Gaga Intensive Reflection

During the first week of January 2018, I took part in the Gaga Intensive in New York City. The intensive was led by recent company members Shamel Pitts, Bobbi Jene Smith, Omri Drumlevich and Or Meir Schraiber. The intensive was held in one of the studios at the Mark Morris Dance Centre in Brooklyn, New York. The space was quite large and open, with curtains covering any mirrors. There were approximately sixty participants, extremely diverse in age, ethnicity and dance experience. However, there was a communal openness and sense of vulnerability. Each dancer was present for themselves, yet were selfless in their approach. The same traits were carried by the instructors. They taught with no infliction of superiority and were fully encouraging and invested in …show more content…
They committed themselves to ensuring the dancers exceeded any self perceived limitations, helping us enter a physical and artistic state we had not yet arrived at prior to the intensive. Amongst the dancers and the teachers, there was no feeling of self inflicted or outwards judgement in the room. The diversity in the room allowed for an unending stream of inspiration, as each dancer brought with them something unique. This all created a safe, although unfamiliar environment, that facilitated a stream of growth and discoveries. The schedule consisted of a Gaga class each morning, followed by Batsheva Dance Company repertoire and Methodics. Methodics is a more academic approach to Gaga that dismantles and articulates every task researched and metaphors used throughout Gaga. This class allowed for a deeper understanding of Gaga, answering the many questions I had when studying this style of dance previously. Having the opportunity to ask questions and hear feedback about