More on body mind ideas
I’ve been working some more on the thoughts presented previously in this blog to do with movement exercises and connecting with oneself. It’s still in its infancy and is really only a theory, but it’s the basis of something that I think is worth spending some time working on. It’s grown through the desire to get to these emotions and work on new ways to develop exercises. For some reason, once one has a philosophy or a concept, it seems easier to fill in the details.
Most of the information I have gained through different ideas from books that I have read. They aren’t necessarily mine. What I am searching for is a way to put them together that is useable or to find a blueprint that I can work off to explore.
Physical activity to address the body, which my field - dance is a part of, is of such importance here. The flow down from the physical into the rest of our being is powerful. As I think of people who have dis-ease in their bodies and how that affects the rest of their being, it shows how reliant we are to our health. At the other end, chronic thoughts continued over time can build and build into something that affects our body and in doing so our whole being. It’s a theory of an interconnected system that is constantly flowing from one part to the next.
Where I want to take this, is using mindfulness to create awareness of where one is, then through basic exercises (coming from the dance/movement side myself) to engage a trickle down flow from the physical body to the rest of ones being.
Maybe this is just the basics of Dance Therapy! I will do some investigating…!
Though the more I think about it, it does sound a lot like dance therapy, it’s not my intention to be a therapist or to conduct therapy sessions. It is my intention to find a flow or a tool that enables us to be our better selves. For me personally, it is about structuring my classes in a better/more effective manner. That is why I am exploring!
Stage as a moral institution - Schiller
The world is an ever evolving and changing place, facing new challenges the tried and tested stay the same and ring evermore true. Schiller’s text The Stage as a Moral Institution has not lost its touch.
“Never discuss politics or religion in polite company” was always the mantra as I was growing up. I never understood why, though if you look at todays debates, perhaps we can see. The amazing amounts of disinformation, opinions presented as facts and spin means we are caught in a web not knowing what is real. Healthy skepticism is perhaps the only way to take all news stories. The speed with which social media spreads information has meant that nothing is checked or even thought about before being spread. There is a general lack of ethics and nothing to really hold people to account (at least in the short term). Perhaps the reason for passion and extremities and culture wars in todays political world is a result of the lack of moral underpinning that has come as religion is in many parts losing its influence.
I grew up Catholic due to my Italian Heritage, though I was never a devout believer. I do appreciate the spirituality of a church and the energy that is present as one enters. The stillness and the space, the moment in time for reflection is very powerful. There is a lot to say for the morality and standards religion kept people to and how todays world seems to be lost due to the lack of beliefs. That said, the amount of damage done in the name of religion is probably proportionate…. so in the world at the moment we seem to be transitioning to being a-religious, somehow losing our values and decency. Of course this is a great generalisation and it is perhaps, that the most immoral people are usually the loudest.
Why do I bring this theme up? More culture theory! I have been reading another text by Schiller The Stage as a Moral Institution (English) (German - the text is slightly longer as it is from a speech. The English version starts at the asterisk about 5 paragraphs in). Schiller’s theory is that the stage is / can be the bridge between Politics and Religion.
This text needs to be given some context. At this time in Germany there were not so many permanent theatres and those that were permanent, were a part of the courts of the aristocracy. There was of course no other forms of artistic entertainment (thinking film, television, radio etc. here). It was also a time where there was a transition from theatre being for the court and becoming also a medium for regular people.
In the text we again find Schiller’s triads, Politics, Religion and Theatre or Laws, Morals and Higher Service or Head, Heart and Imagination/Creativity. The text itself is beautifully written, poetic. It is an appeal to our better selves. What it does show is how art, especially theatre, can be of value to society in such a way that news and opinion cannot. We can laugh at ourselves when presented in satire or cry at the tragedy of a depressing story, yet because they are just that - stories, they can say things that real life cannot. We can approach their message with a sense of perspective as it is “just a play” or a piece of theatre. It’s not life, but it can mirror what is happening in life around us and get us to think deeply about the points where politics and morals meet.
