This week has been the first week of my summer intensive at The Place and this year I have been taking class with Nya Bowman of the Martha Graham Centre in New York. As I have probably mentioned before on The Winger, Graham is my favourite contemporary technique, and sometimes I think I like it more than ballet. It’s hard to describe but perhaps because it was designed by a woman I find it a very empowering dance technique. All the emphasis is on the pelvis and, as Nya kept telling us, it is not supposed to be pretty, so we could be aggressive and powerful without worrying about how we looked! Nya was a really great teacher and I felt really privileged to have taken class with her.
Yesterday was our last class with Nya, and afterwards I watched her teach the level 3 class (I’m in level 2.) It was really fun watching the class – I enjoyed seeing what I could achieve if I worked at it. I’ve taken some pictures too, to share with you.
| 
| Posted by Kate
Graham class starts off on the floor, like ballet starts off at the barre. On the floor the basic movements of Graham, contractions and spirals, are practised. Some of the positions can be agony!
Nya Bowman correcting some floor work.
After floor work we go on to the centre. Nya said we should think of Graham as ‘anti-ballet’ – this you can see when you look at arabesques:
…and attitude:
Finally in Graham class travelling steps are practised across the room.
I was sitting behind the piano. A good place to spot the dancers taking a breather between travelling sequences.
I was quite tired after 5 days – I’ve not been to class much in the last 6 months as I’ve got an injury and I’ve also not had enough time. Yesterday I went for a sports massage – my first in over a year and it really brought home to me how out of shape I’ve let myself get. I am so achey I’m finding it hard to walk up stairs! ‘Not having time’ is not really an excuse if you are a dancer – you have to stay in shape to be able to do things well. I’m going to make time for my dancing and look after my injury. I think I can fit it all in. After all, I have to, as I’ve started saving up to go to New York so I can take some classes at the Martha Graham Center!
| | Posted by Kate
