Formlessness
During a fellowship in Germany in the summer of 2015, we developed a practice with a group of artists, scientists and writers to create an accessible and inclusive technique that looked beyond traditional evaluatively-based dance techniques. We named this technique formlessness. Formlessness is a mental exercise that generates movement by allowing the body to participate in a shifting consciousness. The practice of visualization encourages the participant to reimagine one's body in relation to one's surroundings. These movements can be localized or expansive; participants can do formlessness in certain body parts (hands, face, eyes...liver, pelvis, womb etc.) or in the entire body. By allowing the body to become formless, conventional ideas of body shape, ability and limitation are disassembled. Bodies can then engage with processes of becoming pure energy. After each improvisation, the participant describes their experiences in detail to the group.