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Peter Pleyer (D)
Contact Improvisation - Rough and energetic duets through softening and deepening
We will start very softly, connecting to the earth, ourselves and to our partners. awareness of the weight of the body and its parts in relation to anatomical possibilities and its potential for movement will be the center of our investigation.
The question how to shift from relaxation to full body dancing within a second or less will lead us to energetic, rough dancing, if you like. working on softness, openness in directions, not-knowing and the reflexes to stay save.
Keywords:
breath and weight, not knowing, finding the lightness through weight, momentum, vertical impact into horizontal travel
Technicality:
connecting to the floor, into gravity, spreading the body weight over the whole length of the body, from little finger to big toe; connecting the earth with the heaven; letting the weight do the work.
Workshop dates: 10/11. November, 2012 at Trafó Contemporary Arts House
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 - 15:00
The workshop is open for all abilities and movement experience. www.kontaktbudapest.hu
Notes:
The recording has been done during the first part of the second day of the workshop. It was 110 minues long. Participants had a wide range of contact experience from having this weekend as their first incounter with CI to CI teachers. The offered material was guided by a theme Peter offered as he describes above, but also refering to Peter's answer in the interview, he was improvising, so the dancing (progressions, directions) went as far as the participants have taken the given instructructions.
The edited video contains class shots and answers for the questions of Márta Landjánszki. You can find the full inteview below.
FLV versions have been added, for HD quality you can check the youtube links below. (editor John)
The link of the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tb9FskgNY8
The link of the whole interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3ym1VXdk4
KB2012PeterPlEG1 |  KB2012PeterPl |
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[type: flv] Peter Pleyer D Contact Improvisation workshop
[type: flv] Peter Pleyer - Interview
// Teacher2012.11.18
Dear Peter, I could really get a kinesthetic sense of your teaching. in terms of my curiosity to find out how you get from softening into rough and energetic duets and from relaxation to full body dancing (according to the added written information) I miss the full body dancing and the rough dueting on the video. the video documents beautifully the low slow flow dancing - and then it stops. i would be really interested to hear from you (or see it on video) how you teach to get people from low key into high energy "within a second or less" as it is stated in the workshop discription. could you add some clues about that into your doc? as this is a key in teaching contact I would be so curious about your solutions in this specific workshop. warmly, Sylvia
2012.12.02
dear silvia
dear all
thanks so much for the question, because it gives a chance to clarify and comment on teaching and documenting.
the video of the documented class is a 1 ½ hour part of a 10 hour workshop that proposes rough and energetic duets through softening.
so that is one reason why there is no rough and energetic dancing on that document.
i have been teaching a similar class for tanzfabrik berlin where i lead the participants into rough and energetic dancing with in two hours, keeping them soft and slow on the floor for at least 90 minutes, so their appetite for rough and energetic is raised.
my teaching is improvised, and takes in account the complexity and difference in the group of students, the student-body. each group is different has different needs and desires. my wish to get to rough and energetic duet dancing is always a proposition, a doorway that i do not rule out but invite to go to. usually i find in younger students the challenge to keep them in slow and flow mood for as much time as possible before suggesting wildness. other groups might need a suggested way out of softening earlier.
the phrase “within a second or less” i use in hinting at the possible switch from passivity to activity in partner-exercises like the classic “arm drop” where you react from passive forearm-resting through weight dropping to active supporting the partner-forearm “within a second or less”.
also steve paxtons phrase that “momentum can be extended and used “ hints in this direction
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.