Day 86: observe and describe movement

#86 Observe movement (from any source). Record yourself describing it.

Observing movement is endlessly fascinating. Adequately describing it is hard.

When I read today's prompt this afternoon, I thought back to earlier in the day when I sat by the water eating a sandwich and watched a seagull who clearly wanted some of my sandwich. I know I was anthropomorphizing him/her/it, but this guy was hilarious, looking at me sideways, then straight on, backing up, sidling closer, staring me down.

But that is not the movement I officially observed. Went back to humans for that. All men today, for some reason.

Day 85: Japanese Fasion

#85: Visit a Japanese fashion or style website and steal some ideas

I feel sort of dazed.

Here are some people.

Here are some hands.

Here is a fox and a cat and a rabbit.

Day 84: movement version of a scene from a play

#84: Make a movement phrase version of (83)

I could have used some company for this one. Really should have been a duet. I made do with a conversation between my head and my hands.

Day 83: write a scene from a play

#83 Write a scene from a play drawing from any previous material/prompts

A man and a woman sitting in a crowded cafe

Her

You do. You touch your fly when you come out.

Him

No, I don't. I don't do that.

Her

Every time.

Him

You're watching my crotch every time I step out of the bathroom?

Her

The movement of your hand draws my eye.

Him

Perv.

Her

It's almost delicate the way you do it. It's sort of sweet. Your fingers -

Him

No.

Her

No?

Him

No. No it is not delicate the way I touch my fly. Because, and anyway, I didn't touch my fly just now.

Her

You did. You do. Every time.

Him

I was probably smoothing my shirt.

Her

Mm.

Him

Look, if I touched my crotch, you'd know. It wouldn't be some delicate, skulking maneuver. It would be firm and masculine adjustment.

Her

Yes, I imagine it would be.

Day 82: a ride between mobility and stability

#82: Make a phrase based on a ride between mobility and stability

I've been procrastinating. It seems I was avoiding this one. More resistance to phrase-making. An improvisation on the ride between mobility and stability? Sign me up! A phrase? Uh...

A few days ago, I got about 2 movements into a phrase and then just went and did something else. Today, I talked about how I've been avoiding this, and then suddenly when I had 20 minutes free, it was no problem to throw together a tiny little phrase.

Day 81: third time's the charm

#80-81 Entire chunk of saved material is passed through filter(s) of your chosen connectivity patters. If you have not saved anything, run another improvisation with them as cues.

More like the third time is, well, just the third time. This was my third time running the trochanter/toe connection improvisation. This time with no music to drive me forward or boss me around. It continues to be a fun connection to play with, though I think I lost some specificity about the body parts and moved from hips and feet. Close enough. I wore my glasses so that I also might think a little more about what my eyes are doing. 

I find myself thinking today about a conversation about effort that I had with Rowena when she was doing her 100 days. Maybe one of her prompts had something to do with effort? She mentioned that she was trying to push herself to use more effort more intentionally in her daily life - bike a little faster, walk a little faster than was comfortable. I'm thinking about this now, because it seems in my improvisations lately, I don't want to exert much effort. There is a certain tempo that it is easy to fall into. I want movement to be easy. I could make excuses for this: recent injuries, and admonition not to sweat until my new tattoo heals, space limitations, age. (In a rehearsal the other day, we were supposed to be showing the effort in the phrase we were doing. I did not have a problem doing this. The other dancer, who is 25, asked "oh, so you want me to pretend it's hard?" Yup.

I don't know that any of those reasons are real reasons. Maybe I just want some ease. Is ease boring? 

Probably.

Day 80: bony connectivity pattern, again

#80-81 Entire chunk of saved material is passed through filter(s) of your chosen connectivity patters. If you have not saved anything, run another improvisation with them as cues.

Welcome to 100 day practice, Russian River edition.

Even if I had been saving material, I think I would have lost it after the extended breaks I've been taking. So option 2 it is, run another improvisation. Back to trochanters and toes. This time outside, with live accompaniment. Quite a treat.



Looking at this, I wonder what makes me find certain movements aesthetically pleasing, and why I have a desire to do aesthetically pleasing, pretty things. Straight extended legs. That must come from the long ago ballet training. The hiked hip, the dangly flung arms. When did I learn to love those? Long ago. But why?

Also, focus. I remember dancing around and sort of taking things in with my eyes, but feeling shy about where they might land. Is this some version of what an acting called look-at-me-don't-look-at-me? I think an improvisation led by intentional focus is needed at some point.

I think for 81 I may return yet again to trochanters and toes. Again! Again! I labor under the notion that with enough repetition I'll arrive somewhere else. Not sure I have evidence for this belief. Maybe I will try it without music to see what happens when I'm left entirely to my own devices.