Five day intensive with Karen Nelson (USA); Thursday 11th – Monday 15th April 2013

We practised developing the habit to “return to our senses” while dancing, and used that knowledge to “tune” dances in space. Sessions began with training in sensational awareness and built towards compositional ensemble work.

Tuning Scores, as introduced by Lisa Nelson, illuminate our individual perceptual experience, and use actions and verbal calls to communicate to others and the environment during the improvisation. All expressions being equally valid and positive, tuning work allows a natural collaboration amongst the players.

Co-curated by Charlie Morrissey

 

Coventry University Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) in association with Decoda-UK
A conversation with Karen Nelson

Monday 15th April
Charlie Morrissey and US dance artist Karen Nelson in Conversation.

Click here for a summary of the conversation written by Nicola Vaughan (C-DaRE)

This conversation was the closing event of Karen’s 5 day workshop for professional dancers in Coventry where she facilitated work based on Lisa Nelson’s Tuning Scores. Karen, Charlie and the workshop participants discussed the experiences of working in this way and the conversation made visible the wider importance of this practice today and in the context of awareness, group composition skills and quality of presence.

 

More about Karen…

Karen Nelson’s 35-year dance and performance practice has been directly influenced by Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith and Lisa Nelson and their respective work in Contact Improvisation, Material for the Spine and Tuning Scores, and through collaboration with many others in venues around the world.