Today we stood and brought our attention to the small dance. This is the dance of our proprioception keeping us from falling over. It consists of minor adjustments that normally remain unconscious. Once we bring our awareness to the small dance, we become aware of the ability of our bodies to right themselves. All this monitoring and assessing happens without our active participation. What did this small dance feel like? Was it a surprise?
Today we also walked with a friend. We lead partners around the space by the hands, shoulders and palms. What did it feel like to lead? What was the experience of being lead? What did it feel like in the body to be lead by an unseen stranger?
Today, (boy we did alot) we also had fun. We stood in the circle and ran and changed places. We said our names and made gestures. What does fun feel like in the body?
26 comments:
Reflecting on the "small dance", during the exercise I felt secure and strong. Our bodies are so much more capable than what we give them credit for. Walking with a partner was surprisingly intimate. I had no time to be self conscious or shy because I was too worried about not following well, or bumping into something. As for the final game, an introvert like me deeply dislikes activities like that. It was nice to learn the names of other students, and of course some parts of it were funny, but overall the activity was stressful, not fun. I left wondering what the relationship was between strengthening your mind-body connection, and games like that. Your comment on this blog sheds some helpful light on how it fit in to the objective of the course.
I was first to lead my partner, whom for the first time i just met and touched, what a way to meet. With that being said, it felt really weird and awkward having a single point of contact or even two with the other person while leading them in random directions. i felt like i had total control of her, sweeping her around the floor, dodging other people as they are doing the same. Once the tables turned and i was the one being led, i felt completely lost and my personal bubble/comfort shattered. It seemed that i was being controlled with only but a single touch, i had to really pay attention to my senses and try to follow as she did the guiding. Definitely a new and weird experience that i enjoyed where i had to put my trust into a complete stranger (in a controlled environment), now knowing or seeing who it was at the time.
As for the "name running" game, that was really fun. the excitement of finding eye contact and deciding whether to run from person to person was definitely blood rising. the music also helped in the energy and mood as it set the tone of the game, slow tempo to fast, changing peoples thoughts and participating more and more, or less. The day was full of excitement and fun, definitely a lot accomplished, interconnecting the mind and the body along with complete class involvement.
I’ve noticed the small dance before, when I’ve been standing for too long and I am tired, but I’ve never really paid attention to it and appreciated its beauty. In class yesterday, I was surprised to realize just how amazing the small dance within us is and how well each “step” of the dance is choreographed. I also was impressed by our ability to get so close to others when we were walking about the room and yet be able to adjust at the last minute in order to avoid a collision.
Being led around the room in total blindness by people that are strangers to me was a feeling unlike any other feeling I have ever felt. It was incredible that I was able to put so much trust into someone so quickly. The connection and intimacy of this activity astonished me; I even experienced a tingling sensation at points throughout my walk. Contrastingly, leading did not have the same intimacy. I feel that the focus shifted to making sure that I did not run my partner into anything as well as making sure I made the experience as wonderful for them as it was for me.
Excitement, slightly elevated heart rate and a desire to jump up and down or dance are the feelings I associated with the final activity of the day. What’s more is that I felt a sense of joy for the rest of the day. Overall, I thought Tuesday’s activities were very enjoyable and intriguing. ~Miranda Schmidt
January 15, 2009
“…the dance of our proprioception keeping us from falling over,” I was unaware of this quality within our consciousness, though through the exercise came to recognize it quite clearly. It is powerful to recognize how much our body does for us that we are unaware of. This realization called me to express internal gratitude for my soma.
We practiced the art of interpersonal connection; hands touching, making eye-contact, brushing up against one another. This can be intimidating, in life we don’t always choose to touch or look at strangers. The space we are creating in the room feels sacred and safe, thus the exercise did not feel so scary.
I loved being led. I live my life with a mindfulness and intention, which translates into a life moved by divine time and supreme organization. I feel like I have a lot of control in my world. To be led is to let go, to trust another which felt so freeing. It was a nice opportunity to give back and to offer leadership to another. I was hoping that I could invite that same feeling of freedom to the individuals I led. I tried to be smooth and fluid in my transitions as I led….I love practicing trust.
