“sweet” came to an abrupt end – i think this was the first time i learned from shahar about clear decisions. though the work was very promising, the energy was not cohesive in the group and so this magical beginning came to an end. a few months later i was with shahar again – this time in the studio – partaking in shahar’s year long training program called “hunch”. again i had no idea what was going to happen, the invitation to join was very clear yet neither of us knew where it would go.
the starting point for my participation was to document my perspective of the studio (we have traveled a looooong journey from that starting point). i recall that in the beginning i was nervous (as were the other people in the group in response to my presence with a camera).
the studio was very different from anything i had known before or imagined a studio could be. it is a meeting of intense commitment and endless patience. on the surface it appears to be unstructured. but as i gained experience and perspective i realized that the structure is hidden because it is so delicate and personal – as i have seen it applied to myself. for me it is about making a transition of attention from the opposing outside forces to the supportive inside movements.
just last week I listened to shahar talking to a group of young dancers: improvisation has a bad reputation as simply doing whatever you want. a trap lies in the word “simple” – there is nothing simple about really doing what you want. when a performer goes on stage she is consciously entering a field of forces and agreements that define roles and expectations. mastery of improvisation is about being able to consciously enter and contain this field and still stay true to what you really want to do. ‘simply’ has nothing to do with it! the studio is a playground for really truly honestly asking what you want and then encountering these forces and exploring the relationship we all have with them.