#and i took another whole class where we used improvised movements and found text to create an hour-long show

[buzzmcnab]

[ID: 5 gifs from Leverage of Sophie Devereaux performing as Lady Macbeth on a small stage in a dress that looks vaguely Elizabethan and a plastic crown. The set is a single painted backdrop of the inside of a castle.

1: Sophie crosses the stage waving the outer layer of her skirt around. She says, "Come! You spirits that tend on mortal thoughts!"

2: The camera moves behind her, and she slowly crumbles to the floor. The audience is nearly empty and looks extremely bored. She says, "Unsex me here!"

3: Now seen from the front, Sophie continues her descent to the floor, gesturing to the crown on her head and to her feet as she says, "And fill me from the crown to the toe!"

4: Standing again, Sophie sweeps her arm across her body. She starts to say "That no..." then forgets her line and stops.

5: She starts the line over, and sweeps her arm across her body again, saying "That no–" The line cuts off.

END ID]

LEVERAGE APPRECIATION WEEK

SOPHIE - DAY 6 - FAVORITE SCENE

the raven himself is hoarse

[body-in-revolt]

Double Skin / Double Mind #4: the ageing body

Text:  Lidwien Berkhout, Barbara Meneses, Jesse Vanhoeck

Dance Connects organizes modern dance classes for seniors (60+). In four weeks, Barbara Meneses gave them an introduction to the Double Skin/ Double mind method. ICK is interested to investigate how the DS/DM method can work or be adapted for ageing bodies. After an initial introduction, a series of more in-depth workshops followed where also the Sensorium – Toolkit for dance came into play. ICK wants to think further about how the method can be adapted even better to this target group and what kind of benefits this can bring to them. After the first experience, Dance Connects member Lidwien Berkhout shared her experiences:

"When I heard that we were going to attend several Double Skin/ Double Mind workshops at ICK, I had no idea what that meant. In the first lesson Barbara explained how the method was developed and what the basic principles are: breathing, jumping, expanding, reducing. Then we went to work to experience what it's like to do these exercises one after the other. It took me some time getting used to it. Especially because the exercises are repeated quite a lot and done for a longer period of time.

Ageing means being confronted with constraints that are different for everyone. However, everyone could follow this workshop. In our group we participated as much as possible according to our own abilities. The experience also differs from person to person. I thought the workshop was easy to follow. It also stimulated me to go a step further than I thought would be possible. During the jumping part, I suddenly got in a flow and could go on for a long time.  

Breathing is important for your (dance) movements. It facilitates/strengthens your movements. Even though I am aware of its importance, I sometimes forget to use it properly in daily live activities. Doing the exercises draws your attention to the fact that you can use breathing to strengthen your movements.

Jumping was a very nice thing to do. Let your arms hang loose and let them move with you. The gaze is, unlike in yoga, directed outwards and during jumping you meet the other dancers, you share the energy and you see what happens with the movements. It is very playful.

Expanding and reducing is about moving bigger and smaller. I found the barely perceptible movements in reducing very special. Making movements larger, I think, is more in my nature while making them smaller requires more awareness of yourself. It stimulates you to subtly show the power of your movements.  The reducing evoked the image of a tamed force or energy.

I really enjoyed doing it.  The workshops were both strenuous and relaxing at the same time. After the workshop I always felt supple, loose, clear, relaxed. “

 Also for teacher Barbara Meneses it was a whole new experience to work with this target group. She was pleasantly surprised by the openness of the group, their enthusiasm: 'I thought they were very fit and they had no trouble at all to improvise'.

“Ageing comes with all kinds of consequences. For some, their bodies and minds start to encounter bigger and new limitations, others are not yet there, they are even more fit than most of younger amateurs. The process of ageing and, more importantly, the way their bodies and minds are accepting it and adapting to it, is different for everyone and therefore there are big differences in the group.

