For this final entry, lets talk about touch. We began on our backs. Bodies touching the floor. Bodies touching one another. We explored allowing our energy to pass through the points of contact and to feel a current as it swirled around our circle. We flowed with touch from the floor to standing and then allowed touch as we mingled in the center of the space.
With eyes closed, we followed fingertip connections around the space. We listened to touch to see where it would lead us. Finally, we played with the idea of touch with our focus. We looked and touched one another with our eyes. We felt the energy of our focus as touch. How did it feel?Thank you all for being part of this very valuable learning experience for me. I hope you also had a positive learning experience as well. Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns. Have a great well deserved break!
Cheers!
21 comments:
This was one of the most powerful exercises we have done all quarter. So many people, myself included, routinely say, "I'm just not a touchy-feely person". I figured this was a personality trait, rather than a socially determined phenomenon. I am rethinking that now. Why don't we touch more? Why are we so uncomfortable looking into another's eyes? What are we so afraid of? During the exercise I thought about some of the people I should be reaching out to. My mom could use a hug, or a soft hand on her shoulder at least. Why not hold a gentle smile and stare a second longer once in a while with a passing stranger. I think my soul is hungry to give touch and I just need to get over my own hesitancies. Thank you for the experience, and for a wonderful class. - Suzanne Wilson
Today, I was surprised at how natural it was to touch those around me. As Louis mentioned, and as this exercise demonstrated, the paranoia and fear surrounding the touching of others you aren't intimate with is a socially constructed notion. As children, we are told, "Keep your hands to yourself," which in some respects is an important lesson, yet it also seems to engrain us with the idea that ANY physical contact with others is wrong (even if it's appropriate). In class, when everyone was touching everyone, there was nothing weird about it, it simply becomes the norm.
Making eye contact had a similar effect, as we explored the idea of visually "touching" each other. People were very smiley and giggling throughout this activity, indicating insecurity and awkwardness at times. I too, felt somewhat uncomfortable at times, which seems totally absurd. My parents raised me to believe that it is rude not to look someone in the eyes when speaking to them, yet more often than not, people avoid eye contact when I do so. Additionally, when I'm on campus, I love to play this game where I make eye contact or smile at strangers (just being friendly). It's amazing to see the reactions this can generate—it's as if people are so mechanical and locked into their own worlds that they can't for one instant make a pleasant, harmless exchange with another person. –C.McCoy
Today's class allowed me to really get out of my comfort zone. I am always the person that says excuse me when i bump into someone or brush up against them. But today I was able to feel much more relaxed and natural with my touch sensations. During the first exercise, I really focused on the energy moving between the circle. I was really able to focus on gaining and releasing the energy to the students on either side. The second exercise with partners was also very interesting. My partner and I had trouble keeping our finger touching. I also was having trouble moving around the room or to the floor, with the worry that I would run into someone. the final exercise was also very challenging for me. It was hard for me to stay focused on someone's eyes for such a long period of time without looking away and feeling uncomfortable.--Kristen Shapton
I am finding that I am getting more comfortable with touch, because I have experienced several of Louis classes where we experiment with it. I can feel the different energies from people that have more experience with contact than those that are new to the experience. Those that are new often avoid touching anything but hands and maybe feet. Those that are getting more comfortable let many parts of their bodies touch.
For me personally, I no longer stiffen up when participating with touch excercises. I can let myself get into the moments and enjoy it so much more.
This was nice. I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing to avoid touching strangers, seeing that there are plenty of creepers out there. Even in this safe setting, some people’s comfort levels were probably pushed, which isn’t really a bad thing. For instance, I was more uncomfortable with the eye contact exercise than I was with touch for some reason. We were forced to connect with people to show that touch, eye contact, and connectedness in general should be a good, comforting thing and isn’t always something that should be avoided.
The fingertip exercise was fun. I was surprised that I didn’t collide with more people than I did, seeing that we all had our eyes closed. Even when we did run into each other, it was ok because we were all a bit more comfortable after the earlier touch exercise. Though neither of us really took control, we would trade off following one another. Every time we would briefly lose contact, there was a moment of panic as our fingers flailed about, trying not to move too far from the place where the connection was lost, desperately searching to reconnect. With our connection and vision gone, we were stranded until our fingers again found one another. That was a good end to a fun class. Thanks for the experience!
