Mondays, May 4th-June 15, including memorial day.
1. Roel
2. Cyrus
3. Connie
4. Sheila
5. Scott
6. Nadia
7. Lisa
8. Mike
9. Louis
10. Kaitlin
11. Liz dropping in when she can
12. Christian dropping in when he can
13. A NEW labber
Mike: Felt like the group was not totally in agreement about what we were trying to get at.
Nadia: Felt the presence always in the room of "Are we doing it?!?" Semantics of what metaphor was or wasn't seemed to dominate. Many of the facilitators were not at the previous lab luck.
Louis: Agrees with Nadia. Wants a topic that is concrete enough that he knows what it is, open enough to explore. Topics that are too abstract or too broad are hard to integrate into the body.
Mike: Has a few suggestions. 1. Time and experience of time inside of CI. Duration, speed, dance slow and long, dance an exhaustive amount, etc. 2. Relationship inside the dance: Intimacy and conflict. Making situations that create these dynamics. 3. Interested in the Meta-Issue: "how as a group do we do inquiry into movement?"
Lisa: Interested in "state of mind." How do we set up a state that puts us in that zone where we can experience relationships/connections. What puts us there as a group?
Roel: feedback is not a topic, but a rule for how we operate. Field structure is useful for really tender, emotionally vulnerable creative works. In lab he would find a more critical feedback more useful, but is open to facilitators requesting different kinds of feedback if they feel their experiment is creatively sensitive.
Louis: Suggests when facilitating to facilitate the Harvest as well. Give direction. Ask for what you want.
Roel: Would like to 2nd Mike's idea of intimacy/conflict. Also interested in a Mechanical/Physical topic of receiving force or large amount of weight. When to collapse and fold and when to be rigid. Feels some insecurity about own breaking point, but also feels he's not using the whole physical capacity.
Louis: Interested in taking an interesting concept from a workshop, etc. and taking time to embody that concept. Maybe that's trust, surrender, intimacy, etc. Talk intellectually and then find if physically. Transferred information and embodied learning.
Scott: Likes both of Mike's suggestions. Could see working on time for a long time. Also interested in intimacy/conflict. Also yes to Lisa's idea of State work. Adds that you "don't learn from experience but from reflecting on experience." "I've been to so many labs and don't know what I've learned. I've just had some good dances."
Roel: Not chatting tends to deepen dance experience. We all pretty much agree on this. But we continue to be chatty because our intimacy as a group is important to us.
Nadia: We don't have to wait to make radical changes. Any facilitator could decide to facilitate without talking, for instance.
Mike: We rarely ask during the harvest what is most important question to continue pursuing. Could doing this at harvest (instead of the whims of the facilitator deciding how to tackle the theme) provide more continuity?
Kaitlin: Always is interested in activating the imagination. Is interested in role-playing. Imagining ourselves as other entities as we dance and changing relationships. This could be a way to investigate intimacy/conflict. Is frustrated by constant pressure to tap into "authenticity" and feels bound by exterior definitions of who we are. Thinks changing how we perceive ourselves could lead to shifting dynamics that would be very interesting/revealing. Permission to play a different role with one another.
Nadia: Would like to connect to time, especially through disorientation. Feels like CI connects her to humanness and wants to access that humanness through disorientation. Does not want to play roles.
Roel: Whatever we do we need to add an item of structure. Offers that we decide what we do the next week at the harvest and assign it.
Louis: Facilitating group's continuity over facilitator's interest.
Scott: Two weeks in a row works well too.
Great note taking Kaitlin, thank you. I'm looking forward to dropping in this Monday and then I will be gone for three weeks.
Rather than go through the cyber hassle of posting this on the blog, let's just throw our thoughts up on email.
I think this is a very interesting focus for the lab, and I think we should keep trying to push ourselves into livelier dancing and sharing.
Here's my 2 cents: Often times CI gets both "aggressive " and at other times "intimate". Sometimes our dancing becomes more about playing with our power against/with the other. It might represent itself with quicker weight shifts, grappling, grabbing/manipulating the other, which which always feels a little dicey between man and woman. Yet, even more familiar between man and man. Sometimes this power playing becomes flavored with dramatic/character-like images. I think it's interesting when it begins to feel like someone that's not me. Or some part me that I don't really know.... The actor in me, however, loves to explore characters.
