It’s a fascinating contradiction that the movement of the body is so crucial in an art designed to prevent people from moving. Rope bondage is like a partnered dance, one can lead, another can follow, and all move together.

Being in control of ourselves, our body and our mind working as one, is essential to direct the movement of a partner or consciously let go and put ourselves in the care of another.

The goal for this week is to learn to move with control, by ourselves and together, to find our own dynamic when tying.

  • Day 64: Take Down – Going from standing up to sitting on the ground, challenge yourself progressively. Fall by yourself, fall with a partner, make each other fall, fall while tied up. Stay in control while loosing control.
  • Day 65: Moving Around – Explore movement while tying. Challenge 1: while standing, the person tying doesn’t move, the person being tied moves constantly. Challenge 2: sitting on the ground, the person being tied doesn’t move, the person tying must move but cannot stand up, only kneeling.
  • Day 66: Moving with the Body – Explore moving the body without using your hands. How is it different when tied up?
  • Day 67: Restriction – Explore in which direction the body cannot move. Use your body to prevent your partner from moving. Use a minimum amount of rope to prevent each limb from moving.
  • Day 68: Moving with Rope – Change your parter’s position without touching them, use the rope to guide then around. Pull on the rope, use a part of the line to lift a limb, keep changing position.
  • Day 69: Balance – Challenge 1: Put objects in balance on the person being tied, collaborate to keep the object in place. Challenge 2: Put an object on the person tying, tie with the object in balance. Look at baladi dancers for inspiration, how they dance with swords on their head or shoulder.
  • Day 70: Imbalance – Explore the imbalance of the body with floorwork transitions, alternate between symmetric and asymmetric positions. Exemple: standing -> one knee down – > seiza -> broken seiza ->lying on the side – >bring one leg to the back -> Hog tie -> bring a knee in front -> bring a second knee in front in a tuck position -> etc.

Credit: M: Faustine R: Nicolas Yoroï P: Ebi McKnotty

Next: Partnership

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