days. It makes me realise how if the director is clear about what she is doing, and is backed up by a solid team …. kapow! Anything is possible.
“For this jump to work,” says Rachel to Vinci, “You have to fly past Maru. If you imagine jumping into Maru’s arms, you’re going to be heavy. But if you go past Maru, you’ll be much lighter.” She demonstrates, slamming into 丸仔, who catches her in a spin.
“Hey, I learnt this new warm up today. It’s called the pizza warm up!” The cast couldn’t believe how silly the warm-up I learnt from Tidds was, but the excitement was infectious. By the time I taught them the other stretch where you just anchor yourself against your partner, the cast was all rolling on the floor with laughter. It was a wonderful rupture to our usual routine. So when I think about Tidds, I am reminded of her quirkiness, which – when combined with her attentiveness, added a real mix to the project.
I was amazed by how quickly the show came together; and I know that this was due to Arnim’s video and lights. So smart, I thought, to bring along someone to take care of the technical side of things, and really transform the space. The video was really magical (My personal favourite is the “Merry Christmas” circle-dance with the wheel).
What a team. What a fortnight!
I suspect that this visit from Blue Eyed Soul will plant a lot of seeds in all of us, and continue to bear fruit in the days to come.
Hofan is the Artistic Director of Burnt Mango Dance Theatre. She was delighted to be part of this project between Blue Eyed Soul and the Symbiotic Dance Troupe / Center for Community Development. A variant of this post can be found on her own blog here.
Photos by Arnim Friess.
Rachel had to think about it. “Well, I find Hong Kong to be a very tolerant place.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. Tolerance and generosity are not really the first things that comes to mind when I think of our bustling metropolis. But then, Hong Kong is home. It can be a bit hard to tell from the inside.
“Well, for example, just now at the restaurant [and we were with Kwok Wah, a wheelchair buddy], they were happy to set a table outdoors for us. In England they might have thought it to be a lot of hassle, made a lot of fuss.”
Much later, when I was struggling over the two lines of reflection I had to hand in for the program notes when things finally clicked into place. The world is our mirror: Rachel finds Hong Kong to be a friendly place because she is a generous person with a wide-open heart. And when I say wide-open, I mean flood-gate wide. It’s a sort of life-force that sweeps aside all jet-lag, embraces the struggle of working in a different language, and says yes, yes, YES!
Looking back, it’s pretty incredible to realise what the group has managed to achieve in a period of twelve days. It makes me realise how if the director is clear about what she is doing, and is backed up by a solid team …. kapow! Anything is possible.
“For this jump to work,” says Rachel to Vinci, “You have to fly past Maru. If you imagine jumping into Maru’s arms, you’re going to be heavy. But if you go past Maru, you’ll be much lighter.” She demonstrates, slamming into 丸仔, who catches her in a spin.
Watching them at work, I realize that this actually can be a much more general principle. If I’d stopped – as I did the first couple of days – to consider how I should be pacing myself: yesterday’s rehearsal, today’s tai chi with my sifu, back to rehearsal, teaching, parent-teacher conferences; rehearsal with my own ensemble for an upcoming performance, a school tour performance, not to mention the ongoing protest against the high-speed rail… I would be exhausted. (Actually, looking at the list, I have every right to be exhausted.)
But the trick is to let all of that go. Prepare well, stay present, and embrace the company of people you are working with. Let that give you energy.
This was particularly easy with this ensemble, because we had people who was so direct with their affections. Wai Yee would grasp my hand and touch it to their cheek; So will clutch at me in his strong hands and not let me go to dinner. May will whisper (at two words a minute), “Can you help me get my bag?”… and then give us souvenirs of pottery and Chinese knots that she has made with her feet…
When I dropped into evening rehearsal with my own ensemble on Friday evening, I brought along the energy from the Blue eyed Soul rehearsals.
“Hey, I learnt this new warm up today. It’s called the pizza warm up!” The cast couldn’t believe how silly the warm-up I learnt from Tidds was, but the excitement was infectious. By the time I taught them the other stretch where you just anchor yourself against your partner, the cast was all rolling on the floor with laughter. It was a wonderful rupture to our usual routine. So when I think about Tidds, I am reminded of her quirkiness, which – when combined with her attentiveness, added a real mix to the project.