Authentic Movement –
“Making time and space for the unconscious to manifest in the movement and stillness of the body. Attending to impulse. Embodying the flow of the imagination in movement and stillness.”
An opportunity to listen.
Being witnessed
I was surprised at my lack of inhibition in the space; I think that is reflective of the sacred environment we are co-creating. I feel happy, at ease and free of stories. I was told that my breath is visible in my movement, this comment lights me up. Breath has evolved into a vital component of my life and movement practices. I feel excited that it was witnessed.
As witness
I feel calm, content and free of judgment; my presence supporting another body’s exploration of self.
Thank you for the opportunity.
L. Goldberg
The beauty of these movement studies that we did in today’s class is that the more you do them, the more they serve you. I have done the “tiny dance” many times, and each time I revisit it I am able to learn and observe more deeply. This time my body was more connected, as a whole being experiencing the beautiful dance of my body in perceived stillness, whereas in times before I was more in awe of the happenings in my lower legs as I attempted to simply stand.
A couple days prior to this class period I was walking home in the dark and the mist and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and sense my environment as I walked. I was wishing someone were there with me to lead as I felt the cool mist on my face and the shadows of the street lamps pass by. So then, when we began this exercise in class, my body was thrilled. I led my partner first through the space in what felt like a beautiful dance of nonverbal communication. I loved the music that was playing and I loved how receptive and trusting my partner was to my touch. When it was my turn to be led, I was finally able to expand my other senses with my eyes closed and feel an immense sense of freedom even though I was dependent on my partner’s care. I felt like my partner was following me as much as I was following her. What a gift.
The last exercise I was honestly not as into. I have again played many name games, and while it is wonderful to learn the names of my fellow students, my body has some aversion to the idea of them. However, the more we went on, especially with the trading places game, the more I allowed or encouraged my body to be silly and free and playful. I felt the others in the class doing so also which made it even more fun. I liked getting my heart rate up a little and feeling the visual alliances made before we had to run for our lives to the other spot. I especially loved doing our name and gesture in the center then having everyone repeat it because then I felt more like the center of attention in a welcoming way rather than the monkey in the middle with coodies.
In other dance classes I have taken the class has been instructed to bring their attention to the "tiny dance" of our body. I believe that when we did this in class it was the deepest connection I had with it. To me the movements of my body finding balance, slowly manipulating itself so I would not fall, was very prominent. Each adjustment seemed a lot bigger than any other time I remember focusing on it before. I tribute this sensation to how we begin each day in class. I think that laying down on the floor and really finding a sense of the body's sensation with no interruptions helps open the mind to a clearer, easier grasped and acknowledgement of what was occuring.
I have also done this partner work in a past class, however I believe that I have grown more comfortable in the dark, so the experience had an added realm to it. In the past I have never been one to keep my eyeslosed for extended periods of time, especially when in motion or in the company of a large group of people. Through the modern classes I have taken at UW I have had exercises where this was a primary component of the task at had. I think that the first time I did many of these exercises I was focusing more on the fact that my eyes were closed than the actual experience I was having.
When it was my turn to lead the partner it was amazing how even the slightest bit of pressure could help them understand where I wanted to navigate their body in the space. Each position whether it be leading with both palms against the upper back, one hand held and on palm on the same back, or both palm flat touching each other was able to communicate movement. I was the leader first and I think that it seemed the lighter and more gentle the touch was, the easier and quicker the person that was being led reacted.
As one being led I found that my assumptions were right, I did find a small state of panic when we had people change partners and I was the one who had my eyes closed, because it was really interesting to stand with eyes closed, no knowledge of where I was in the room and I thought no one was going to lead me. Then I felt a gentle touch that hadn't even frightened me, it was friendly and slowly started to lead me through the room and I think because the touch was friendly it was easy to trust, even with no knowledge of who was doing the leading.
Fun in the body...what does it feel like?
Hmmm that's a tough question, I guess even in real fun situations I have never paid attention to what it feels like...because it seems redundant to state "Well...it felt fun." Recalling back to that day, my body was definitely relaxed and didn't hold a lot of tension. I am sure that I wasn't holding myself in any way I felt that I should, just how I wanted to stand. When I met eyes with someone in the circle and knew it was my turn to run across my entire body acted on that impulse and didn't hold back. I guess I could say that my body didn't have many inhibitions when "fun" was being experienced.
