In terms of strength, for weight is constantly shifting during the yield-and-push, the awareness of joints and other body parts is quite essential for one to balance the force from without. It can help sustain independent movement within coordinated motion, balance the spatial relationship with one’s partner, and, when it is about to lose control, the fullness of one’s sense of push can turn the situation around. The sense of skeletal functions and ligamental coordination are necessary for us to engage different levels of strength in the yield-and-push, so that the yield and the push can be established as a kinematic cycle—from an action to a trail of motion, from the motion to the next action, on and on. It should be noted that: the fuller (more saturated) the skeletal tone is, the steadier and stronger the pushing strength will be. The more intrinsic the strength people engage in their movement, the more continuous and various the motion will be. Through engaging the awareness of bodily kinematics, one gets to establish the “yield-and-push” reciprocity with the partner. In this relationship, the push manifests itself in the dynamics as an intrinsic, integral strength and pliability, displayed externally as a visible flow.

Two tips:

1.During the push, when the force exerted to the partner is initiated from a deeper physical level, it allows a wider range of motion. By contrast, when there is lighter force, the two involved may find the connection less reliable—the movement will thus become much more cautious, reserved, and restrained in this case.

2.The larger the contact point, the more likely the motion will be inhibited—hence the route of movement limited. On the contrary, a smaller point will provide a fertile ground for motion trails to grow.

Among the kinematic principles above, it is necessary to pay attention to how adjacent joints function and coordinate with each other. Although the practice is based upon fairly simple rules, it involves very complex details. If too many cues get in the way before one do the practice, a sense of “what is” in the present moment will very likely be distorted by the vast array of theories and knowledge. It takes time to really delve into the practice, and then come to realize its underlying mechanism. No experience can be all-comprehensive in a very short time. Meanwhile, during the practice, problems can considerably vary from one person to another. These miscellaneous, contingent situations and questions are to be addressed with ongoing noticing and observation during the practice, so that one can be more flexible, as well as more responsive to each particular situation. What we try to avoid is falling into certain self-restrictive paradigms. With this reminder in mind, I’m going to talk about joints and body parts that I find essential to the practice:

The Awareness of the tailbone

As part of the axial skeleton, the tail is located on the central axis of the body. It is closest to the nexus between the torso and the pelvis, constituting a cross at the center of the vertical body. When a force is exerted at a point that is above one’s tail, the coccyx can be either flexed or extended, balancing with the hip joint on the horizontal axis—the sense of one’s core is built upon this internal structure of balance.

The Essential Function of Hip Joint

The hip joint, being perpendicular to the coccygeal region, collaborates with the tail as its closest friend. It is from this relationship that the sense of kinematics originates. Moving with proper sense of one’s hip joints brings about spatial as well as energetical release and expansion. As a rudder, the hip joint is in charge of the support and the tilt of the traverse axis. It also facilitates various kinds of steps. Yet, the function of hip joint is not only about the joint per se. It also depends upon one’s sensitivity of the ligamental structure in the joint capsule. The hip joint can be the motor for the whole lower limb, starting from the femoral head to the end of the foot. Its tone directly affects the coordination and integration between the upper and the lower body, and thus, to some extent, the hip joint is responsible for the balance between the two, and an essential part that leads any motion—be it a slow pulling action or a swift shift of weight. However, since the function of hip joint is very substantial to the whole body, one may also go too much to the extreme when using it: for instance, too much focus on the loosening quality of the hip joint may trigger considerable disorientation of the traverse axis—sometimes even unnecessary compression and injuries—due to the excessive ligamental laxity. A reminder: in the early phase of the practice, some preparatory exercises are quite fundamental, so as to tune the hip according to different states of motion. This will allow greater mobility as well as balance.

Limbs: the Structural Influence & the Sense of Space

After the skeletal basis for motion, I would like to talk more about the four limbs that guide the motion of this basis. For me, they are like paddles, which are indispensable for any motion that may happen. Detailed elucidation of every joint will be omitted here—one can get self-informed on google very easily. Starting from lower limbs: the coordination between the knee, the ankle, and certainly, the hip joint, is very crucial for the lower limb motion. Notably, the knee joint can flex or extend, while the hip joint can abduct or adduct. When the two work together, they facilitate a great range of mobility. During the dancer’s practice, I often remind people of their function of integral expansion and contraction—like a foldable hanger. Here, I’d like to highlight two common postures in the practice: one is single-leg stance, and the other is standing on both feet.

