What is Partnership?:
A dance partnership is forming an association with yourself and another person, external entity, or force, in order to dance with them.
The Purpose of Partnership:
Partnership defines the type of relationship you form with another person, external entity, or force. Partnership can be created with your center of gravity, dance partners, and music. To have a partner dance, it’s important to know who your partners are and how you are choosing to relate with them, and they with you.
Why Partnership Matters:
Partnership provides a container for connection, communication, and expression.
There are three main types of partners in the Fusion Framework: Your center of gravity, other dancer(s) or interactive objects, and music.
a. 1st Partner – Your center of gravity
Your first connection is between your center of gravity and the floor. It is your body’s interactions with gravity. Your 1st partner is always present, and if you need to maintain your own movement integrity and safety, you can reconnect with your 1st partner by grounding or returning to your own center. (This concept is from a Contact Improv dance technique pool).
-Grounding -Compression with the ground -Association as it relates to self
b. 2nd Partner – Dance partner(s)
Your second connection is with a dance partner (usually another dancer, but sometimes interactive object(s) or external architecture(s) (ie. pole dancing, juggling, etc.). A dancer forms this connection by first creating a connection point. Then actively initiating and interpreting through that connection to participate in a two way conversation. With this type of giving and receiving communication you can co-create a mutually invested improvisational partner dance. (See Pillar of Connection).
c. 3rd Partner – Time
Dance is not static; time progresses and movements occur. Time is a more obscure element but is the underlying piece of many more recognizable elements. Time can be kept by the speed of connection with our partner, the music that inspires us, our heartbeat, breath, the speed of decision making, and other methods of keeping time.
Concepts for further exploration within Partnership include:
- Pillar of Connection
- Pillar of Frame
- Contact Improv Techniques (Shared center, Falling Safely, Falling Upward, Rolling, Rocking, Transference.
- Weight sharing (a Shared center, even Weight Distribution, extending into Connection Points, Flying)
- Dips & Lifts (landing positions, going down to go up/up to go down, deep listening)