But all of them have, obviously, a larger life experience. And that is so rich. More memories, more references, more knowledge. This is mainly visible when it comes to improvisation or to more creative exercises. Give them elements from the Sensorium toolkit like the smells, which make a direct link in your brain with memories, and they will come up with a richer pallet of possibilities than any other age group.

From the experience of working with this group I have grown a lot of respect for them.Dancing, moving, being social and staying creative is surely very beneficial and positive for them but it is also a sign of vitality and inner strength. Dance is a very confronting art form, for anyone. You encounter your limits over and over again, it is the only way to grow. In the case of elderly dancers, the limits and borders of what they can do, physically and mentally, can have another layer of meaning. Sometimes they experience limits and through working on them, they are able to move them a bit further away and create more room for themselves. But sometimes new limits appear, they are unmovable and have come to stay. The challenge is to learn how to deal with them, accepting the new situation and adapting to it. I think to put yourself in that position requires a lot of inner strength. It’s admirable.

The idea to collaborate with Dance Connects Company came from their director Floortje Rous and it was immediately very attractive to me. The soul of the ICK Academy projects is directly linked with the DS/DM workshop and we continue to investigate how the method can be widely used and maintains its relevance in different contexts. The purpose of the collaboration with Floortje and the Dance Connects Company was to see if the DS/DM method and the Sensorium Toolkit could be used as tools to help Floortje (re)discover her dancers and their individual and unique qualities, to get more out of each of them. Given the heterogeneity of the group our goal was simple: the workshop had to be inclusive, it was a must to provide a DS/DM which was accessible for everyone in the room, no one could feel excluded. I tried to create a DSDM which could be done entirely while walking or constantly shifting weight, chairs were always in the room to be used as support whenever they wanted to. 

The Jumping part of the DS/DM is one of the toughest physically so we tried to recreate the essence of the jumping (rebound, rhythm, shapeless body, awareness of your skin) with a much gentler form, and I think it worked. And I didn’t do this just by myself, the collaboration with Floortje, her knowledge about her dancers and her input and ideas were very important.

We learn about the method by confronting it with different target groups, because for each specific target group the DS/DM needs to be adapted in order to be, first, welcomed by the participants and then, have a significant impact on them. In order to adapt the method, we need to question it over and over again. What are the essential elements of the DS/DM, which of those elements are of value for the target group, what are the elements that on the contrary might produce a resistance in the participants and what happens if we remove/transform those? How far can we go from the original and still call it DS/DM?

It was a very inspiring process for everyone and as a conclusion we have decided to continue the collaboration further. After the summer we will continue working with the group of dancers using the Sensorium Toolkit, this time to create a 20 minute piece based on their improvisations, the result will be presented in the coming ICKfest in October 2019.  

 Photos: Alwin Poiana, Bas de Brouwer, Floortje Rous

[stealme-with-a-kiss]

I Hate You, I Love You. {Min Yoongi}: Chapter 5

Prologue, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

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“I want pizza” Mr. Hyde, Lana’s dad, said from his hospital bed.

His food had just arrived, but he didn’t seem too happy about it. I figured that eating the hospital food was not his favorite thing; I’ve never had to stay long at a hospital, so I don’t know how it tastes like. 

Lana and I chuckled from our seats whilst Lana’s mother slapped the back of his head. “How can you be thinking of pizza when you just had a heart attack?!”

“Pizza is life, woman”

“Well, it won’t be for a long time now,” she pointed out. “You’re starting a diet for as long as It’s necessary.

Mr. Hyde groaned. “I don’t want to”

“Stop being so childish, you have to do it,” Mrs. Hyde rolled her eyes. “Doctor’s orders”

“It was just a little scare, that’s all. I’m gonna be fine” he assured her in order to get out of the situation.

“Exactly, this time, it was only just a scare,” Mrs. Hyde said, sitting down on the edge of his bed. “Next time could be much worse and we don’t want that”

“Don’t you want me to be happy?”

“Of course I do. That’s why you’re starting the diet and living a healthy life” Mrs. Hyde grinned at him and he sighed in defeat, laying his head back in the pillow.

