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| Kailey McCrudden |
Another academic year is over, bringing individual and group learning processes to an end. In my teaching, I often use the reflection paper as a tool for arriving at closure. This semester various students of Corporeal Improvisation chose to write about Branch Dancing. This year I was delighted by the students’ articulate descriptions of their experiential discoveries. With their permission, I share some below:
“I found that as soon as I stepped into the space with the
branches in my hand, my hands became my eyes and my eyes became an extension of
the branch. I found this transition and sensation by standing still and feeling
the texture and subtle movement within my branch.” Katie Adkins
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| Katie Adkins and Leslie Cornish |
“I noticed how organic my movement became while dancing with
the branch. I think this is because of
the rough and natural shape of the branch. It is almost smooth in spots, but
not completely. This organic quality
also resides in the energy the tree produces, even when the branch is broken
from it’s roots and seemingly dead, an energy still exists. This energy, when the practitioner is one
hundred percent focused, is transferred naturally through the body. While dancing I came more in tune with my
breath and the steadiness of how I was breathing. I was not labored, even when
my movement increased in speed. I think
because I was relying on the branch to initiate my movement, my breath
maintained an evenness that stemmed from the intuitiveness of my transitions.” Blythe Smith
“My first experience with branch dancing was surreal. I began running my hands up and down the
branch, feeling the spiral of the branch, and I felt the spiral in my
bones. Up until that moment, I
intellectually understood the spiraling nature of every bone and muscle in my
body, but I had never sensed the spiraling in such a fully embodied way. Each muscle and bone in my body spiraled into
the ground, up into the sky, and continued into the spiraling bone of the
branch. My newfound awareness of the spirals I possess created a buzzing on
every inch of the surface of my body.
This energy on my skin generated an awareness of the ends of my being
and the touch of the air around me, but also allowed me to sense my energy
radiating past my skin, through every inch of the space. This juxtaposition of energy up and down,
energy in and out of the body, knowing the edges of self and expanding oneself,
creates an experience unlike any other.”
Kailey McCrudden
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| Blythe Smith |
“It felt right to
hold onto and give weight to the branches, really allowing them to be a pillar
of support. I was able to drop my weight
into pliés without holding back, as I was supported by the branches. Often I would find myself balancing one
branch on my shoulder, back or leg, while the other took residence in my hand,
leading a weaving pathway around the balanced branch. This really centered me and forced me to
create a balance in the different directional energy of my body at all
times. Dancing with two branches gave me
a 360degree awareness like no other type of practice.” Blythe Smith
“As I continued about my day after branch dancing I found I
maintained a different focus in my technique class and felt more calming spirit
for a longer portion of the day. The practice really centered me and let all my
unnecessary negative energy leave my body unconsciously.” Katie Adkins
