Shawbrook Dance Residency
Project Description
‘A return to nature- A question of connection.’
In a world that is saturated by the influence of technology, I intend to explore the question of connectivity. What makes us human? And what is the true meaning of being connected to another, and to the world? By employing site specific and studio-based explorations and techniques, including devices rooted in somatic practice, contact improvisation and therapeutic myofascial release integration, this project looks to create and represent the connection between human life and nature.
I intend to investigate what influence nature has on the body, the creative practice, and emerging movement, with consideration to how we are all connected on a cellular level. Translating findings into a new creative piece, I will develop solo movement scores inspired and influenced by the connection, and (re)connection humans have and experience with and within nature.
How I will spend my week:
I will spend my week with shared time both in nature and in the studio. While in nature I will look to engage with the site specific, natural architecture of the area, and create elements of solo movement scores with the influence of this outdoor space, channelling and adopting the elements of nature into the movement created. I will also take photographs to use throughout the process, to act as stimuli for both dance vocabulary and for drawing connections between the ecology of nature and the human body. These findings will influence quality of the movement vocabulary, as well as choreographic elements such as floor pattern and shape.
Time spent in the studio will include specific tasks and exercises, connecting to the breath, use of somatic practices for preparing the body for creating specific qualities of movement, and for tying together and refining the end movement score. My choreographic processes will bring to bear many research and chorographical methods, including but not limited to, heuristic inquiry, somatic inquiry and will also include the merging of dancerly knowledge, writerly knowledge and signature practices, for data collection, analysis and interpretation.
Workshop Opportunity
I will end my week long residency by teaching a workshop on my methodology to both dancers and non-dancers. The workshop will take place at Shawbrook, on Friday 9th of October at 11am. (Workshop details coming soon).