Many directors and producers are presenting pieces (theatre and film) about problems in society as well as creating satire to do with current events. Theatre hasn’t lost its power over the 250 years since Schiller wrote his text. Engaging with a piece of theatre or film gets us out of the instant gratification of social media and today’s ever quicker pace, slowing things down and putting us in a place where a message is well thought out, presented and developed in a thoughtful manner. Just the effort to produce a piece of theatre dance or film takes a lot of thought. It is an immersion in the idea or concept presented and explored. Yes, it can also be seen as an opinion yet a well thought out opinion. There is also a lot of “skin in the game”.
Skin in the game is a concept where a person has significant risk in an endeavour thereby making them vulnerable to the result. It is considered an honourable thing, as no-one desires to lose their own “skin” by producing something that is of low quality.
Here is another comparison to the instantaneous nature of social media, versus the time and effort invested to create a piece of art. By necessity, theatre and film can take up to several months to produce is a big investment of time, energy and usually money, meaning that there is a desire to create something of value.
Play and Learning
I am combining here the thoughts on play and learning. To truly learn something we need to understand it fully. To do this we need to play with the idea or thing. Knowing what it is and what it isn’t, how it functions, it’s strengths and weaknesses as well as its purpose is one of the best ways to truly know something. It’s the natural way that children learn (think experimenting with walking - balance, falling, etc.). It’s also learning through experience which is one of the most effective ways of creating a lasting lesson that can easily be recalled or used.
I’ve been searching out more ideas surrounding play and in doing so I found a book by Todd Hargrove called “Playing With Movement” (a book about exercise). He categorises play as:
Play is:
intrinsically motivating
not too stressful
exploratory
creative
tinkering
involves risk
So if I learn an idea, I need to use play to fully explore it. Find out how it works and be motivated to even take the time to do it. If I really know what it is, then I should also be able to fully explain it (see “A thought on learning” post) as well as knowing how to use or apply it.
Todd Hargrove also brought up some interesting comparisons between play and work. His thought is that we need a combination of both to produce the best results. Just lifting weights in a gym will only develop certain muscles, just as only practicing a sport without training will not give us an edge either. A child will learn to walk by themselves, but encouragement or other forms of help (holding a hand, placing two object close by to move between, etc.) will speed up the process and can still be enjoyable as long as the right atmosphere is there. There is alway room for a combination of both.
Social interaction also helps to motivate us as well. Encouragement from others, gets us to push further and take risks. Healthy competition can also help us strive to improve. Being part of a functioning team can help to motivate us to be our best, as there is a greater purpose involved than that of our own personal gain. Groups also provide social accountability and camaraderie that can motivate too. It’s not always necessary but it can help.
A Thought On Learning
Found this on twitter (https://twitter.com/ProfFeynman/status/1196101977664454657)… and I totally agree.
The FEYNMAN technique of learning:
STEP 1 - Pick and study a topic
STEP 2 - Explain the topic to someone, like a child, who is unfamiliar with the topic
STEP 3 - Identify any gaps in your understanding
STEP 4 - Review and Simplify!
My son has been struggling with thing that he’s been unsure about as I have been helping him with his homework. The most effective way I have found is to get him to explain what he is doing.
I find this works for me as well. If I can explain a subject / concept to someone and they understand what I mean, then I get the feeling I know what I am doing. Of course there are always different ways and perspectives to doing anything and that is where the review and simplify comes in!
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.
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.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.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.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!
Dysfunctions of a team… Vulnerability / Trust
I reread a classic book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni during the week. It’s a book about teamwork that I’ve had for a few years now. The book is a theory on how teams work and don’t work. I sometimes wonder how much people understand as to how teams best operate or what a team really is? Anyone who is a part of an organisation or club encounters teamwork so what makes a team great?
Teamwork is really important. I’ve always believed that the ideas of many are much better than the ideas of one. It’s simply that many individuals with unique experiences can bring a lot more to a table than one person. Naturally they have differing views that need to be synthesised to create progress, but the scope is there to create something that generally is greater than the power of a single individual. Of course this requires leadership!
So what are the 5 dysfunctions of a team?
Absence of Trust
Fear of Conflict
Lack of Commitment
Avoidance of Accountability
Inattention to Results
They can also be spun in a positive way - how a team functions best. A team:
Trusts one another
Engages in unfiltered conflict around ideas
Commits to decisions and plans of action
Holds one another accountable
Focus on the achievement of collective results
It sounds so simple but of course it’s not! Each part builds on the next, with trust at the bottom and results at the top. Yet they are all so important.
