I am moving to Bath tomorrow and am busy packing my stuff. I know, Bath is only an hour and half away and I will be coming back home every Sunday, anyway. But it's been a while since I lived out of suitcases and to be honest I don't even know what to take with me.
I have been ill with a dreadful cough and cold for the whole week and busy attending a summer school, a five days intensive with choreographer Miranda Tufnell at the Siobhan Davies Studios. I loved working with Miranda, her approach to the body, working with writing as an extension of dancing, was amazing. I was very conscious of my breathing problems every time we had to lie on the floor and focus on the breath. Mine was so difficult! Every day, back home, I just went to sleep early. The workshops were not physically exhausting, but I always felt the need for a good, long sleep to recharge myself.
I did little yesterday, just rested, as my body was tired and full of aches. Then today I went for that ultimate masochistic experience which is contortion class.
I have been doing contortion for a while, out of boredom really. And contortion class is the reason why I will come back to London every Sunday while 'touring' in Bath - well, there are other reasons too, but I would hate to miss my contortion class.
I normally do a yoga class before going for contortion, to loosen up. I should explain that contortion is taught at a pole dancing school by a competitive gymnast/pole dancer. It is a mixed ability class. We just learn how to do things like splits, back bends etc. It's the process that matters, at least to me, rather than achieving. It brings home how much hard work one has to put in, you just need to train your body and this can be done gradually, practising a little everyday.
It is quite an amazing thing, the body. As you grow older you need longer to warm up but if you have something in your body memory you will be able to do it. What I love in contortion class is the willingness we all have to undergo some kind of torture. We often work in pairs and it is normal to ask for 'more' when that 'more' means more pain eg someone is pushing your legs down to the floor to help you achieve a better opening of the hips.
People take it immensely seriously and I have seen classmates going from a state of absolute inflexibility to one where they can bend and fold themselves up easily and at will. That gives me hope, not just in terms of physicality but generally, as a way to approach life.
I could not manage without my contortion class.
All photographs by Korrigan and modelled by Alex B.
I have been ill with a dreadful cough and cold for the whole week and busy attending a summer school, a five days intensive with choreographer Miranda Tufnell at the Siobhan Davies Studios. I loved working with Miranda, her approach to the body, working with writing as an extension of dancing, was amazing. I was very conscious of my breathing problems every time we had to lie on the floor and focus on the breath. Mine was so difficult! Every day, back home, I just went to sleep early. The workshops were not physically exhausting, but I always felt the need for a good, long sleep to recharge myself.
I did little yesterday, just rested, as my body was tired and full of aches. Then today I went for that ultimate masochistic experience which is contortion class.
I have been doing contortion for a while, out of boredom really. And contortion class is the reason why I will come back to London every Sunday while 'touring' in Bath - well, there are other reasons too, but I would hate to miss my contortion class.
I normally do a yoga class before going for contortion, to loosen up. I should explain that contortion is taught at a pole dancing school by a competitive gymnast/pole dancer. It is a mixed ability class. We just learn how to do things like splits, back bends etc. It's the process that matters, at least to me, rather than achieving. It brings home how much hard work one has to put in, you just need to train your body and this can be done gradually, practising a little everyday.
It is quite an amazing thing, the body. As you grow older you need longer to warm up but if you have something in your body memory you will be able to do it. What I love in contortion class is the willingness we all have to undergo some kind of torture. We often work in pairs and it is normal to ask for 'more' when that 'more' means more pain eg someone is pushing your legs down to the floor to help you achieve a better opening of the hips.
People take it immensely seriously and I have seen classmates going from a state of absolute inflexibility to one where they can bend and fold themselves up easily and at will. That gives me hope, not just in terms of physicality but generally, as a way to approach life.
I could not manage without my contortion class.
All photographs by Korrigan and modelled by Alex B.
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