“It’s not so bad once you get use it, you know,” Lana told him. “Just try not to think about how good sausage pizza or a good homemade burger would taste like at the moment”

He glared at his daughter playfully. “I didn’t raise you to be this mean to me”

“Lana, why don’t you and Y/N go down to the cafeteria?,” her mom suggested. “You girls must be hungry”

Lana and I looked at each other and smiled in agreement, soon standing up and leaving the room.

Once there, the both of us bought different sandwiches, one chocolate donut and one glazed donut, and two chocolate milk bottles. As soon as we sat down to eat, Lana smirked at me suddenly. I instantly knew what it was about, and I rolled my eyes before saying, “No, I haven’t texted him anymore, Lana”

“But, why not?,” she whined. “He’s interested in you!”

“I’m not interested in him, though”

Earlier today, I had received a text from Keith, asking if I wanted to go to a museum exhibition with him and his friends, but I tried to decline the invitation as amicably as possible. After I told Lana about it, she’s still trying to get me to change my mind. “But what if you go out with him and then you find out that you two have a lot in common?,” she said with a hint of excitement in her voice. “You could start liking him!”

I shook my head, biting my sandwich. “You just want to go on a double date, that’s all”

“Well... you know I’ve always wanted to,” she didn’t deny it. “But I’m also saying it because It’d be so cute to see you dating someone. I mean, last time you had a boyfriend was in the ninth grade, and it lasted like a month”

“Two, actually”

“Whatever,” she brushed it off. “You have the chance right now, and you’re not taking it. I’m not forcing you or anything, but wouldn’t it be nice to go out with a guy again?”

I was about to reply, but at that same moment I received a text. When I looked down, I was surprised when I saw that it was from Yoongi.

Guess what? You left your jacket in my house and I just found out about it. I hope you didn’t leave it on purpose just to have an excuse to see me again 😒

Chuckling, I wrote back.

Lmao didn’t even remember I left it there I SWEAR!!!! 🤣

“Who’s that?” Lana asked curiously.

“Oh, uh, just Yoongi” I answered, just as Yoongi sent another text.

Right. I’ll believe you because I pity you 

Rolling my eyes at him, I told him to take it to school tomorrow and that I’ll take it. When I looked up, Lana was smirking. “So, is that why you don’t wanna go out with Keith?”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “What do you mean with that?”

“Well... I’ve never seen Yoongi text you because he supposedly hates you, but all of a sudden you’re laughing at his texts?,” she raised an eyebrow. “Did I miss something yesterday?”

“He just told me that I left my jacket in his house, nothing else” I explained.

“That laugh, though...” she pretended to ponder over it.

I rolled my eyes once again. “You’re putting too much thought into this. It was just a text, okay? I don’t like Yoongi, Yoongi doesn’t like me, It’s that simple”

“Are you sure about that?” she asked teasingly.

“For God’s sake, Lana, yes I am! Let me eat in peace!” then I gave my sandwich another big bite, in indication that I was not gonna talk anymore.

Even when I was too focused on the food, I still heard her quiet, “Whatever you say”

Next day, after lunch was almost over, I found out that my Math teacher was absent, which meant that I had a free hour before Photography. Robbie didn’t take that class with us, so he was the only one who wasn’t free. “Screw you” he told us before entering the classroom. 

So, we went to the vending machine, bought ourselves some snacks, and sat down on a bench just to chill for a bit. Chiyoko was talking about what she wanted to do on her birthday, which was in November, when I received a text.

Are you free?

I hadn’t seen Yoongi this day because the dance team had spent the whole day practicing for the Winter Recital, so he hadn’t had the chance to give me my jacket back.

Yes, where are you??

He replied instantly.

Dance classroom

As soon as I told him that I was on my way there, I stood up and turned to the girls, asking if they were gonna accompany me. Both of them smirked up at me at the same time. “Oh no, no, no, honey, you gotta go on your own!” Chiyoko said.

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want to interfere on anything” Lana added, her smirk growing wider.

