Rosetta Life

We were asked to research dance organisations that use therapeutic movement principles. I researched an organisation called Rosetta Life.

Their biography reads this.

Rosetta Life changes the way we perceive the elderly and young frail and disabled who live with life limiting illnesses. Our performance, film and writing projects show how these groups can fully contribute to cultural life and how important it is that their voices be heard.
The learning from these projects provides evidence aimed at changing the delivery of care – for example, our art of touch education programme derives from our movement work, and our improvisation arts in dementia care programme derives from our performances with nursing homes.
Over the past 12 years Rosetta Life has worked with over 100 hospices across the UK and internationally.
Rosetta Life give voice to those members of our community living with serious illness, who are often marginalised and isolated. The use of film and media for health advocacy is central to all Rosetta Life projects. A collection of Rosetta Life films can be viewed on the player below.
- See more at: http://www.rosettalife.org/about-us/#sthash.V7ABiVbp.dpuf

To me Rosetta Life is a fantastic organisation that helps people find who they are and enjoy what they can do. It just proves that anybody can benefit from movement principles that I have learnt at uni to help people live a better quality of life, even when they have life restrictions.

I'm beginning to wonder that this would be a great profession to have and possibly would like to be part of an organisation like this. Dance has given me many things that has improved my life and id love to be able to offer this to another. Though I wouldn't be offering dance movement therapy. This is important there is a difference. One requires further training and qualifications to be able to practice it, and the other does not require such clinical training.

Peer Facillitation, what I learnt from others

Once I had delivered my session I took part in 3 other peer sessions. Here are my thoughts, and what I learnt from my peers explorations.

Hannah:
Hannah's curiosity came from the creature the Starfish. She handed us an image of a starfish that she found interesting. Here is the image:

 

This image shows the clear connection between the centre of the starfish and the 5 limbs that expand into space. To me this image Is clear for me to work with and I liked how Hannah gave it us before we did any exploration as it gave me context and I had a clear image in my mind that I could relate to and go back to. The main exploration came through a hands on exercise moving into solo work. The hands on explored only one side of the body in the NRP. This linked with Feldenkrais as often we would focus on just one side. Although when I started moving with the influence of the hands on it felt strange, I enjoyed this feeling. Usually id like to even up with the other side but this time I enjoyed the feeling of unevenness in my body. I then began to think that this was a puzzle of how to move with just the influence of one side. I would normally involve both sides when exploring with the NRP and It was fun to try and control my body exploring through just one side.

 

I also made a note of witnessing. I enjoyed witnessing my partner trying to figure out this puzzle and what it meant to them and how to try and find solutions. I could also see a physical difference on one side of the body once I had gave the hands on, the side I worked on was much longer and felt that the limbs were embracing the space around, whereas on the other side, it looked shorter and somehow not connected to my partners centre.

 

I enjoyed Hannah's exploration and it made me question how else the NRP can be applied to Feldenkrias. I intend to explore this in my Feldenkrais classes.

 

 

 

 

Beth:

 

Beth's exploration involved the Contralateral pattern and the use of opposition. The exploration consisted of us moving around the space, firstly walking in different directions, then eventually building up to moving with opposition in more complex ways with the body. The SWING AND MOTION of the oppositional walking is something we do in everyday life but its only when we are consciously think about it do we realise how much goes on in the body. I also thought that the more I thought about it the more I actually couldn't walk normally. I overthought the process, which I enjoyed.

 

I also thought the way Beth layered in the information was a great way for my body and mind to establish this oppositional. Nothing was missed out, so the process of getting to moving in opposition in more complex was smooth which enabled me to experiment more.

 

 

The information and instruction given opened up many possibilities for my understanding and movement. When walking I thought why we walk in opposition and how the arms swing. I questioned what would happen if we didn't use the arms? could we walk more easily? difficultly?

 

One thing that I did notice and it maybe took me longer to understand was the diagonals used in opposition. This began to blur a little the more complex it got, This maybe because we took each step at a time.

 

Chelsea:

Chelsea began by handing out this information about her are of interest.