The small dance was a very different experience. When thinking about it, standing with our eyes closed seems so simple. But actually doing it and thinking about it was more complicated then it appeared to be. It was very much a surprise. I noticed that I swayed a lot in order to keep my balance. I also had to bend my knees often to keep from getting stiff.
The partner leading exercise was also a surprise to me because on paper it seems so simple, but actually doing it makes it a lot different. I felt like this was very much a trusting activity. When I was being lead, I had to do completely trust my partner. My partner was in total control of where I was going. I had no idea. It was a very scary experience not knowing where you are going, especially because there were many people in the room in your exact same position. But being the leader was just as strange. Even though I was in control, I felt more responsible for my partner. I did not want to lead her in anyway that would result in a collision. I tried my best to listen to my leader when my eyes were closed. I moved as slow as possible because it made it easier for me to feel what she wanted me to do. But when I was the leader I felt like my partner was more so leading me rather me leading her.
I loved the fact that we finally had the chance to introduce ourselves in class. I feel like this class is a very inviting place and I want to know who I am sharing this wonderful experience with. The circle game was a lot of fun. It warmed up my body because I was running around and laughing. Fun is that exact feeling, the feeling of warmth throughout your whole body. It was nice to see everyone enjoying themselves and smiling.
-Jasmine Boado
Strange how a few days before I noticed the small dance while doing yoga. While standing in the class I almost felt scared feeling the dance, like my body could fall over at any moment. But it didn't, and somehow I continued to stand upright. Letting go of my minds grasp on the whole thing allowed me to just stand, just breath, just exist.
Once we began to walk around the room I began to cry a little. My body felt so free and light and wonderful, and there was such good energy in the room.
Being led blindly around the room was sensational, literally. I have done a lot of different partner dancing and feel pretty comfortable being the follower or the leader. This was a dance, and with heightened senses we flowed effortlessly around the room.
Playing the circle game allowed me a giddiness and lightheartedness I haven't really felt in years. I felt like a little girl and the smiles of everyone in the room only added to the delight.
-L. O'Neill
It almost seems strange that although we stand all the time, we never seem to notice the actual thing that is keeping us upright. At the very beginning of this “small dance”, I was nervous that I would fall over. It seemed that my body was intentionally making me wobble and so I tried to counteract this. However, after a short time I gave up and just let my body sway slightly, and in doing so realized that my body wasn’t trying to unbalance me, but instead was actually doing the exact opposite. It even became sort of soothing, a familiar sway filled with minute adjustments that never seemed to disturb the pattern.
Walking with a friend made me a little tense at first. Would my hands be sweaty? Would I trip over my feet? Or even worse, would I trip over their feet? These questions quickly faded because I realized that all I had to do was be lead, and that was a big enough task on its own. Yet it was nice to not have to think anything through, and to instead just let my body follow the rhythms and patterns of someone else. I didn’t even mind when the person leading switched with someone else, it just seemed as if there was a brief pause in the pattern.
I thought that the game was a good way to get to know people. Not even necessarily to know names but just to know faces. It is extremely personal to force eye contact with someone. Looking at them and hoping that they’ll look back. However, each time this eye contact was made and a new “alliance” was formed, it made me a little more self-assured for the next time I looked across the circle. -Emily Stromme
The small dance felt like a struggle between my conscious and subconscious mind. When I began to realize and feel the small dance, my logical and conscious mind immediately tried to control it; trying to take the subconscious workings of my balance and manipulate them. When my conscious mind tried to correct the leaning to one side it over corrected in its inexperience with the small dance. I found that bending my knees and relaxing my body wit eyes closed made my body sway more as if I were to fall in any second.