I rolled my eyes at their stupidity, but they seemed to find it hilarious. “Whatever. I’ll be back in a few”

I had never entered the dance classroom before, only had passed it various times, so that’s why I was so impressed by how big it was. And I had expected to see people there practicing or sitting down while resting, but I only saw one person there, dancing along the music. Yoongi was so focused on his own practice that he didn’t even notice when I entered the room, so I just stood there and waited for him to finish the routine.

When he finally did, he stopped the music, groaning to himself. “Well, don’t you got the moves?” I said, smirking with my arms folded across my chest.

He turned around but he didn’t look surprised. There was a bit of frustration covering his face and he was catching his breath, but he managed to scoff. “Better than you, I’m sure”

“Oh no, I’m the best dancer in the school. You can’t beat me” I said as I walked closer. That was a lie... I couldn’t dance for my life.

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Why aren’t you in the team, then?”

“’Cause I’m humble,” I smiled proudly as he went to pick up his water bottle. “Why are you the only one here?”

  He rested his back against the wall, which had bars on it. “Couldn’t get a certain step right, so I just stayed longer to practice it. There’s your jacket, by the way”

It was laying on top of his bag, so I went to pick it up. “Thanks. You should really take a rest, though, you look exhausted”

“Aww, how sweet that you care about me” he teased with a smirk.

I shrugged. “I’m just giving you professional advice. You know, since I’m a professional and all”

He took another sip of water before saying, “Show me”

I shook my head. “It’s too much for you to handle”

“Oh, I’m sure I can take it,” he assured me. “And It’d be nice to have a little guidance from a professional”

Chuckling, I agreed. “Okay then. Let me just put my jams on so I can get really pumped”

With that, I removed the AUX cord from his phone and plugged it on mine. The first artist that came to my mind so I could show my “skills” was Missy Elliott, because I just loved her since I was younger. So, I played Work It and started my improvised routine.

I was bad. Like, really bad. I sometimes wished that I had been born with the gift of dancing, and sometimes thought that there could be hope for me, but... seeing myself in the mirror, I realized that I should just stick to photography. And when I finished, there was a small blush of embarrassment in my cheeks, but I tried to cover it up by turning to Yoongi with a confident smile.

His mouth was open in shock and his eyes were wide. At least I made an impression, right? It took him a moment to do any sort of movement, but then he just slowly covered his mouth and I saw his shoulders shaking. And then he slid down to sit on the floor, and that’s where he started to laugh really hard. Like, really hard. And I wasn’t even mad, because his laugh was just... oh God, it was so pretty, even though he was almost laughing like a maniac. I smiled whilst looking at my feet, my hands placed on my hips as I tried to catch my breath as he kept laughing. It made me wish that he would always be like that, all happy and shit, but at the same time I kept thinking that Yoongi’s Done-With-Everyone’s-Bullshit attitude is what makes him... Yoongi.

“You-” he tried to talk but he kept laughing, instead. “You’re a worst dancer than both Seokjin and Namjoon, oh my God!”

I have never watched them dance, but they must be pretty bad if he’s so surprised that I topped them. “What are you talking about?,” I said. “That was one of my best routines”

His laughs slowly turned into chuckles as he managed to calm down. “Yeah, I can see that. Ah, Y/N, who would’ve thought that you could make my day like that?”

I rolled my eyes, although I was quite flattered. But he didn’t have to know that.

“Do it again” he said.

I looked at him as if he was crazy. “Again?!”

He nodded. “I thought you were a professional? You shouldn’t have a problem doing it again, am I right?”

Even though I was dying -because the only workout I do is go up and down the stairs of my house-, I shook my head as I let out a sigh. “The things I do to please my audience”

That actually made him chuckle, but I tried to ignore that fact as I played the song again. Obviously, I didn’t do the same moves as last time because I didn’t even remember the stuff I did before. So, I just used my improvising skills all over again to create a brand new routine. But, as I kept dancing and looking at myself in the mirror, I saw Yoongi stand on my right side from the corner of my eye. Curiously, I turned to look at him and gasped when I saw that he had his camera in hand. Quickly pausing the song, I stared at him in disbelief. “Did you just take a picture of me?”