 

 

 

Chelsea is also interested in the starfish and the NRP. However she is also interested in movement and feedback. She highlighted that our first experiences of feedback are In-Utero. I hadn't thought about this before and this maybe because that as humans we can't remember that far back of our creation. This is something that I find really interesting. The image Chelsea also showed us of the starfish on the stomach also gave me a chance to imagine this and how our centres are like a starfish's centre. To me this is a clear image which I thought Chelsea put across well.

 

Overall the whole facilitation group was a really enjoyable experience. I liked that we all had different interests and I learnt a lot. However because it was so intense and a lot of information was given both to the mind and the body I did feel very aware of my surroundings and somehow sensitive towards the surroundings. Having said this I embraced that feeling into the rest of my day.



 

 

Peer Facillitation, March Entry, MS3

This is my lesson plan that I delivered during my peer facilitation class. I will also explore my findings and comment on what I learnt from my peers presentations.

Peer Facilitation Lesson Plan

 

My curiosity for this exploration

 

I am curious about how the spine feels in relation to the elements that make up bone when moving solo. This will be explored through a hands on exercise paying attention to the spine, then moving into solo work and witnessing. We will be returning back to about half way into the creature ladder arriving at the Fish, with reference to the introduction of a skeleton and spine (SHOW IMAGE OF FISH).

 

I am interested in how the fish uses its structure in order to move through water. From the diagram here we can see a rather bony harsh structure, yet if we observe a fish move, it is fluid and agile. (SHOW VIDEO OF FISH).This is what we will be exploring with our own bodies today. I will also explore this spinal connection through a Feldenkrais method that enables us to notice the spines movement from the start to the end of the exploration.

                                                                                                                    

Documentary, Secrets of Bones, Size Matters (2014) BBC 4, (6:00-7:45 mins)

 

This documentary really interested me as I am fascinated with the structure of the body, with the skeleton and bone. Bone is made up of a composite material made up of Collagen- which gives bone flexibility and Calcium Phosphate- which gives bone structure and strength. I will now show you a short extract from the documentary where it is explored what will happen if we didn’t have a mixture of both of these compounds. (SHOW DOCUMENTARY CLIP).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bone entirely made of Calcium Phosphate

 

 

 

Bone entirely made of Collagen

 

This led me to wonder how a mover’s spine would feel when attention is paid to it. I question would it feel hard and fragile (Calcium Phosphate)? or would it feel much more loose and fluid (Collagen)? Or even if there is a mixture of the two.

 

So this is my exploration, I want to find out how elements of bone can aid us as movers. Just how bone aids fish both in agility/ flexibility and strength.

 

Spinal Check In

 

We are just going to stand up with our feet in parallel and like how we have done in previous Feldenkrais lessons, we are just going to bend from the waist allowing our arms to fall towards the ground side to side. Just noticing how this feels, just moving side to side that feel comfortable for you.

 

Does your spine feel Stiff? Soft? Hard? Fluid?

 

Returning to an upright position now and we are just going to turn our head round are far as it will go staying comfortable again. The aim is to look behind you and to just notice how the spine feels.

 

Can you feel the rotation? Stiff? Soft? Hard? Fluid?

 

 

Hands on exercise

 

We are going to move onto a hands on exercise focussing on the spine. Working together in partners decide who wants to go first, and the receiver is just going to kneel down on the floor, you can use a yoga matt is you wish. We won’t be in this position for too long. The receiver is going to just find an easy prayer position resting your hands and arms on the floor. To begin with the person experiencing giving the hands on we are just going to place our hands on our partners spine offering cellular touch. When the connection feels strong the receiver is just going to begin to un curl their spine and will being to roll up until their skull is the last thing that arrives in an upright position, whilst our partners gently walk up their spine with their fingers, reminding their partner of each vertebrae. We should all be in a kneeling position. Once the receiver is upright our partner is going to float the skull gently. We will now reverse the process so the receiver will now being to slowly curl the spine to resume the prayer position. The giver will also walk their fingers down the spine until our partner has settled in the prayer position. Returning again to cellular touch.

 

The person giving cellular touch will now move away from our partner and witness and be responsible for our partner. The receiver will now begin to move gently with the echoes of your partners hands on your spine. It is also ok to move quickly or not at all if that is how your body feels. Finding a place to rest.

 

Whole process again switching partners.

