I particularly enjoyed the idea of focusing on my own body, the small parts such as my feet, my toes, the weight that I am putting on them. It made me be very aware of my physical presence which I usually disregard in my every day life and focus more on the outer surroundings. Also, the trust exercise made me realize how much I am in need of controlling my body. I was able to follow the lead but at the same time I felt very unsafe and always alert, always ready to avoid any accident or to anticipate, from what I could distinguish in the light pattern. When I was brought to the dark side of the room I was very rigid and could not let go.

Trajal made me understand how simple movements in dance can feel so empowering and expressive. A simple movement such as walking or gazing can bring so much self-awareness and so much emotion in the mind of a dancer. I am not sure yet how this can be truly appreciated yet by the audience. The performance (catwalk choreography) felt very much different the moment I have tried to replicate it also keeping in mind the neutral pose compared to the moment Trajal presented it to us the first time. At this point I feel like contemporary dance is just like Fur Elise. It is gorgeous to  be played but it is annoying/weird the moment somebody listens to it.

Regarding our discussion, although now it seams obvious, when making the comparison of the neutral pose compared to Bachata, it is only then that I realized that neutral pose is indeed considered to be “neutral” because we have been thought that ever since early infancy, but that doesn’t mean that a bachata pose is any less natural to my own body or to people who have been brought up in such a culture influenced by latin music.