“Yes, I did,” he nodded proudly, looking at his camera screen. “I guess you could say It’s payback”

I was about to ask him what he meant, but then I realized that he was talking about the time I took a picture of him, with his own camera, as he laughed. My shocked expression turned into a not-so-serious glare. “You’re a brat”

Instead of insulting me back, he looked up at me and winked, the smirk coming back. And that wink had a weird effect on me, I don’t know why.

“-So then, he texted me and then he tried to talk to me for the like fifth time this week, and I’m not having it,” Robbie kept telling his story about how his ex-boyfriend was trying to win him back after cheating on him like two months ago. “I do not wanna listen to his bullshit anymore, but he doesn’t seem to get that”

“But wasn’t he hooking up with that guy, James, a few days ago?” Chiyoko asked confusedly.

“Yes! But I guess he just grew tired of him, so he just moved to his next target... me again,” Robbie said, then sighed. “It’s so hard to be this irresistible, I’m telling you”

The four of us drove to Lana’s house after school because it had been a while since we went to each other’s houses, and because Robbie wanted to pour out his feelings as we ate some snacks. “Thankfully, you already know the type of person he is and you’re not gonna fall in his trap again” Lana said, taking a chip from the bowl. The TV was on but, of course, we weren’t paying attention to it any longer.

“Yeah. I mean, we know you really really liked him, but God, he’s horrible!” I added.

Robbie nodded. “I know. He’s extremely hot, though, don’t you think?”

We all muttered a “Yeah” because there was no point in denying it. Lots of girls were disappointed when they found out that Justin Shaw, Robbie’s third but most meaningful boyfriend to date, was gay.

My phone rang, and I realized that Yoongi texted me again. He had texted me a few times this day and it was already starting to feel like a normal thing. Although he didn’t text me because he wanted to talk to me, I still found it nice that he did, anyways. This time, though, he sent me a short video of a girl badly dancing in what seemed to be her room.

Is that u??

Letting out a small laugh, I replied.

FUCK OFF 😂😂😂

“What is she laughing at?” Chiyoko asked the other two, as if I couldn’t hear them.

I looked up to see that they were all staring at me, Lana with a knowing look on her face. “Are you texting Yoongi again?”

But before I could speak, Robbie and Chiyoko gasped loudly. “You and Yoongi text?!??!” 

“Since when?!?!!”

“We don-” I sighed before explaining myself. “We don’t text on a daily basis, okay? Today was the first time he texted me and it was because I left my jacket in his house. Then he texted me so we could meet up, so he could give me the jacket, and now he just...”

“What? Did he send a nude pic?” Robbie asked.

“NO!,” I grimaced. “It’s just... an inside joke, I guess”

“Awww, they already have inside jokes, that’s so sweet!” Chiyoko squealed.

“It’s not ‘sweet’, It’s just a joke” I said, trying to drop the subject.

“If It’s just a joke, then why are you blushing right now?” Lana asked, pointing at my cheeks.

“I’m not-”

“Oh, yes you are!,” Robbie said, then pretended to wipe a tear away. “Y/N’s in love, you guys”

“Woah,” I said, extending my hand in front of them. “I am not in love with anybody that’s not Eddie Redmayne!”

At that moment, Yoongi texted me again.

Totally thought it was you, since you’re such a professional

I tried not to show much of a reaction at this, but I couldn’t help the smile that creeped up on my face as soon as I read the text. “You see that smile?,” Robbie said. “I used to smile like that whenever Justin texted me”

“Oh my God, please stop” I said as I covered my eyes with my hand, Lana and Chiyoko laughing at what Robbie said.

I didn’t know if I had the best friends or the worst friends at that moment. And I also didn’t know why I was still blushing so hard.

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A/N: Ugh, that was sort of a crappy ending, but better things are happening in the future chapters, so I hope you guys are looking forward to it! 💖