somanaut dance: Remembering Internal Extremes

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Remembering Internal Extremes

Sharing some research for my thesis:

From More Than Meat Joy (1979) by Carolee Schneemann:

“Gesture is three-dimensional in quality; it is nureo-muscular: remembrance and recognition are linked to basic kinesthetic identification. Gesture is in the spine; it is intangible and cannot be grasped without feeling it.

[…]

Physiology of the Dancers
With the dancers I find two channels of movement occur:

1. a naturalistic attitude of the body in actual space.

2. involvement from within the body as projective space.

[…]

I want the dancers to reach for extremes. The material I present requires breakthroughs in intensity, in emotive location…strong feeling for concentration on new movement…or familiar movement performed as if it were uniquely present for them. This demands resources of available psychic energy which may never have been called for before in their dancing.

Their odies are capable of feats; in so far as possible they are—as a group—inquiitive, adventurour. Grounded in their implacable and moving traditions they scent clearly the forms which they must search to break clear of past traditions. Itis not enough to see this necessity; only a few are held by an emotion desperate and strong enough to carry them through. Their own needs are in process; my visions of movement often upset them—they cry ‘impossible’ just as a traditional cellist does when instructions call the bow to the bridge! I have been able to perform all I asked of them.”(p. 16-17)

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somanaut dance

Somanaut Dance is where I house my somatic movement dance education and choreographic explorations. For me, the two are inextricably linked processes, which grow from the same soil.

Somatic Movement Dance Education:
Somanaut dance is a place to explore the intersection between embodied somatic movement and dance. I am dedicated to free and innovative exploration of the living body through meditative and creative deep, internal listening and movement, and strive to create a sense of greater awareness, spaciousness, support, and positive well-being through our movement practices.

Choreographic Pursuits:
I create intellectual, contemporary work that is process-driven and somatically-informed. Through the use of democratic approaches and collaborative co-creation, I honor many bodies and many voices. I begin my process with dialogues which balance brain and body, thought and felt explorations, intellectual processes and lived experiences. My dance works feature relational collages which expand in thoughtful, open, and contemplative ways. Within the conceptual frameworks of my movement, I offer interrelational spaces for regaining play, wellness, and moments of support. I urge my audiences to think and feel simultaneously. I relish asking the juicy questions—zealously embodying the inquisition and kinaesthetically problem-solving— whether answers exist or not.