Being the leader and the follower both made me feel very aware of the connection with my partner and my success in the position I was in. As a leader my mind wanted me to be perfect; changing positioning, speeds, and directions without bumping anyone or being awkward. My body wanted me to feel the warmth and air brushing by from other groups. My body wanted to just take in the music and the movement, not the right or wrong, success or failure. As a follower, I had the same sensation of wantin to succeed and wanting to be an undifficult partner; like a horse easily lead to greener grass. but my body was hesitant with mistrust and questioning. My feet would feel for the floor for as long as possible before taking the next step and my hands would move to my front to guide my way even when I had a guide to lead me. I would fight to feel the little pushes and pulls of my partners touch and follow as swiftly as I could. As the partner changed to an unseen leader, I felt no less mistrust, but only more curiosity and my mind tried to construct new senses of this stranger into a piture of who was leading me; man or woman, tall or short, a good friend or someone I had never met, and what their voice sounded like. All of these predictons based on their touch, the feeling of the air between, and the sond of their steps.
The fun in the circle was amazingly refreshing and much needed. The antipation of what to say on your next turn mixed with the excitement to meet new people and try to remember their names or copy their gestures. Not only anticipation and excitement, but the air of friendly competition. The win-win situation of finding a spot in the circle or letting the whole circle know your name and holding the spotlight. MY body was happy with the movement, the emotions, the group. Everything.
-Jessica J.
What I most learned from the “small dance” is how amazing our bodies really are. When I stood with my eyes closed, I found my body swaying. At first I tried to fight the sway, but then I just went with it. This worked, and I found myself really enjoying the “small dance.” It is funny to think how I have always felt that the swaying of my body when I try and stand so still is actually the bodies balancing act and not an unbalancing act. I will be far more embracing of this “small dance” for the rest of my life.
I actually led two people. I liked being the leader, even if it was a little awkward being so much in care of a person I didn’t know. It was amazing to find out how little my touch needed to be to get them to move where I wanted them to. I worried a bit that I would cause them to trip or collide, but the more we did it the more confident I became. When I was being led, I liked the feeling of putting my trust in someone else’s hands. It was almost as if I could take a break from responsibility. It reminded me of an experiment I did when I was in grade school where we were learning what it would be like to be blind. This experience was different though, because I was more aware of letting my body just move. I found it a good exercise for learning how to let go.
I liked the name-running game. I think I will use it sometime when I am teaching a new group of kids. I had a lot of fun running to different people in the circle. I felt the music really helped energize the mood of the game. It was fun, yet sometimes uncomfortably personal to make such complete eye contact. I liked the silliness of the game too, but my favorite part was the high energy of it. I think that even if I don’t remember the names, I will feel more connected to everyone after this game.
The "slow dance" that we were doing seemed easy for me at first. I stand all the time and now I just have to close my eyes and just let go a bit. When it came to the real thing and I closed my eyes and tried to let go, I was about to loose my balance a couple of times. I felt like I was about to fall any second.I used the bending of the knees to maintain my balance and relax my body. It was a pretty interesting experience.
Leading other people was very fun. It felt good and amazing. I loved the fact that I was able to move them forward, back and around. I used minimum amount of touch and yet lead them perfectly. The two people I moved around trusted me and followed whatever I did. When it was time for me to close my eyes and have someone lead me, I didn't know what to expect. The last person I moved around told me it was an amazing feeling, so I let go of my tensions, relaxed my body and closed my eyes and tried to not think about it too much. Oh boy,I was hearing everybody's footsteps and all the sounds around me getting near and far and that just made my mind go crazy telling me what to do. Even though I was being moved around very nicely but I still wanted to take control and stop or go to a corner where nobody was going to bump into me. The fact that my eyes were closed was confusing my brain. I tried to relax my body and shut down my mind a bit and just be pulled and pushed to wherever. It felt better as I was moved around more.
The name and running game reminded me of my fun childhood games. I liked it alot. It was good to be introduced to my classmates. I liked how each person had to do a movement with their name that just showed their uniqueness. I feel more comfortable now walking into the studio and sleeping on my mat beside people I interacted with. :)
~Afsoon Fazeli
This small dance made me feel very unstable. I usually think that I have pretty good balance, but this made me feel unsteady. It’s amazing how just one of our senses, vision, contributes so much to balance, yet we really don’t even notice or think about it. We take so many things for granted and don’t realize how important they are until they are taken away. It was truly an eye-opening experience…having our eyes closed…well, you know what I mean.
