News update!

TWO WEEKS LEFT OF MY LMA/BF WORKSHOP CLASS – contact me if you want to drop in, details below

In other news

- As part of my Laban Movement Analysis training, my longer research project is focusing on how BF/LMA can support preparation and performance of singing. I am working one to one with Sarah Owen over the next few months to explore embodiment, sound making and performance.

- New performance collaboration with musician Fernando Machado starting this month and continuing into the New Year.

- Great fun was had working and performing with the amazing Christina Jensen on her choreography Mundane Dames along with Katja Nyqvist for the opening night of Quest for Paradise pop-up gallery curated by the inspiring Alice McCabe.

- The last two nights of Breaking The Code directed by Kezia Cole on Tuesday the 10th and Wednesday the 11th Nov
were entirely sold out to highly appreciative audiences. The play by Hugh Whitemore is based on the book Alan Turing, The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. A timely choice as only this year did Gordon Brown apologize on behalf of the British government for the appalling treatment Turing received. I have been involved as a movement coach with this very strong cast, happy to be working again with Kezia Cole. Rhys Lawton in the role of Turing gave consistently alive, electric performances.

- Lastly, for those of you based up north, go and check out the newly re-vamped Bradford Playhouse. It’s thrown its doors open to invite and support artists in a hugely playful and glorious way. First Person Theatre really enjoyed our time there.

Laban Movement Analysis and Bartenieff Fundamentals-based weekly class starting from Tues 20th Oct to Tues 24th Nov
7.00 – 9.00, Hither Green, SE London

Contact me to confirm your place and for location details: hello@alexandrabaybutt.co.uk

What

Bartenieff Fundamentals is an approach to movement training that deals with patterning connections in the body, according to principles of efficient functioning, within a context which encourages personal expression and full psychophysical involvement.

The goal of BF is to facilitate the lively interplay of inner connectivity for efficient body functioning with outer expressivity. We work with the concepts of inner-outer, stability-mobility, function-expression and exertion-recuperation.

Exploring BF utilizes the entire framework of Laban Movement Analysis: Body, Effort, Shape, Space.

BF is incredibly supportive to anyone regardless of level of experience or profession/leisure activities. This work is particularly applicable and useful to dancers, actors and musicians as it bridges working functionally to moving expressively.

BF practice will lead into further explorations as the sessions progress. Participants are encouraged to bring questions and areas of their own practice they wish to explore which we can workshop in a safe, laboratory environment.

For example, improvisation, partner work, handling objects/instruments, character development.

What are we exploring?

-Breath and core support
-Body connectivity (navel radiation, spinal, upper-lower, body-half, cross-lateral) – and personal patterns which are resources, patterns of tension, where new pathways can be made
-Weight sensing
-Effort  or the dynamics of movement, (attitudes towards Time, Weight, Flow and Space) and Effort Phrasing (amount of Effort load)
-Modes of Shape Change, particularly Shape Flow, as well as Shaping and Directional Shape change
-Space – pathways, planes, dimensions, diagonals
-Some Body-Mind concepts (Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen) to access qualities and shifts in sensing, the organs and the fluids

Who

Dancers, actors, musicians, body-work practitioners, and those curious about Laban/Bartenieff’s work are encouraged to attend

How much and duration

Each session lasts 2 hours and costs £10.

You must pay for two sessions the first time you attend.

Paying for all six weeks in advance will guarantee your place for all sessions as space is limited.

A little bit about my training

I have completed two modules in Laban Movement Analysis/Bartenieff and Somatic studies – ‘Shape’ and ‘Effort’, under Janet Kaylo, Anna Kemble, Nadine Saxton and Donna Redlick, with other fantastic visiting faculty, including Leslie Bishko who integrates LMA in teaching Animation.

Modes of Shape change in June saw many discoveries of carving space three-dimensionally. It also saw the return of my grappling with notating movement, not precise particulars of traditional notation, more the essence of the movement in Motif. In learning to observe, we must know it physically first not just conceptually.

The Effort module in August was a process of Being. Being inside all the possible dynamics and shades of movement all day everyday for the duration. It was incredible being very effort-full and expressive, exploring crystallizing combinations of Effort qualities.

Also during the training we explored some Body-Mind Centering work, development patterns, sounding to support moving and much observation of live action and film.

http://www.labaninternational.org

Very exciting times.