Permission to explore these "parts/roles is really delicious. (Nadia your comment about not wanting to play roles got me thinking).
We are playing with energy, shaping our energy with another. Intimacy, then, is another ball of wax, so to speak. More later...
Squeegees
- Christian
-------------------------------------------------------------------
3/2/15
(Michal)
DATES: 3/9/15 - 4/20/15.
NEXT LABLUCK: 4/27/15
THE THEME: Metaphor. Katherine will lead the first 2 weeks with ——> MATH.
START TIME: 6:50 PM
In the fall we did music, then witnessing, and then EDGE
Over-stimulation of senses, blind dancing to an edge
SESSIONS
Alex: questions, long duration duet, ask q’s of each other- what emotions came for you.
Lisa: dark for a long time, sides, when do you move from being on one side to another
Mike: couldn’t talk on the way to lab about your day. How the person’s body was, danced in the dark. Edge of perception- sensing when someone was moving towards them.
Scott: duration, yes and no- what edges come up around that.
Sheila: edge of self, cloud pillow, where you end and the other people begin.
Cyrus: what we don’t give ourselves permission to do, what we actively resist.
OVERALL DISCUSSION
Scott- Conceptually we struggled, hard to define what we meant by edge. They weren’t building on each other. Scott didn’t find himself confronting edges.
Louis- we have lablucks, we propose these themes- just because we didn’t arrive at something, doesn’t mean it failed- it just means we’re not picking a theme to create a particular response to the theme. Sometimes the discovery is nebulous.
mike- did this lab session have the rigor that we want labs to have. Does it have rigor, will it change our dancing in some way?
Sheila- I felt I heard a lot of people saying that it was interesting that it wasn’t an edge.
Katherine- Usually with labs we’re each able to expand what that theme is to us. Edge- one person’s edge is not an edge for me. Interesting thing about edge. I didn’t want to explore my personal edge in the lab. That felt true for me. I have physical space edges, but that space is too small.
Scot- it would have been different in a country far away to explore this. There is a freedom that comes with being strangers. In lab, I hope to maintain these lab relationships for the rest of my life.
Sheila- a whole weekend I can open up in a way to feel the edge. Felt like I was forcing that experience.
Katherine- sometimes our themes don’t drive the lab indirectly. I got something new out of that lab— that seems like a functional use of the theme. They compost into the facilitator’s mind.
Mike- music- we weren’t exploring what music is— just playing with how it effects our dancing.
Katherine- some are harder to have a common experience of— edge is that. Music is something we all share in the space.
Who is IN?
Katherine is leaving March 21st returning beginning of June.
Louis, Mike, Liz, Cyrus, Connie, Roel, Lisa, Scott, Nadia, Sheila, Julius. Katherine + Michal
Christian suggested ‘surprise’ as the theme.
Dates 3/9/15 - 4/20/15. 4/27/15 next lab luck.
THE THEME: Metaphor - theme- Katherine will lead the first 2 weeks with ——> MATH.
TOPIC DISCUSSION
Scot- scratch.
Mike- interested in numbers- the way that relationships come to play, duets, quintets. Thinking about duration, I like studying the flow of time.
Katherine- metaphor, analogy. A lot of us have metaphors that we are dancing with. Dig into each other’s metaphors. Get into the mind space.
Mike- reminds me of personal scores.
Sheila- use of space. Creating definitions of how we are using the space. Choose space and dancing in it.
Scott- limitations. Forces a creativity that if you are free to break away from it, you are limited.
Liz- Metaphor can get to that. As a score.
Louis- metaphor won’t stop me from using my arms.. creates a different view point. Doesn’t prevent the dance from going into familiar patterns.
Liz- sometimes you are saying you can, or you can’t. When you create rules- it is an invitation. Playing with the you can and you can’t.
Scott- I invite you to think about closing your eyes..
Mike- last time we talked about limitation that take you to an edge.
Scott- I like numbers- looking at things that are broad enough. It will create some sense of limitations so that we are problem solving. Love words and image- love metaphor.
Nadia- part of the appeal- look in and see what is happening in there (brians)
Scott- I rarely dance from metaphors.
Louis- dance as a metaphor for personal relationships.
Katherine- a lot of contact, reminds me of math. To invite - however you have filled in that sentence. What goes on it your body.
