{"id":1314,"date":"2013-10-22T12:00:45","date_gmt":"2013-10-22T12:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/?p=1314"},"modified":"2013-10-22T13:15:26","modified_gmt":"2013-10-22T13:15:26","slug":"artscross-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/2013\/10\/artscross-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"ArtsCross experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s an\u00a0article written by\u00a0Rebecca Miles, one of\u00a0the\u00a0ArtsCross London dancers.<\/p>\n

by\u00a0Rebecca Miles\u00a0\u2014 ArtsCross experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leaving home and\u00a0being elsewhere is not so much the\u00a0idea of\u00a0moving places but the\u00a0transition of\u00a0a\u00a0state of\u00a0mind. I\u00a0believe that \u2018Home\u2019 and\u00a0\u2018elsewhere\u2019 are subjects of\u00a0a\u00a0continually changing context, in\u00a0which we are the\u00a0creators and\u00a0definers. Both myself, the\u00a0Chinese and\u00a0the\u00a0Taiwanese dancers were in\u00a0a\u00a0place of\u00a0elsewhere, London, by\u00a0varying degree was the\u00a0home town for\u00a0none of\u00a0us. In\u00a0saying this, over the\u00a0three weeks of\u00a0rehearsals the\u00a0sense of\u00a0\u2018elsewhere\u2019 was slowly dismantled whilst the\u00a0sense of\u00a0\u2018home\u2019 and\u00a0familiarity, at\u00a0least within our group identity, slowly crept up upon us. As\u00a0true to\u00a0the\u00a0saying \u2018you don\u2019t know what you have got until it\u2019s gone\u2019 I\u00a0felt a\u00a0strange sense of\u00a0absence from the\u00a0moment I\u00a0left the\u00a0Robin Howard theatre after the\u00a0final show. I\u00a0have noticed that there is something truly magical, remarkable and\u00a0universal that happens when dancers and\u00a0choreographers work together on\u00a0a\u00a0piece. As\u00a0dancers we take for\u00a0granted that we get in\u00a0other peoples\u2019 personal space; touch and\u00a0physical contact are a\u00a0given rather than something that is shied away from. In\u00a0fact, when working in\u00a0a\u00a0group as\u00a0was required for\u00a0Su Wei Chia\u2019s choreography, there were times when the\u00a0concept of\u00a0\u2018personal space\u2019 became a\u00a0shared entity even in\u00a0times when this was not choreographically intended. The\u00a0age old notion of\u00a0trust also played a\u00a0part in\u00a0our group dynamic and\u00a0the\u00a0forming of\u00a0a\u00a0family like status; many rehearsals were spent working in\u00a0partners, improvising and\u00a0moving around each other to\u00a0find points of\u00a0support to\u00a0shape our own journeys through the\u00a0contact of\u00a0another\u2019s body. Added with this were many points of\u00a0being lost in\u00a0translation — I\u00a0found communication to\u00a0include gestures, exaggerated mime and\u00a0the\u00a0interchanging tone of\u00a0 Su Wei Chia\u2019s voice in\u00a0multiple languages — the\u00a0confusion sometimes formed from this was often followed by\u00a0laughter, accident and\u00a0complete collapse on\u00a0the\u00a0floor — all of\u00a0which can do wonders to\u00a0develop friendships. By\u00a0no means do any of\u00a0these suggest a\u00a0lack of\u00a0professional environment; in\u00a0fact it only reiterates the\u00a0sense of\u00a0accident, chance and\u00a0play that is so fundamental in\u00a0the\u00a0development of\u00a0performance art and\u00a0so often lost in\u00a0other areas of\u00a0society.<\/p>\n

My\u00a0overall experience of\u00a0the\u00a0project could honestly relate to\u00a0a\u00a0rollercoaster ride — no matter how clich\u00e9 the\u00a0analogy. Having literally walked at\u00a0my\u00a0graduation ceremony the\u00a0previous day, Kerry Nichols’ audition class was a\u00a0short sharp shock — although a\u00a0very fun, highly energetic, challenging and\u00a0creative one — into the\u00a0graduating world. I\u00a0have now realised that as\u00a0creatures of\u00a0habit, perhaps in\u00a0some cases less habit more creatures constrained by\u00a0time and\u00a0means, we often do what we know and\u00a0then we perpetuate this stance of\u00a0knowing and\u00a0shy away from stepping out into the\u00a0unknown as\u00a0there is the\u00a0potential that we may not know what to\u00a0do if presented with this situation. I\u00a0digress with these thoughts however, for\u00a0me this was what opened me up to\u00a0really thinking about the\u00a0way in\u00a0which it is possible to\u00a0see the\u00a0world. The\u00a0experience of\u00a0Arts Cross introduced me, politely and\u00a0delicately but definitely not without passion to\u00a0the\u00a0dancing world so close outside my\u00a0own imposed \u2018University Blinder\u2019 and\u00a0gave me the\u00a0opportunity to\u00a0experience another culture in\u00a0a\u00a0way which I\u00a0would not otherwise have encountered so intimately even if I\u00a0were to\u00a0travel the\u00a0world.<\/p>\n

