Thoughts and Reflections from the Gen Y studio

Below is the first Gen Y posting from one of our participating dancers. Here are her thoughts and reflections from our third session together at DANSpace-on-Grafton. As you read, you can imagine my delight when I found this insightful reflection in my inbox offered as a post for the blog!

This weekends' chapter of Gen Y was very exciting. Coming into our third creative assembly felt more natural as we have gotten to know each other, the space, and energies better. Sara reminded us early in our rehearsal that it is not enough to simply envision the end result of a movement or to think a correction because the most essential link in achieving the vision is exactly that, a link, a process, the kinesthetic sequence between X and Y. It's so simple but allowing myself to feel movement instead of thinking it was very freeing. Obviously we can't be brain dead but it's true, the brain doesn't dance, the body dances.

Again Sara enlightened us on the use of our head as a limb, which essentially it is!! This was exciting but also scary as in modern or contemporary dance the spine is not held eternally erect as in classical ballet. The spine swings, curves, twists, and explores the infinite shapes that all of our many vertebrae can attain. While this is very exciting it can be disorienting and heavy to take our ten-pound heads along for the ride. Sara also reassured us that dancing with our heads not upright and letting our inner ear fluids become accustomed to being upside down, sideways and so on, it will become easier and more comfortable. I have a big head so it felt good to let it drop toward the floor during our Rollé exercise. 

Learning how to 'catch' at the Gen Y audition.

We continued on to some lifting work, which was so fun. I have bigger muscles in my arms than most dancers I find so I liked being able to use them! However, it seems during this process I've been reminded that in contact work the pelvis tends to be the centre of attention. You always want to be in contact with and supporting the other's pelvis because it's the heaviest part and everything stems from it. I was partnered with Amy. She is the youngest and I the oldest in the group and I think we relate in the sense that we both have to let go of possibly some insecurities about our age difference in the group and work simply as fellow creators of movement. We aced some lifts!!

Overall, great movement sesh and we got some spacial patterns for our final work solidified, very exciting. I hope I get to make a call on the rotary phone which is apparently a wanted prop for the piece if anyone has one available. Bye for now!

-2012 Gen Y Participant, age 21 

Mocean's Gen Y Project is supported through the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage Cultural Opportunities for Youth Program and the RBC Emerging Artist Program.