During these last three days we will review a few topics we have covered this summer: Bartenieff, Spirals, Orbits and Klein/Mahler. We may not go into detail but we will touch upon them once more before we go.
Congratulations on all the work you have created, edited and shared with us this past week. It is always such a reminder of how deep the inquiry is to creation and how rigorous the process is to make a dance. I will see you on the dance floor and at your evaluations on Friday.
Gerald's class 
In today’s class I really connected with the idea of a turn coming from either the core or a distal point of reference. Turning has always been a challenge for me, and it was nice to approach the turn by thinking about a part of my body initiating the action. Also, in the floor combination when the comment was given about keeping the head/tail connection when we slightly lifted up from the ground with the foot tucked behind the ankle, I realized I often lead with my pelvis and this is when I become disengaged. When I corrected this I really became aware of my core and was able to transfer that experience to the moment when we fall backwards in the beginning of the traveling phrase.
On another note, I just have to say how amazing this class has been. I have gained a new awareness and attention to my body and tendencies and I am so grateful to have had this experience. Thank you Gerald, and Happy Birthday:)
I want to thank all of my fellow dancers for your amazing work and artistry during these 6 weeks. I have learned from every one of you and am thankful for the gift of moving through space together!
Throughout these past six weeks, I’ve noticed how much I look forward to Friday because I feel like can finally dance and not think so much about what comes next. This week has been completely different. I felt balanced yesterday, and doing the last combination this morning felt connected and heavy. I felt like I was going to fall over in the best possible ways.
Like Whitney and Sarah before me, I feel like I’ve learned a lifetime of information in the past six weeks. I am amazed by everyone’s work in class and I am thankful to share the space with such talented individuals.
Gerald thank you for providing us a space to explore new ideas, an environment to learn without judgement, and for your love of tendues.
I am enjoying revisiting the various topics we have covered over the past several weeks. It has been a pleasure to be a student again and take the time to investigate and research the various practices. I am inspired and look forward to continuing the investigation.
Gerald, you have been a wonderful example of someone who never stops learning and exploring. Thank you for that!! You have been so respectful and understanding of where we are in our lives and what each of us needs.
It has been so nice to come back to some familiar principles this week and realize how much I have learned in just six weeks. I will really miss this class but I am excited to continue exploring these ideas for a long time. Gerald, thank you for an amazing class. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to study from you!
Gerald, thank you so much for an amazing class. I have learned so much in the past six weeks and I have thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful spirit. I also want to thank my colleagues for allowing me to share space with you as I fumbled my way through, finally finding my head-tail connection. 🙂
I am so inspired to continue exploring new and different ways to use my body. I am grateful for this experience and will continue learning as I share this information with my students and fellow dancers in New Orleans. Thank you!
I wrote on the other post below the teaching principles but I wanted to add a few more things about today.
For me, rhythm is extremely important. It probably stems from my Limon training where rhythm is a key component. Today was enlightening. Having to stay within the rhythm while touching the shoulders, hips, and knees was so exciting! It was a great way to warm up the body and engage everyone in a game of time. The enlightening part came when we did the last phrase without the rhythm. It usually makes me feel like I can’t grasp a movement as clearly when I don’t understand the rhythm. This drastically changed during the six weeks. I came to understand how important it is to let dancers find their own inner rhythm or even a group rhythm instead of always trying to push them to be on a certain count or beat. This opens up the awareness, the breath, the weight, and the confidence.
Thank you Gerald, you are an inspiration!
It was wonderful to share the experience with all of you!
This week has been hard but really wonderful! I felt myself hitting an emotional and physical breaking point on Tuesday night and was really supported by everyone around me. I am so appreciative. Gerald – thank you for sharing your knowledge, insight, patience and creativity with us this summer, so glad I got to be here dancing with you all!!
Thanks for the sampler buffet plate of dance class this week. It was nice to do things that were familiar to my body when my head was so full of other thoughts. I’m so grateful for the experience of being in a daily technique class again. It’s a real gift to have a group of people sharing ideas and moving together. I love watching people figure things out through their bodies. Thanks to Gerald and to everyone.
Wow, how time flies when you’re having fun! I can’t believe how fast 6 weeks went. It’s been interesting looking back on the last 3 summers in comparison to this summer as well. I remember when you first introduced spirals– I was so confused and lost, almost like my brain and my body were in two seperate places. This summer I actually felt like everything was working in sync. I think my head tail connection has really improved hence making my movements link together easier. I also think I lost a lot of my constant desire to be perfect–I would stop caring about what the move was supposed to look like and really just tried to connect with the way the movements linked and worked together in the combination. The stress of constantly striving for perfection really takes away the beauty of the movement and this summer I’ve strived to embrace that thought process. With that I’ve really loved this summer, Gerald you make me appreciate the beauty of dance and the human body. Thank you.
This class has really shown me how to structure and organize a modern/contemporary course to keep students engaged and open to the process of exploration. Gerald thank you for challenging us, being so informative and knowledgeable, and reminding us to breathe!
With exercises/games that binds the group together, and through your words “to share space together” and “look and listen to each other”, I become aware of my fellow classmates and reminded of the spirit that exists within a dance company. I love that collaboration so much because it takes away much of the tunnel-focus and “end-gaining” that can be common in an ordinary dance class.
Thank you Gerald for introducing such a broad technique practice, with so many sources and so much knowledge from your side, it’s truly inspiring.
Hope to dance together again soon! Take care everybody.