To\u00a0dance is to\u00a0breathe and\u00a0live and\u00a0for\u00a0three weeks I\u00a0had the\u00a0chance to\u00a0breathe and\u00a0live outside of\u00a0my\u00a0comfort zone for\u00a0which I\u00a0am incredibly grateful. Experience is a\u00a0gift which can be received without realising its true worth and\u00a0hindsight is definitely a\u00a0wonderfully frustrating thing, however I\u00a0have no regrets from this experience, only treasured memories and\u00a0at\u00a0least one pen pal on\u00a0the\u00a0other side of\u00a0the\u00a0world! It took me almost a\u00a0week to\u00a0learn how to\u00a0say \u2018backpack\u2019, (ho-bay-bow<\/nobr> — for\u00a0those who need constant syllabic reassurance in\u00a0learning new words as\u00a0I\u00a0did) \u2018I\u00a0don\u2019t know\u2019, \u2018Upper\u2019 and\u00a0\u2018lower leg\u2019 (I\u00a0really couldn\u2019t tell you what obscurity these conversations derived from) and\u00a0most of\u00a0the\u00a0time I\u00a0needed a\u00a0prompt for\u00a0the\u00a0first syllable of\u00a0each word and\u00a0with that I\u00a0also think my\u00a0pronunciations provided everyone with a\u00a0laugh from time to\u00a0time. It is these memories which will stick with me, but also the\u00a0opportunity to\u00a0work within a\u00a0different choreographic framework than perhaps before, however I\u00a0find myself toying with the\u00a0idea that for\u00a0dancers and\u00a0choreographers alike the\u00a0studio or\u00a0rehearsal space will always pick up the\u00a0notion of\u00a0\u2018home\u2019. With this and\u00a0the\u00a0way in\u00a0which it shapes the\u00a0space as\u00a0a\u00a0shared workplace there is a\u00a0common thread and\u00a0organisation of\u00a0thought that runs through this practice no matter where in\u00a0the\u00a0world you come from. Perhaps it is the\u00a0nature of\u00a0the\u00a0people that choose or\u00a0are drawn toward choreographic work, but I\u00a0found a\u00a0sense of\u00a0ease and\u00a0familiarity within the\u00a0tasks and\u00a0approach to\u00a0the\u00a0practice which grew throughout the\u00a0process of\u00a0the\u00a0project. The\u00a0unknown, in\u00a0a\u00a0way became known or\u00a0malleable within my\u00a0understanding and\u00a0I\u00a0came to\u00a0enjoy and\u00a0indulge in\u00a0a\u00a0different approach to\u00a0movement both in\u00a0terms of\u00a0technique and\u00a0expression. Su Wei Chia mentioned at\u00a0one point whilst talking about the\u00a0intention of\u00a0the\u00a0choreography, that the\u00a0audience would see what they wanted to\u00a0see and\u00a0would find their own interpretations. His emphasis was on\u00a0wanting us to\u00a0show some emotion, to\u00a0show the\u00a0shade and\u00a0shape of\u00a0this emotion which changes gradually though our progression through the\u00a0piece. In\u00a0hindsight I\u00a0can understand his patience as\u00a0there were days when this emotion was not honestly felt and\u00a0he could always tell, and\u00a0always dissuaded us from the\u00a0faking of\u00a0this emotion. As\u00a0a\u00a0piece based entirely on\u00a0improvisation, the\u00a0need to\u00a0be present in\u00a0every moment was at\u00a0first overwhelming — of course no dancer should ever go into auto pilot — however the\u00a0relationship between though and\u00a0movement became an\u00a0interesting one to\u00a0observe — even within my\u00a0own body. The\u00a0temptation to\u00a0think or\u00a0do, or\u00a0think and\u00a0then do, or\u00a0think too much whilst trying to\u00a0do, especially when processing verbal instruction sometimes got the\u00a0better of\u00a0me within the\u00a0improvisations, and\u00a0at\u00a0such a\u00a0time, this observation was pointed out and\u00a0many a\u00a0time the\u00a0task would be stripped back to\u00a0its bare basics of\u00a0feeling and\u00a0moving, for\u00a0that was where the\u00a0gold dust lay.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0whole process of\u00a0the\u00a0project left me thinking for\u00a0quite some time, I\u00a0believe that ArtsCross only further fuelled my\u00a0belief in\u00a0the\u00a0beauty and\u00a0the\u00a0power that dance has to offer in\u00a0all its differences as\u00a0a\u00a0way to\u00a0come together and\u00a0exchange our creative journeys through life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s an\u00a0article written by\u00a0Rebecca Miles, one of\u00a0the\u00a0ArtsCross London dancers. by\u00a0Rebecca Miles\u00a0\u2014 ArtsCross experience Leaving home and\u00a0being elsewhere is not so much the\u00a0idea of\u00a0moving places but the\u00a0transition of\u00a0a\u00a0state of\u00a0mind. I\u00a0believe that \u2018Home\u2019 and\u00a0\u2018elsewhere\u2019 are subjects of\u00a0a\u00a0continually changing context, in\u00a0which we are… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_posts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8mnDM-lc","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":69,"url":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/2013\/07\/artscross-london-2013-leaving-home-being-elsewhere\/","url_meta":{"origin":1314,"position":0},"title":"ArtsCross London 2013 \u2013 Leaving home: being elsewhere","author":"Martin Welton","date":"20 July 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"As\u00a0ArtsCross London begins, the\u00a0project\u2019s UK directors offer some