I really enjoyed this activity. I felt a lot of responsibility when I was leading. I was more aware and almost nervous. I could control my partner, but I had no control over the other partnerships. A couple of times, someone changed direction, and my partner almost ran into them but narrowly missed. I’ve done this activity a couple of times before, so being lead wasn’t so terrifying. From social dancing, I’m used to following directions through my partners’ hands. When the partners switched, I think some instinct was telling me to be uncomfortable with the situation, but I knew it was a safe environment, so I was fine.
It felt good to finally relax and let go. I think when we are in school, we sometimes forget to laugh and have fun, so it was very refreshing to break down and have a good time. Laughing=endorphins=feeling good. It’s a good thing :-)
~Marcee Wickline
What I found very exciting about this activity was that I had just learned about proprioception in my Sensation and Perceptual Processing course I took last quarter. I learned that proprioception is our sense of body movement, however it seemed hard for me to grasp the idea that people can sense their small body movements. When my eyes were open, I could not feel that my body was trying to maintain my posture or balance. It perplexes me that we exert so much energy in our muscle contractions in order to keep our bodies balanced and upright, yet I do not feel myself exerting this energy at all. The small dance was such a revealing experience of our unconscious innerworkings, I was very surprised.
The leading exercise was very different from the positions of being led or leading. When I was leading, I found it interesting how some individuals were more trusting of my guidance than others. I also found that some individuals were better led with different techniques, and not one technique was advantageous for everybody. When I was being led, I found it was easy to tell the difference between my two partners. One was much more gentle, almost too gentle that I felt like I was leading myself. The other was much more aggressive, but at the same time much more successful in directing me around the space. She held my back firmly as she led me through the sea of people, and my body could feel her body radiating stern confidence. It was hard for my body NOT to trust her and at times I found myself trying to get closer and closer to her. My body was curious as to who was leading me each time, but I was trustful in both of them because I knew they could see and were forced to be highly attentive so I would not collide with another individual. I believe fun in the body feels like jitteryness, excitedness, a carefree feeling that escapes the stressors and worries of the day.
-Hanalore Alupay
This was a fun class. The tiny dancer was an interesting one for me because I realized that even though I'm supposedly standing perfectly still, there is so much work that the body does to keep you in one position. I found myself leaning front and back and left and right constantly and was struck with the number of movements that took place in that short time. This exercise helped me understand the concept of proprioceptions better but I realized it takes a lot of control and focus to stay in one position, especially standing.
The leading/following exercise - I have done this exercise a number of times and what was different about this one is I gave up control in several ways. First, when I first interacted with my new partner (whom I had never met), I agreed to be the follower, whereas I usually want to be the leader. Next, I kept my eyes closed the entire time! I usually open them up a couple of times in the exercise just to know where I am going. It was very enjoyable letting go and having someone else take responsibility for where I was going in space.
Of course, I enjoyed the leading part as well because I got to make all of the decisions! It was particularly enjoyable to see the element of surprise on my partner's face. It was also fun to discover during the second time of being led who my partner was and conversely, seeing an element of surprise on my partner's face when she saw me as her second leading partner.
The circle game and changing places - This was an upbeat game and a nice way to end the class. It helped us begin to remember our classmates's names. The running part was a little nerve-racking because I had socks on and felt I was going to fall or collide with someone else. But it was fun, nevertheless
I really enjoy the class today. It was a surprise to see so much energetic and smile from every people in class that came from only a group activity. The small dance makes me feel I know my classmate a little bit more; for instance, the way they introduce their name in front of a group of people. I feel that somebody was shy, while other was confident. I can say I had a lot of fun today. To specified fun in my body, I can feel my body was exciting, challenging to be winner, and overwhelming.
However, with the practice today as a lead and a being lead, I feel much different. As a lead, I feel like I had to not only concentrated on whether or not my partner feel comfortable and not step on other, I also had to look at the space to walk by trying not step on somebody and their partner. As a being lead, I feel more comfortable when my lead hold my hand because I feel like there was a person who guide me beside me all the time. I had to believe on the way she takes me to. However, comparing to be lead by a person I saw and an unseen stranger, I feel much more comfortable with a person I saw. The reason was because I can trust that person more. - Pitchaya N.
