Wednesdays are a challenge at the school. It's a half-day, maybe that's why. And we are being asked to teach a piece that is somewhat ahead of what the students are able to do. And that's a challenge. It feels like a fists up sort of day. I go in and get myself ready for the experience. Ready to hand out corrections for any infraction of behavior, ready to be extra demanding to meet the students' orneriness.
What a strange feeling. What a wholly unnatural way to be. After class today I was remembering the poles of Laban's Effort theory. That in one's expressive movement, one can see in the use of weight, time, flow, and focus (space) the polarity of indulgent versus fighting qualities. Heavy weight, fast time, held flow, direct focus–these are the fighting qualities. Light weight, slow time, free flow, indirect focus–these are the indulging qualities. So often things at the school are meant to be done quickly, with urgency, with direct focus. And they seem to pull along other the fighting qualities of heavy weight (in the tone of strong voice) and held flow (in the motivation of fear not to get a correction). But there might be something more to explore here. Ironically, Laban developed his Effort Theory not for his dance profession but to help factories improve the efficiency of their manual labor. Urgency can exist with free flow. Focus can be direct without having strong weight.
I think so often, and especially in New York, I've commented on the many different possible ways that there are to live. But in oneself, there may also be so many more then what we practice. How many ways are there to do one action? There is always another, always something new to explore.
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