Get your Feet Off the Ground
I am sure you will agree with one of the following feet off the ground can sound exciting, terrifying and challenging all at the same time!
Recently I had the opportunity to attend a workshop ran by feet Off the Ground Dance company here in Nottingham at Dance4.
Feet off the Ground Dance are an all female performance collective making innovative, physical and engaging dance in varying settings and contexts.
They champion the female body, push physicality and work against the traditional roles of women in dance. In a society that is afraid to touch, Feet off the Ground Dance find the human connection and bridge that gap.
There key values are to explore the unfamiliar, take risks and be bold with artistic integrity.
The above is certainly true after spending 3 hours with them and 15 other dancers who had travelled far and wide to be there. Most of us having never met before, it was truly pushing personal boundaries and getting closer to strangers than I do to some of my friends. However, it didn’t feel weird, the ladies introduce physical connection gradually. Although you do end up touching one another sweat — be it in their hair or under armpits when performing lifts. I like to be clean so it can be a little challenging or daunting for some but it honestly didn’t matter as we were all in this together a joint effort. We are all human, we all sweat, it means we are doing a damn good job and working hard.
How the day panned out — Starting slow, we warmed up our bodies by switching on our core using the most unique and unusual techniques. Moving on we got to truly express ourselves and find out the way our own bodies freely move. The girls then asked us to pair up and introduce one as an initiator, who would begin to suggest limbs for us to find movement. However you as the mover still had free range to be playful and move without limitations.
The next segment we changed partners again and began the lifts, something as a dancer I have never felt confident with (having once cracked ribs and being out of action for 8–9 weeks does make you a little nervous). However this was empowering, having never thought I’d have the strength to lift others I was doing so with ease. Working together is what counts in lifts. The following sequence we learnt was extremely well put together and had a wonderful flow. These ladies really do know what they are doing, they understand connection between human touch, movement, composition and floor work.
The group exercise really put me to the test, I personally wish I had watched and been more thoughtful towards my own movements. I’ve realised that I needed to see the bigger picture, watch the ripple effect and understand where I can best compliment the piece. To keep the composition of the other dancers. This exercise in particular really got me thinking on another level. To be more observant in and outside of the dance space, how we can all dance alone yet work together and unite to create something beautiful. This is not only true in dance but in life!
The Take-Aways from the workshop:
Most important of all — Be Playful. Don’t be a groan up, have fun let your body move and smile.
Enjoy and embrace your body and how it moves.
We are capable of so much more than you think.
We should touch more, lend a hand and hug more. Let’s not be afraid.
We maybe working solo in the big wide world but lets not forget we can all work together within this community.
Be sure to keep an eye on where Feet Off the Ground are next
https://www.feetofftheground.co.uk/
Also check out the latest thats happening in Nottingham at Dance 4. You can hire studios, they run events, workshops, performance and classes!
Sending Light and Love, we are stronger together.
xXx