~Marcee Wickline
The energy current was crazy! I mean I really felt it pass through me. And as it went faster it passed through my legs even though they weren’t touching anyone. As a person who strongly believes in scientific proof, I am shocked at how real the current was.
Standing up touching your neighbors was very strange/ difficult. I lost contact with both of my partners by the time I came to standing.
I loved the finger tip activity. I’ve done it before and I think it would be more beneficial for this class if it was done earlier in the quarter. This is a good exercise in trust and partnering. Jamie and I had a lot of fun following our point of touch. We had some interesting moments. At one point we lost each other, and found each other without peaking. Later we switched from connected at our pointer finger to our middle fingers. Our Last cool moment was we did some small movement with our fingers. We moved them back and forth just a few inches. This really allowed us to zone in on our fingers and forget about the rest of our body.
-Sandra Viall
This was a significant exercise for me personally and I sensed for many of us in the class. It was surprising yet very gratifying that we were all so comfortable to begin the exercise with our heads in the center of a circle with our bodies touching each other so closely. I believe this class has fostered a deep comfort level with each of us about all of our senses, including touch. How cool to be this at ease at touching when our societal norms are just the opposite in many situations (Meany Hall, being a major exception).
During the "energy transfer" part of the exercise, I couldn't believe it but my head was actually turning to the right and to the left to give and receive energy. It felt like my head was moving on its own and that I wasn't conscious of initiating the movements. That was pretty cool!
I have really become much more comfortable closing my eyes doing various exercises throughout this class. During the finger touching exercise where we closed our eyes and traveled across the room, I found it to be a very bonding experience because my partner and I seemed to have similar objectives such as quickly moving to feel the sun/heat from the windows. I ran into a few things and a few people, but it didn't concern me. We moved quicker together and prior to the class, there is no way I would have allowed this to happen with my eyes closed. I would have cheated and opened my eyes periodically but I don't do that anymore.
Then the final exercise which I think was Louis's way for us to silently say our goodbyes to our fellow dancers/classmates. It caused a very strong emotion inside of me that I was not prepared for. I'm not one to show emotion unless I am in the privacy of my own space but I sure felt alot of emotion during this class.
I also thank you, Louis for an amazing class and for the opportunity to experience Somatics. I was honored to be part of your "experiment" of your research project!
Ending the quarter by experiencing touch was the best way to end the class. There is something about being touched that makes me feel warm and connected to the person that I am sharing touch with. I felt grounded when we all were in a circle, lying closely to our other classmates. I felt close to my surroundings.
I also enjoyed when our eyes were close and we were practicing feather-like touch. I felt very vulnerable because my eyes were close by I used that feeling to further my connection with my partner. I relied on her touch to keep me from running into anyone else. I could feel her following me and vice versa. There was a sense of teamwork.
Overall, this class has been a very enjoyable experience. Over the quarter I learned a lot about myself as a student, a dancer and just as a human being. I learned about my body in ways I never known before. My body is something to cherish and take care of. Practices that I learned in this class will forever be with me and I will work to use them in my everyday life. Anything I can do now that will preserve my health in the future is a great thing.
I thank you, Louis, for this wonderful experience and I wish you the best of luck on your Master’s project. To everyone in the class, I hope you took something out of this class. I enjoyed it greatly, and I hope you all did too.
