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Movement Session with Zoe Cobb 20/09/10
Movement Session with Zoe Cobb – 20th September 2010
The session focused on Abstract Movement, softening the body to encourage openness and responsiveness - and observing and adopting a shared sense of movement with partners and the whole group.
Summary of exercises
Walking in the space – Feeling the feet in contact with the floor, noticing the bones in the feet and the sense of suspension and fall of walking. Feeling the shoulders drop as if hanging from a coat hanger. Softening and dropping the breath and lengthening the spine through the crown of the head. Noticing details in the room not previously observed, and allowing your energy to fill the room as if walking in a bubble of bright colour.
Finding the moment to walk, run and stop in the space – noticing the impulse of each movement.
Finding the moment to walk, run and stop collectively as a group – whilst keeping the space in balance. We noticed the difficulty in focusing on two tasks at once – trying to notice and fill gaps in the space whilst sensing the impulse of the group to walk, run and stop.
Spinal rolls – Positioning the feet a hip width apart (placing two fists between our feet to feel the distance). Imagining the head filling with sand to release it towards the floor. Dropping into the spinal roll and recovering only on the exhalation (pausing the movement on the inhalation). Bouncing the knees and gently shaking the spine whilst hanging from the spine to find further release.
Softening the Pelvis and aligning the body– checking that the knees were not locked but were soft and responsive. Finding a point of balance by pouring the weight into the toes and heels then centring the body’s weight. Noticing the tightening of the breath in the off balance positions. Allowing the pelvis to rock forwards and back and then drop into the centre.
Floor work – Lying in semi supine and travelling the pelvis towards the ceiling. Releasing the spine back onto the floor on the exhalation, trying to move each vertebra one at a time. We all observed areas of the spine that were more difficult to undulate and release and repeated the exercise several times to try and increase the flexibility of the spine.
From a semi supine position – circling the same arm as leg (arm circles out and over the head, leg circles down and round in the same direction) to find a foetal position – then repeating the movement in reverse, back to semi supine. This exercise used the floor to drop the weight and highlighted the relationship between movement and breath. We developed the movement, finding sitting and standing positions as an extension of the roll. We also played with the breath – noticing how inhaling and exhaling on different movements changed the quality of the movement.
Standing and allowing the arms to swing around the body – this connected us to the idea of a central core that the body could swing around and allowed us to feel a sense of gravity and suspension in the arms whilst releasing the joints.
The bird balance or flying exercise. This was a test of both balance and strength! From a standing pose with legs a hip width apart and arms above the head (palms together), the body tips forward releasing the back leg. The idea is to find a straight line from the head, through the spine and down the leg to form a ‘T’ shape. The arms are spread wide like wings and Zoe encouraged us to find detailed imagery of flying over a landscape. Staying on the supporting leg, the body contracts into a crouched position which was described as a moment of ‘free fall’. This was a lovely image as you then moved from free fall back into the flying pose before gathering the body back to the original standing pose.
Investigating Abstract Movement
We stood with our eyes closed and worked through the body allowing each part to move as it wanted to. The idea was not to dictate movements to the body but to allow a sense of play to lead each body part, so that it could move with its own sense of rhythm – and perhaps surprise us. We focused our attention through the head, shoulders, elbows, chest, lumbar spine/ ribs, pelvis/ hips and feet. We noticed that some areas of our bodies moved in a way that was unexpected to us! Zoe also encouraged us to keep finding new and surprising ways of moving to keep our bodies engaged and noted that any sense of repetitiveness or boredom is often a sign that the body is blocked or disconnected in some way.
Zoe then played music and we started to respond to the music whilst focusing on a quality of movement – for example – moving like smoke, water or with constantly shifting angles. We were encouraged to allow our breath to connect to the movement and engage with the whole body.
We then started to work in groups of 2 or 3. Music was played throughout and we started to observe and adopt the same quality of movement as our partner. This was not so much a mirroring exercise but rather an attempt to find a shared language in the movement. It encouraged us to move in a way that perhaps felt unusual, or less habitual. It also brought up the notion of really seeing and responding to another person’s physical state.
As the exercise developed the leader of each group changed several time until we were encouraged to find a shared language which was both individual and unified (described as being akin to the perfect relationship!). The aim of this was to abandon the notion of a leader and find a collaboration in the movement.
The final stage of the exercise was to take our attention to the group as a whole. This meant that the whole group found a shared way of responding to the music. Zoe talked about the Kinesphere (your own individual movements and extensions into the space), the Microsphere (when your body responds to another individual) and the Macrosphere (where you respond to a larger group).
The Recovery
We calmed and slowed our movements down by imagining that we were moving through thick, viscose air. This proved quite meditational and encouraged us to keep moving but towards a point of stillness.
After a lot of leaping about and sweating we then did some gentle stretches (of the spine, groin, ribs etc) to cool down the body.
This was a wonderful session and a complete joy to see the Factory all sweaty and out of breath! It focused our attention on working with physical impulses – rather than computing everything on a cerebral level. It also encouraged us to really look, see and respond to the movements of other people and sharpened our awareness of our own and other people’s bodies in the space. We discussed the difficulty of moving without prejudging or pre-empting ourselves and trying to shift from preconceived ideas of ‘dance’ or recognised movements into something that is more expressive and connected. We spoke about finding a delight and interest in awkward or unusual movements that might not fit into the criteria of dance or perfect coordination - and how seeing an actor struggle with these movements can be completely engaging. We also spoke about the images that come into our minds when we are moving that are often prompted by specific movements and noted that these can serve both as an embellishment and a distraction at times.
It was wonderful to challenge ourselves physically and to keep surprising ourselves and others. It was also a valuable reminder to work and engage the whole body at all times and tune into the space and other people’s movements and impulses within that space. More work like this for the Factory to shake ourselves I say.....
