Dance Techniques 2010

238 Introduction
Yvonne Hardt, Vera Sander
Introduction
The meditative sound of ‘shima, shima’ fills the space. In a studio at the Centre
for Contemporary Dance in Cologne, the students are absorbed in the
execution of a gentle, calm up–and–down movement. They are letting go as
they bend over, then they return to an upright standing position—releasing
and gathering energy. What for a modern dancer might, at first glance, appear
to be a plié with an upper body curve—i.e., bending the knees and curving
the upper body at the same time—is actually an exploration into a central
tenet of Jennifer Muller’s dance technique. This is about working with energy
flow, with the play between polarities of ‘energized’ and ‘drained’, between
moving up and down—which is why Muller calls this a ‘polarity technique’.
The ramifications of working with energy, body tonus, and how imagination
affects movement as compared to the other techniques will come up time
and again. Jennifer Muller pioneered a dance technique based on the polarity
between relaxation and an energized ‘up’ that retains the rudiments of ballet
and historic modern dance (more so than the Release–based techniques that
have since evolved) but fundamentally transforms it by incorporating and
layering various movement and energy principles. The imagination, along
with a working knowledge of ‘body structure’, are necessary to access Muller’s
energy–work. In summary: Use of energy, imagination, and knowledge of
body structure are the three pillars of Muller’s dance technique.
This deeply reflective and articulate New York dancer and choreographer
taught her technique for seven days between 23 November and 3 December
2009; the two–hour courses were similar in length and format to her company
class. During the workshop, Muller (assisted by Susanne Dickhaut) and
fourteen third– and fourth–year students from the bachelor’s program at the
Centre for Contemporary Dance in Cologne explored core elements of the
Jennifer Muller Technique. In addition Muller taught ‘performance skills’
1 These recordings were transcribed in order to
better analyze content in relation to language
and lesson structure. We would like to especially
thank Lisa Lucassen, Jana Berg, and Anika
Bendel for their work.