6 minute read
Investigating Professional Dancers
With Russell Maliphant Dance Company
Experiences and perceptions of dancers’ body sense and potential by Dr Angela Pickard, Canterbury Christ Church University.
Russell Maliphant Dance Company (RMDC) is embarking on a programme of research to scientifically explore Russell’s particular way of working and the influence that this has on dancers’ aesthetic performance potential, health and career longevity.
Bringing together researchers from different disciplines in the fields of dance education, dance science, health and the arts, the research aims to provide valuable insights that could contribute to:
• Developing safe, enabling, working environments for professional dancers that will offer greater longevity in the profession
• A more optimised training of professional dancers
• Wider populations staying healthy and active through creative, physical practice that is kind and structurally integrating to the body
Russell Maliphant’s teaching and choreographic practice is deeply informed by his knowledge of the body as experiential anatomy and physiology, applied to classical, contemporary and somatic dance vocabularies.
He says: “Dance techniques may draw on information from many different sources and dancers may approach these in different ways. For me, there are always aesthetic implications behind a practice or technique and, as a choreographer/ teacher, that gives me a clue as to the usefulness of an exercise, movement, or deepening body awareness.
Russell Maliphant
“We all know the adage - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it - and I absolutely agree with that, though choreographically working with a group of dancers you may need to share information to enable reaching a certain aesthetic and quality to have a unity at times in a work - that requires an understanding of the aesthetic implications of the deeper details of functioning and structure.”
Through his practice, Russell engages in thinking through the body, by drawing on his knowledge of ‘body theories’, in particular those related to fascia such as Tom Myers’ Anatomy Trains and Rolfing Structural Integration. Using this knowledge with different dancers in different ways, Russell is able to engage and enable each dancer’s body potential to make technical, aesthetic and performance choices.
Grace Jabbari in Russell Maliphant's Silent Lines
Photo: Martin Collins
This first study for RMDC engaged 8 company dancers, 3 male and 5 female, in semi-structured interviews, to explore approaches that Russell has used to facilitate dancers’ understanding of their body and its potential.
The dancers that Russell works with often work with a range of choreographers and on a project basis. I was interested to find out:
• What are the methods and processes that Russell uses to train, teach and enable each dancer’s body sense and potential?
• How is Russell’s knowledge of the body integrated into and applied in his practice?
• What are the experiences and perceptions of professional dancers working with Russell and the methods and processes he incorporates into his practice?
• Are dancers able to describe and give examples of how the processes and methods used in Russell’s creative practice facilitate optimisation of movement potential and choice?
• How is Russell’s dance/ movement language and aesthetic - characterised by flow and energy within his choreography - realised, using a safe, enabling environment for dancers?
Each of the extensive interviews was recorded and transcribed. This article gives a taster of some early findings.
One area of particular interest is body sense. Body sense, or awareness, can be viewed as a partnership between proprioception and kinaesthetic awareness/kinaesthesia which enables us to perceive location, movement and action. Proprioceptors are sensors in our muscles, joints and fascia that enable us to judge limb movements, their position and navigation within space, as well as the force and weight of movement.
Proprioception works in conjunction with and as a part of our sensorimotor system which both directs movement as well as monitors the consequences of movement, resulting in adjustments, as well as knowledge of interactions with self and world through movement. Kinaesthesia involves our muscle spindles and skin and joint receptors and can sense the smallest change in motion.
It is expected that professional dancers would have a highly tuned sense of their own movement and of the position of their bodies in space, but this sense can be facilitated further to increase understanding, optimise potential and enable aesthetic choice.
Russell Maliphant leading a class
Photo: Dana Fouras
Dancers' thoughts and feedback
As one male dancer said: “Russell has helped me see myself from the inside out. I am more aware of tension, feelings, and sensations in my body more than I ever was before I started working with him. I am much more aware of how the body works.”
Furthermore, a female dancer discussed “how I can listen and hear my body and see small changes in mine and the bodies of the other dancers. I have learned to invest time and be patient because when you unlock these sensations it’s like you have switched on a new sense. I am more powerful and have more flow to my movement....”
The ways that Russell creates an enabling studio environment to facilitate greater body sense, proprioception and kinesthesia, with the dancers, is important and will be explored further in the future.
One male dancer described the commitment of studio time as “helpful in offering time to concentrate and think about your own body development rather than just learning or creating choreography.”
“He brings his experience... and... understanding of the body to find the best method to help each dancer find the line or release. This could be visualising anatomy trains or using garden canes under our feet. Russell makes you feel special and important and that what you bring to the studio is what he is looking for, but then together you find something different you didn’t know you had” (female dancer).
All the dancers interviewed were able to describe and give examples of how they have gained greater body awareness, sense and knowledge when working with Russell and his practice. Here, the need to commit and engage patiently and deeply in a sometimes slow process of change was cited as “a rare opportunity to be appreciated” (female dancer).
The dancers described how they have had a positive experience when working with Russell and have felt a sense of ownership and partnership. The dancers also appreciated Russell's extensive knowledge of the body/'bodyworks' and gave examples where they have made aesthetic choices based on a feeling in the body and appreciated the freedom that they have here.
“It is holistic and organic training. You are thinking all the time until the new becomes habit, and you are stronger. You’re able to notice, identify and use sensations in the body and apply knowledge of the body for efficiency and fluidity” (female dancer).
This first study within the RMDC research programme has begun an examination into methods and processes that Russell uses to train, teach and enable each dancer’s potential. More detailed findings will be disseminated and also inform further research into ‘training tomorrow’s contemporary dancers’ and ‘contemporary dance futures, career resilience and longevity’, in partnership with contemporary dance conservatoires, professional dancers, artistic directors and choreographers.
Further information
To follow the company’s research and other developments subscribe to receive news and updates:
www.russellmaliphantdancecompany.com/research
Russell Maliphant Dance Company is supported by Arts Council England as one of their National Portfolio Organisations. Located in Suffolk, Ipswich, in residence at DanceEast.
