DANIELA ANAYA AMAYA
Dancer - Performing Artist
How does somatic practice transform my technical training as a dancer?
This question stems from the personal discovery that I had last semester during which I had a daily yoga practice and after which I could notice great changes in my approach to technical training. During the previous semester I made the decision to make a change and chose to see the basic technique of oriental somatics instead of classical ballet.
After 4 months of daily practice, when analyzing my process in the contemporary dance class and in the ensemble, I realized that without intending to, I had a new awareness about my body and my abilities. Among the many changes that I noticed, one of the ones that excited me the most was my awareness of breathing; Breathing had always been difficult for me, I forgot to breathe or was agitated too much, I had no control over my cardiovascular endurance. However, by the end of the semester, she already had the ability to breathe consciously and deeply even in the most difficult moments and when she was exhausted.
Then I wondered what would happen when consciously applying different somatic methods to technical training in contemporary dance. Taking into account that my individual physical, emotional and mental needs are unique, I propose to identify which elements of the different somatic practices are useful and applicable to my technical training process as a dancer. For this I will investigate some somatic methods and look for direct applications to my technical process through consciousness during dance class.
Introduction
Basic Oriental Somatic Technique. 2018
Context
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Hate
Dir. Arnulfo Pardo 2018
First of all, it is necessary to clarify certain terms and contextualize the question. The first element of this question is me. My soma is the place from which this research will develop. Second is somatic awareness, as it is the lens I want to apply to a specific situation. This specific situation is "release" training.
Since it is from myself that this research is going to be carried out, it is important to clarify that I have a training of 15 years in contemporary dance and classical ballet and that, although the academies to which I belonged had a somatic approach to teaching, It was only when I entered the career (that is, four years ago) that I really began to have a somatic vision in the field of performing arts.
But what is somatics? It is the disciplinary field that studies the soma. Thomas Hanna in "The body of life" defines the soma as the living body in its completeness (Hanna, 1980). That is, the soma is a living body understood in all its aspects, emotional, physical, psychological and sensory. And somatics is the study of that body, a study that can only be done in the first person and in the present. Some somatic methods that I will explore in my research are Ideokinesis, Topf Technique, Alexander Technique, Eutonia, Sensoperception, Klein Technique, among others that you may encounter during the process.
The Release technique is not really a technique. It is a series of research principles that groups many "techniques". It is a training or study method that seeks to re-educate or improve motor skills and balance. It is important to clarify that it is not a technique since it does not belong to a single person, that is, it does not have a single creator, but rather a group of multiple researchers who work from these principles; does not have a defined choreographic vocabulary; and it is not part of an aesthetic project. The Release seeks the investigation of movement through alignment, the conception of the human being as an integral being, the use of images to awaken kinesthetic experiences, the exploration of anatomical potential and the interest in the creative process. The study of the principles of Release generates a particular quality of movement that can be described as tension-free and fluid.
An important condition for this work is that the research will be carried out from concepts, ideas and terms that emerge from the readings, expositions and practices rather than from the methods themselves.
The first method that I decided to apply to my training was Ideokinesis. This method consists of imagining movement, which activates the central nervous system (Bernard, 2006). Its creator, Mabel Todd, investigated the union between mind and body; and the body as an integrated system. In his work he talks about nervous responses and re-patterning through the creation of new neural pathways.
The concept I decided to apply was imagination. Since the practical class in which I am applying the concepts is the assembly, the material is already fixed. For this reason, I chose throughout the day to imagine the movement. The experience was interesting since the choreography was transformed every time I imagined it. At first I just imagined the movement, not paying attention to details. But as the movement in my head continued to pass, I focused on new aspects, I began to question what the motors of movement were, when certain parts of the body relaxed or contracted, what was the path of the head, of the hands, knees, where to push, reach. Many questions arose, some that I was able to solve myself and others that I had to consult with the choreographer and with my partner.
At the time of doing the choreography I found that my muscles recognized it and allowed my head to focus on new elements, on motivation, on impulse, rhythm, breathing. Now I try to pass the choreography once or twice a day in my head, looking for the paths I travel and the way to make them more comfortable, efficient and precise.
The Klein technique was developed by Susan Klein in the 1970s. It consists of seeking movement from the innermost bones or muscles. It seeks to release tension and find the right activation for the movement. The search for alignment and awareness are key in this method (Eddy, 2009). The concept that I decided to deepen was alignment awareness.
Research
Hate
Dir. Arnulfo Pardo 2018
Hate
Dir. Arnulfo Pardo 2018
I decided to apply the concept to the warm-up of the class. Before I begin I take a moment to acknowledge my alignment and to search my memory for the physical sensations of muscle work. Throughout the warm-up I am looking for the organization in my body, the activation of my center and the relaxation of those parts that are not working at that moment.
When I manage to relax those parts that should not be activated at that moment, the physical fatigue is much less. Without a doubt, this exercise takes much more time since working on motor control seems more complicated to me. At first he could only perceive at times which muscles he was activating. After two weeks of practicing this I can recognize when there is excessive tension in my muscles and sometimes I can relax them without much effort.
When I decided to apply the idea of the primary control of the Alexander technique it was clear to me that I had to analyze, first, how I was stopping. This was very useful as the work I am working on requires a particular physicality. For this work it is necessary to change quickly from a “dancer” alignment, with a neutral pelvis, elongated spine, ankle, knee and hip alignment, long neck and relaxed shoulders, to a position with the pelvis with a little retroversion, drooping shoulders and forward head. During the rehearsals I was exploring different variations of the postures to find those that were most useful to me.
At this point I have found efficient ways to move between one posture and another during the play. The challenge has been to keep this awareness out of rehearsals as I have found positions that are "more comfortable" but not so healthy that they begin to appear in moments of neglect.
Analysis and reflection
During these almost three weeks I managed to find ways to become more self-aware. Certain ideas and concepts allowed me to discover new ways of doing. After three weeks concentrating on particular aspects of the technique I feel more versatile and available to face the movement.
After a class improvisation that sought fluidity and freedom of movement, I wrote the following paragraph:
The freedom of not having to make decisions with your head because the body is in charge of guiding you along the tastiest path. Feeling the weight, the air, the sweat, and the gravity in such a way that there is no pressure, just a kind of cellular attention. Each molecule moves according to a spontaneous organization that responds to the present experience. (Taken from my blog)
Focusing my attention on physical experiences freed me from rational decisions that were guided by habit and allowed me to build new paths for action.
I want to conclude with the following sentence that I wrote after another improvisation.
“It is important to create patterns because they are different ways to 'solve'. The more patterns, the greater the adaptability "
Whats Next?
The next step in this process is to continue research and experimentation. Continue reading, discovering, analyzing and bringing this awareness to my body.
I would like to take this work to the discovery of new ways of learning dance, applicable to other somas. In this way, I would like this project not to be an investigation only for me, but to be useful for other dancers and non-dancers, people interested in movement as a form of communication and physical and mental healing.
Hate
Dir. Arnulfo Pardo 2018
Hate
Dir. Arnulfo Pardo 2018
The photos belong to the work Hate, who was working during the investigation and with which I made the project
Bibliography
- You , Hanna. The body of life. 1980.
- A, Bernard; W, Steinmüller; U, Stricker.
Ideokinesis: A Creative Approach to Human Movement and Body Alignment. 2006.
- M, Eddy. A brief history of somatic practices and dance: historical development of the field of somatic education and its relationship to dance. 2009