Scott- contact is like a puzzle
Liz- really evocative language. “ dancing on you like a pad of butter.”
Co-facilitation- drawings. We miss the crayons.
TIME
start at 6:50!
Nadia- we always say.. if we had more time. We have 2 hours- so maximize the 2 hours. Be ready to start at 7. If you get there late, integrate. If you facilitate, don’t wait.
By the way, we are amazing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/2/14
(Alex)
Howdy
Sweetlings,
Nice
chatting and chomping with most of you last night. I'm jazzed to get our dance
on this session!
Here are
the notes:
Lab-luck at
Scott's House
Attendance: Mike, Liz, Mazey, Scott,
Christian, Lisa, Louis, Pickles, Sheila, Connie, Katherine, Kaitlin, Alex
We each
shared one minute check in's about our summer's while Mazey kicked and
smiled.
Re-cap of
last session: Underscore!
Scott:
Mediocre, flat, not a growth period for me. It felt like we were trying to do
the underscore, but it wasn't really happening. I feel it's better with a
larger group and bigger space.
Connie: I
enjoy the underscore, but only once in a while. Esp w/ppl I don't know. Long
session for the same structure. Enjoyed the non-underscore night a few of us
had.
Louis:
Can we please re-frame and remember the purpose of a lab is to gather
data, not to please ourselves. "I don't like it" isn't helpful. Can
we use non-judgmental comments instead.
Katherine:
I kept feeling like people weren't really doing the underscore and that this
group wasn't that familiar with it. I had a desire to dismantle it, dig in and
found it hard to grow when people hadn't had a lot of experience with it.
Christian:
More rigor!
Kaitlin:
Im part of that less familiar w/underscore group. I felt confused about whether
we were doing it or not. This session re-affirmed the importance of consistency
for me. It could be interesting to have a bunch of unstructured nights and see
what happens.
Katherine:
Or a floating score..
Louis:
Re-frame. Can we try, "doing this illuminated a lot about this.." A
scientist won't go, "I don't really like this discovery.."
Scott:
Dis-satisfaction, yes. But useful and informative. Can use these suggestions.
Neige offered the concept of seeding and more attention to harvest, the night
she joined us. Good to have her exp from Underscore in Mass.
Connie:
It's useful to wonder why did it feel that way??
Lisa: We
were dealing with some environmental challenges. Its nice to have at least 5
ppl, bigger space, and the social period/chatting at beginning makes it
challenging.
Katherine:
IF ppl are going to say "I don't like U.S.", hold out till you
experience it in a better, more contained way.
Mike:
Descriptive. Are we doing a historical re-enactment? Not describing our Seattle
jam culture perhaps? Is it a historical lens? Curious.
Christian:
What would a NW U.S. look like?
Louis:
Not as clear beginning like w/ Nancy
Sheila:
Ive felt the beauty of a solid U.S. Its also feel some fatigue around it
by now. Nancy put this together as a structure. As it stands, clear enterenace,
ambulation, so lovely. She's found meaning herself. I like thinking of all of
it's history. I've witnessed it's glory.
Katherine:
Balancing prescription/description is key. Best U.S are when ppl yield to
prescription. It's beautiful and also totally flawed.
LIz:
Seattle scene follows what they feel. I do better w/ specifics. Clarity. Lesson
in it for us. Usually what we pick gets diffused over time. Its ok and
satisfying to have more structure and rigor.
Who's
in:
Connie,
Mike, Louis, Kaitlin, Sheila, Christian, Katherine, Scott, Lisa, Alex, Nadia,
Cyrus, Michal (occasionally)
Dates:
9/8-10/20
(7 Weeks)
*Lab-Luck Oct
27th
Sheila
asked if people were open to switching from Monday to Wed or Thurs?
The group
decided to table to conversation till next session. Connie will ask Cyrus about
Grassroots availability and she will make a doodle poll to see people's
preferences.
Theme for
this session: MUSIC! Questions around relationship between music and
dance.
Scott:
Relationship between music and dancing. Fall SFDI re-visit, CI technique,
performance interest. Even if just for us.
Connie:
Yes music. Witnessing. Media, film, light, projecting our dancing onto us
dancing. How do we feel when we see ourselves dance?
