An adventure of curiosity, self-expression and movement.

I am currently undergoing an adventure. A never ending journey of creating self expression through movement. Through my many years of learning different ways of moving, listening to a wide range of teachers and experiencing many different sounds and genres of music I try to keep my mind like a sponge, soaking in information and knowledge that I enjoy and admire whilst rinsing what doesn't serve me. Consciously or unconsciously, I select this information to create my own authentic art, which reflects who I am and where I have been. During this blog I would like to open a discussion on how being aware of your preferences, blurring boundaries and contrasting movements seem like key anchors when finding your own artistic expression.


Reflecting on my past choreographies, similar choices seem to continuously show up. I decided to label these choices and allocate them a place in my imaginary tool box. Groove, Footwork, Floorwork, Isolations, Arm concepts to name a few. Experimenting and learning with different styles of dance enabled this vocabulary to enter my movement language and the feeling of dance and music releases them into the real world for me to build with. Exploring different rhythms, melodies and sounds enables me to experiment and be playful with textures, whilst working with my limits of comfortable posture and authenticity, results in my own unique artistry.


Blurring boundaries is a concept that came to me through another art form called Brazilian JiuJitsu. In this martial art form we are told to blur the lines between movements so that we become less rigid and fluently move from one movement to the next. When I heard this idea, I couldn't help but see how it could relate to my movement in dance. Questions appeared in my mind such as: What if I blurred the lines between Arm Concepts and Floorwork simultaneously? What If after creating a sequence of rigid movement and then I blurred the lines between each movement? How would that then change the movement? This is a theory I would like to dive further into and find answers to these questions. I would be really interested to hear if “blurring the lines” resonates with other artists and how do you use this idea?


My art form physically and emotionally feeling good is a top priority but also it must look entertaining for me and the audience and this is where I would like to explore contrasting movements. When we discuss texture the obvious, slow and fast, sharp and fluid transitions look exciting next to each other. Looking back through my imaginary tool box whilst reverse engineering, I want to know, what textures and dynamics work best with which categories of movement? and then how can I line them up next to each other to result in a captivating performance?


Lastly I would like to find ways in which I can view other choreographers and creatives create their own art. Collaborating with other artists in the past has presented me with very valuable learning experiences, exposing me to different forms of movement, techniques and artistic choices. Broadening my perspective at the same times as generating new ideas that enhance my own artistic development


Creating my own unique way of moving seems to be an everlasting journey of exploring my preferences, experimenting with new concepts and ideas whilst embracing my individuality. I look forward to answering the questions I have generated during this blog and also hearing your thoughts and opinions that spring to mind.


Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B6NH873eyA - Kevin Paradox, How I create my own Dance Style

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1nIeh3XsoE - How A Dancer Choreographs A Dance Routine – Ft. Jun Quemado | STEEZY.CO

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