As I was leading my partner there was a forced of nervousness that I experienced. While I was guiding, my mind was focused on the safety of my partner. My main concern was to guide my partner with the right pace and maintain comfort with my partner. You can say I was being overprotective of my partner. I was extra cautious guiding my partner through space. Every touch that my partner and I made was different. It was a shared connection. I felt my partners fears, every connection we made with both our hands. I felt most comfortable when both my arms was on her back as we move backward.
When it came to the other way around and it was my turn to be guide experience, I finally felt the fear my partners had. As I closed my eyed i was introduced to my mistreated senses. My senses became in full forces, I was reintroduced to my hearing, smell, touch, and sensations through air. I felt lost somewhat confused but I still felt the connection I had with my partner. I felt closer to my partners at the end of this exercise.
"Small dance" let my body to be connect with my inner-self. I bent my knees to be balanced throughout the time that I had my eyes closed. It gave me an opportunity to think about what is going on in my inner body and how my body feels. It was very interesting since I never really listen to my body and I thought even if we are living with this busy schedule every day, it is good to really settle down and feel how my body really feels.
When the blind walking movement was assigned, I was bit nervous and afraid since I barely know anyone in the class and that means a stranger had to lead me and I had to follow her/him with my eyes closed. However, my experience was not what I expected. Even though 'a stranger' walked me around the studio, I felt somewhat comfortable. I let go of my body and totally relied onto my partner and she secured me well. I thought being led was much harder but leading a partner was harder. I had to really think about my partner not bumping into anyone and I had to care about how she would feel at that moment. Overally, it was a fun and new experience. I enjoyed it a lot.
Name games was fun. I do not know everyone's name yet but it was good time to learn names of classmates. I was bit nervous to be in the middle so I only moved litle twice but Mr. Gervais finally called my name so I had to be in the middle. I wasnt nervous at all when I actually was in the middle. It was fun and gave me bit of an exciment.
I had done the small dance movement a couple of times before, and it still amazes me every time that our proprioception has the powerful ability to keep us upright even with our eyes closed. The small little movements that help our mind and body cooperate are truly amazing.
Leading another person with their eyes closed was definitely a new and cool experience for me. I was the first person to lead. It was interesting that I could just lightly touch someone else by holding their hand or having my hand on their shoulder and navigate them through a space filled with other people. It made me realize how powerful the sense of touch could be and understand how people who are blind are able to navigate their way around in life with only touch. Being led was not nearly as fun as leading for me. At first I had a hard time trusting the person who was leading me. I could hear people walking around, and I wasn’t really sure how I am supposed to communicate with the person walking me without speaking or knowing her. Slowly I started trusting her, and I tried to stop thinking about bumping into other people and try to feel what the other person is telling me through my sense of touch.
I thought the last activity was the most fun. I felt like I was back in fourth grade again and realized how much I miss running around and just having fun like this. It was definitely cool to once again communicate with others in a new way. I enjoy socializing and this activity definitely helped me get to know more people in the class.
Sahar Z.
Yes, small dance was a surprise. It seemed like the first time I ever noticed the oscillating motion of our body while standing. It felt like my breathing and heart beat had a lot of contribution to this dance. Breathing in pushed me back a little bit and the mind realized this very quickly and tries to undo it, but just overshoots (and the breathing out adds to this overshoot). The amount of work that the feet do in being pushed in and pushing in to the floor was the other noticeable "thing." The dynamic to and fro felt like I was free in the air and with little gust back and forth, especially when all other body parts were relaxed. However the response from the floor was not ignorable and constantly reminded me of a ground underneath. Overall, it felt great to let go of yourself and fall, even though it was tiniest of an inch.