Mike:
Music loop
Lisa:
Live, making, bring in meaningful songs. iPod shuffle, observing sound in
space.
Sheila:
Power of authentic movement. Present with another person and self. Deepening
connection with you all.
Katherine:
1/2 room wit, 1/2 dance. weirdly anonymous urban landscape
Connie:
light! How does darkness, or spot light influence us?
Mike:
music plus witness. Blur between witness and begin witnessed. Where we put
attention. Witness brain plus present in our dance. Exploring "blind
spots" , physical choices I'm NOT making. techniques, roads, etc.
...
Louis:
Restriction of body and senses forces us into "blind spots"
Christian:
Larger jamming possibilities. Technical jam. Rigor-limitation, CI technique.
Open ended music.
Scott: We
had a good groove w/ 1 hour directed, then open dance. What about structure and
role of facilitator?
Alex: I
want more attention to harvest. invest in it. use words, images, poems, etc.
Louis:
"Witness" could be our big themed, then have sub themes w/in that.
Scott: or
"Music" could be big theme.
Christian:
Word language.. to capture harvest.
Katherine:
Diff between witness and observe. Witness... authentic, nonjudgmental, emotive,
a-structural. Observe... performance, context, structure.
Katilin:
Diff kinds of observing. Exploring the line between those. Restriction:
Christian knees, Michal's pregnant. Could be good time to play with observe and
restriction.
Connie:
Media falls in to observing.
Alex:
music feels a little vague to me... how do we narrow?
Mike:
inquiry. first session generate questions around music.
Katherine:
every lab could feed your own question. set intention.
Connie:
would that cause us to have trouble working together if we focus on our own
questions?
Christian:
I need slower, more careful. Music excites.
Scott:
contact/relationship to music. Partner w/ music, how it engages
"duet". Music is primary and I think more powerful than dance.
Katilin:
Homework
assignment: Bring
your own question/s around the theme of relationship between music and dance
for next Monday. Scott is facilitating.
Future
theme Ideas:
Witnessing/observe
NEXT SESSION
Media
Restriction
------------------------------------------------------------------
6/23/14
Here are Lab Notes from Tonight! Thank you to Michal and Michael for hosting in their beautiful home. Thanks to Mazey for being super cute--a first of many lab lucks for here I hope! Some pictures are attached. Would love to see some of the "heads" pictures.
Lab Luck 6/23/14
This is an incomplete recap. Hopefully I didn't misinterpret anyone.
Recap of Body Stories:
Michal-More recountable. Easier to remember stories than dances.
Louis-Tracing of the body is like a polaroid time capsule-->Here we are at this time.
Nadia-Speaking one on one with personal material. Speaking and then listening. She didn't expect it, but it made partnering easier, natural, and safe. Ready to move. Stories helped her engage rather than be mushy/zone-y from a long monday.
Scott-Wonders about the possibility of telling stories simultaniously to dancing/partnering/being manipulated, a la Ami Legonge (spelling?)
Christian-Wonders about going beyond story. Story is about past, while dancing is about present.
Alex-Wishes to revisit Roel's idea of bringing everyday experiences/movements of our lives into our investigations.
Expresses that the beginning of lab can be causal/mushy/chatty/unclear. Also noticed that material was sensitive/deep and that when going to these places there should be time to process/a way to contain so that we are not left raw and vulnerable. Acknowledges that some of this is personal responsibility, but also could be addressed more.
Liz-Suggests a coming together or doing a closing exercise to cap the experience/help create a safe container.
Louis-commends Alex on her bravery to share so intimately. Acknowledges that it is a choice to go into sensitive material.
Kaitlin-Found this session valuable, but struggled to enter satisfying dances.
Scott- Found that he was often in Authentic Movement mode. Remembers a lot of solo work.
Louis-Compares entering duet from story like diving into a lake and the story gets left at the surface. How do we integrate?
Alex--liked having a physical product (the paper body) to ground us and help us stay on our theme. Everyone agreed.
Scott-Liked the paper, but felt it was disruptive to catch up those who had not made a body when they came in halfway through the session. Would like to emphasize commitment and attendance--feels that it is valuable and special.
In regards to attendance
-Some members have been spotty in attendance and may need to be checked in with about their commitment to lab.
-Perhaps we have sessions that are more or less flexible based on their content? Alternate?
