Movement Jam

The movement jam

The first time I felt the movement jam had happened was when I moved with my friend and student Petter Skoglund in Stockholm in Sweden a few years ago. Some days later we produced the video “Petter - Joseph - Stockholm”. The video displayed here was filmed last year (2017) during the Hamburg Summer Camp, where we did the movement jam several times. When I started it, it was because it had dawned on me, that it is so easy to get stuck in exercises and tasks and never actually freely move. I had realized that for years I had practiced “movement” for the whole day, while only very rarely moving such free as in the movement jam. I think the seed for the movement jam has been planted both by the hip-hop culture and my teacher Martin Kilvady. What is the movement jam? You take some friends or training partners, you put on some music or you don’t and then one person is moving, until he wants to change, then the next person goes in etc.

Simple idea, but it can be intimidating, so I do it with people who already have a bit of movement experience, although you actually don't need any "skills". It is an amazing step to gain a lot of freedom and to really “just move”.

I use three simple things that help the jam to take place:

• I often use a fixed order, so everyone spends the same time moving.
• Go back out rather a bit too soon, when you still have the taste, than too late, it keeps the fun alive.
• High five with the person that is next when you go back out.

Music: Batuque - Dom La Nena

2018-06-10

Joseph Bartz