An idea for an emotion / movement exercise

So I am working here on summarising ideas so far to do with feelings and movement.

I guess there is some ideas that need to be more concrete so I am putting them out here.

One of the wonders of dance is that it is experiential. All the theory and, ideas mean little unless they are experienced. I think this connects into our emotional sides, as feelings are just ideas. They need to be experienced to understand what they are and it helps if that experience is also physical. Physicality definitely gives them depth and / or power.

As feelings are internal, the physical form is secondary. It is a natural expression of what is going on inside. Physical experience is perhaps best done through improvisation, where the form is derived from the emotion rather than having a specific form and transposing feelings onto it. The form appears organically and can be identified through shape and dynamic drive, the six parts I have mentioned previously (see blog post - understanding how feeling affect movement).

Here is a basic concept of how to get to exploring emotions through movement.

1. Awareness - Awareness of the body and how I am feeling in this moment. Awareness of the flow of energy through my being and also of how I am, how I hold myself - posture - and how I am moving.
   By simply closing my eyes and breathing, listening to my body I create space to be aware of where I am. I am connecting with myself in this present moment. By doing this I am also tuning into what is going on in my body so that then when I move, it is more present.

2. Vulnerability - To connect with our feelings we need to allow ourself to be vulnerable. Allowing vulnerability needs trust. Trust that I am in a space where no harm or judgment will come from what I do. Trust that the experience will be one of discovery. So to be in a non-judgmental space with supportive people around helps. Also having my eyes closed and focusing inward lets me give up what is happening externally and whether people are reacting to what I am doing.
   Vulnerability allows us to experience and feel with depth and provides the basis of expressing those feelings which is what I do as I hold myself or move. Being aware is a start, but so to is putting myself in a safe space and allowing myself to release, relax and let go. It is going with the movement or where my body wants to go, rather than controlling it. It is seeing a flow and experimenting with this inner impulse.
   An idea is with eyes closed to start following inner impulses and movements. Start by releasing, changing shape and following ease. After tuning in our bodies want to move in certain directions, going with this is allowing the vulnerability to be.

3. Play - as a continuation of allowing vulnerability, the next stage is to play with the movement that comes. It is engaging with what is there, following it to its ends, sending it in different directions. It is allowing a flow and moving how I feel like doing. Giving into natural impulses.
   The difference here is that we are subconsciously directing/influencing our movement, feelings and thoughts, rather than just observing them. It’s not controlling the movement, but allowing them to take shape, move in different directions, be present with movement and feeling. Taking inner impulses further, even to extremes to enhance their presence and amplify them.

4. Directing - Here, after the experience of the first three moments, it is time to add a conscious decision. To decide what feeling I choose to experience and to discover and explore it. It is a form of conscious immersion. An improvisation that is actively driven by the chosen feeling, dynamically explored in its entirety. The aim is to connect with and discover what the emotion is (and what it is not). It is here that I am consciously expressing what I feel inside through movement of my body.

Where to next? In isolation a cool down would come to put us back into balance and in ourselves, a la no. 1. But there is obviously further to go with these ideas.

Ideas like contrasting two emotions, I find interesting. The question is always, if they are too far apart, can the body make that jump or does it need steps in-between?

Ill add to this as ideas come!