Dear Readers,
As I write the book on the Rope Manipulation Practice, I question further the terminology I use. Questioning doesn’t mean doubting, rather digging deeper into understanding. Being more specific brings clarity.
Couple of days ago, the focus was Floor Rope. I asked myself:
What role does it play in my research and the Rope Manipulation approach?
I wondered whether it should be in the book, where and how.
I share with you some spontaneous reflections..
1. Firstly, what is Floor Rope?
If you search it, you don’t find anything relating to what we call Floor Rope in rope practice. What I found is that it might refer to decorative purposes, construction or games to do with a rope on the ground.
Even though Google and Chat Gpt know nothin about it, it is a thing in the rope world.
When I say Floor Rope, I do not mean the moment when an aerialist starts and ends an act and has to do something on the ground. I mean full on exploration with the rope without leaving the ground, fully for the sake of that.
Floor Rope intended this way is definitely a white canvas.
The artists focusing on this are not many.
2. The investigation on the ground is how Rope Manipulation started.
During the pandemic, it was not a question for me whether I could do rope at home or not. I knew that it was simply a matter of shifting conditions and adapting to them. To be open to the new circumstances informs and transforms my movement. That’s okay. Rather than fear, it brought curiosity.
3. Losing the verticality, I experienced a horizontalised approach to rope, which allowed me to see rope as a body. From being merely an object I use to showcase my skills, it became a body I started a dialogue with.
Communicating, for me, it meant freedom of speech. Learning to speak knots was the initiative I took as well as my proposition to myself to be able to communicate with rope. Learning a language gives freedom to speak.
4. Being on the floor reminded me of the existence of my whole body. That I shouldn’t manipulate with my hands only, but I can use any other parts of me. I reflected that in the air, arms are for hanging. Feet on the ground, my arms became very active participants in the manipulation work.
5. Being on the ground and without the pressure of the grip, you feel like there’s infinite time to play and explore. Time to observe and learn how to manipulate it without the complexity the gravity gives. A practice that feeds inspiration for movement in the air.
6. Moving on the floor allowed me to discover how I (double capital I) like to move and how I move.
From being something separate (in my mind) from the Rope Manipulation practice, I understood that Floor Rope is actually not only and simply part of it. I would call it the mother of the Rope Manipulation Practice. It is the Floor version of the same work I do in the air.
Here, just spontaneous reflections. I wish all reading a peaceful and restful start of a new year.
Love,
G
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