Dance Techniques 2010

194 Conclusion
Sabine Huschka
Conclusion
In class, Roberts’s objective is to teach and nurture the performance experience,
and to impart a passion for spatial–temporal movement design. A
constant engagement with the material and a ‘readiness to learn more’ characterizes
not only Roberts as a teacher, but also what he demands from students.
After all, Cunningham Technique, whether talking about the simple
or the profound components, cannot be mastered. The only thing that can
be mastered is an ever–open attitude towards change. Students are taught
a paradox: The technique should teach them about movement, and, at the
same time, about moving beyond the technique.
Two closing comments from the student Dorota Lecka explain this further:
“What I find particularly exciting is experiencing dance in a totally different
way. Even if the technique might initially feel stiff, strange, inorganic,
or too rigid, after a while it becomes very organic, very clear, and the structural
lines of the body become clearer from day–to–day. It makes you aware
of each body part and joint. Dancers can do whatever they want after that
because they have the freedom; their bodies are awake, ready, and well prepared
for any kind of movement, even for Release movements.”
“Students often get lost, lose direction, the rhythm, coordination, their
perspective…then, most of the time, one more repetition of the exercise is
required, or another ‘attempt’ is postponed for another day. What I find
extremely interesting in this way of teaching is that students are constantly
challenged. These challenges are linked to positive rather than negative encouragement.
Even if one is not able to repeat the exercise, one can sense
an atmosphere of ‘new skills’. Even if everybody ‘failed’ because nobody
could repeat and perform a certain exercise properly, Roberts’s approach
challenges students positively, encourages them, and makes them eager to
tackle and overcome his or her own limitations.”