Motif Development Part 3: Thinking With The Body

Within the video "Thinking with the Body", McGregor discusses how he enjoys working with scientists because "conventions don't exist on their terms." (McGregor,2014) Being free of conventions is a quality McGregor values as a choreographer. A quality I also appreciate. 

After acknowledging my previous block, caused by restrictions and rules, I was inspired by the way McGregor expressed his values as a choreographer, as well as a method he used to  generate movement in his dancers. I felt inspired to use this method for my own creation of movement. Cognitive Scientist, Phil Barnard, explains that imagery plays a vital role in a dancer's creativity. The experiment McGregor conducted was to discover what imagery the dancers "think" they use in comparison with what they "actually" use whilst creating a piece of work. Before the experiment began they wrote down the type of imagery they thought they used when they choreograph. This ranged from graphic imagery, numbers, words, sounds, body sensation. The dancers were interrupted every 10 minutes during the experiment to evaluate what they had been thinking. The results revealed that the images they were initially thinking only contributed to a small amount of the product. Most dancers thought they were mainly thinking physically and intuitively however this only contributed a very small amount of what they were actually doing. The most common images dancers used were verbal thought and spacial imagery. (Thinking with the body,2014)

To discover my thoughts whilst choreographing would help me understand where my mind was at and how to further develop my creativity - "Imagery can give such a different variety in movement." (Thinking with the body,2014) I conducted the experiment with a slight adaption over a period of 20 minutes with two intervals to observe my thoughts and imagery. Within this task I was trying to develop movement to represent lightness and joy. Once completed, I discovered I mainly work with words and body sensation. I had written down a variety of words I was thinking of during the process: skip, joy, fun, childish, light, feather, energy, breathe, bouncy, relaxed, ripple, smooth transitions. I didn't become fully immersed within this task. Movement happened however I was unsure where to take it and how to interpret it. It was during this time, when I was more observant of my thoughts, that I noticed how frequently I would review, study and inspect and manipulate movement to fit according to certain choreographic conventions I had created in my mind. To challenge myself, I then repeated the task but instead gave myself a a picture to choreograph movement from. The image was one of symmetry - to me, this suggested natural and effortless connection and harmony within ones self, like an innocent child. I decided to simply focus on myself within the task, trying not to let the external look dictate the movement I was going to use. Both versions of my task had a sense of openness, however the overall difference in movement quality was significant. The second had more intention and direction. My ideas flowed. 

The second motif I created has now been developed into one of the starting phrases of my piece. Circular motions are repeated to suggest a form of solidity and a smooth continuous way of life - it keeps moving like the flow of a river.

In conclusion, I have discovered that images provoke and inspire my creativity far more than  just a floating idea. This task has also revealed to me that I work best when I detach myself from looking for "aesthetic" movement and instead settle on what resonates best with me.

References:
- M01 Venn Diagram, Khalegh Mamakani, July 27th 2012, Available at: The First Simple Symmetric 11-Venn Diagram (uvic.ca)

-  Wellcome Collection (2014) Thinking with the Body: Choreographic Thinking Tools | Wayne McGregor | Random Dance [Online video] Available at: Thinking with the Body: Choreographic Thinking Tools | Wayne McGregor | Random Dance - YouTube Accessed: Dec 20th 2021