Bookends
A movement poem for March 31, 2020 by Jill Randall
Big exhale
Whole body yawning
Extended arms
Reaching legs
Spacious ribs, pelvis
Soft focus
Soft throat
Soft back of the neck, turning
Spacious ribs, pelvis
Reaching legs
Extended arms
Whole body yawning
Big exhale
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Today's poem reads more like a warm up. Words on page, into the body....
I like dancing to "Hope" by Michael Wall. First, I need anything with "hope" in it right now! Second, the flowing sound and fast piano keys inspires rolling from one line of the poem to the next. It is #6 on this playlist.
Play with each of the 6 different aspects of the poem. When are you stationary? Traveling through space? Can you change your facing at least once?
Pick one line to focus on for 2 minutes. How many different ways can you move? What moves are most familiar and at home in your body? Can you dive into ways that you rarely move or find to be challenging? Play with tempo, play with where you are looking...
I encourage you to then compose a short movement phrase. This poem is a simple offering to explore repetition and a sense of symmetry and balance through the order of the movements.
Inspired by Wendy Jones' Dance is Home project, take your phrase and try it in three different locations right now. If at home, it can be as simple as: the hallway, your bedroom, and the back porch. If in a dance studio, play with the back of the room, a corner of the room, and near a window or door. How does it change your focus, how you feel? Which one feels best for in this moment and why?
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