Dance Techniques 2010

Anouk van Dijk — Countertechnique
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does not reflect any value or judgment on the quality of
movement or body. Movement in Countertechnique therefore
has no gender specificity.
In class, music is used primarily to enhance the joy of
dancing and to create an agreeable working atmosphere to
help reduce the pressure of having to achieve something.
This open and comfortable environment is an important
starting point that enables the dancer to stay available and
open to movement. Percussive music, when used, is preferred
either with a live percussionist or a pianist using a
distinctive percussive approach. Most of the time, however,
contemporary pop and r’n’b music is used. This is
music most dancers know, are familiar with, and like to
dance to. Usually, music is not used for basic exercises.
As a rhythm often helps dancers structure and memorize
steps, different meters with different accents are used for
chosen exercises or combinations.
Certain physical parameters such as popping, i.e., releasing
unnecessary tension in the major joints, or working
on horizontal falling, i.e., releasing the weight in space
so that it is easier to direct body parts away from each
other, are explored more easily with music. It is, however,
important to note that learning movement combinations
is not the aim of a Countertechnique class; combinations
serve as a framework within which dancers work.
Other key elements from the toolbox, including some of
the mental parameters, can be worked on without music.
This means that music is not intrinsically needed for and
related to Countertechnique.
Intent
The intention of Countertechnique is not to produce a specific
aesthetic, nor does it strive for form. Instead, Countertechnique
focuses on using an individual’s movement
potential to the maximum in a physically and mentally
healthy way. The principles can be applied to almost any
movement style, from ballet to Contact Improvisation. On
a practical level, using it takes pressure off the dancing
body. Since the principles of the Countertechnique movement
system facilitate movement, this may be valuable
foremost in performance.
During Anouk van Dijk’s teaching period at Codarts,
practicing Countertechnique was conducted in two phases.
For students unfamiliar with Countertechnique, a Practical
Tools Workshop was taught for up to two weeks. After
this workshop and the introduction to basic elements of
Countertechnique, the actual classes in Countertechnique
were taught.
In class, exercises were developed for training purposes
that, on first glance, seem to include much material from
existing movement vocabularies: the basic bending, folding,
reaching, and rotating are found in many forms of
dance, be it ballet, Cunningham or Limón, or even Release
Technique. What has been re-evaluated, however, is
the order and approach to such basic movements. Anouk
van Dijk analyzed their essence and added small, effective
exercises to help find, as she says, the most efficient and
yet safe way of rotating a leg or an arm. Apart from that,
she developed specific traveling exercises wherein falling
horizontally through space helps dancers use counter–direction
in an organic way.
Using these movements and combinations as ‘empty
shells’, the dancers can focus on applying the principles of
Countertechnique. Continued training will change the initiation
of movement from inside the body, how the dancer
experiences the movement, and what the movements
eventually look like (less inhibited and more personally
engaged). The result might appear subtle, but for a dancer
it can make the difference between hating and loving the
same movement. To give an example: a dancer often executes
a tendu with too much gripping. If he or she wants to
move on, the applied muscle tension blocks further movement,
meaning the dancer must activate a lot of energy in
order to garner momentum. Alternatively, a dancer can
execute a tendu by counter–directing. This implies that
he or she moves the tendu leg forward and down while
the trunk goes backwards and up in space, simultaneously
maintaining width in the trunk. The body thus finds
stability by extending beyond its sphere, using less force
and energy and thereby making it easier for the dancer
to continue moving. The tendu is, technically speaking,
still a tendu that might be seen in any ballet performance,
but the dancer will find it easier to execute it, with an increased
range of rotation in the legs and a stronger, freer
upper body that is ready to change direction at any given
moment.
By finding a healthier way to execute movements,
dancers can also enjoy a longer professional career. On
a fundamental level, one could argue that Countertechnique
champions a dance culture that is less exploitative
of its dancers. It helps dancers cope with the daily stress of
training, rehearsal, and performance without losing their
scope of movement and, most importantly, as Anouk van
Dijk insists, their joy of dancing. The quality of Countertechnique
training does not lie in the successful execution
of a movement phrase or the perfect imitation of an image;
ideally it engages the dancer in a thought process that enables
him or her to train on one’s own.
As described by Anouk van Dijk, the physical body in
Countertechnique is purely relational; the body has no
core center. It has a dynamic system of vectors that creates
energetic volumes. Within that system, even the most
subtle movement of a body part (like lifting an arm), will
take weight away from the central axis, thus redistributing
body weight in space. Countertechnique enables the body
to execute spacious dynamic movement. In other words: If
you want to move big, Countertechnique helps you to do it.