The session focused on Abstract Movement, softening the body to encourage openness and responsiveness - and observing and adopting a shared sense of movement with partners and the whole group.
Summary of exercises
Walking in the space – Feeling the feet in contact with the floor, noticing the bones in the feet and the sense of suspension and fall of walking. Feeling the shoulders drop as if hanging from a coat hanger. Softening and dropping the breath and lengthening the spine through the crown of the head. Noticing details in the room not previously observed, and allowing your energy to fill the room as if walking in a bubble of bright colour.
Finding the moment to walk, run and stop in the space – noticing the impulse of each movement.
Finding the moment to walk, run and stop collectively as a group – whilst keeping the space in balance. We noticed the difficulty in focusing on two tasks at once – trying to notice and fill gaps in the space whilst sensing the impulse of the group to walk, run and stop.
Spinal rolls – Positioning the feet a hip width apart (placing two fists between our feet to feel the distance). Imagining the head filling with sand to release it towards the floor. Dropping into the spinal roll and recovering only on the exhalation (pausing the movement on the inhalation). Bouncing the knees and gently shaking the spine whilst hanging from the spine to find further release.
Softening the Pelvis and aligning the body– checking that the knees were not locked but were soft and responsive. Finding a point of balance by pouring the weight into the toes and heels then centring the body’s weight. Noticing the tightening of the breath in the off balance positions. Allowing the pelvis to rock forwards and back and then drop into the centre.
Floor work – Lying in semi supine and travelling the pelvis towards the ceiling. Releasing the spine back onto the floor on the exhalation, trying to move each vertebra one at a time. We all observed areas of the spine that were more difficult to undulate and release and repeated the exercise several times to try and increase the flexibility of the spine.
From a semi supine position – circling the same arm as leg (arm circles out and over the head, leg circles down and round in the same direction) to find a foetal position – then repeating the movement in reverse, back to semi supine. This exercise used the floor to drop the weight and highlighted the relationship between movement and breath. We developed the movement, finding sitting and standing positions as an extension of the roll. We also played with the breath – noticing how inhaling and exhaling on different movements changed the quality of the movement.
Standing and allowing the arms to swing around the body – this connected us to the idea of a central core that the body could swing around and allowed us to feel a sense of gravity and suspension in the arms whilst releasing the joints.
The bird balance or flying exercise. This was a test of both balance and strength! From a standing pose with legs a hip width apart and arms above the head (palms together), the body tips forward releasing the back leg. The idea is to find a straight line from the head, through the spine and down the leg to form a ‘T’ shape. The arms are spread wide like wings and Zoe encouraged us to find detailed imagery of flying over a landscape. Staying on the supporting leg, the body contracts into a crouched position which was described as a moment of ‘free fall’. This was a lovely image as you then moved from free fall back into the flying pose before gathering the body back to the original standing pose.
Investigating Abstract Movement
We stood with our eyes closed and worked through the body allowing each part to move as it wanted to. The idea was not to dictate movements to the body but to allow a sense of play to lead each body part, so that it could move with its own sense of rhythm – and perhaps surprise us. We focused our attention through the head, shoulders, elbows, chest, lumbar spine/ ribs, pelvis/ hips and feet. We noticed that some areas of our bodies moved in a way that was unexpected to us! Zoe also encouraged us to keep finding new and surprising ways of moving to keep our bodies engaged and noted that any sense of repetitiveness or boredom is often a sign that the body is blocked or disconnected in some way.
Zoe then played music and we started to respond to the music whilst focusing on a quality of movement – for example – moving like smoke, water or with constantly shifting angles. We were encouraged to allow our breath to connect to the movement and engage with the whole body.
We then started to work in groups of 2 or 3. Music was played throughout and we started to observe and adopt the same quality of movement as our partner. This was not so much a mirroring exercise but rather an attempt to find a shared language in the movement. It encouraged us to move in a way that perhaps felt unusual, or less habitual. It also brought up the notion of really seeing and responding to another person’s physical state.
As the exercise developed the leader of each group changed several time until we were encouraged to find a shared language which was both individual and unified (described as being akin to the perfect relationship!). The aim of this was to abandon the notion of a leader and find a collaboration in the movement.
The final stage of the exercise was to take our attention to the group as a whole. This meant that the whole group found a shared way of responding to the music. Zoe talked about the Kinesphere (your own individual movements and extensions into the space), the Microsphere (when your body responds to another individual) and the Macrosphere (where you respond to a larger group).
The Recovery
We calmed and slowed our movements down by imagining that we were moving through thick, viscose air. This proved quite meditational and encouraged us to keep moving but towards a point of stillness.
After a lot of leaping about and sweating we then did some gentle stretches (of the spine, groin, ribs etc) to cool down the body.
This was a wonderful session and a complete joy to see the Factory all sweaty and out of breath! It focused our attention on working with physical impulses – rather than computing everything on a cerebral level. It also encouraged us to really look, see and respond to the movements of other people and sharpened our awareness of our own and other people’s bodies in the space. We discussed the difficulty of moving without prejudging or pre-empting ourselves and trying to shift from preconceived ideas of ‘dance’ or recognised movements into something that is more expressive and connected. We spoke about finding a delight and interest in awkward or unusual movements that might not fit into the criteria of dance or perfect coordination - and how seeing an actor struggle with these movements can be completely engaging. We also spoke about the images that come into our minds when we are moving that are often prompted by specific movements and noted that these can serve both as an embellishment and a distraction at times.
It was wonderful to challenge ourselves physically and to keep surprising ourselves and others. It was also a valuable reminder to work and engage the whole body at all times and tune into the space and other people’s movements and impulses within that space. More work like this for the Factory to shake ourselves I say.....
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