 

Useful teaching phrases:

• It is ok not be touched today if you do not want to.
• Listen to your partner through the palm of your hand.
• Always remember that the receiver is also touching their partner through the point of contact.

 

Spinal Check In

We will now just return back to our spinal check in that we did at the beginning of the session. Standing, feet in parallel. Again we are just going to drop to one side, sending our arms down to the ground. Bending side to side slowly. How does this feel now? Does the spine feel different to how it did at the start? Is your spine more or less mobile? Returning to the centre again and just turning our skulls round looking behind us. Does the spinal twist feel any different to how it did earlier?

 

To finish I just want you to notice how you spine feels in relation to the clip that I showed you. Which element of bone did you feel during this exploration? Perhaps you felt both? Just notice now.

 

Bibliography

 

Secrets of Bones, Size Matters (2014) BBC 4 [18^th February 2014, 20:30]

 

Youtube (2012) Fish relaxation scene -- real life fish swimming to their delight [online], available from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR8UqnwYKo8 [1 march 2014]

 

On reflection I feel that my subject topic and content was a lot to explain and understand in just 15 mins. I felt that to begin with nerves played a factor and maybe my deliverance of the information may have been hindered. However I enjoyed exploring my interests through a group of people as I found that although I was exploring one thing, it actually opened up more questions and was about other things too. For example my focus was the fish and their skeleton. However when they began exploring through the spine hands on I found that they resembles the mammal catlike stage instead. So that was interesting to see. Maybe had I positioned the hands on in a different way, for example the receiver could have lay down on their side, it would resemble a fish like state which is what I wanted in the first place.

My feedback from my peers are as follows in this image, which I agree with and will take this through for when I explore this again.

 

There is something interesting on my self reflection that I would like to go back to and explore this further. It's the notion of the group as a whole evolved throughout the session, beginning with creature early in the ladder and then becoming mammals at the end of the ladder. There is something in this that I find interesting. Maybe because for me I like to understand what comes before and what comes after in order to fully understand what I am in the present. It is key to understand this for me in my moving as it gives each exploration context. It can revert back or can move forwards. I would like to explore this further and may be interesting to explore in my FMP with my partner. I imagine that in order to perform with pogo sticks in our FMP we need to understand each bounce as an individual and as a whole. A bounce before, a bounce now, a bounce after.

One final note is to say that although the session didn't go accordingly to plan I did thin I learnt more than what I expected with my area of interest. The documentary in particular interested me greatly and I learnt just how magnificent we are as humans.

 

February Entry, MS3, connections across classes

 

Throughout February we were encouraged to keep exploring and witnessing within the movement patterns we have learnt. From doing this I now realise just how different my body can be from day to day. For example I explored the NRP pattern at the beginning of a week and I found it was clear in my body and mind, like in previous classes I have used this pattern in my technique classes in order to expand into the space. However when it came to the end of the week where I explored it further I became stuck in the movement and my body seemed to reject what my mind was wanting it to do.

I have found applying different patterns across my other studio classes has made me understand that these patterns are not just something that are taught. They are integrated in everything we do. I have found a connection with when we explored moving with the cells in our Feldenkrais classes. Somehow when thinking about each individual cell in the Feldenkrais classes I have begun to access Feldenkrais on a more individual heightened level. For example when moving the shoulder girdle back and forth, I imagine each cell moving which helps my mobility in the girdle that I perhaps may not have accessed.

During this month we were also asked to research working artists that also practice elements of BMC. I explored this through looking at the ID website on the teachers section. I came across two artist that interested me. The first being Scott Clark, he started studying dance when he was studying for his Maths degree. This spoke to me as he started a little later than most people practising dance. He then explored many different techniques in dance and he finally came across Feldenkrais. He states himself that "I first used Feldenkrais as a way of keeping myself in order whilst pursuing a career as a dancer, and also to help others learn more easily in the dance classes I was teaching". Having only practised Feldenkrais for 2 terms I realise that my experience isn't great however I agree with Clark as to me it does help me keep in working order. This maybe because it has made me much more aware of my body and how it moves. Plus it has given me the confidence to say this is my body, this is how it works and its ok if my body works differently to others.

