On April 24th, 2018, I was fortunate to observe, photograph, and film Bernardo Gama’s mixed-ability group that practices both the GYROKINESIS® Method and DanceAbility® Method. From moving while sitting down, transitioning to the floor, to contact improvisation – it was a beautiful to see how movement can develop in every sense of the word. Sit …
Maria decided to come back home after 10 years of living in the U.S., London, and France, to begin building a new space in Mexico City called Kinecta Estudio. Listen to her story.
Tara D’Arquian is a Belgium-born (part time London based) Dancer and Choreographer, who is very excited about about the premiere of her new piece, Bad Faith, part of the In Situ Trilogy, March 14th & 15th at Laban Theatre. I’ve sent Tara a few questions about her premiere, her choreographic style, working between Brussels and London and how …
Getting use to your own body after time off might take some patience. Thankfully we have the visual memory and muscle memory systems to help us return, but how else can we continue to improve technique in the present body? “Technique” is thus understood as the skills experienced in practice and inscribed into one’s own …
Calling All Dancers! We have an ambitious goal to conduct the first global survey of dancers to provide the community with insights on performance & injury prevention. As we kick off a new year we’re excited at The Movement Blog for what 2018 can bring. This year we are aiming big by attempting to gain …
It’s said that it was started and presented by American Dancer/Choreographer, Steve Paxton in 1970’s in the United States, however it is now practiced all over the world. There’s even an online directory where you can find out where to take contact improvisation classes or attend a jam session. Check out Contact Quarterly, started by a dancer and founding participant, Nancy Stark Smith, for more information.
The facilitator often sets the environment (usually after a warmup or improvisation class) where dancers alternate partners in and out of the main space with or without music. ‘Partners’ begin in a duet which can form into a group. Dancers outside the main space can relax, stretch, or keep improvising. The object is to stay in the present, listen to your body, listen to other dancers’ bodies, and be open to playful movement exploration, or authentic movement.
There are certain techniques and movements that dancers can use within a Contact Improvisation jam. The general ‘technique’ is to maintain a soft, yet supportive body to help distribute weight, which is the key. Movements are kept soft and supple to allow elements of ‘surprise’ within the body, within the space, and with your partner(s). ‘The floor is your friend’, they say! Therefore maintaining a sense of being grounded helps the dancer find balance and necessary feedback to create the next movement.
Enjoy!
Hi Movers! We are back from our hiatus and are winding down in Lisbon, Portugal for a different change of pace. I’m excited to announce that I will begin teaching the GYROKINESIS® method at the ever-so charming Little Yoga Space in Baixa-Chiado from October 2017. Stay tuned for more details. However, if you’re looking for GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® classes …
Happy Birthday to The Movement Blog 🎈 Our blog baby is officially 2 years old! In the beginning of April in 2015, I wrote my first post on what this blog would be about and some basic points on the GYROTONIC® Method. Come April 15th, The Movement Blog received over 4,000 + visits in one day …
As we move on towards another new year, here we go again with our resolutions and goals. According to sites like Statistic Brain and The Guardian, people’s top ten resolutions included: losing weight, staying fit and healthy, and wanting to learn something new. In fact, 38%-47% of people set fitness and self-improvement related resolutions for the new year. The good news is …
(Above: Teaching a GYROKINESIS® class via Video Chat to help dancer, Valeria Caboi, recover from an old hip injury.) Often times dancers have to deal with either old and/or new injuries, especially when returning to training and performance. Even when we train, retrain, and cross train to prevent and reduce injury old or even new injuries could flare up when the body is …
