Back in the studio at a university again (University of Sydney) but this time as student and not teacher. I have space from 8-9am, tues-fri in the dept. of education’s dance studio. It is one of those dance studios that just feels like a place where work is not made. A ‘teaching about dance’ dance studio disconnected from the professional world. Anyway, I am starting a daily practice or some sort of form during my hour there 4 days a week. The original collaborators are not here so I’m going to see if I can find some new folks to engage in this process. Currently I am reluctantly and nostalgically thinking of those past sessions and the creative/inspirational fusion of what the three of us did.
Today I did a sort of mad solo recreation of the daily practice structure. I focused on watching and doing. I used the familiar dog bark from the timer on my iPod Touch – the same app from Lindsey’s iPhone in AA. I set out to do a series of watching and doing repetitions starting with a 3 minute doing and then a 3 minute watching of the empty space. I approached it as if somebody was doing the practice with me but I didn’t imagine or try to imagine some imaginary dancer/improvisor (I’m not that mad!). I looked at the room with the same kind of experiential focus and waited for the bark from the timer, I then reset the timer and went into the space and did another 3 minute doing. No speaking (well I WAS alone – not like that has stopped me in the past!) and when the 3 sequences of watching, doing, watching, doing, watching, doing were over I wrote some notes and left the space. Notes I have elaborated on here.
In an odd way I did find the same focus as I did with Lindsey and Christian or maybe it is better to characterize it as a moment when the physical and mental fidgeting stopped. This happened after the second repetition. I was always aware/conscious it was just me recreating something that was never meant for one person. I wonder if that thought will disappear?
Some thoughts …. I have the space for 4 weeks. Let’s see how it progresses.
