Bookends

A movement poem for March 31, 2020 by Jill Randall

 

Big exhale

 

Whole body yawning

 

Extended arms

 

Reaching legs

 

Spacious ribs, pelvis

 

Soft focus

Soft throat

Soft back of the neck, turning

 

Spacious ribs, pelvis

 

Reaching legs

 

Extended arms

 

Whole body yawning

 

Big exhale

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Today's poem reads more like a warm up. Words on page, into the body….

I like dancing to "Hope" by Michael Wall. First, I need anything with "hope" in it right now! Second, the flowing sound and fast piano keys inspires rolling from one line of the poem to the next. It is #6 on this playlist.

Play with each of the 6 different aspects of the poem. When are you stationary? Traveling through space? Can you change your facing at least once?

Pick one line to focus on for 2 minutes. How many different ways can you move? What moves are most familiar and at home in your body? Can you dive into ways that you rarely move or find to be challenging? Play with tempo, play with where you are looking…

I encourage you to then compose a short movement phrase. This poem is a simple offering to explore repetition and a sense of symmetry and balance through the order of the movements.

Inspired by Wendy Jones' Dance is Home project, take your phrase and try it in three different locations right now. If at home, it can be as simple as: the hallway, your bedroom, and the back porch. If in a dance studio, play with the back of the room, a corner of the room, and near a window or door. How does it change your focus, how you feel? Which one feels best for in this moment and why?

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