Spotlight
Experience Sharing 2: Biblioteca do Corpo 2015 - School of Dance Students participated in ImPulsTanz Festival in Vienna
Vivian Luk Wai-shan
04 August 2015
The Body
Ours and Yours
Though we are all 'human', we are not all the same. Every individual should recognise or know his or her uniqueness, yet not everyone treasures and appreciates his or her specialties. Our body is an inevitably important tool in dance. As a dancer, we may always find ways to excel dance and dance technique. However, technique will never become something really matters if our tool, the body, is not activated. And it is not only about the body. It is in fact also about our mind and our soul.
In this week 2 of ImPulsTanz, I have been attending three different classes: Spine, Space and Sparkles- Axis Syllabus, Investigating Ballet and a Forsythe Work-based workshop. The first class, Spine, Space and Sparkles- Axis Syllabus, emphasises on the execution of the body through fascia, movement of the spine as well as the initiation of the skeletal structure of the body. This class leads me to research the body in a deeper way which refreshes the connection between my cognitive sense and the body sensation. I gradually develop stronger awareness of how the body moves and in what way the body moves naturally according to its structure and the use of gravity without forcing shapes or forms. The second class, Investigating Ballet, not only it reinforces my ballet technique, also suggests diverse approaches to let each individual finding own ways to better present and perform ballet vocabularies. The third class, Forsythe Work-based workshop, introduces the dance principles/ inspiration of William Forsythe: 9 points in the space, Points, Lines and Planes and distortion of the body. These ideas have become a set of useful mechanism for the body to interact with the space so as to broaden the possibility of body moves and to facilitate creation of movements.
In the rehearsal with Ismael, I am aroused to reflect on the issue of 'the traffic of organs' which is the background of Biblioteca do Corpo this year. Ismael has shared with us his idea in detail: our body is a laboratory of vision, which is a creation and realisation of ideas. Contemporary dance, as one of the art forms among all is a channel to share and deliver ideas and message that is reflecting or relating to what is happening around us in the society. However, as human is the focus of a society, there are problems occurring: morality and ethic issue. Traffic of blood and organ become an illness as such abnormal behaviour is running as a business for making huge amount of money while numerous poor people are suffering from losing parts of their body. With this background, Ishmael will make a dance piece with us to provoke the emotional and psychological response as well as the consciousness on the issue of the audience through his choreography.
From classes to rehearsal, it is like a journey bringing me to experience 'body', my own body and body of others. It is also about the matters of living, life and soul, about morality and about arts. It interests me as I am like digging. The deeper I dig, the more I find. Therefore, as long as I keep digging, the more is going to be discovered and more I am going to own.
Background on Biblioteca do Corpo
The Biblioteca do Corpo® education project was developed by choreographer Ismael Ivo as a special method to coach and train young professionals individually and allow them to reach their personal level of excellence as dancers and artists. The project was launched in 2013 within the frame of ImPulsTanz - Vienna International Dance Festival and will take place in 2015 for the 3rd time.
04 August 2015
The Body
Ours and Yours
Though we are all 'human', we are not all the same. Every individual should recognise or know his or her uniqueness, yet not everyone treasures and appreciates his or her specialties. Our body is an inevitably important tool in dance. As a dancer, we may always find ways to excel dance and dance technique. However, technique will never become something really matters if our tool, the body, is not activated. And it is not only about the body. It is in fact also about our mind and our soul.
In this week 2 of ImPulsTanz, I have been attending three different classes: Spine, Space and Sparkles- Axis Syllabus, Investigating Ballet and a Forsythe Work-based workshop. The first class, Spine, Space and Sparkles- Axis Syllabus, emphasises on the execution of the body through fascia, movement of the spine as well as the initiation of the skeletal structure of the body. This class leads me to research the body in a deeper way which refreshes the connection between my cognitive sense and the body sensation. I gradually develop stronger awareness of how the body moves and in what way the body moves naturally according to its structure and the use of gravity without forcing shapes or forms. The second class, Investigating Ballet, not only it reinforces my ballet technique, also suggests diverse approaches to let each individual finding own ways to better present and perform ballet vocabularies. The third class, Forsythe Work-based workshop, introduces the dance principles/ inspiration of William Forsythe: 9 points in the space, Points, Lines and Planes and distortion of the body. These ideas have become a set of useful mechanism for the body to interact with the space so as to broaden the possibility of body moves and to facilitate creation of movements.
In the rehearsal with Ismael, I am aroused to reflect on the issue of 'the traffic of organs' which is the background of Biblioteca do Corpo this year. Ismael has shared with us his idea in detail: our body is a laboratory of vision, which is a creation and realisation of ideas. Contemporary dance, as one of the art forms among all is a channel to share and deliver ideas and message that is reflecting or relating to what is happening around us in the society. However, as human is the focus of a society, there are problems occurring: morality and ethic issue. Traffic of blood and organ become an illness as such abnormal behaviour is running as a business for making huge amount of money while numerous poor people are suffering from losing parts of their body. With this background, Ishmael will make a dance piece with us to provoke the emotional and psychological response as well as the consciousness on the issue of the audience through his choreography.
From classes to rehearsal, it is like a journey bringing me to experience 'body', my own body and body of others. It is also about the matters of living, life and soul, about morality and about arts. It interests me as I am like digging. The deeper I dig, the more I find. Therefore, as long as I keep digging, the more is going to be discovered and more I am going to own.
Background on Biblioteca do Corpo
The Biblioteca do Corpo® education project was developed by choreographer Ismael Ivo as a special method to coach and train young professionals individually and allow them to reach their personal level of excellence as dancers and artists. The project was launched in 2013 within the frame of ImPulsTanz - Vienna International Dance Festival and will take place in 2015 for the 3rd time.
