This week, in our first contemporary dance sessions, we focussed on a dance practitioner called Martha Graham, who specialises in contraction, which is about holding in you’re core, and working on making it stronger.
Learning about this choreographer in particular made me realise the fact that core strength helps you become a better mover, not just in dance, but for acting as well. The first technique that we got taught was called ‘bounces’, which involves tilting you’re head towards the floor and bouncing for sixteen counts. We had to do the bounces with our heels together on the floor, then in second position, then with straight legs and flexed feet. This exercise I did find quite difficult, as it involves you contracting you’re stomach in a lot and this can make you feel quite sick sometimes.
Moving on from Graham, the next dance practitioner that we focussed on was named Merce Cunningham, who specialises in mainly ballet and sometimes contemporary. The main thing that I found fascinating about Cunningham is the fact that there is very little core work involved, which I did find quite easy, as I’m used to dancing without holding in my core, as I do sometimes forget to hold it in.
Week 2 (03/10/2017 – 05/10/2017)
This week, we continued to work on both Graham and Cunningham techniques and improving both our cores and technique.
Personally, going over these choreographers has given me inspiration of what I could do with these specific techniques, whether it would be when it comes to devising work, or for auditions for the future. Furthermore, this will also help me with future assessments, as I can then figure out what I need to do right, in order for me to perfect a certain technique area in which I need to work on. One of the techniques I feel like I need to work on is called a ‘spiral’.
I find this to be one of the hardest techniques, as t always focus on the top half of my body, and tend to forget about what my feel are meant to be doing.
On the other hand, I find Cunningham slightly harder than Graham, as Cunningham requires quite a lot of balance exercises, in which I need to improve on.
Week 3 (10/10/2017 – 12/10/2017)
From now on, every week we focus on both Graham and Cunningham technique, as this is what our assessment will be based on.
I would say that I’ve definitely improved in both techniques, as I feel like my balance as become a lot better, due to holding in my core, which has helped made it stronger.
In Graham, I tend to struggle a lot with floor work, as sometimes my feet a pointed when their meant to be flexed, and sometimes my legs do whatever feels like it needs to do.
Below is a video of floor work, invented by Graham. Some of the movement in this video are quite intermediate, so I haven’t had any experience with that level yet. Exercises involving contraction, high releases and box splits are what I’m learning at the moment, which are also featured in this video.
Cunningham this week I found quite stressful, similar to Graham, as I still have trouble with my feet. In Cunningham, some of the movement is required on the balls of you’re feet, and this requires core strength and balance which I’m getting the hang of, but I’m not quite there yet.
Week 4 (17/10/2017 – 19/10/2017)
This week, I felt like I’ve made an improvement on Graham more than Cunningham. I defiantly feel more comfortable performing Graham, as, in my opinion, Graham is easier to pick up on.
One of the exercises that I struggled with the most at the beginning of the year was spirals, as I always had a habit of moving my hips along with my torso, but now that I’ve got stronger feet and a stronger core, my hips are now firmly on the ground, rather than them being lifted up.
A new technique was taught to us this week, called a ‘bison’, which involves both you’re legs being in an ‘attitude’ position, which is with both knees bent and feet pointed.
Also, we were tasked with creating a bison position, but in the form of a jump, along with a contraction. personally, I found this quite strange to do, as when I perform jumps, I’m not used to looking at the floor. I’m used to looking at the direction in which I’m meant to be jumping to.
Week 5 (31/10/2017 – 02/11/2017)
By this week, I’m definitely thinking that my technique is becoming more recognisable, in the means of pointing my feet (whereas before I always had a habit of having my feet flexed, especially when it comes to the floor exercises), and my posture (as I sometimes tend to hunch over).
I feel as though that I’ve improved on these two errors that I’ve had in dance over the past few weeks, as I’ve noticed a difference of whether I’m doing a certain step right or not. If I’m experiencing pain in any part of my body then I know that I’m doing it right, as both Graham and Cunningham require a lot of strength, especially when it comes to plies and tendus.
Over the next few weeks, I will continue to stretch myself in both Graham and Cunningham, and what I’ve learnt this week is that pushing yourself in every exercise helps you to improve you’re technique, as this is what all of us are getting marked. It’s not just about performing, but also if you’ve got the right positions, haven’t got the correct details in you’re hands and feet etc.
Week 6 (07/11/2017 – 09/11/2017)
This week, we had the idea of filming all of our dance classes, as this would benefit us when it comes to the assessment, as this will help us fix any errors, whether it would our posture, feet, timing etc.
Graham Technique Class:
Watching these videos back, I particularly struggled with the exercise on six (knees and contraction), as at the moment, my core is fairly weak, which means that contracting if quite difficult for me, but working on a much stronger core will definitely help when it comes to that exercise.
Cunningham Technique Class:
Personally, I felt like I’d improved in this class, as I feel like I’m getting better at performing the back stretches, along with the bounces.
Then, we got taught a new technique called ‘Curves and Tilts’, and an exercise on six, which is very diverse to Graham’s version of exercise on six. Both of these I feel strongly positive about, as I picked them up fairly quickly and I feel like my muscle memory is improving by being in both Graham and Cunningham classes.
Week 7 (14/11/2017 – 16/11/2017)
My confidence definitely grew this week in dance, as I feel like I’m improving week by week, and even though I might not be as good as my peers, I’m still working hard and personally achieving what I’m capable of doing, as an aspiring artist.
One of the exercises that I feel like I’m getting better at is called ‘Triplets’, which is mentioned in the third part of the Cunningham technique class video. When I first learnt this, my body wasn’t thinking straight, as this requires you to do two completely different things with you’re arms and legs. You’re arms are either always in third or first position, and you’re feet are always meant to be in first position whilst moving across the space.
Week 8 (21/11/2017 – 23/11/2017)
This week was the final week before our assessment, so we cracked on with learning all of the exercises in both Graham and Cunningham.
As the weeks have progressed, I personally feel like my technique has improved, as before was didn’t really feel comfortable and confident about my technique in any forms of dance, but now, I can safely say that I now know that being taught something that is out of you’re comfort zone is something that is going to aspire you into feeling more confident.
The very first exercise in both Graham and Cunningham, is called ‘bounces’ and they are both slightly similar. Graham’s style involves you sitting on you’re sit bone and contracting, then doing sixteen counts, then releasing. Cunningham involves you standing up and having no tension in the upper half of you’re body. Throughout the weeks, I kept on contracting in Cunningham and not contracting at all sometimes in Graham, so now I feel like I’ve mastered when and when not to contract. Moreover, the timing I found to be slightly strange, as in Graham, you’re counting sixteen counts in you’re head, whereas, in Cunningham, you’re counting the bounces, so some people kept on getting mixed up with the timing, but once we managed to figure out the timing, the majority of us knew the counts for both styles of technique.
Devised Project 