Happening • Get Floored Get Dirty Get Laid

Much is made of falls prevention in relation to dance so we wanted to try a more spontaneous and fully embodied approach.

We shifted weight, took a few risks, played with that off centre feeling; spiraling to and from the floor and around each other. We rolled around, got floored, got dirty, we got laid low, laid down, grounded and released.

In doing so we hope we squashed the instrumentalist view that the floor is necessarily a place of dread. We can befriend it.....we can explore it....spring up from it and spread our weight across it, we can roll with it and enjoy it.

"Working this way brought a feeling of belonging immediately to the dance. A smooth floor makes you want to glide across the surface but also creates a sense of security"

"It certainly does feel good dancing barefoot. It seemed to make me more daring, more sure footed. I didn't mind getting down low. Having all my toes and heel touch the floor gave a better sense of balance which passed to the rest of my body. I was aware of each toe, the arch of my foot and my heel. This does seem to affect the rest of my body."

"The session made me think about how we move. Rolling and turning and spinning .The movements made me think about falling and can we learn more about balance? The type of movement we experimented with helped to keep my body flexible and I was  aware of all the different muscles and joints. We were reminded of how our bodies work and co-ordination."

"This is the very physical part of the movement, but at the same time there is the being in the moment, losing inhibitions, and just enjoying it all."

"Moment of panic. Think quick, what am I going to do? Mind blank. Somehow I get up. I walk. I stop. I say "me" and I move. Don't know what I do but I move and I smile" 

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