So where to start with my thoughts? I’ll focus on the first one today: Trust
There is an interesting take in the book on trust. Trust in a traditional sense is trusting that people will behave in ways that they have done in the past… being dependable or reliable.
Yes, this is trust, but there is a second version that is perhaps more pertinent to teams, relationships and perhaps life in general. It’s being open and vulnerable and trusting that one is safe to be this way.
Vulnerability is a key theme that I have been thinking about and encountering a lot lately. How willing am I to be vulnerable? It’s the vulnerability of sharing, of being open, of being able to admit mistakes, of freely expressing ones opinions in a non-judgmental way. It’s exposing a part of oneself where one can be rejected or disliked and being ok with that. It’s about taking chances realising that failure is a possibility. It’s never about being reckless, but it’s about living life to its full.
Vulnerability is so interesting and is a choice in our hands. I can choose to be vulnerable or not.
In my experience, being vulnerable is quite uncomfortable. I have liked to avoid it, but I am trying to be more vulnerable. Yet at the same time as it being uncomfortable, the act of being vulnerable in itself is extremely valuable. Even with the possibility of failure or rejection. A growth mindset helps to get over setback, but it’s the fact that one was vulnerable, that one can learn from the experience rather than avoiding it and living in fear. Vulnerability is in itself is actually liberating! And that feeling is great!
How can we be more vulnerable? It’s expressing our inner selves, our unfiltered thoughts. It’s taking risks especially interpersonal ones. It’s allowing the true me to be seen, letting down my guard and realising that who I am is good enough, a work in progress.
The benefits of vulnerability are immense. Through vulnerability we create true connections. Through vulnerability we allow others to come closer. Through vulnerability we create and grow. Through vulnerability we are able to be ourselves. Vulnerability is about recognising ones weaknesses, deficiencies and shortcomings. It’s being able to make mistakes and owning them and being able to ask for help.
Relating to a team environment, trust is about allowing vulnerability, feeling safe enough that these weaknesses will not be used against the individual. With trust, rather than using valuable energy to protect oneself or manage ones’ own image, it allows is people to focus fully their energy on the task at hand.
How to do this? Well it starts with being able to share personal information, feelings, experiences. It’s giving insight into who one is. It’s also about being able to share ones weaknesses or ask for help.
Here are a few from myself:
I struggle with commitment. I’m not great at making up my mind or making decisions. I rarely treat myself or do nice things for myself. I’m awful at recognising others and expressing gratitude.
If I do commit to something I am very loyal and will see it through and give my all. I love working out concepts and exploring ideas. I am usually quick to understand how things function.
The Third Form - Schillers' Idea of Play
So in a continuation of the idea of art being defined as feeling or form, I found more art philosophy, this time from Schiller, about the mix of the two. A great post on the idea can be found here: http://www.goldenassay.com/2012/09/21/schiller-and-play/
Schillers’ theory is that there is a third form in art and he calls it “play”. It is the point where the combination of or the act of combining form and feeling.
It makes me question what play actually is, so lets explore play in more detail:
What is the definition of play? Here are a few select definitions of play from the dictionary (source):
1 Engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.
1.2 Amuse oneself by engaging in imaginative pretence.
2 Take part in (a sport)
4 Represent (a character) in a theatrical performance or a film.
These are definitions that resonated with me (there are of course others). What links them is the engagment which I find crucial for play, as it is the part that makes it experiential.
In looking at these definitions, I also question whether play needs to be unserious? Sure it can be enjoyable and for recreation purposes (unserious outcome), but I wonder if anyone who truly takes part in playing does so without engaging themselves 100%?
There is a spontaneity about play in being alive and engaged in the moment - experiencing. Outcomes can be important but are not necessarily the goal. In my observations of young children playing, they are always 100% involved in whatever they do. Perhaps the act of playing can be described as letting go and involving oneself in an activity whether it be sport, art, creation of any kind with varying importance on the outcome.
If we take this back to the idea that there is a combination in art between form and feeling which is called play what does it mean….
