Favourite outtakes from FFTT and implementing them into my movement practice
Summary
In my final project I decided to share my personal favourite outtakes from FFTT and a simple method that I used to help me implement them into my regular movement practice.
In the text below, you will find a written overview of the project and answers to questions from project guidelines. I am also sharing a video with snippets from my movement sessions.
Introduction
I enrolled in the FFTT to learn from Marlo, gain new knowledge and to eventually become a better movement teacher. I have been teaching pole dance and pole dance related classes, but life happened, I moved to another country and stopped teaching. This was supposed to be only for a few months, so I was excited to teach again having gained new insights from the training. Time was passing and it became clear to me that I will not be returning to teaching soon. That’s why I decided to switch my focus from planning how to integrate FFTT knowledge to classes to integrating it into my own movement practice. That is what I am sharing in this project.
Favourite outtakes from FFTT:
-paying attention to contact points
I was always focused on which muscles I should engage more, thinking about which muscles should I feel contracting and almost completely ignoring body parts that were touching the floor or another apparatus I was using. Focusing on pushing through the floor and paying attention to my contact points (seeing which parts of the body are touching the floor and how can this help me move with more ease and smoothness) made things easier and I felt more connected to my body and the movement.
-slowing the transition from standing up to sitting down on the floor
Never did I saw this particular transition as an opportunity to slow down and explore, I would usually find myself rushing to transition from dancing standing up to dancing on the floor, basically almost throwing myself down on the floor, overlooking the possibilities in between. I learned to enjoy playing with these level changes and to appreciate the opportunities this transition brings. Exploring this especially helped me in learning to enter the floor without thudding.
-pointed feet are not a must, utilize your whole foot
This was huge for me, I come from a background in artistic swimming where it is a big deal if your feet are not perfectly pointed, this was also the case in the studio where I was teaching. Letting go of this ideal that “pointed feet are pretty and nothing else matters” was very challenging and still is, but I feel so liberated now, taking advantage of the whole foot, and using it to help my movement and not worrying about the aesthetic has brought me a whole new awareness of movement. Movement feels less restrictive when I allow myself to use the feet in all sorts of ways.
-rocking is amazing
Bringing the carefree feeling of lying in a hammock to my movement practice has been great. Gently going from side to side is a powerful tool for relaxing my body and mind. It is a simple movement I can rely on to keep me going when I feel stuck in a position or when I just need some time before continuing to another transition.
-there is always space for slowing down
Moving slowly has never been a problem for me but making myself slow down even more helped me and gave me time to notice more things, I could notice where my attention is and direct it, I was starting to notice my breath more often and I could allow my body to lead the movement and find simple and natural transitions.
Method
How did I integrate FFTT concepts and learnings into my daily practice?
Mainly through free dancing/movement sessions. I often do this and really enjoy it, so it felt natural to spice it up and make it more meaningful and intentional by adding small tasks or focuses. I would choose something I’d like to explore, put on a song or 2 and keep moving. Some examples of the tasks/focuses were:
-using a part of a loop we did in class (like half straddle to wild beast), repeating it a few times during the song and connecting it with other moves
-trying to utilize my whole hands when they are in contact with the floor, paying attention to different parts of the hand
-letting one part of the body lead the way and be the initiator of the movement (one leg, elbow, the head…)
To help me remember what I did and how did it felt, I would record those sessions. I find this particularly helpful because I don’t have the habit of taking notes which makes it easier to forget things. So, I try to record them and rewatch them over and over. This also motivates me to move when I don’t feel like it because I remember the sensation and it makes me want to feel it again.
In the video above, I am sharing short clips from movement sessions I did during the duration of FFTT and during the testing period.
Reflection and conclusion
Once again, I realized I am my biggest challenge! The song “Fighting with Myself” by LP comes to mind. It has been challenging to let go of certain expectations like how a move should look like or the expectation of being able to learn something immediately. I just need to give myself time and space because flow is not about pressure.
It felt good to start overcoming those things and to be reminded during FFTT not to take myself so seriously.
Hopefully, I will be able to teach again and share insights from this training with people. Until then, I will keep working on floor flow and playing with the flow concepts myself. Maybe my project can serve as a reminder to just put on a song, move and explore. This has brought me a lot of joy and it felt great to give myself small, doable tasks to focus on while moving to music.
Thank you for taking the time to read and watch!