modern dance monday with feldenkrais

The slow, gentle, and graceful movements comprise the Feldenkrais Method.  Moshe Feldenkrais’ ties to dance date back to the 1940s in Israel when modern dancer and movement notator Noah Eshkol took an interest in his work.  Eshkol recorded Feldenkrais’ innovative Awareness Through Movement (ATM) lessons using Eshkol Wachman notation.  You can read more on his full biography here.

Awareness Through Movement is a component of the Feldenkrais Method, which is a mode of somatic education.  During each class, students engage in structured movement explorations that involve thinking, sensing, moving, and imagining.  Many lessons are based on developmental movements and ordinary functional activities.  Some are based on more abstract explorations of joint, muscle, and postural relationships.  The lessons consist of comfortable, easy movements that gradually evolve into movements of greater range and complexity.  Lessons attempt to make one aware of one's habitual neuromuscular patterns and rigidities and to expand options for new ways of moving.

“What I’m after isn’t flexible bodies, but flexible brains.  What I’m after is to restore each person to their human dignity. ”

“I believe that the unity of mind and body is an objective reality.  They are not just parts somehow related to each other, but an inseparable whole while functioning.  A brain without a body could not think.”

“Find your true weakness and surrender to it.  Therein lies the path to genius.  Most people spend their lives using their strengths to overcome or cover up their weaknesses.  Those few who use their strengths to incorporate their weaknesses, who don’t divide themselves, those people are very rare.  In any generation there are a few and they lead their generation. ”


“The aim [of the Feldenkrais Method] is a person that is organized to move with minimum effort and maximum efficiency, not through muscular strength, but through increased consciousness of how movement works.”

“No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a mental act that can take place without the support of some physical function."

“Movement is life.  Life is a process.  Improve the quality of the process and you improve the quality of life itself.”
 
-Moshe Feldenkrais

fairytale friday with the nis and the mare

Nis by Lennart Helje

Nis by Wayne Anderson

There was a man who lived in the town of Tirup, who had a very handsome white mare.  This mare had for many years gone, like an heirloom, from father to son, because there was a Nis attached to her, which brought luck to the place.
This Nis was so fond of the mare, that he could hardly endure to let them put her to any kind of work, and he used to come, himself, every night and feed her of the best; and as for this purpose he usually brought a superfluity of corn, both threshed and in the straw, from the neighbours' barns, all the rest of the cattle enjoyed the advantage of it, and they were all kept in exceeding good case.

It happened at last that the farm-house passed into the hands of a new owner, who refused to put any faith in what they told him about the mare, so the luck speedily left the place, and went after the mare to his poor neighbour who had bought her; and within five days after his purchase, the poor farmer who had bought the mare began to find his circumstances gradually improving, while the income of the other, day after day, fell away and diminished at such a rate, that he was hard set to make both ends meet.

Nis by Lennart Helje

If now the man who had gotten the mare had only known how to be quiet, and enjoy the good times that were come upon him, he and his children, and his children's children after him, would have been in flourishing circumstances till this very day.  But when he saw the quantity of corn that came every night to his barn, he could not resist his desire to get a sight of the Nis.  So he concealed himself one evening, at nightfall, in the stable' and as soon as it was midnight, he saw how the Nis came from his neighbour's barn and brought a sackful of corn with him.  It was now unavoidable that the Nis should get a sight of the man who was watching; so he, with evident marks of grief, gave the mare her food for the last time, cleaned, and dressed her to the best of his abilities, and when he had done, turned round to where the man was lying and bid him farewell.
From that day forward the circumstances of both the neighbours were on an equality, for each now kept his own.

Nis by John Bauer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

weekly wednesday eco lingerie design discount

The decision has been made to offer a leap and bound discount every week on Wednesdays.  I personally agree with Wednesdays most of the time.  They do not stand in the way and open a breathe of aire like the tallest perch you can see from your window.  Yes, Wednesdays will do.  As each week may be juxtaposed with new ideas, so flies the weekly design love from our Under The Root shop.   

