Dance Techniques 2010

216 Understanding the Body / Movement
Gill Clarke, Franz Anton Cramer, Gisela Müller
Understanding the
Body / Movement
Prerequisites
“Maybe any kind of previous experience with somatic
practice and a sensibility for what it means to
change patterns or habits is useful. But basically, there is
no single definition of what might enhance the learning
effect. On the contrary, it seems rather obvious that even
beginners can enter this exploratory process (maybe they
would be less able to integrate it in their own practice).”
group comment
More than a physical disposition, participants should
bring a mental disposition that will encourage immersion
in an exploratory process through which one can discover
and learn. This includes a willingness to sustain attention
on one activity rather than shift restlessly from one to the
next, and to allow time for digestion and incorporation of
experience. The learning process is facilitated by the individual
dancer focusing their energy on the present moment
and developing mental stamina to sustain attention to the
details of their movement. A readiness to switch / flip / swap
between different phases of work and states of attention,
and maybe even from performance to studying, is equally
important. All of these elements add up to a disposition
that understands learning as a state of playfulness (albeit
serious in scope), and allows for an appreciation of process
as well as result.
The balancing act in the teaching process is often made
more delicate because of the varied backgrounds and experiences
of the students. Some dancers will be well attuned
to diving into the playful and nonjudgemental
mindset necessary to learn through experience, and may
find the questioning, or testing of alternatives less familiar
territory; others will find it harder to open up their mental
focus beyond the rational, analytical, or physical, and to
experience their movement sensorially. 13
Minding Motion can be practiced both by professional
dancers, dance and movement students, and by amateurs.
There are no particular physical skills required before embarking
on this work. Nonetheless, Minding Motion will
most often support dancers / performers in finding and refining
their own practice and physical discipline. The work
can also be a source for improvisation and for the generation
of movement material that can be integrated into
choreographic practice.
However, a recurrent element called talking–through
complements personal sensing and discovery of movement
qualities with a reflective approach. Differential qualities
are suggested, never imposed. Each individual directs their
13 See Claxton, 1997 on the role of different
modes of thought in learning.
14 Forsythe, 2003.
15 Comparison to spatial concepts can be
found in: Concept and Ideology, Imagining the
Body, keyword ‘Space’.
16 For more detail, see Teaching: Principles
and Methodology later in this chapter.
17 See also Pallasmaa, 2005.