Avayava , 2015, Contemporary Dance workshops, Day1

Avayava Dance workshop (Day1) Richard Causer (10 am to 12 noon) Day one at Kalmadi Shamrao Junior College opens to a warm up routine by Richard Causer from Australia. The class was nothing like you have experienced; you get a slice of how you could do so much in a room. The opening routine was slow to heat up the body. The pace skyrocketed when he wants you to roll on the ground keeping your elbows close to your chest and legs straight from one end of the room to another. The moment you reach the other end of the room your head’s like spinning a-really-fast-merry-go-around-experience. He takes to crawling next, a stretch of legs in the air and then on your hands and repeat. It looked like a near-spider-man-movement. And Richard with his swift movement was one minus the web. The third routine was much simpler but all his routines had an element of speed to them which keeps you wondering,” am I really moving so fast?” It’s such a brilliant start to Avayaya a contemporary dance festival in Pune and a learning experience on Floorwork and Release Techniques. Noam Eidelman (12:30 pm to 2:00 pm) How do you make your body a processor of new information to awaken numb areas and increase flexibility, stamina, and agility? Gaga Technique from Israel is the answer. Noam slid the class into layers of conscious and subconscious movements; feeling the body, feeling the space encircling your limbs on the floor. Becoming aware of the information across your neck, hands, back, arms and legs. Letting them come up to surface, float and take form as movements on your body. Feeling you are in a bath tub of water; sinking your body lower to the ground; loosening up, letting go. Such instructions put you in phases of sleep, meditation, sublimity and dance. It reminded me of Osho’s Kundalini meditation where you are told to imagine yourself a tree and shake yourself off. It was such a different technique unlike the first session ; pure contradiction in terms but so apt for the body. You really need to go Gaga! You could read more here on the technique: http://www.swapnildagliya.com/avayavablog/2015/4/13/going-gaga Noam Eidelman (3:30 pm to 5 pm) The routine that Noam taught from the Basheva Repertory was like a gentle blowing of the wind. You are in a square in a floor and you explore forms there in your zone. The routine made you stand with elbow stretched out together, swaying to the back with arms stretched out, movement to the left-right, a neck cut pose with the hands, right-left, sinking your weight of the body. It was more important to feel the movement than actually trying to go right, or wrong or give personal accents to the choreography. The instructor made the class do the routine so many time that it had to look aesthetic; it was such a harmonic experience of delight; like the flocking of a group of seagulls together. Gear on for the day two of the workshops!