This week is the Blushing BlumenUndies.  Beginning today, the price descends from twenty dollars ($20), to ten dollars ($10).  This discount will be ongoing for one week, until next Wednesday begins the succeeding design choice on the chopping block.  There are colors to choose from our seasonal color chart inside the listing.

The authentic reason for these peculiar discounts is to deplete the materials in our stock, for the next evolution can certainly use some padding of the kitty.  We have aspirations for using organic hemp in our designs.. possibly added organic materials as well.  That's right, it is time to move into a more sustainable, extra whopping, super monster fireflies on these pieces.  Yes, there will continue limited, one of a kind materials in the work for some designs, but I am ravenous to push the envelope of what is possible with hemp... and it is essential to inquire for your assistance in the purchase of materials process.  You receive our designs at out of the ordinary prices as we build the revenue for extraordinary materials of the future.  

read more or purchase...

modern dance monday with sidi larbi cherkaoui

Valtari

Valtari

Apocrifu

Akram Khan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui in Zero Degrees

Rein

Rein

The found images above are a tiny selection from various works of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.  After delving into the facts circling a background of this Moroccan Flemish choreographer, there appears to be no stopping this incredibly endearing hearth of body movement.  The production site is swarming with magik unleashed on our universe in performance.  

Faun

Puz/zle

Puz/zle

An informative biography from the debut of his choreography and works throughout the continuing years, plus some media interviews, they all offer a peek into the person behind the work.  The work is extraordinary, bodies as liquid and seamless as our dreamworlds.  He has connected the invisible cord between cultures with performance, shined a moon on gender integrity, and sweeping the cobwebs out of our past.. all for the sake of evolution into our next steps.

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Kazutomi Kozuki

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui by Koenbroos

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui by Damian Siqueiros

fairytale friday with the witches' excursion

The Witches' Excursion
from Legends of Irish Witches and Fairies
written by Patrick Kennedy 1866-1870
Shemus Rua was awakened from his sleep one night by noises in his kitchen.  Stealing to the door, he saw half a dozen old women, sitting round the fire, jesting, and laughing, his own old housekeeper, Madge, quite frisky and gay, helping her sister crones to cheering glasses of punch.  He began to admire the impudence and imprudence of Madge, displayed in the invitation and the riot, but recollected on the instant her officiousness in urging him to take a comfrotable posset, which she had brought to his bedside just before he fell asleep.  Had he drunk it he would have been just now deaf to the witches' glee.  He heard and saw them drink his health in such a mocking style as nearly to tempt him to charge them, besom in hand, but he restrained himself.  The jug being emptied, one of them cried out, "It is time to be gone," and at the same moment, putting on a red cap, she added
By yarrow and rue,
And my red cap too,
Hie over to England.

