Cartwheeling - strengthening my movement practice.

I’m at the midpoint of my project ‘Building my presence and identity through creative practice’ thanks to support from the Arts Council of Wales.  I am feeling particularly lucky to have this chance to develop and grow my art practice.

I have been developing my dance and movement practice with time to practice in the DanceBlast studios in Abergavenny and training with Fran Higginson.  

Something I’ve never learnt how to do is cartwheeling and over the past few weeks our training sessions and my daily practice has focused on this, both in the studio, in local parks and in a town centre square. 

I’ve been listening to Annie Murphy Paul, author of Expanded Mind on YouTube and thinking about getting out of my own head by using the environment I live in, the people around me and actively seeking to connect with experts.  This is not new stuff, it’s reframed and I’m enjoying the obviousness of it.  

With the lost library I do worry whether I will be able to recall ALL that surfaces during the movement-pondering part, but of course I don’t need to remember everything, just the best bits!  

That’s a revelation to me, though you’d think it’s bloody obvious, for some reason, not to me.  

Last week Fran and I had a session of taking stock of where I am in the process… we discussed what we’ve done so far.  There are changes already, a tweaking of my attitude, a sense of dedication to the legwork of learning this new movement.   I’m improving my cardio at the same time by learning to run 5km.  This building of functional strength is about really being aware of the movements internally and externally as well as my thinking.

Doubts linger, as ever. Can I do this?  Do I have the gumption?  Can I see it through?

I don’t yet fully know if I’ll be able to cartwheel yet I am enjoying the journey and the new sensations. I am recognising movements which are causing problems and moving everyday towards detangling these points of resistance.

I do want my work to be relevant, useful and (short of actually going and sorting out problems myself) I am not sure how to go about it ….it may be that I actually do need to go and sort out some of the problems I notice after all.

With training in public spaces I am placing myself and my practice in the public realm, taking up space, taking ownership and care of it that little bit more.