-Bringing special guests: default protocol is to email the group the day before (at least) and only bring them if the facilitator says yes and no one says no. Let's create a respectful environment where it's okay to say no and dissenters don't have to be anxious about it. Dissenters can also just simply say "no" and not be aggressive, knowing that their opinion will be valued by the group.
SUMMER SESSION!
June 30-August 18.
(for now we will have the space available both for the day after Orcas and the first day of SFDI)
Next Lab Luck on August 25th, and the fall session will start again after Labor Day.
Summer Session Theme: UNDERSCORE.
Yup. Just and underscore every monday. Between 7pm and 7:05 someone (likely whoever is there and takes a lead) will call out "beginning" or signal in some other way, and then the underscore will commence and talking will stop. Anyone who comes in late will join silently. Dancing will go until 8:40, and then there will be a harvest.
Special SUMMER SESSION policies:
-Come when you can
-No assigned facilitators
-Bringing appropriate guests (use good judgement) is ok--even encouraged! Just notify group beforehand. Also be clear with guests you bring that we are a closed group and attendance is by invitation only.
Other things:
Michal is looking for housing on July 15th for out of town people coming in for Orcas. Let her know if you can offer a space!
Fall session--Focus on music. Maybe with improvised music as part of it.
SEE YOU NEXT MONDAY.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/28/14
This may have been the
smoothest lab luck to date!
NEW
SESSION:
May 5
to June 16 with the next lab luck on June 23rd.
There
will then be a 3-week mini-session before Orcas TBD at the next lab luck.
PARTICIPANTS:
1.
Lisa
2.
Mike
3.
Scott
4.
Cyrus
5.
Connie
6.
Alex
7.
Louis
8.
Nadia
9.
Sheila
10.
Kaitlin
11.
Roel
12.
Katherine, Michal, and Christian are invited to come when they can, and please
shoot out an email before they come to let us know, and don't make a habit of
being only "sometimers" BUT we love dancing with you so much that we
don't mind if you drop in as guests THIS TIME. : )
THIS
SESSION'S THEME "BODY STORIES"
Sheila-Stories
that we have about our bodies--telling/sharing of these stories. Body Mapping.
History. Areas of the body/experience. Mechanics of different body parts.
Bright places v. shadowy places. Where we tension. Would like to trace paper
bodies to hang on the wall and to record histories/experiences on.
Lisa-The
story of what you usually do with your body--everyday movements and how they
inform your contact practice.
Alex-The
individual experience v. others (ex. "the female experience")
Kaitlin-Suggests
leaving 5 minutes at the end of each lab allotted to recording more
information on our paper bodies.
-Scott
expressed interest in sometimes having the same leader for two weeks in a row
for continuity's sake. Mike seconded.
SHEILA
LEADS FIRST LAB ON MAY 5TH
CYRUS-
please coordinate with Sheila about the Paper Bodies. Can we hang them in
grassroots with painter's tape? Can we leave them up? If we can't, can we store
them there perhaps rolled up in a corner?
NADIA
will acquire paper for the Paper Bodies.
EVERYONE
will acquire nicknames by the end of this session. It has already been
unanimously determined that Lisa is a "Starfish Fruit."
RETREAT
We
have $700 in the lab fund. Woohoo!
Alex
and Sheila volunteered to compile a list of possible retreat areas by the
next lab luck (june 23). This list should include dance space
dimensions and lodging options. Please send any locations you know of to Alex
and Sheila for the list!
BECAUSE
THIS EMAIL WILL GET LOST IN YOUR INBOX I WILL ALSO POST ALL THIS INFORMATION ON
THE LAB BLOG
over
and out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/6/2014
(Alex)
Attendance: Nadia, Alex, Liz, Mike, Connie, Louis, Lisa, Kaitlin,
Christian, Scott
Review of last session:
Topics: Trios, Gap, Translation
Kaitlin- enjoyed open dance time. Great trios
Nadia- the full room helped with energy. she liked the consistency
of the larger group. and liked re-visiting material and noticed people's
attachments to the way the material was previously taught.
Christian- the question of how this material will work being
taught kept arising as a result of the upcoming IMP classes. It was interesting
to wonder about how to share.