Well as an artist, play can represent the creative process. Playing with ideas (form and feeling), synthesising them by turning them around, putting them in different positions, constellations, comparing them to others, stretching them, shrinking them, associating them… all exploration of the imagination - tangible and intangible. It is taking inspiration, a form and a feeling and then playing with it that is the creative (doing/experiential) process.
By engaging form and feeling we are developing art. Synthesising the two brings develops an idea, enriches it and allows it to grow.
The three parts form, feeling and play correspond with many philosophical and historical ideas: mind, heart and imagination (soul/spirit) or intellect, sensitivity and spontaneity. They have also been related to the ancient gods and mythology.
Great pieces of art have all three. A work that is sentimental, smart and imaginative, that engages both visual forms and provokes an emotional reaction, making one think and feel at the same time.
How does this relate this back to dance? It’s in the philosophy that dance combines and synthesises both simple forms creating play. This is an absolute luxury, though makes dance complex. By design all parts are essential to dance. Form is clear in the shapes our bodies make in their pathways as they move and also the positions held between movements. Feelings are expressed through how a body is held - its posture and also through the changes in form - dynamic expressing emotional depth and intensity. Or put another way A solid state conveys one emotion depending on it’s position or expression. A moving state can vary not only the emotions expressed but also their intensity!
Dance is play!
Sundays Musings
I’m feeling kind of humble after the last week. Quite a few habits that I thought I had put behind me crept back in. It just reminds me that life is a learning process. Setbacks are great to help me to grow and improve. And I realise I continually I need to keep up with my own standards and the best of me.
This past week it was It was little things. Being under prepared for classes… Sure they still went well, but I couldn’t enjoy them as much as I should and they sucked my energy rather than replenishing it (as they often do). I kept repeating mistakes in trading that I hadn’t done for many weeks. I frustrated myself to the point where I wasn’t thinking clearly. The one of the biggest assets in trading is having a clear mind to process information in the moment as decisions need to be taken in real time with a certain amount of pressure. It’s living on the edge, kind of a replacement for live performance… maybe that’s why I enjoy it. I did manage to take a step back and observe, moving away from the frustration, so that is a positive. But by letting frustration get to me for a while, suddenly the depreciating self talk kicks in. It’s there and always will be, to hit me when I feel vulnerable.
And what was my reaction to this adversity this week…? Avoidance. My time spent on social media increased as a way to escape, leading to me being less prepared and achieving less from the week.
Ok, perhaps I am being a little hard on myself here. I did manage to do all I needed to do and though I could have done more or found a better emotional state, sometimes energy and productiveness does ebb and flow.
I think there is one thing typifies what I was going through. It comes back to the “Leadership: Step by Step” book that I keep putting down and picking back up. The task was: as I feel unwanted emotions to work out what beliefs contribute to them?
It’s been really tricky to engage here. I have avoided the task, even in and of itself (to start it). And as I attempt to do it, I catch myself distracting myself by suddenly wanting to check e-mail or listen to some music, as I am attempting to write and think. Avoidance pure!
So what is in this? Well, yes I am avoiding the difficult emotions, but also the beliefs that lead me to them, which of course is the point of it all!!
Eg. Feeling unworthy:
I believe I never learn from my mistakes
I believe only people who are perfect are worthy
I believe my worth is reflected in how much I achieve
I believe I am not good enough
Feeling overwhelmed:
I believe only busy people are of value
I believe I need to push myself to do more
I believe life is a struggle and I will fall in a ditch
I believe I have to fight the feeling
I believe I am alone and isolated
Amazing how much relief I feel as I type this. As I write these beliefs, I don’t judge them. But I do see how irrational they may be. Without highlighting them and by avoiding them, I keep getting stuck in a circle of subconscious beliefs that hang there in my mind, keeping me in protective behaviour and robbing me of the energy I need to bubble and feel free. The energy that drives me!
There has always been a struggle inside me with negative emotions. It’s a habit of wanting to deny their existence, which never works. Maybe it’s cultural or upbringing, but I am totally responsible for the way I behave and think. Expressing them and their accompanying beliefs does actually feel good.