All the best,
jasmine boado
The final class has had such an impact on me. the exercises really pushed me to a uncomfortable/growing place. Since the class, I have noticed such an improvement in how I interact with my friends and strangers. I feel that I present myself as a much friendlyer person, and have been able to become a more aware of I present my self to others. I have also been working on my eye contact and now don't feel unfomfortable looking into someones eyes when speaking to them. --Kristen Shapton
I was a bit uncomfortable at first having to be touched and touch people but I stopped thinking about it and just go with it. I liked the last part where we had a partner that we kept in contact with just a finger. Even though my eyes were closed I knew what my partner was doing, how she was moving and spinning and whether she sat down or not. I thought that at times I was leading and at other times I was the follower. We lost contact at one point and it took about couple of seconds for our fingers to find each other again. It was a nice experiment and I learned so much in this class and had tons of fun. Thanks Louis :)
~Afsoon Fazeli
I seemed to have very mixed emotions about this class. On one hand, it really put me out of my comfort zone to have to touch and make eye contact with people that I didn't know very well. I felt slightly awkward at first and a little uncomfortable. However, it was also a really great experience. It seemed that with a simple touch or a look into someone’s eyes you created a bond with the person. When they were making eye contact it was as if they were looking at you, not through you. I think this exercise allowed us to fill some primal need of wanting to be touched and being comfortable enough to touch others. It was great simply acknowledging another person’s presence, which in modern society seems to rarely ever happen, as everyone is constantly hurrying from one place to another. –Emily Stromme
The fingertip connection exercise was very cool! When I was first introduced to it, I thought it was a little odd, but after actually doing it, I really got into it. I think this exercise related well with our class session on vision since we had to do it with our eyes closed. As you mentioned, our sight tends to dominate the other senses, so doing this exercise without being able to see anything made me feel kind of lost and confused. However, having that fingertip connection with the other person helped me get over this feeling of vulnerability. Despite not being able to see, I felt sure and confident that I was not going to hurt myself or other people by accidentally bumping into them.
I also really liked touching with our eyes exercise. It reminded me of being in a bar or a club, and having someone look at you in the eye and send you a drink or ask you to dance. This class is different than the classes that I’ve taken in the Foster Business School. In these classes, I always get at least one group project, which allows me to get to know other people. I’ve had Dance 230 with like 30 other people this quarter, but sadly, I still don’t know any of them, except for one girl that I was friends with beforehand. So this exercise was a really great way to wrap-up the quarter by “touching” my classmates with my eyes.
- F. Widjaja
I think this last exercise was a nice conclusion to the class and one more chance for all of us to connect to each other. Touching someone else was not very uncomfortable for me. I think it would have been uncomfortable if we had this activity earlier in the quarter, but thanks to all the different activities we have done in class, I had a sense of trust and friendship with everyone. On the other hand, I didn’t really enjoy looking into people’s eyes. I am really working on this problem of mine, but for some reason I don’t like to look into someone’s eye for a long time in general. Overall I really liked this class in addition to all the other class days. I feel like I have learned important techniques and things about my body that I would have never learned or appreciated if it wasn’t for this class. Louis, you did a great job! Thank you!
the above comment is by me- sahar Z.
It's really quite amazing how rigid the unspoken rules regarding touch are. If we are told to make contact by an authoratative third party, it is accepted as appropriate, even if the two people may never do so on their own terms. Also the parameters of acceptable touch seem very specific, when we were instructed to touch with our arms and shoulders, without thinking I carefully avoided any other part of my body to touch, my foot brushed someone to my right, and out of reflex I moved it away, and then thought, why? we are allready making fairly intimate contact considering the circumstances, why should one more point of contact matter just because we were not instructed to contact there?
Jessica (Mairi) Holtzner
Friday's class felt very interesting because we explored our senses and focused on Touch, something i'm not use to doing with strangers or random people. i agree that we, as humans, have lost the use and comfort level of the sense touch over the progress of time.
The exercise with our eyes closed and following the other partner was definitely a new and challenging activity for me. i really enjoyed not knowing what im doing, where i was going and who was touching me. i knew that it was a person from the class in a closed setting so it definitely helped in being comfortable, but if it were in any other open setting wtih different people, i don't think i would've let my sense of security and guard down like i did. during the activity, i felt a close connection to the other person that was attached to me. at times when we would lose connection accidentally, i would scramble and panic to reconnect with her, as she felt the same feeling when we finished and shared our experiences. it definitely creates a bond of trust and a sense of comfort by using the touch. i really enjoyed the activity as it stimulated my senses and the shift of focus.
thanks Louie, i really enjoyed this class and glad you had a good time experimenting on us as your guinea pigs. have a wonderful break. thanks again
I was really excited to hear we were going to explore our sense of touch. The quick brushes of touch we were making with each other in the circle grew much more intense as the circle became smaller. It was physically impossible not to touch each other and was kind of an uncomfortable experience at first. It was a good way to propel the class into the topic right off the bat.