Lisa- wondered about the spectrum of people we'll be working with
in IMP classes
Scott- re-visiting material was nice. Maybe we regularly wonder
about how to share rather than forging ahead. Healthy and exciting to shift how
we do this.
Alex- Satisfying building towards something, a goal to teach and
share.
Connie- was taking it all in. Whatever came. Great energy, perfect
amount of people in the room, loved the topics. Gap, leaves me in the gap-like
to explore more because I can't figure out what it is, or if I want to. I'd
like to explore longer.
Liz- Want to avoid the gap. I anticipate it not being enjoyable, like
I'm not supposed to enjoy it. Good dancing is not the gap.
Louis- Nancy Stark Smith describes it as a place you fall into.
You cannot make a lab about getting into the gap. You cannot choose
to go there, it is a different thing.
Kaitlin- You cannot frame it.
Is the gap and appropriate topic for the IMP classes?
Scott- Can't set up. Intro as an option. All willing to rest in
that.
Lisa- Observe it. Didn't have to go anywhere. The goal is the
other side of it.
Mike- Gap is mindfulness practice. we can create a structure to
get you there. When I first started contact, we did long finger dances. I was
self conscious as a beginning dancer, but it was important to stick with it and
practice non judgement. To be present and aware of not knowing.
Connie-beginners want to get out quickly when it's
uncomfortable.
Liz- It's good to explain what Mike said at the beginning for
beginners. Instead of trying to make something happen, stick with what is.
Christian- sometimes both people experience awkwardness at the
same time. Sometimes one person is in the gap and the other is not.
Louis- Can't lab the gap, but we can lab non-attachment.
Kaitlin- Embrace the space allowing awkwardness. Rather than do
something funny when I feel awkward, I can commit to the awkwardness, staying
with it.
Lisa- This is essential to dancing, well....stripped down.
Authentic.
Mike- Opens to new dances. Trying to figure out. Mindfulness
practice. Listen, hear space. Being ok with uncertainty is an important contact
practice.
Kaitlin- This is a good metaphor for life.
Connie- Some beginners don't come back because of this. They
cannot just enter, it's too much, so they don't return.
IMP Classes:
Advertising:
Each teacher or pair of teachers is responsible to write up a
summary of your class and post on FB Contact page several days before the night
of your class.
Personally remind folks to check out the classes. Personal reminders might be
more effective than online invites.
Kaitlin will write article for Seattle Dances to advertise for our classes.
Someone could post something on Seattle Barefoot Dancers.
Continue to make announcements at the Sunday Jam and other events.
Processing and Debriefing classes from week to week:
Each week we'll spend a few minutes at the beginning of lab to
discuss the previous week's class.
Facilitators can try to bring in a labbish mentality to their
classes, allowing for the group to decide collectively on several different
options after doing an exercise.
Next session:
When/Where/Who
1/13/14-2/24/14
7 weeks at Grassroots
Next Labluck: March 3rd
Members for the session: Michal, Sheila, Cyrus, Alex, Scott,
Kathryn, Christian, Kaitlin, Lisa, Louis, Connie, Mike, Liz
*Lisa will Facilitate the 1st Lab this session. Connie
will bring snacks!
Theme for this session:
Personal Fundamentals
We're going to explore each of our own ideas of what the
fundaments of contact are. We'll explore fundamentals from different angles
like physical technique along with emotional, spiritual, choreographic
fundaments. We'll also examine and share HOW we each try to LISTEN in our
dancing and what unique definitions of the contact fundamentals we've gathered
for ourselves over our years of dancing.
Other Focus':
The group would love for Michal and Kathryn to share material from
the Nancy Stark Smith workshop.
Also, people expressed interest in incorporating personal
writing/reflection time into each session if possible
Potential Products generated from this session:
A running list of Personal Fundamentals
Material towards a workshop in Fundaments to teach to the larger
community
Knee pads with fundaments printed on them :)
Action figures and bobble heads :)
Potential themes for future sessions:
The group had a lot of interest in working more with the idea of
"seeds'" or source material for our dancing. Using outer material or
information to fuel our dancing and vice versa. People were also interested in
combining physical fundamentals and "seeds" and creating structures
or scores to work with. We have interest in not limiting what a
"seed" is or could be. Combining psychological depth in our dancing
with physical fundamentals such as rolling point of contact, sluffing,
perching, etc.
