Workshops in Plymouth

Rachel and Rachel went to the seaside but were far too curious about the dancing to see the sea. Blue Eyed Soul led some of its final workshops last week; a morning with dance students from the University and community practitioners many of whom work with Attik Dance. We all moved together and once again appreciated the importance of dance in our lives.
The afternoon session was with a regular Attik group who were enthusiastic and delightful in their creativity. The later session involved a core group of more experienced dancers who explored some contact improvisation and choreographic techniques.
Attik Dance are doing some fine and inspiring work in Plymouth so if you're local do get down there and join in.

Marc Brew Workshop

Last Wednesday I was invited to attend a workshop held at Birmingham's DanceXchange.  Run by Marc Brew. The day was run as part of the Dance Transformations Trainning Programme for emerging Choreographers.  I feel that Marc facilitated the day rally well.  He set up a very useful discussion about preparation for making work, shared some of his own work on DVD and led a really fun workshop in the afternoon.  I had meet Marc a few years ago on a CandoCo summer School and attended a class he did but hadn't realised until now what an amazing role model for emerging Disabled Choreographers he truly is.  I hope I can work with him again and gain some more valuable knowledge from him.

Aerial dance day one

Off to a great start with lots of energy and good listening. Made island duets with balanced stops.

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come hail or high water

Look how high the river was in Shrewsbury last night!!!

People arrived for Contact wondering if their cars would still be in the Gateway car park afterwards!

They were and we were all safe.... and managed to let it all stay safely outdoors as our worries washed away and we sank into some beautiful contact improvisation work.

Between Your Dance and My Dance there exists the Dance,
alive as an entity with an identity all of its own.

We explored similar principles in The Bridge Youth Dance Company, only with this group we are using a ball as our point of contact. The exercise begins as a game, the challenge: to keep the ball off the floor without using our hands. We also managed to explore this whilst traveling through the space, moving the ball between us as we traveled, creating a trio of 2 bodies and a ball. We might one day take the ball away and dance this as a duet.... watch this space.......

First Contact – Luminous Soul Dance Residential 2010 By Julia Dean-Richards

First contact, Helen Lewis[1] studio

from the Crescent window, Belfast

above the cafe: carrot soup and raspberry tea

we looked out upon a green, open space.

Ten o’clock, with Helen Lewis

imprisoned, shy, our senses shifting

our first electric morning

as we began to move

we saw our luminous souls uplifting.

At twelve we came to lie still

in the kindness

of soft, dancing bellies.

Soon we were styling it out

beginning to sing our colours.

Where did the quick time dance to?

Trusting in our new confidence

My ‘slow’ counterbalanced your ‘dynamo’.

Adapting, we travelled together

wheeling and leaning.

‘learning I’ asked you to show me how to speak with you.

By one o’clock

Helen Lewis is liberated

she joined us in our melting.

Tell me, hold you, bend me

know the way each of our bodies

may stretch and change

when we express our intentions.

Slide past and jam for a while

then settle here with us

to examine a newly discovered gift

turning our bodies this way and that

so the light catches, shines

on this powerful thing we do.

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[1] Helen Lewis survived the Nazi concentration camp of Stutthof by directing and performing dance for her SS captors and fellow prisoners. She also survived Auschwitz. After the war she settled in Belfast and introduced modern dance to Northern Ireland.

Luminous Soul Residency in Belfast- Thursday

As I sit here writing this blog my mind and body is full of memories from our fantastic week in Belfast. I've had a very powerful reminder as to why I am a dance artist and why I love this work so much. Today it was so obvious how much everyone's confidence has grown and how much of a connection there is between the group.

We began to look today at what material we will show at the sharing tomorrow. The whole atmosphere of being on a residential week is so powerful. I really enjoyed last night as we all sat downstairs in the hotel Lobby singing songs and playing guitar... I loved every minute of it. I cant believe we are on the final day tomorrow I really hope the group continue to develop and that maybe one day I can re-visit them.

I have loved working with Miriam again and having Julia here as my Support Worker has been so valuable... thank you both for all the laughs, support, interesting conversations, the singing and just simply for being you!!! Can't wait to post some images in future blogs.x

Open Arts Residency in Belfast

Sally Miriam and Julia have really enjoyed day one of the residency with Luminous Soul in Belfast. We are staying in a very comfortable Hotel. We all sat down together for dinner with the group of about 20 people from all over Northern Ireland on Sunday and got to know each other....lovely evening!

Today we focused on get to know you games and a selection of improvisation tasks. The group already look like they have been working together for months. One of the participants said that this approach to dance was less what dance looks like and more like saying "here's me"... Lucky that because we had already decided to follow that very same theme. In preparation for the week Sally and Miriam have choreographed their own solos based around this theme. The day ended with the group learning Miriam's and it was a brilliantly unifying high point to a fantastic day.

Independance workshops in Glasgow

Rachel Liggitt and I spent two days teaching in Glasgow. Indepen-Dance are an inclusive dance company based there. One day was a workshop held for company members. This session had an exciting beginning due to the fire alarm going off and everyone needing to evacuate...in the rain... Unfortunately, or fortunately depending how you want to look at it, I was asked to stay upstairs, outside near an assembly point at the top of the stairs!!!! luckily it was a false alarm...Phew!

Indepen-Dance are a lively group of experienced adults who have a range of physical and learning disabilities. I had a wonderful day seeing the dancers really working hard and having fun. We gave them quite a lot of tasks to do and they produced some beautiful work.

Our second day was to deliver a '50 ways' professional training course. This was fully booked which clearly demonstrates the demand for such training. Dance artists and teachers from all over Scotland attended the day including one teacher from Ireland. There was a great sense of willingness to share experiences, ask questions and create debate around inclusive practise. Rachel and I had a wonderful day and I hope we can work with Indepen-Dance again in the near future.

Aquatic dance

Back to Shanghai and 41.2° so I'm melting...

Led a workshop this afternoon for members of the Grass Stage, a theatre organisation known for its radical and often disapproved-of work with non-professional artists. Lots of stimulating discussion over dinner then a symposium to discuss the work of BESDC; they asked loads of great questions which made the evening fly by.

Too busy to take any photos of the workshop but I do like these fish at the hotel!

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