Reminded of Patience

This morning in the studio was another fruitful day of exploration of many kinds. First I sang. Something happened. I yawned, and I think I finally felt what it is my voice teacher has been trying to get me to feel these past few months. The yawn created an openness in my throat and a relaxation that allowed me to slip between pitches with little effort. The sensation did not last but a few minutes as tension crept back into my shoulder girdle and throat, but I felt it: my chest vibrating, my lungs expanding deeply.

After my discovery, I put on my tap shoes to continue my process of retraining my body after having not done tap in such a long time. I am preparing for the class I must teach in the fall at HPU. I will also be choreographing the musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie" next spring there, and I thought about a year's time would be enough to prepare for the challenge. The time steps have come back, the flaps and shuffles, maxi turns have come back. The one thing that is most frustrating is getting the relaxed control of my feet that is required for tap dancing. My work will lie in allowing my ankle joints to relax in action to move more efficiently.

Micro movement came next. I began with work in my spine. Discovering that over gripping the abs will shorten the spine, not support it. A moderate lift, used for the purpose of standing, sitting, and moving through basic movements is best. Over gripping the abdominals can cause other muscles to tighten: the hip flexors, the gluts, the quads and hams. When the abs are over gripped, it can cause tucking in the pelvis, which creates tension in these other muscles. I want to do my work with released or pseudo released gluts. Over gripping the gluts causes stiffness in the pelvis. I don't want that, either. I do some work with my shoulders, feeling my shoulder blades slide on my back as I set the impulse to lift my arms. I work on my hips, as usual.

Working with the phrase I began yesterday, I continue to create more material in silence. This sudden burst of creativity, after such a lull in it reminds me that I need to be patient when knocking on Creativity's door. The door will open when it's ready, and there will always be amazing experiences behind the door waiting. I am confident that this time, I'm on to something. I can feel it in the way I'm working: very meditative, pointed, relaxed. I have 4 minutes of material done in 2 hour-long rehearsals. When I am in this place, material comes out quickly and easily. The making is almost trance-like. The body is willing to experiment and push, the mind is willing to be flexible. today I patiently awaited movement after movement to emerge. This piece is experimental for me in that I am not being driven by music, words or emotions. I am not yet sure what is driving this material. But it is slow, contemplative, with bursts of energy. The point at which I have stopped today marks a change in energy that will shift the feel of the piece. And my thighs are sore.

More later!

~Cara