Walking around with a friend was the coolest thing. I instantly felt like a little innocent child being led by a mother (mother/father/guardian) which was very easy to feel since (coincidentally!) my eyes happened to be closed. I put my whole trust in my partner to lead me where ever she wants or collide me with whatever. It just did not matter, partly since I knew we are in a class with very responsible people (hence not completely unseen strangers and when that person is mentioned to be "a friend"), partly because you are going to collide with other "soft" bodies at slow speeds, and partly because the strobe type lighting was turned on fully in the room. One can remember your initial position, feeling the hotness intensity from the lights and footsteps, one can probably guess a crude position and amount of movement nearby. Getting back, it is quite amazing that just sensation of touch on hands and shoulders be enough to guide me, although I will confess that it was little confusing while turning since that required a bit more pulling effort. When the roles changed, and I was to lead someone, it was quite different. It seemed like it was very easy to lead by touching (or I could even be holding) hands and at some points I felt like it would be enough to just lead a person by the touch of a finger. Leading through shoulders seems like a lot harder. Finally my partner's rhythm of walking was quite different from mine and interesting one to notice (and probably to vary it).
Ah, this is fun (sarcastically, compare it to explaining one's feelings via a written/spoken language). Fun is such a vague word that it certainly means different things to different people. To me, the fun part was watching people running around, doing their gestures merrily, other people repeating it, and me trying utterly fail in repeating it as well. Fun to me is like something done under complete innocence like a little child, not affected by the notion of being watched - being yourself (of course for positive activities requiring some amount of conscious which I think should be implicit when referring for "an innocent little child"). Pretty much the happy mood or fun in the environment lightened up my mind, co-ordinated my body and mind in such a way that the mind forgot about its stories and pretty much wanted my body to do the same as other people are doing.
I was unaware, until Tuesday, that I had already been aware of the small dance; I had just never known a name to put with it. When I take balance poses in yoga I am always feeling my body fight with itself to stay upright. Day in and day out however, it is not something that I am aware of at all. In those quiet moments: like taking a pose, or in class, when we are asked to really pay attention to our bodies I realize finally what it means to be in my body. I can feel what it does rather than knowing what it does. Although I finally feel my body, and notice what it actually does, appreciate it, when these changes are happening it is as if I have nothing to do with it. I am unaware of how I am making the adjustments, how my body changes, I only know that it is. I have been thinking about this in connection with the article about authentic movement, “time and space for the unconscious to manifest in the movement and stillness of the body”. I think it is wonderful to allow yourself each day this kind of time and space, where you can be aware of yourself, even if just for a few moments, in an entirely different way.
In our experience of leading and following, I was first a leader. I felt a lot of pressure and responsibility to make sure my partner was able to feel safe in where we were going, and that I would not let her run into anything. I wanted to make sure she had the best experience in this interesting circumstance. For me, it felt as though a lot more effort was needed to lead than to follow. As we changed, and I was suddenly being lead, I was able to focus on trusting. I felt trust in my body to know where it was going, and in my partner- that I would be lead easily through our fellow classmates. I felt what my speed up and slow down, stop moving and start. It was not a matter of going faster because I was in a hurry, or slower because someone had gotten in my way- I was able to just know how those states felt without any outside distraction or reasoning.
Having fun in the circle was invigorating. I felt nervous, and excited and silly. When we left I felt energized and ready for the day.
-Kimble
The small dance was definitely a surprising and somewhat bizarre experience for me. I suppose like many things, the small dance is something that's easy to oversee or ignore when one is typically overwhelmed by incoming sensory elements. In silence and stillness however, I was able to detect even the minute movements. From an outside perspective my body probably didn't appear to be moving drastically, yet once I closed my eyes, I realized how much my balance was compromised as each subtle bodily adjustment transformed into a difficult game of balance and concentration.
The walking activity was also an interesting but strange phenomena. It was amazing to me, as the leader, how my partner could decipher my movement and direction cues with just the softest touch of several fingers. In our day-to-day lives, most people are almost entirely dependent on their visual and auditory senses. Closing my eyes and allowing myself to place all trust in another's guidance helped me to envision what life would be like without these abilities, as a blind or deaf person, for instance.
