Week 9 – Research Questions and Score

From constantly doing score based work in improvisation last year to having the freedom of exploring, unplanned contact with anyone else in the space makes me wonder; is there a way to combine the two? To be able to have guidelines to follow but the surprise elements of people coming in and out of positions. Scores is the topic for this week and each group present their own version.

Half Way Score

-The audience are placed in the centre of the room in a line.

-Anything can happen in the space: trio, duets, solos, weight baring positions, upper and lower movements.

-People already pre set

-Can only entre the space as a duet

With the intention of merging both contact and scores we hoped that it would develop in to something contrasting. Using the audience as a barrier between the two spaces, we thought that by including more set people on one side compared to the other which was only set a soloist, would change up the dynamics on both sides, fast and slow. In actual fact the complete opposite happened, they all stuck to their regular movements and speed, creating the habitual atmosphere in the score.

We chose to play music in the background for our score, seeing if the pace of the song changed their speed in the space. I personally wanted everyone participating to succumb to the music, to see if it would change their own movements or the way they would contact with somebody else. Yet again the music had barely any effect on them.

The only rule that seemed to have an effect was entering the space as a duet. In our normal jams most people would have struggles to find a person to keep a contact duet going on for long enough. Our rule changed that, they would go in and stay together for as long as they could till one drifts off. It was interesting to watch them explore with new people and in new ways, as the hesitation was lost due to the sudden involvement in the space.

Mouse Trap Score

The object of this score is to travel through four sections of a square but only allowed to move into the next section once there are Five people in one section.

The reason I found this score particularly interesting is because it challenged both mind and body for me. With it being in a set pathway I wanted to move in a way that wasn’t just space consuming, that it involved interior movements also. With this being week 9 I feel I have gained much knowledge and was able to adventure out or my norm movements- low kinesphere, spiral movements to be able to move around the space using my high kinesphere and also contact with another person.

Another way it challenged me was how long we had to be in the space for, I usually take my time when moving but felt rushed this time, it may have been because I had a destination to reach. The second time I went round I focused on the new aspects we learnt for contact and tried to hone in on myself but slowly noticed the habitual movements I was performing. I still need to work on relaxing more and thinking less to achieve my full potential in contact.

 

Stover, J., 1989. Some Considerations When Structuring an Improvisation (to be seen by an audience). In: V. 14, ed.Contact Quarterly’s Contact Improvisation Sourcebook. Northampton : Contact Editions , p. 185.

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