The other artist that interested me is Linda Hartley. She studied BMC with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and this continues to be the foundation of her work. Authentic Movement also influences her practice. She has also studied as a somatic movement practice. This is interesting to me as I believe I have found therapeutic qualities to BMC which I enjoy. The clearest one would be moving with cells, which I have already mentioned. To me this gave me the chance to imagine and experience a notion that as a bony structure that does not usually move in this way.

Through Feb I was also given the brief for my peer facilitation class where I would be delivering a 15 min exploration with a group of my peers. The focus would be something that interests me that we have learnt about throughout BMC.

My interests are shown below with the stars next to them. From this I will chose the most relevant towards my curiosities and develop a 15 min exploration.

Workshop with Cecelia Macfarlane 22/01

Our workshop with Cecelia Macfarlane began with an improvisational score exploring moving where I feel energy. The photo of my journal above shows where I felt my energy. This was interesting as when I compared my image to others I found that we all opted for parts of the body that are close to the solar plexus. I realised this is where maybe we feel most stable and strong as the centre holds each limbs together. Therefore we can control our appendage skeleton from the centre. Another point of interest in this exploration was that because I had a starting point and an area that I was constantly aware of I found that my body began to take over the movement rather than thinking and using my head. This was very strong in my moving and unlike most classes I was able to do this quite easily. I perhaps think this is because Cecelia used a lot of imagery which I seemed to translate comfortably in my moving.

However when another layer of the exploration was added (music) I found that on this occasion there was too much information for both my body and mind could take on. Therefore the clarity in my moving became lost a little as I was beginning to use my other senses. This made my moving much more conscious and I lost the flow.

One key theme/idea that Cecelia introduced that stayed with me was SPEAKING TO OUR PARTENR ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE WITH THEM LISTENING IS A FORM OF THERAPY.
This made me think of my anatomy lessons where we have been speaking about dance movement therapy and dance artists working in a therapeutic manor. It made me realise that as artists we are not qualified to practice DMP however by talking to each other I found that I was practicing a therapeutic aspect that I found helpful. To begin with I wasn't too sure that I wanted to express my thoughts on my experience but I found that by talking to someone it made me realise that each person experiences something different. Therefore I didn't feel conscious in what I wanted to share.

Jan entry continued... MS3

ok so the last pattern we explored was the CONTRALATERAL pattern. Beforehand we were focussing on the homolateral pattern so now we are working towards oppositional. This means we are now finally at the MAMMAL stage in the creature timeline. This is the most complex pattern as we have finally reached the end. As humans we use this CONTRLATERAL pattern all of the time. The most common being swinging the arms when walking changing each foot.

Contralateral is the differentiation between 4 quadrants. This can also be referred to in a mammal such as a CAT. Using their muscles and structure to stay above the ground with just their paws on the floor. As their bellies are off the ground their structure enables a vocal range. This is why mammals can make sounds as their skulls are off the ground.

 The pattern also highlights a connection on the diagonal lines. for example when cats move forward they engage with opposing legs in order to move and balance. This shows a clear connection on the diagonal. therefore this pattern relates to anything locomotive i.e running in humans and most commonly crawling when we are babies. Here is an image of a runner where I have drawn in diagonal lines to show the contralateral pattern.

Therefore this pattern increases the level of muscular support and activates the muscles.

The pattern comes back to mind body integration as it uses left to right integration. This pattern is helpful and is present in therapy in help to help re pattern an adults left and right after an accident.


After learning about this pattern we explored the diagonals of the body with a graphic. The very act of just connecting with my partners touch highlights my limbs which makes me more aware of them. Therefore when we began to move solo with this diagonal awareness I felt each limb was reaching out beyond my limit. I felt extremely long but still controlled. After a while the boundaries of the diagonal lines through my body blurred a little. It became more about being in control with my long limbs which reminded me of the NRP. For me although I do this pattern all of the time in everyday life when I consciously think about it, it becomes more difficult to understand. It does not flow correctly at the moment so the more I consciously think about it the more clearer and comfortable it becomes.

Just a thought as well, when I observe people in this pattern just walking down the road is got me thinking what would it be like if we did not use this pattern unconsciously. For example how difficult would it be to walk without the use of oppositional arms? maybe this should be an experiment I conduct for myself and others to witness.