I’ll admit I’ve never really had a handle on self-worth. I know that I should believe that I am worthy no matter what, but there is a difference between knowing something and feeling it! And really one’s worth should have nothing to do with other people. But as I say that, I don’t believe it does have to do with others, but a feeling in me says that it does?!?
The gaps between thoughts/knowledge, beliefs and feelings! At least awareness is the first step to resolving them!!
Understanding how feelings affect movement
The way we move is directly affected by our feelings. Our physical stature each day expresses how we feel in the moment as well as how we feel in general. Someone who is feeling confident will have a more outward, open body position and be more physically active. Someone who is feeling sad will be inward looking, resist eye contact and be happier by hardly moving at all, moving only in small slow efforts. It is all subjective of course, but there are tendencies to certain types of movement.
How can we define this movement from a movement analysis perspective?
We can look at Labans’ Movement Analysis techniques to see how each type of emotion can be defined. I will qualify this here in saying, I have not formally studied Labans theories. I may be wrong in some of the expressions and definitions and this is just my understanding through my experiences as a dancer/teacher/choreographer.
To look at emotion, an approach would be to define characteristic movements dynamic qualities — Time (fast, slow), Space (direct, indirect) and Energy (Strong, light) with Flow (controlled, uncontrolled) as well as its shape or posture qualities — Rising, Sinking, Spreading, Enclosing, Advancing, and Retreating.
So taking a feeling like confident that I just previously explained:
My definition:
Confident - Slow, Direct and Light combined with Rising, Spreading and Advancing movement.
This is totally subjective, as I can see how someone may want to portray confident with Strong energy. My opinion is that would then be the feeling of powerful but that is open for discussion.
To note is that by changing one component one accesses a different feeling. Also that it is a generalisation of the type of movement a feeling produces, not the complete picture. ie. more slow than fast…
What else is there to define here?
One could define emotions on positive/negative polarities. They can have the same action dynamics but different shape/posture qualities. Positive emotions will want to rise spread and advance while negative emotions will want to sink enclose and retreat. This is obviously another generalisation rather than a rule. Someone who is fearful may fulfil the negative side, but for instance resignation or shock would want to spread rather than enclose.
I have been and will be working on this idea with my students over the next months as it’s an interesting way to address the feeling side of dance (see previous posts on dance being a cross between form and movement). There is much to explore here and I haven’t as yet found any literature that goes into this kind of use of movement analysis in detail.
Another aim is to work on is not only how emotions can be defined, but then how to apply them then to dance. Of course a feeling is quite a strong point to work from. If I feel here happy, then I will naturally want to move faster… etc. Yet, say I have a certain choreography, how can I transpose happy onto the form? Or does the form need to be based in the emotion? What exercises are there to develop this skill both from an education, research and choreographic perspective?
Plenty to think about!
Feelings in Dance 2 - Beliefs
In searching for answers and ideas to develop my ability to teach/inspire the feeling side of dance, I read some research papers that inferred one doesn’t actually have to feel a feeling to express it as a dancer. I’m trying to be open-minded about this idea, yet instinct says that this is academic rubbish!! Yes, we don’t need to feel actual pain to express pain… but conversely wouldn’t it help? It comes down to the authenticity of emotion and the depth of performance one desires.
I have the belief that the movements (within reason) are less important than the emotional content behind them. The form is always there but it can change and evolve with the emotional content. The power and meaning in movement comes from its intention, what one desires to express. Movement in itself can be done in different ways so as to express different emotions (there will be natural variations, but in essence it will be the same steps). That this is the power of live performance, not the actual technique but the raw presence and feeling.
We are lucky in dance that we have both form and feeling. It makes dance unique and the crossover between the two gives it its power. I teach a lot of ballet to younger kids. I see the disinterest when a class gets to dry and technical and the excitement and joy that creating movement or expressing an idea through working with feelings gives. You of course need to teach kids both and ideally combine the two in exercises.
To get to the feeling content, one thing that I started a number of years ago was writing down a table of emotions and their basic movement qualities described in dynamics (Laban movement classification). Feelings are subjective, as each person feels slightly differently and also reacts physically and expresses themselves differently to certain emotions, but there are broad generalisations that one can make to do with different feelings. I will add some of the ideas over the next weeks as I refine and work on them.