Making use of a twig which she held in her hand as a steed, she gracefully soared up the chimney, and was rapidly followed by the rest.  But when it came to the housekeeper's turn, Shemus interposed.  "By your leave, ma'am!" said he, snatching twig and cap, "Ah, you desateful ould crocodile!  If I find you here on my return, there'll be wigs on the green."
By yarrow and rue,
And my red cap too,
Hie over to England.
The words were not out of his mouth when he was soaring above the ridge-pole, and swiftly ploughing the air.  He was careful to speak no word (being somewhat conversant in witch lore), as the result would be a tumble, and immediate return of the expedition.  In a very short time they had crossed the Wicklow hills, the Irish Sea, and the Welsh mountains, and were charging at whirlwind speed the halldoor of a castle.  Shemus, only for the company in which he found himself, would have cried out for pardon, expecting to be mummy against the hard oak door in a moment, but all bewildered he found himself passing through the keyhole, along a passage, down a flight of steps, and through a cellar door keyhole, before he could form any clear idea of his situation.
Waking to the full consciousness of his postion, he found himself sitting on a stillion, plenty of lights glimmering round, and he and his companions, nobbing and drinking helths as jovially and recklessly as if the liquor was honestly come by, and they were sitting in Shemus's own kitchen.  The red birredh had assimilated Shemus's nature for the time being to that of his unholy companions.  The heady liquors soon got in their brains, and a period of unconsciousness succeeded the ecstasy, the headache, the turning round the barrels, and the scattered sight of poor Shemus.  He woke up under the impression of being roughly seized, and shaken and dragged upstairs, and subjected to a disagreeable examination by the lord of the castle, in his state parlour.  There was much derision and laughter among the whole company, gentle and simple, on hearing Shemus's explanation; and as the thing occurred in the dark ages, the unlucky Leinsterman was sentenced to be hung as soon as the gallows could be prepared for the occasion.
The poor Hibernian was in the cart proceeding on his last journey, with a label upon his back, and another on his breast, announcing him as the remorseless villain who for the last month had been draining casks in my lord's vaults every night.  He was striving to say a prayer, when he was surprised to hear himself addressed by his name, and in his native tongue, by an old woman in the crowd.  "Ach, Shemus, alanna! is going to die, you are in a strange place, without your cappeen dearg!"  These words infused hope and courage into the victim's heart.  He turned to the lord, and humbly asked leave to die in his red cap, which he supposed had dropped from his head in the vault.  A servant was sent for the headpiece, and Shemus felt lively hope warming his heart while placing it on his head.  On the platform he was graciously allowed to address the spectators, which he proceeded to do in the usual formula composed for the benefit of flying stationers:  "Good people all, a warning take by me;" but when he had finished the line, "My parents reared me tenderly," he unexpectedly added,  
By yarrow and rue,
And my red cap too,
Hie over to England.
and the disappointed spectators saw him shoot up obliquely through the air in the style of a skyrocket that had missed its aim.  
It is said that the lord took the circumstance muchto heart, and never afterwards hung a man for twenty-four hours after his offence.

weekly wednesday eco loungerie design discount

The decision has been made to offer a leap and bound discount every week on Wednesdays.  I personally agree with Wednesdays most of the time.  They do not stand in the way and open a breathe of aire like the tallest perch you can see from your window.  Yes, Wednesdays will do.  As each week may be juxtaposed with new ideas, so flies the weekly design love from our Under The Root shop.   

This week is the Olivia Orchard Set.  Beginning today, the price descends from one hundred twenty dollars ($120), to eighty dollars ($80).  This discount will be ongoing for one week, until next Wednesday begins the succeeding design choice on the chopping block.  There are two choices for color of pinstripes, white/black or navy blue/white.

 
 











The authentic reason for these peculiar discounts is to deplete the materials in our stock, for the next evolution can certainly use some padding of the kitty.  We have aspirations for using organic hemp in our designs.. possibly added organic materials as well.  That's right, it is time to move into a more sustainable, extra whopping, super monster fireflies on these pieces.  Yes, there will continue limited, one of a kind materials in the work for some designs, but I am ravenous to push the envelope of what is possible with hemp... and it is essential to inquire for your assistance in the purchase of materials process.  You receive our designs at out of the ordinary prices as we build the revenue for extraordinary materials of the future. 
 
The word Olivia was first mentioned in a Shakespeare play called Twelfth Night.  It has a meaning in English of an elf army.  These elves carry attributes of adaptability, inventiveness, and the sense of adventure that allows them to change like the winds.


read more or purchase..

modern dance monday with zoe/juniper

A Crack in Everything

photo Yi Chun Wu

A Crack in Everything

A Crack in Everything

zoe/juniper is a duo team of Juniper Shuey and Zoe Scofield.  My sights have been on their work.  Their resonance into our performance atmosphere is electric.  I have posted what they say about the collaboration:
"Our company is driven by the idea of mythologizing the experience of our senses; creating performances and visual art that challenge the viewer's perception of time and perspective as well as allowing our work's intention to be spacious enough for empathetic experiences to emerge.  Our work realizes and exists in the state of liminality- the sense of being 'in-between'.  By working across different disciplines, we filter our sensual experiences into the mediums that best embodies a facet of the myth our overall concept is based on.  Our current project A Crack in Everything (ACIE) is a meditation on the moments that divide people's lives into before and after.  This project spans dance performance, photography and sculptural video and performance installation.  Within these, we are designing experiences that all maintain the idea of liminality; the thresholds of conscious/unconscious, action/reaction, before/after and cause/effect.  While this idea of mythologizing serves as the trajectory of our work, our concerns are with relaying non-linear "story-ness", originating and distilling significance from rigorous physicality, calibrating the dialogue between the mediums in which we work and literally creating tangible artifacts from the performance within the installation and calcified memories within the photography."

