Hello everybody from criticaldance.com!<BR>I'm sorry I haven't visited you in along time but I'm taking a dance intensive and you know how tiresome that can be.<BR>I am talking some modern dance clases and the technique they are using is the LImon technique. I am not precisely the best at it and I would like to know your tips and suggestions to help me improve. <P>Thanks!<P>dancerpr

Hi, dancerPR. I'm moving this thread to Students' Questions where you may get more responses.<P>In the meantime, you may want to visit these threads:<P><a href=../../../ubb/Forum7/HTML/000024.html target=_blank><B>limon technique teacher</B></a><P><a href=../../../ubb/Forum7/HTML/000055.html target=_blank><B>Is LIMON work a 'technique'? </B></a>

Hi Dancer PR - glad to have you back.<P>I know nothing about Limon technique but there are people on the board that are. I will e-mail a couple and hopefully they will come in here soon.

Hi dancerPR, can you be a little more specific? What is it about the technqiue that you want to improve upon?

Well, you see since this is totally new for me I don't really know what the technique includes but my teacher says that it uses very circular movements. I do have a little trouble with falling. The teacher says we must slide on the floor and there has to be little or no sound at all. She also told us that it consists of segmented movements. <P>Thanks! <P>DancerPR

Falling, that's a big topic. Someone once said to me, "you have to think of the floor as your friend." That sounds a little silly, but if you stiffen up before you go to the floor it's not going to be a soft transition. And your teacher is spot on in terms of looking at it as a segmented exercise. It's like a ripple from the bottom of your body to the top. If you try to just 'chunk down' on to the floor by trying to get your rear end or your hands down first it's going to be a rough landing. I like to picture a string going from my feet to my head. I want the string to maintain its length, not just crumple to the floor in a little pile. I want it to flow out in a long gentle line. You can practice sequencing falling by doing it from a kneeling position with your body upright. Feel the weight of your hip guiding you (softly!) to the floor then transitioning through the side, and laying the arms and the head on the ground. It's less scary than going from a standing position.

HI DancerPR. I studied Limon tecnique for several years with Danny Lewis, who was a former member of Limon company. There are several basic concepts which he taught us about:'<P>-Fall and recovery or fall and suspension: based on the ideas of Doris Humphrey, this concept emphasizes that all movement is based on body's relationship to gravity. For example when you take a step, the foot (and likewise the body) are "falling" or giving into gravity. The step or lifting of the foot is the "recovery". All the Limon movment exercises, the swings, drops and falls can be seen as a amplification of this concept. This gives a very "swoopy", swingy feeling to many of the movements. Obviously, it helps to be as relaxed as possible doing this technique.<P>-sequencing of movement. Using the spine and pelvis as the "center", movement ripples or sequences out from there. Thinking of the inhale/exhale of the body as the guiding principle of this movement concept.<P>That's what initially comes to mind at this point. Just out of curiosity, who is the Limon teacher that you have?

My teacher's name is Paulette Beauchamp.<P>Thank you all for your advice.