a lovely day at the ADF

It’s a beautiful, sunny day, and I feel very refreshed after a full day of classes. This place emphasizes for me the rhythmic quality of life — the ebb and flow — and today was a flow kind of day.

Today marked the end of week three, and the halfway point of the festival. I’m beginning to really feel comfortable in this environment, with the people, in the studios, around the campus. I feel like I’m allowing myself to fully take things in and to be open, which is the one thing I try to ask of myself. Just be open.

In Jesse’s class, we’ve now studied in depth ideas of rotation, sequentiality and volume. This week we talked about our bodies as volume bodies, full of these loops of energy, loops that help us relax, widen, and become available — available to our surroundings, to our impulses, and to new movement.

One of my favorite exercises we did involved working with a partner. One person closes their eyes as their partner begins to guide their body into movement, gently touching the inside of the knee, guiding a shoulder open, motioning the head up and over. It is the mover’s job to remain available — open to the outside guidance, aware of the places of initiation, and the places to which these initiations take them. As the experience goes on, we begin to play with multiple initiations, shifting quicker and quicker. The more volume that exists in the body, the more supple the mover can be and the more available to new information.

Our final combination weaved together many of these ideas:

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In Jesse’s comp class today I was able to show a piece of a solo I’ve been working on. I was overwhelmed by the feedback I received, in a wonderful way. My classmates received very distinct, sensual images from the work thus far. One person said that he imagined the whole piece in sand, another felt that I was able to stand in water — another felt that, though we were very close in proximity, there was a glass panel between us, or a dome around me, and though we were separate, within the fullness of the movement she was very aware of each swallow I took. Texture was very apparent and important to how a number of people viewed the work. I really enjoy the specificity of the feedback that these individuals are able to give, and the lack of inhibition. It’s a very comfortable environment that’s been created.

And now, for the weekend! Caitlin, Tiffany and I are off to Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach for the 4th while Allison heads off for an interview Sunday! HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!