On witnessing
Saturday 12 August 2017
On witnessing the Notebook Experiment…
I am moved by how much both dancer and author invest themselves into the moment. There is a palpable respect and curiosity that underscores this experiment. It offers an antidote to cynicism, to selfishness, to disregard…maybe even to isolation.
For both dancer and author it requires presence. It is an invitation to attend to each moment with your entire being.
The air is thick with generosity and non-judgement, I notice the face of the author and they seem mesmerised. I wonder if there is a sense of feeling heard, alongside an unravelling or revealing of more primal, non-linear narratives that the physicalisation of their words elicits within them.
It is beautiful to watch.
Sunday 13 August 2017
On witnessing rehearsal…
Today I am sick, the sore throat has exploded into flu and so I have the privilege (and frustration) of watching class into rehearsals.
Daniel’s morning class is a tender reminder of the richness of contact. The session gives space and time to tune
the listening touch, refine how to simultaneously give and receive, and expand their perception to include another. If only this questioning, reflective, attentive way of being were prioritised in the world…how different things might be.
The invitation to be in a clearer relationship to oneself and to the world, the other, is one that resonates with me as a Rolfer. For a dancer it is vital. As they meet each moment, they are the observer and the observed, receiving and received. They seek to absorb, clarify, expand, and imbue their movement both in response and as a response. It offers a potent combination enabling a less insular, more human…perhaps more honest…sensibility.
As Alex begins to explore different elements of the choreography to refine, I revel in the creativity, persistence and connectivity of the group. With their gentle, patient explorations…crystallised meetings arise, to dissolve and reconfigure elsewhere in the space. It feels as though I am watching magicians at work. Alex guides the process with a lightness of touch that reveals her implicit trust of the dancers, and a specificity of request that emphasises the distinctiveness of her ethos and choreographic vision.
I feel lucky to be part of this group.