Thursday, April 9, 2020

Limon Technique (Part II)

Experiential  Work

Begin class by trying to embody the main movements demonstrated in the videos below.

 I. Limon Class


Watch video from minute 15 to 55 (20 min)

Class has three parts:

Floor Work
Center 
Across the Floor 

Question 1

Why do you think is important to divide the teaching of the technique in three parts?
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II)  THE CLASS: Floor Work

Spinal Succession

Bounces

Bounces with Successional Arms

Bounces with Twist

Bounces with Twist Body Arms & Changing Meter 

Body Swings

THE CLASS: Center Work

Standing Bounces

Tendu Series

Plie Series

Body Swings in Second Position

Rebounds in Threes

Slow Twos Fast Threes

Body Falls

Develope Series

Lung Series

Variation with Half Turn

Spiral Turns

Twelve Count Phrase

THE CLASS: Across the Floor

The Body as an Orchestra


Pique Series

Hop Series

Variations: 

Jose Limon's Chanonne

Jose Limon's Missa Brevis

Warm Down


Question 2

After learning the movements taught in the last 20 minutes of the video above, what did you experience in terms of the technique?

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III)  Limon's Work


Question 3

Based on the video above, what was the importance of Limon's work?

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IV) Choreographic Work (10 min)



Limón Dance Company - Psalm (Excerpt) (3:49 min)

Question 4

Explore the main movements observed in these video on one of Jose Limon's pieces and add 4 more movements to your dance phrase for today, (4/7), record your 8 movement phrase and post it on Discussion Board.

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V) Writing Component (5 min)


Review the Main Concepts: 


Flexibility of the spine

Body-part isolations

Dynamism between fall and recovery

Feeling and quality of the movement instead of being obsessed with steps and exact forms.

The point is to experiment and find the movement from the inside out, rather than trying to recreate someone else’s shapes.

Being aware of your body and its movement

Human wholeness as it is key in Limon's work that the whole person participates in mind, body and spirit.

The technique opens the dancer to the expressive qualities the movement requires.

Question 5

After reading the main concepts of Limon Technique; which one has impacted you the most? Why?

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     Post your  answers and your 8 movement-phrase on our Blackboard's Discussion Board.

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Students' Work

Anastassia Cafatti

 

DAN 211 Class 4/9: Limon Technique (Part II)

 

Experiential Work

Begin class by trying to embody the main movements demonstrated in the videos below.

 

 I. Limon Class

https://youtu.be/we2HCkrjOsg

Watch video from minute 15 to 55 (20 min)

Class has three parts:

Floor Work

Center 

Across the Floor 

 

 

Question 1
Why do you think is important to divide the teaching of the technique in three parts?

 

I think it is different to divide the teaching in three parts because they each play an important role in prepping the dancer and his body. The body is fully worked on as a whole. In the Floor work part, or the first part, I can see how most of the work focuses on relaxing the body, feeling every part, working on connecting to the rhythm and to connecting the different parts that make it a whole. The basic parts such as the control of the spine is worked on as well as twists to learn how to maintain a strong axis. There is also a lot of practicing range of motion and body swings. It is like warming up the body to do more. This one is done on the floor. All the movements help you really strengthen your core because working from the floor is a different sensation that working standing up.

            The second part of the class, or center work, focuses more on the transition between movements and making them smooth, connecting them. You work on integrating the control of the arms with that of the spine, with bounces and twists and can explore the quality of the movement. You work more on alignment and the relaxation of the body as well as letting gravity do the work for you. Here you work on different techniques by adding levels such as relevé, plié, high points, etc. There is also a lot of emphasis on the shoulders, hips, waist, and letting your body go off tension to feel the movements better and to be able to work on opposition, balance, and making transitions smoother.

            The third part is the one across the floor where the body is ready to leave the static point where it has been working on the movement and to take that energy across space. It is like the video says about using the body as an instrument, as an orchestra to make music. It is about using what was practiced and including it all together: rhythm, expression, travel, suspension, etc. Also helpful to work on this for when dancers have to enter and leave the stage, and to do it in a great way showing that they know how to move in space without making it seems awkward or wonky.