I was amazed by how quickly the show came together; and I know that this was due to Arnim’s video and lights. So smart, I thought, to bring along someone to take care of the technical side of things, and really transform the space. The video was really magical (My personal favourite is the “Merry Christmas” circle-dance with the wheel).
What a team. What a fortnight!
I suspect that this visit from Blue Eyed Soul will plant a lot of seeds in all of us, and continue to bear fruit in the days to come.
Hofan is the Artistic Director of Burnt Mango Dance Theatre. She was delighted to be part of this project between Blue Eyed Soul and the Symbiotic Dance Troupe / Center for Community Development. A variant of this post can be found on her own blog here.Photos by Arnim Friess.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
dance about rehearsal 1
our first dance about rehearsal and what a lovely group! we explored moving in and out of the floor working alone and with partners and then working with props. we had some incredibly moving moments, and lots and lots of fun. i'm really looking forward to shaping the wonderful dance work the group create into a beautiful and thought-provoking show.
Flying School Poem
We've had this poem sent through from a poet who attended the aerial dance workshops run at Ashcraig School in Glasgow end of November. We thought we'd share it with you...
FLYING SCHOOL
Today in gym the class are learning to fly
They whoop. They’ve been let loose from double maths
for this afternoon’s workshop. Circus Skills.
They leave wheelchairs and a cobalt blue walking frame
in a corner. It’s time to wake muscles
that grimace if they’re touched. I watch a girl
migrate. She steps into a rope harness
I can scarcely see, then grins as the air
opens for her. I shiver as she swoops
past, caught by her draughts. She can do what she likes
now, powerful, so long as we’re convinced
she’s controlling the moves, shifting her weight
in this aerial dance so ropes will take
her where she wants to go. She does the twist,
then climbs ten feet to look down on her chair.
A new perspective. So often she’s looked up,
trying to catch an eye so she can talk,
or listened to doctors explaining no,
she’ll never tie shoelaces, walk or cook a meal….
Fill in this space. Afterwards she’s dizzy,
but amazed. She can’t wait to do it again.
Though these lessons will only last a week
and then it’s back to symmetry, exams,
I hope that she remembers how to soar.
When she has forgotten her times tables,
how flowers have sex or what some genius said,
she’ll still need to remember how to set
her own speed and direction. Flight’s a skill
she’ll practice daily for the rest of her life,
floating above a gobsmacked audience
who’re certain she must fall. Their hands outstretched.
they brace themselves, eyes wide, for her to lose
this impossible stance she’s taken up.
I hope she glides past their worried faces,
carried by a current of warm air, head
full of plans, still sure she can stay airborne.
Nuala Watt
13th December 2009.
FLYING SCHOOL
Today in gym the class are learning to fly
They whoop. They’ve been let loose from double maths
for this afternoon’s workshop. Circus Skills.
They leave wheelchairs and a cobalt blue walking frame
in a corner. It’s time to wake muscles
that grimace if they’re touched. I watch a girl
migrate. She steps into a rope harness
I can scarcely see, then grins as the air
opens for her. I shiver as she swoops
past, caught by her draughts. She can do what she likes
now, powerful, so long as we’re convinced
she’s controlling the moves, shifting her weight
in this aerial dance so ropes will take
her where she wants to go. She does the twist,
then climbs ten feet to look down on her chair.
A new perspective. So often she’s looked up,
trying to catch an eye so she can talk,
or listened to doctors explaining no,
she’ll never tie shoelaces, walk or cook a meal….
Fill in this space. Afterwards she’s dizzy,
but amazed. She can’t wait to do it again.
Though these lessons will only last a week
and then it’s back to symmetry, exams,
I hope that she remembers how to soar.
When she has forgotten her times tables,
how flowers have sex or what some genius said,
she’ll still need to remember how to set
her own speed and direction. Flight’s a skill
she’ll practice daily for the rest of her life,
floating above a gobsmacked audience
who’re certain she must fall. Their hands outstretched.
they brace themselves, eyes wide, for her to lose
this impossible stance she’s taken up.
I hope she glides past their worried faces,
carried by a current of warm air, head
full of plans, still sure she can stay airborne.
Nuala Watt
13th December 2009.
Wander rehearsal
Great day again. Rehearsed on an outdoor basket ball court last night and back in a community hall today. The dancers are doing a fantastic job, here are Kwok Wah, Maru, Hofan and Chu...
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