biography

Not What I Had In Mind Log

Question and Tasks

1. In a stream of consciousness description of a dance or choreography

Two types of archetypal dances seemed to have emerged from this question:

Those that have had little experience of dance as a central part of there life usually spoke about a kind of folk dance. Something like:

Two or more people moving in simple patterns, usually circular, like me folk and tribal dances seen all over the world. At a half way point there would usually be a pause, with some kind of reversal of the movements but intensity of movements or interactions intensifying. Alomost always there was sense of balance or harmony in the composition of the choreographies that were described. Almost always always with equal numbers, all partnered off but no one fixed with one partner.

Sometimes people would continue on, this usually seemed to be more about them and some kind of internal surreal dialogue. Such as the person that
began to include animals into there dance. This person talked about a wide variety of animals being part of the dance, always evenly balanced with the number of animals balance with number of people. Although this particular person said maybe there was just a tiger, maybe it was just her and tiger somehow safely dancing to together.

Four or five of the 28 had either professional experience of dance or intense engagement with it at some point in their lives. These people usually described something like:

A solo performer on stage, always the same gender as themselves. They move smoothly slowly and with assurance but their arms or legs fall when they lift them, they fall to the ground, they seem to keep failing somehow. Occasionally they spin or jump but mostly they are grounded. Always with grace and strength but with a sense of melting or pouring into or around the stage. Sometimes a group of dancers would replace the soloist but the soloist would return or join them later.

<Back to Questions and Tasks menu