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 II)  THE CLASS: Floor Work

·         Spinal Succession

·         Bounces

·         Bounces with Successional Arms

·         Bounces with Twist

·         Bounces with Twist Body Arms & Changing Meter 

·         Body Swings

 

THE CLASS: Center Work

·         Standing Bounces

·         Tendu Series

·         Plie Series

·         Body Swings in Second Position

·         Rebounds in Threes

·         Slow Twos Fast Threes

·         Body Falls

·         Develope Series

·         Lung Series

·         Variation with Half Turn

·         Spiral TurnsTwelve Count Phrase

THE CLASS: Across the Floor

·         The Body as an Orchestra

·         Pique Series

·         Hop Series

 

Variations: 
Jose Limon's Chanonne
Jose Limon's Missa Brevis

Warm Down


Question 2

After learning the movements taught in the last 20 minutes of the video above, what did you experience in terms of the technique?

 

It was much harder as time went on to follow along with the movements because they require a lot of training. The technique gets a little freer allowing you to let your body flow a little more, but it was still hard. There was a lot of combination of things going on, so you need to be able to have coordination in order to follow along. Its not only about the movement now, but about moving it in space, the level, direction, motion, speediness, etc. It reminds me a lot of what we practiced in the beginning of class after our stretching; trying to do the movements in space.

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III) Limon's Work

https://youtu.be/rShlvxW7NQI

 

 

Question 3

Based on the video above, what was the importance of Limon's work?

 

The importance of Limon´s work was that he was able to use his life experiences for example in the war and transcend them through his dances and create universal statements of hope for all man kind. “The importance of him is in his work. He knew that he was part of a common humanity and with expressing that humanity. He represents dance at its most emotionally and theatrically accessible.” He was able to transmit something with it and make an impact.

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IV) Choreographic Work 

 (10 min)https://youtu.be/1JdM8qDqOs8

Limón Dance Company - Psalm (Excerpt) (3:49 min)

Question 4

Explore the main movements observed in these video on one of Jose Limon's pieces and add 4 more movements to your dance phrase for today, (4/7).

 

---------------------------------------------

 

V) Writing Component (5 min)

Review the Main Concepts: 

·         Flexibility of the spine

·         Body-part isolations

·         Dynamism between fall and recovery

·         Feeling and quality of the movement instead of being obsessed with steps and exact forms.

·         The point is to experiment and find the movement from the inside out, rather than trying to recreate someone else’s shapes.

·         Being aware of your body and its movement

·         Human wholeness as it is key in Limon's work that the whole person participates in mind, body and spirit.

·         The technique opens the dancer to the expressive qualities the movement requires.

 Question 5

After reading the main concepts of Limon Technique; which one has impacted you the most? Why?

I have two different answers to this question. The one that has impacted me the most in my dancing life is probably body-part isolations. To me this is essential in dancing. A good dancer has to be able to isolate his body parts for others to see the movement. Belly dancing is all about isolation but about making things look like they flow, like a snake. So to me by far isolations is something that has always impacted me as a dancer. Learning how you isolate different for different styles of dance is also very amazing to explore. Isolations are essential to understand where your axis point is, or where the roof of your movement is and where you want to take it.

The one that has impacted me the most in Modern class is flexibility of the spine and just flexibility in general. It is something I have always struggled with. Flexibility of the spine is essential to keep your torso up. It gives your movement a totally different feel. It also gives you strength and it gives your movement purpose. The reason why I struggle with flexibility of the spine is because it is something you should live by. You should always practice having your spine up and long. I often hunch back and forget to keep my shoulders down and back. Therefore this has been a focus of mine, and this class has allowed me to really work on my stretching which I have really appreciated, and which I hope to keep doing.

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Jie Sun

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Timyra


1) I Think its important to separate these works into 3 parts because the source of your energy comes from different parts of your body when performing these movements.

2) The technique is very light but dramatic simultaneously although the movements may come from within you must exaggerate or tone down to accentuate what you're trying to depict.

3) Limon's work is important because he pioneered American modern dance. His experience as a young immigrant he had to combine his origin with where he lived. This technique would influence male dance culture. He knew he was part of a common humanity and he wanted to express it. 

5) I think that body isolation has impacted me the most because it is so prevalent in todays dance culture.


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