Falling & Catching, Lightness & Flying — CI Weekend with Vega Luukkonen in Jena

About this event

Falling and catching begins with our breath. We can use our natural breath cycle to synchronize and tune in with others. We will begin by playing with gravity and momentum, focusing on the ideas of falling and flying, both in solo movement and in contact with others. We start from looking at falling in micro-scale, growing our movement towards more complex actions. From researching the subtle mechanics of the 'small dance' we can discover fluid ways of lifting each other with lightness and ease: how do we catch ourselves, how do we catch each other. Using momentum, suspension, reaching, swinging and bouncing to catch each other into easy lifts moving through the space, or offering each other 'rides' down or up. Working with the frame of the arms, we explore ways to connect to the space and find counterbalance, providing frames to both lift and be lifted. We will focus on details and technique of body tone, alignment, and small points of contact, all helping with finding lightness in being lifted and efficiency in lifting. We will also find grounding and stability for the pelvis and center to play with variations of hip lifts, and look at landings: how to land softly and stay connected to a partner after the lift, so that lifts and weight shifts feel like part of the dance rather than separate events. Clear technical exercises and principles combined with plenty of time to research, lab, and explore, staying connected to improvisation, listening, and presence.

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