Thinking Creatively, Creativity in Moving..

As much as I adored Andalucia, its delicious seas, shores, sky, sun... Its illustrious mountains, magnificent valley and majestic water fountain.. There is no place like home - and I have a very special place that I visit at home in South Wales, about 30mins drive from the city of Cardiff, the full identify of this place will be kept secret though, I'm sorry it is just too precious.. I usually visit my special place when I'm feeling, well emotional, upset by something or someone, or when I want absolute peace and quite, absolute stillness, when I want to shut myself away from the material, hustle and bustle of the modern world, of modern living.. Some stuff had emerged (which was upsetting) and I was heading to Coventry (in the Midlands where a closeness to water is less felt). I felt that my problems, re-ocuring injury in my pelvis was flaring up again and I visited my precious place before hitting all the M's up to the Midlands. I decided I was going to move (and document movement) in my special place, something I haven't done before, I usually just sit.. I went with the plan to explore developmental movement principles and movement patterns in Sondra Fraleigh's 'Land to Water Yoga' (2009), I left with something quite different..

A Precious Place

...lying on my belly, breathing into my belly, into the earth, the water beneath the earth.. feeling, sensing the circular shape of earth as I lie with my arms rapped around its surface.. sound of air above, air around me, sound of sea below, behind me, at my feet.. floating on top of the earth... holding on, pulling myself forward, pulling with the arms, pushing with the feet to stop me sliding, sliding off the solid surface and into the vast fluid structure beneath... a big drop, I hold the earth, the ground, feeling the water beneath, feeling my fluids... flow..  Developmental movement patterns leave and creativity enters... I dance a slow and gentle dance.. I dance to the side of the water... on top of the water...  twisting.. sliding.. pushing... pulling.. floating.. feeling.. flying.. swimming.. swimming in my fluids.. water... watching... listening.. clean and clear.. washed away the dirt of the last few days.. I see the world from a different perspective as I find myself upside-down looking out to sea, I smile, I like seeing the world this way... again from this position I feel, experience the circularity of planet earth.. everything flows in circles.. circular flow.. a feeling of being alive and open to the world...

Upside-Down Earth

Thinking Creatively, Creativity in Moving 

I reflect upon this moving exploration, experience for several days after. I reflect on, and question creativity? I find myself being creative, creativity comes, comes from the body and the body's surroundings. I begin with focus on the fluids, on the water inside and out, I begin with focus on the developmental movement sequences and explorations offered by the practitioners inspiring this study, but my focus appears to change, appears to be changing, taking a different direction... I have thought, felt this for a while now but have chosen to ignore such thoughts, feelings, movement ideas, creative ideas. I do not ignore them when moving, I allow my body to move in whichever way it moves on the day but I do start with a focus, a movement plan as such.. What is the purpose of my practice-led-research if there isn't some creative or definitive outcome? Hazel Smith & Roger T. Dean (2009) note that 'practice-led research can develop unique processes for creative work and for research.' Also noting that 'academic research can led to creative practice' (Smith & Dean: 2009, p2). Further queries flutter around my consciousness - how does somatics within dance develop avenues for creativity and creative practice? Martha Eddy (see blog reflections - Morning Meditation 'Not Doing,' 'Being,' 'Knowing') notes that one of the numerous benefits of somatic education within dance education as offering 'inroads to creative process' (Eddy: 2009, p23).

I believe evidence of the creativity emerging can be seen in the video documentation 'Waterfall' this is about mid-point in my practice-led study. Creativity is beginning to emerge which I obviously don't ignore, I make a short piece entitled 'Waterfall' http://vimeo.com/27479018

Unfortunately I ran out of recording space when moving from exploration of the planned developmental movement patterns to the creativity that emerged and therefore, don't have documentation of 'Dance to the Side of the Water' I will visit and move in my precious place again but the dance will never be the same. "A river never flows the same way twice" (unknown). "Continually moving, always changing, into and out of form - our lives, like water, are in constant flow" (Katherine Murray).    

Final thought - the pain and feeling of inflammation in my pelvis decreased, I'd even go as far as saying ceased instantly after this movement (creative) exploration - the pain/injury in my pelvis hasn't bothered me so much since...