introvert? extrovert?

by Lydia

I don’t think I would ever  jump to answer this question with the response, “extrovert.”  But introvert…I don’t know…

Spending time in the creative process is doing much to jostle my opinion about how I work and process movement.  To be honest, I’ve always been a little bit disappointed in how I naturally produce movement.  I wish I were one of those dancers who could see an empty studio and dance for hours finding new ways to move and dancing to the point of exhaustion.  It would be better for my figure.  But I don’t process like that.  I picture it in my mind for a very long time.  I write it out, with words and diagrams.  Sometimes my Laban certification comes in handy.  Sometimes.  And when I start to create movement with my body I do it very small.  Sometimes I wonder if I’ve been forced to learn to conserve energy so much for performance or the many, many runs of pieces that I’ve had to do with one particular company (if you danced with me, you KNOW which one I’m talking about) that I don’t possess the discipline to exert it when it’s not necessary, but preferable.

Yesterday I spend several hours creating a new phrase, but I couldn’t bring myself to dance the entire thing, beginning to end, full out by myself.  I’d do parts.  I’d do the whole thing small.  But it wasn’t until I had two dancers from CDCT there to set the movement on that I could really dance it full out, with them.

Is it a “performer” thing?  I don’t think so.  I think it’s an energy thing.  A community thing.  A social thing?  ehhh… I don’t know about that one either.  Still trying to figure it out.  Does anyone else work this way?

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