Dance Techniques 2010

66 Introduction
Gerald Siegmund, Anouk van Dijk
Introduction
The Difficulty of Running
On the ninth floor of the Codarts building in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the
first-year students at the Rotterdam Dance Academy prepared for their first
morning class. Like the day before, they were working with Anouk van Dijk,
Dutch choreographer and dancer, who, over the course of four weeks, would
introduce them to Countertechnique. As if by instinct, every dancer positioned
him- or herself to face the mirrored wall on one side of the studio,
checking on their appearance. Anouk van Dijk began what she calls the ‘Practical
Tools Workshop’ by breaking up the arrangement. She asked them to
find a position in the room, facing any direction. “You are here as a person,”
she said, “so be aware of your environment.” Although the frontal teaching
arrangement was, in fact, used for almost all Countertechnique classes for
practical reasons, the message to the students at this moment was clear:
Countertechnique is not about the shape of the body. The technique is not
concerned with how movement looks, nor does it deal with body part coordination
for the sake of shape.
So what, then, is it about?
After a couple of awareness exercises, Anouk van Dijk asked the students
to run through the room. Why not? None of them seemed to mind. On the
contrary, they had fun running past each other, brushing arms, feeling the
air, and spending energy. Indeed: Countertechnique is about the fun and joy
of moving and, eventually, dancing. The carefree running exercise, however,
raised some serious questions. What is it that one does when running? Learning
how to run implies an understanding of weight distribution in space. Nobody
thinks about this while running because it seems such a natural thing to
do. Students ran as they would in the streets—relying on habits. Their bodies
pushed weight into the floor to gain stability while sticking their necks out
and propelling arms forwards. Their running made a heavy thudding and
trampling sound, audible throughout the room. Their movement required
much strength and energy, and they quickly became fatigued.