of\u00a0their thoughts on\u00a0where the\u00a0next three weeks of\u00a0collaboration and\u00a0exchange might lead. Chris Bannerman writes: I\u00a0believe it was Martin Welton who first proposed that the\u00a0theme should somehow refer to\u00a0\u2018home\u2019. After enthusiastic responses from Beijing and\u00a0Taipei, we each retreated to\u00a0mull over possible formulations, searching for\u00a0the\u00a0one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General posts"","block_context":{"text":"General posts","link":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/category\/general_posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1222,"url":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/2013\/08\/artscross-final-performance-a-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":1314,"position":1},"title":"ArtsCross 2013 performance: a review","author":"Sanjoy Roy","date":"15 August 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A\u00a0stand-alone piece that's just been published on\u00a0londondance.com ArtsCross London 2013\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Leaving home: being elsewhere. It\u2019s a\u00a0composite title for\u00a0a\u00a0composite evening that began with a\u00a0much-needed bunch of\u00a0backstory. For\u00a0this was no standard performance programme, but rather the\u00a0visible face of\u00a0a\u00a0more many-headed project: part choreographic lab, part academic research forum, part cross-national venture. As\u00a0project directors Christopher\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General posts"","block_context":{"text":"General posts","link":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/category\/general_posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28,"url":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/2013\/06\/artscross-london-2013-key-dates\/","url_meta":{"origin":1314,"position":2},"title":"ArtsCross London 2013 Key Dates","author":"Andrew Lang","date":"24 June 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Friday 19 July \u00a0 Choreographers' workshops and\u00a0discussion Postings of\u00a0Interviews \u00a0 \u00a0 Sunday 21 July \u00a0 Rehearsals begin Postings of\u00a0rehearsal video and\u00a0artists comments \u00a0 \u00a0 Monday 29 July \u00a0 Academics begin observations Postings of\u00a0academics' observations \u2013 thoughts in\u00a0progress \u00a0 \u00a0 Saturday 10 August \u00a0 Performance Leaving home: being\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General posts"","block_context":{"text":"General posts","link":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/category\/general_posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1067,"url":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/2013\/08\/making-new-experiences-happen-creating-zones-of-contestation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1314,"position":3},"title":"Making new experiences happen \u2013 creating zones of contestation","author":"Steffi Sachsenmaier","date":"9 August 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"What\u2019s in\u00a0a\u00a0\u201cdancer\u201d? What\u2019s in\u00a0a\u00a0dancer as\u00a0part of\u00a0Artscross? Giorgio Agamben writes in\u00a0\u2018The\u00a0Coming Community\u2019 that \u201cthe\u00a0antinomy of\u00a0the\u00a0individual and\u00a0the\u00a0universal has its origin in\u00a0language\u201d (2009, 9), making the\u00a0point that the\u00a0way language is used \u201ctransforms singularities into members of\u00a0a\u00a0class, whose meaning is defined by\u00a0a\u00a0common property\u201d (ibid.). Agamben states that we are dealing with \u201clinguistic being\u201d, a\u00a0\u201cbeing-called\u201d,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General posts"","block_context":{"text":"General posts","link":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/category\/general_posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_0636","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rescen.net\/blog5\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/IMG_0636-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1247,"url":"https:\/\/rescen.net\/blog5\/2013\/08\/project-introduction-in-japanese-web\/","url_meta":{"origin":1314,"position":4},"title":"Project introduction on Japanese web","author":"Naomi Inata","date":"22 August 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u00a0posted an\u00a0introduction about this project to\u00a0Japanese \"The\u00a0Dance Times\" which I\u00a0and\u00a0some dance critics are running\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0web. http:\/\/www.dance-times.com\/ Although very few people in\u00a0this project read Japanese, I\u00a0would like to\u00a0introduce it to\u00a0Japanese dance people. 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I\u00a0admire Chris Bannerman\u2019s style: both diplomatic and\u00a0witty, he knows how to\u00a0put across his words with a\u00a0bounce that keep formulaic dullness at\u00a0bay. 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