For me, the body experiences fun in its most liberated state- that is, when we allow our bodies to explore their abilities and capacities, our minds and bodies are both rewarded. On that note, why are babies compelled to crawl and eventually run? Why do children (and adults) love sports so much? Why are elderly people so mentally affected when they lose the ability to walk? Because our bodies want to move! –C. McCoy
January 19, 2009
I want to speak to two of these questions. I want to explain what I experienced while leading and being lead by a friend in the studio. I watched my partner close their eyes and began to travel them across the floor. We mostly moved forward, but sometimes I led them side to side, and backward. We walked slowly, deliberately feeling each step. I felt my focus dissolve into the moments we were sharing. I was noticing, minimally, what other dancers were doing, and how they were moving. I couldn't imagine what my partner was feeling: were they aware of their space? did they feel like soaring? what was their mind doing? So, I continued to walk slowly, feeling that the gracious gift of just moving was enough for my friend to experience. When it was my turn, the simple act of closing my eyes was profound. I felt my self freed of judgement that my visible experience shoves my way. I felt my body open into itself, like a flower unfolding and folding as night breaks with day. I felt my self being lead around, with my feet softly touching the floor and a hand gently guiding my steps. I felt really warmed and delighted in exercise.
Moving from this into an exercise of equal exchange and fun was nice. I love standing in circles with people, where I feel like we are together. I love running around, crashing into other bodies, and breaking down verbal and physical boundaries as the excitement builds. I liked listening to everyone's names and seeing how they felt through a somatic gesture. My gesture was a forward bend. I felt my torso needing to breath and relax a top the support of my lower legs. What does fun feel like in the body? It feels amazing. It feels like the greatest joy I can know. It feels like I am touching the wind of my breath and leaping into high mountain air.
+aa roesch-knapp
This small dance was more evident to me when we were sitting last Thursday. When we were sitting I thought was about to fall over. Today when we did tiny dancer it was hardly evident. For Christmas my parents got the wii fit. As a part of it, it works on balance and measures your proprioception “dance.” It’s strange to see your dance and the more you move the worse your score. I don’t believe that moving more to fight for your balance is bad.
I led first. As led my person, she seemed very timid and wouldn’t take full steps. In following, it was interesting because the person I was following had her arms close, but then she spread them apart and in that she made it feel like I was being lead by a bigger person. It felt like was on an adventure.
Then we played the fun name game! I’m not really sure how my body felt, but my mind had alot of fun! If seemed like a lot of people got caught up in watching everyone else that they forgot to play. The same people seemed to be running all the time. I thought it was way more fun and it got more people involved when there were was “steeling.”
-Sandra Viall
In previous dance classes I have felt this tiny dance. Every time an instructor mentions these minor adjustments, I draw my attention to them. My modern teacher last quarter would especially encourage his students to focus on this ‘tiny dance.’
For me, I find it especially difficult to balance with my eyes closed while on my toes as opposed to on flat. I feel like I’m swaying backwards, forwards, and side to side so much more than I am when my eyes are open. I’ve always wondered if this is just a perception of my senses or if I am actually and physically moving more when my eyes are closed than when they are open. I’ve thought it would be an interesting ‘experiment’ or something to video tape myself - once standing ‘still’ with my eyes closed and once with my eyes open. I’d like to be able to observe myself (as a witness perhaps?) and distinguish the difference (for myself of myself) between my movement with my eyes open and closed. Do I physically move more when my eyes are closed or is that only my proprioception senses actually noticing the tiny movements my body is constantly making in adjustments to maintain my balance/keep myself from falling over?
In class, we took turns leading and being led. At first, I was nervous being led. I had to learn to let myself give way to the person leading me. I had to tell myself it was okay to trust this unknown person in leading and ensuring that my body remained uninjured. Even being the leader was a challenge. I was so nervous of leading my partner’s body into some sort of a collision with another traveler. Yet, at the same time, I felt the need to be adventurous with my power over leading another body and having that person’s trust. I eventually found a balance between adventure and caution when it came to leading my partner.
The game we played in class was also a lot of fun. I noticed that when the option for stealing spaces was allowed, more people (including my naturally shy self) became more involved and were more likely to move - even if only slightly. I also noticed that the same couple of people ended up in the circle. I wasn’t able to determine if it was because those select few were the students adventurous and bold enough to constantly take the risk of switching places and possibly ending up in the middle or if they just happened to be the slowest students in a physical manner. Either way, I’m sure the class is more likely to remember the names of those select few than the majority of fast moving/shy students.
-Lauren Cook
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