Hallux Valgus is an independent collective of five dancers. The collective rehearse weekly at the Machol Shalem Dance House and perform monthly at the Barbur Gallery. Each month one of the members leads the others to explore together his/ hers movement improvisation interests.
Following the combined research, the leader conducts the other dancers with a score (movement pattern) to improvise within at the monthly show .
Led by Dotan Dvir
Navigation in Space
During our work I was interested in developing together with my friends a way to handle the need to constantly navigate between three spheres:
Personal - a person dancing with himself
Dialogue - between two dancers
Group- three people or more.
It seemed to me that when a person develops awareness to the decisions he constantly takes in order to navigate between these spheres of communication, it allows also for something to be clarified in the shared space.
In addition, during our work we investigated the possibility of allowing an event (any idea which is occurring in space) to take its time. It seems that this is a challenging task, as the possibilities in the space are constantly opening up. It appears that allowing ourselves to stay in what we are doing (once we were able to define it) helps to define and communicate our current role in the space ,even if this is a very dynamic and fluid role, and that this self-definition can support the creation and maintenance of other roles in space. It seemed to me that this agreement between the dancers to try to stay for some time in what we understand we are doing and with who we understand we are dancing with, can deepen the level of communication which occurs in the space.
At the same time we also understood that a decision to "stay" in an event shouldn't be static but rather should be constantly considered by the dancer, in accordance to the dynamics in the space.
We also emphasized the importance of leaving the space once in a while in order to see it from the outside. This
allowed the dancers to make more space-conscious decisions.
The performance score:
Prolog: instinctive dance in space.
Stop.
Main body of score: Each dancer needs to develop at least one solo, one duet and one trio and to leave the space at least once.
Epilogue: All the dancers meet and create a quartet which they bring to a point near the wall at the other side of the room.
During the performance there were wonderful energies, I would like to thank Ronnie Wagner, a great musician, which joined us at the night of the performance and also to thank all the wonderful audience that came, you were great!
From the performance
Trailer for the performance, materials from the process
The exihibition beside of the performance:
Neither Savage nor Wise, Desperate Times - Desperate Measures
Avshalom Suliman
Led by Dror Shoval
My motivation:
I'm looking for the attractions of the eye on the moving body , where it continues to, and allow it to easily migrate to new locations in order to allow a new images rise up
Actions we did referring the gaze:
Collecting images of bodies from newspaper--- observing---- tearing out\hiding the face--- observing
Working with a video camera looking through a frame: Watching a dance taking the head out of the frame. Do I notice new qualities?
Watching a dance while focusing on the negative space the dance frames in space
Wearing a mask with a picture of someone else in the group., as two perform and the other two observe.
Actions we did referring memory and consciousness:
Open improvisation session (the dances don’t know they will have to repeat it) ---repeating what has been done----repeating again---- reflection about what has happened
Working with a mask and closed eyes---- what opens when one thing is closed?---- (Two performing two observing). Starting a session with awareness to the decisions I am making --- then repeating them. Reflecting.
Interesting: The performers don’t know what else is happening in the space. The experience for the observer and performer to confront the memory of the performer while performing the second time verses the memory of the observer. There was a difficulty to improvise in the "dark" lonely space. The information of the face on the mask was opportunely to refer to .
On the floor there are floor photos facing down--- each one chooses a random picture----cut out the body not by the regular way we look at the body---- each one has a pen and paper near him\her to write down thoughts--- a movement session that refers to the action we did on the photos after the session , we spoke about it. The general feeling was that it was very difficult.thoughts that were shared: there was a need to search for new ideas. The body was confused . The score didn't give enough information. Each limb had a different wish. Things that were helpful in the session: Working with part of the body invisible. For me as a observer, I was able to see the familiar bodies in a different way . They offered me a new way to look at the moving body. A question that cake up , it the what happens when there is no clear score and the dancers want to complete a mission, does frustration help the research?
The score:
Duo: impro with closed eyes with there face covered
second duo
A open session that there is always one that in improvising with voice and movement. the rest are improvising in relation to a action they did on a object before the session
From the performance
Trailer
Led by Gili Inglis
In the next month, I will try to implement concepts from games and playfulness to our movement improvisation
First session: soldier and game rules
In our first meeting, we experienced setting personal rules for each 'player' (dancer) when we are all 'playing' (dancing) together. Each one set for his\herself to move like a soldier in a chess game would move. Also, we practiced observing other dancers in motion while trying to figure out the choice of principles of their movement pattern.
From that experience, we understood the need to define rules for the game, such as moving from point A to point B on the board game. We defined the different types of rules. There are rules that are personal for each dancer’s movement pattern that don't influence the other dancers. Other rules are depending on and influenced by other dancers on the board game. We practiced verbalizing the rules so that they won't be a movement instruction as we are used to. The structure of the rules we worked with were when something happens, an action follows. Such as, when someone goes into the linoleum I’m standing on,. Then I should transfer to different linoleum. We noticed that this score, made us move in a certain pattern.
Second session: Playfulness and timing
Based on the rules from the previous session, we added playfulness to the scores instructions.
After watching a basketball game, I understood that a one simple rule leads to physical punctuality that is free and unrestricted. The momentum of scoring a basket during a critical time in a game, is a dramatic element for the players, fans, media and all the people present in the game.
In order to integrate those elements in our practice, we decided on a sign that all the dancers will have to react to immediately, leading to a twist in the dance story. In addition, I gave each dancer a secret rule that I was the only one to know what relations are going to develop in the dance.
For example:
Assaf- always be in the corner of Dror's eye and attract his attention
Dror- copy Dotan's movements
Dotan- When Assaf comes near you: jump
When Dror comes near you spread yourself
When Assaf goes away from you:stop
When Dror goes away from you: roll
Trailer
From the performance
Led by Assaf Lederman
Phase, motif , shifting
The work process is focused on becoming a moving element.
A specific element that moves in a shared space with other moving elements, and has a relation with them .
Distinction , if achieved, creates a space that enables shifting and development .
Trailer
From the performance
Guest performer: Aviv Sheyn
Musician: Ben Niran
Exihibition beside the performances: Barbur B&B
Led by Ye'ela Wilschanski
In the next month, I will continue my research regarding movement and voice improvisation.
The questions that interest me towards building a score relate to my interest in voice :
How the movement influences the voice. and how the voice is influenced by the movement.
How each of us is influenced by the presence of anothers moving and voicing in the same space
How we are influenced by the specific space of the Barbur Gallery.
How are we influenced by me leading the rehearsals and deciding about the score, but when we perform we are equal .
These issues are linked to each other , but in each rehearsal I will focus on one question .
The score:
Sit at the front row, gradually voice.
Enter the space , define when you are a body and when you are a voice.
Bring to a ending - face the audience , fade the voice
From the performance
Guest performer : Sivan Zarifi
Exihibition beside the performances: Barbur B&B