Contemporary Dance with Dylan Crossman

LENGTH: 50 min. LEVEL: Advanced SPACE: Small

Dylan Crossman draws on his knowledge of Release Technique, learned at the Laban Center (London); his years working with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and his own choreographic practice to devise this contemporary class, designed for an unconventional 8’x8’ space.

Beginning with a floor phrase to encourage groundedness, engage the core and find the physical connections within the body, the class continues with a simple exercise inspired by Rudolph Laban’s concept of Kinesphere - the space around us within reaching possibilities of the limbs without changing one's place - to help familiarize ourselves with the unconventional 8’x8’ space the class takes place in.

The rest of the class alternates between short phrase work and rigorous exercises.

The phrase work, based on Crossman’s choreographic repertory, will use weight, dynamic, and spatial shifts to emphasize or understate the virtuosity of the steps while looking at the relationships within the body and the body in space. We will play with phrasing and focus on the clarity of directions to understand the function of the pelvis — in relation to the rest of the body — and how it drives the body through space.

The physically rigorous exercises are inspired by Crossman’s time working with Merce Cunningham and the strong belief in rigor, repetition and daily practice. They bring attention to the body as whole while focusing on the dancer's technique and his/her understanding of lines, physical clarity and speed.

We will do pliés, tendus, rond de jambes, and leg circles to discipline the body and mind and acknowledge where the body is at, on any given day.

Finally, we will learn repertory from Crossman Dans(c)e and take that opportunity to play further with changes in dynamics, orientation, and order of movement.

Recognizing the recent widespread need for classes for small spaces, Dancio promptly launched the 8x8 Challenge; an invitation to several super inspiring teachers to create a full class for a space no larger than 8'x8'. It is our mission to keep you connected to dance by accessing class anytime, anyplace-so- push the furniture out of the way and enjoy our "dance at home" series.

Music: John Glover, Josh Kadish, and Jesse Stiles

Category: Contemporary