Retro San Fran (April 25)

Today is the first day of the DUC X conference.

I decide to hang out with Jen and learn more about contemporary dance and performance (conference activities are free and open to the public). I attend a two-hour hands-on dance workshop presented by the artistic directors of AXIS Dance Company and Dandelion Dancetheater (pushing way beyond my personal comfort level of being touched by strangers – ewww).

Some interesting presentations in the afternoon enlighten me to the work of Jennifer Lacey (Skin Mitten – sorry, not able to find a decent link) and Lisa Bufano.

We close the day with Berkeley Dance Project 2008, presented by the Dept. of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies. Whenever I watch dance, I have this strong desire to be a dancer – I can feel the movement, even though I’m not physically doing it. According to one of the presentations I attended in the afternoon, this is not unusual (Coralie McLaren, U of T). When watching movement, neurons are activated whether you are doing the movement or just watching it. Wow, I think education just happened.