Theories and Frameworks...the evening discussion

Lots of great areas came up in this evening's Open Discussion group. 

I want to offer a brief summary here and some provocations for you all to consider further and share your thoughts through your blogs (please do add your blog post in the comments below here).

The theme of the discussion was Theories and Frameworks and we talked about some possible perceptions of what these are, how we can see them in our practice and through the modules of the MA. We looked at different examples for these and acknowledged that examples can come from both within and outside of our immediate frame of reference. See Adesola's blog from the earlier discussion on this today- 

http://adesolamapp.blogspot.com/


For me a framework of my practice is Bartenieff Fundamentals (a movement system developed by dancer, choreographer, physical therapist, Irmgard Bartenieff, somewhat a bodily focused extension of her tutor Rudolf Laban's work through Laban Movement Analysis).  Bartenieff Fundamentals offers me a way of structuring and a language through which to articulate my moving body through specific patterns (Bartenieff sees the body as connected through core-distal, head-tail, body-half and cross-lateral patterns in order to achieve total integration). The theories I am interested in are in relationship with this framework, theories of the body in movement. These theories look at space-time and our relationship to, with, in, as it. I am also interested in theories of improvisation developed by other practitioners, and what frameworks are used to speak of the moving body through these. Theories and frameworks can offer us ways through which to deepen our understanding of things. They can frame perspectives and allow us to question and challenge our own practice. I do not have to find theories that match my framework, I am more interested in learning more about my body as I read, and experience in practice, and see the theories as ways of opening new doors to more questions for me.


An image I like to think about learning and knowledge is from the kids movie Monsters Inc. where the opening of a door into an unknown place is like the opening of a book, the taking of a new class, the conversation with another practitioner , it can open the way to more doors, more questions, to alternative perspectives and deeper understanding. Bartenieff's work sees value in the opening of space in the body as opening greater possibilities for moving efficiently through the space of our environments. I use the imagery of tiny doors at the joints of the body with the idea that we try to open the doors to allow the breath to travel and flow freely through the whole connected body...

 



My provocations from this evening's discussion ;

- There is a need to challenge dominant discourses, how might we go about this as artist-scholars?

- What do you feel is the value of research (our own and the work of others)?

-  How might we look at the between-ness rather than focus on the binaries of things (male-female, theory-practice...)?

I'd love to hear your thoughts...