Dance must be seen for words are merely an alphabet for our eyes.  I encourage you to keep your ears to the ground for this march of the hares.  They recently had a residency with On The Boards which landed BeginAgain.

Juniper Shuey and Zoe Scofield

Zoe Scofield

BeginAgain

BeginAgain

fairytale friday with when the root children wake up

When the Root Children Wake Up
by Helen Dean Fish, Copyright, The Green Tiger Press, Inc., 1988
based on Etwas von der Wurzelkindern originally published in 1906

All Winter long the trees are bare, the wind in cold and fields are empty.
But very early in the Spring the Sun begins to grow warmer, the air softer and the sky bluer.  And boys and girls grow happier though they cannot tell just why.
Down underground something is happening.
Something secret and wonderful.
The root children who have been sleeping soundly all Winter are awakened by the Earth Mother.  She comes with her candle and her little firefly helpers to tell them they must be up and at work for it will soon be Spring.  They are very sleepy at first but soon begin to stretch and open their eyes and be glad that it is time to wake.

Wide awake at last, in their root house, the root children work busily on their new Spring dresses.  Each chooses the color she loves best--violet, yellow, blue, white, orange or red--and with needle, thread and thimble, sews happily till her work is done.
Above them, in the little village by the sea, the sky and water are growing bluer.

The root children take their dresses to show to the good Earth Mother, where she sits comfortably with her tea and her knitting.  Her busy ant helpers are about her.  She is pleased when she sees how well each root child has made her Spring dress.

It is time to be ready, for above them the ice on the little brook has melted and the water is slipping merrily over its pebbles.  In the barns the sheep and lambs feel the Spring air and wish to be in the green fields again.

While the little root girls are sewing Spring dresses, the root boys are busy with their share in making ready for Spring.  They wake up the sleeping insect--the beetles, grasshoppers, ladybugs, crickets, bumble bees, fireflies and june bugs.  They sponge them and brush them and paint their shells with bright Spring colors, while the filds over their heads are growing greener and the leef buds on the trees are swelling in the warm Spring air.

Then, when all is ready, Spring comes!
First the meadow grasses fare out over the countryside, green and lovely, waving in the wind.
Then the busy insects, eager to do their work in fields and woods and gardens, singing and humming and leaping.
Next the good grains push their heads above the ground.
Last, and most beautiful of all, come the flowers in a sweet and gay procession--snowdrop and stargrass, forget me not and aster, violet, dandelion, columbine, daisy and primrose; hepatica, lily, anemone and poppy, cornflower, clover and bluebell.
Out they troop joyfully, out of their earth home into the lovely world, where birds fly in the blue sky above green meadows.

The flower children scatter far and wide.  Some choose the deep woods, and as lillies of the valley and violets, bloom shyly under the trees.  Gay butterflies hover above them, scarlet mushrooms brighten the moss, and the slow snail creeps out of his house to play, glad that Spring has come again.  

Others hurry to the pond side and play there all day long, making it gay with water lillies, forget me nots and wild iris.  Spiders spin lovely webs that shine in the sun.  The reeds wave and rustle in the passing wind, and dragon flies dart hither and thither.

Still others play in the meadows, dancing merrily, under the sunny sky with the beetles and butterflies, to the music of grasshoppers' chirping and bees' humming.  Each little root child is now a poppy or a daisy, a cornflower or a bluebell, or a graceful yarrow flower.

And so they play all Summer long, until a day comes when the air is chill and the leaves, turned red and gold and brown, are fluttering down to earth.  The flower children come running over hills and valleys, from meadows, woods, and brookside, back to the Earth Mother, who welcomes them to their warm earth home to rest and sleep the cold Winter through, until Spring comes again next year!