Reflecting on the work in process film ‘Collective Field 2017’…

Working with film in this process has highlighted the value of fragmentation of the body for enabling alternative ways of seeing, and ways of initiating movement. The gaze of the camera, directed by Sara Hibbert, drew me to different body parts and how the movement stems from the core of the body; as opposed to seeing the traces of movement in the space made by the limbs of the dancers.

Initiating movement in an intimate space individually was difficult for dancers in this process, perhaps due to:

• the challenge of imagining ways to move
• over reliance on a sense of aesthetics in movement from an external perspective (shapes in space)
• their previous experience of dance being delivered using external cuing such as use of mirroring or music cues meaning dancers are reliant on being guided to move

However the fragmenting of the body in ‘Collective Field 2017’ shows rich movement exploration starting from the core of the body.

This perspective of the body through the camera lens, has directed me to consider internally guided movement methods in order to encourage bodily understanding and awareness for dancers with Parkinson’s. Dance involves considering the movement of the body in space, in relation to itself, externally and internally, however perhaps over reliance on external cues could hinder dancers creative understanding of their body’s potential to move…