I definitely feel that I have been accustomed to not touching others since as long as I could remember, but then I ask myself what is the big deal with touch anyway? This class gave me an appreciation for the importance of touch in everyday life and I think it will change my views on touch from now on.
Thanks for such an awesome class, I truly enjoyed it and I didn't even know this was your first time teaching it until you said something. You rocked!
-Hanalore Alupay
Ah sense of touch and eye contact. Both very tricky for me.
I think it very much depends on the culture that one is brought up. It is well known that Americans have much larger personal space as compared to say Indians (where I am from). However, I have realized that I am quite comfortable in touching someone who has the same gender as me, and *awefully reluctant* to touch someone of other gender (within relations or even strangers). Moreover, it is very much normal in my culture to bow down and touch feet of someone who is elder to you (especially your parents) and I very much miss that (it makes me more humble and have more respect towards everyone).
Now comes the following finger part. I am very thankful that our eyes were closed. Moreover, the only reason I could do this activity (and all the activities so far) is to train my mind to ONLY think about the *activity* and the other person as my sister (whom I miss so much...). Focusing on the activity, I (as well as my partner) were surprised on how often we did not have collisions with other groups. Furthermore, it was relatively easy to follow the finger, but very hard when a change in direction occurred.
About the eye contact exercise, I am not used to making eye contact at all. For this class three things helped in the eye contact exercise though. Not focussing on eyes (like forehead or hairline), knowing that this is the last class, and blocking some of the vision thoughts by turning on knobs for other senses! Moreover, one of my friends told me about a great strategy to avoid stares while walking around campus: keep you face down. Additionally, imagine that for most of your life you walk around not making any eye contact with any person and suddenly you come to a place where almost everyone stares right at your eyes, that is just freaky.
Finally, very much thanks to Louis and every one in the class for making this course such a fun experience. Moreover I have another reason for thanks; this class will enable me to graduate (by satisfying my VLPA credits). Good Luck to everyone (on their rocket ship journey)!
I think social dancing is an extension of this sort of exercise. Two people's bodies are required to make contact; it is a measure of your comfort levels whether you only allow a connection through you and your partners hands or dance a more intimate dance. Letting yourself be touched my a stranger feels unnerving at first. And realizing it is okay and even appropriate in this situation makes for a much more exciting dance.
However, I've notice that people out dancing don't always or even often make eye contact with their partener. And when they do, the dance becomes more meaningful to me: going from following combinations of steps to commmunicating something to this person who's leading me. This makes me feel like that kind of connection and honesty is harder to open yourself to, rarer and so powerful.
-Eugenia Prezhdo
As you know Louis, touch is a huge thing for me. These exercises didn't feel super invasive and I managed to get through them, which I am very happy about. Little by little I will get past this! Sometimes I think I am not getting the full experience that you are hoping for us to get because I am so focused on keeping myself calm and composed and getting used to the idea that this touch and sensation is ok to feel. Someday I will get the full experience though; this is just what I have to do before I can get there. I have done the fingertip exercise with you in modern. The biggest problem I have with this is keeping the fingertips attached. I always seem to loose my partner's finger. Sometimes I feel like I am leading, which I don't know how to correct. I enjoyed this exercise though and it wasn't as scary as the first time! I think that if I work with you enough, I can get closer to overcoming this fear of touch. Thanks again for all your help and understanding! You're a really great teacher and person! Have a good break.
*Kali
It is depressing that our time together is over on this day. This exercise was a great conclusion for our class. It was a bonding/personal experience that we all got to experience for one last time. In the beginning, touching one another while laying on the floor was a bit uncomfortable since I am not used to my body positioned this way. It was unbelievable to describe the connection not only to the two people I was in-between but I felt a connection to the whole circle. During the finger touch with a partner, I started off leading without being aware. I was reminded by my partner to relax and free my mind, after hearing her input I calmed down and followed our fingers. At some part we disconnected and I then felt like she was leading. Overall, I had a great time exploring the dimension of touch with others. I will greatly miss this class and I am thankful that I got this opportunity to explore my inner self with everyone.
-Qmln
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