When standing on both feet, the sense of extension and flexion is established on the vertical axis, with the floor being the horizontal reference. The corresponding knee-and-ankle action opens or folds the space of the whole body. In this case, the angle at the back of the knee determines how much the space is folded or unfolded (p.s. avoid any twisted, misaligned knee-to-ankle structure, otherwise it may cause injury to the joint). When standing on one leg, as the weight is leaning to the side, the axis of the body tilts accordingly. As the center of gravity departs from its original position, one has to readjust and re-orient oneself according to her/his new relationship with the vertical line. In this tilted state, space can be sensed through measuring the angle between one’s body and the gravitational plump line. Likewise, when the knee and the ankle correspondingly flex or extend, the space of one’s body can be folded or unfolded, contracted or released (p.s. again, remember mismatched twist of the knee and the ankle may distribute the body weight unevenly. Certain parts of the body can be overwhelmed by the burden, causing injury to the knee).

The knee, the ankle, and the hip function together like an umbrella: folding, and unfolding. If one is capable to master this mechanism, then she or he can further delve into the practice more easily. Because the lower limb serves as the base for one’s movement for a very long time, if there is not much understanding of how joints coordinate and assist each other, the breath will be easily blocked due to mis-distributed weight, hence a more puzzling experience in the practice.

While the lower limbs support the whole body through their resistance to gravity, the upper limbs are responsible for pushing, resisting, and force exchange with the partner. “Resistance” here is to sustain the connection—it is a way of merging through resistance. The shoulder blade, shoulder girdle, upper arm, elbow, and forearm similarly function systematically as an umbrella. When one is in contact with another body at a point, the level of strength, the angle of the elbow and of the armpit also affect one’s spatial relation to the other. It is like the window in a room—whether the air circulates well or not depends upon factors like: to what extent it is open, which direction it is facing, etc. It should be noted that, since our arms provide natural plump lines, one may easily forget to sustain the dialogue at the contact point. Connection, in this way, can be too forced. Yet a sense of compulsion will inevitably disrupts the bond between the two, and the energy therein will be lost immediately. One should pay attention particularly to where the force is exerted, and how the contact goes.

Hand & the Strength of Extremities

Much attention will be given to the hand, because, functionally speaking, the hand is used only too frequently in our daily life. It is expressive of very subtle movements. With the connection through the hand, a variety of steps and bodily forms will crystalize instantly because of the hand’s easy movement. Yet, the hand’s movement can also reveal many ingrained physical tendencies. Sometimes, one moves too absentmindedly to be conscious of her/his movement, and thus very likely loses her/his ground. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account how one connects through the hands, how this connection contributes to various forms of motion. Here I'm not talking about weight-lifting, but weight-shifting across the bridge that is built by the extremities, and the range of motion generated accordingly. Certainly, this is again based upon the aforementioned tips on the hip, knee, and ankle. Besides, one should use the hand according to body structures and contingent trails of motion of her/his partner (there are too many anatomical details of the palm, finger, ligament, etc. to be fully covered here. One can go on wiki for more info). To address the transition of weight and force, the connection through the hand should coordinate with the range of motion of the partner. The more skillful one can tune the level of strength, the better the transition will be. In fact, most contemporary dancers in China are quite unconscious of their use of hands and arms—this might be a very cultural thing. This is why I’d like to talk about the use of hands and feet particularly—the use of the distal ends of the body, which is indispensable in this practice. Personally, I become aware of it through the training in ballet when I was little, as well as my interest in Chinese martial art in recent years.

The Distal-Leading Strength: Leading & Lengthening of the Extremities, the Basic Element of the Yield and Push

The distal-leading strength, “Shaojin” in Chinese, is a term in Tai chi push hands. In the basic principles of Tai chi, it is said: “initiated from the lower back and the lower limbs, and articulated at the distal end;” another way of articulation is “the arrival of strength at the four extremities.” These four extremities, if we see from a more micro-scale, include twenty fingers and toes. Besides these twenty points, there are other two ends: one is the upper distal end at the crown of the head, i.e. the acupoint Baihui (GV20), and the other is the lower distal end, the coccyx, which is engaged in the motion of “releasing the ‘Qi’ (meaning ‘prana’ or ‘life force’) while increasing the pelvic tone through drawing up the anal region”—another action in Tai chi. These twenty-two ends of the body, if used skillfully, can not only bolster the energy, but also reinforce the whole body kinesthetics. It is therefore said in the manual of Chinese martial art: “lead the ends with the mind, lead the Qi with the end;” and “when the mind is tuned, the Qi is tuned; when the Qi is tuned, the strength is tuned,” etc. During the practice, we explore how to maintain the contact without thrusting, and how to sustain a dynamic equilibrium. It is in this way that our contact point becomes well-established. When we exert force on an end, the strength—now doubled or even tripled through force transition in the structure—can be utilized by the partner.

Weight-Shifting & Steps

I'm going to talk about the feet here, for it is closely related to weight-shifting. In the practice, the feet—the lower extremity—are the part in most contact with the ground. They are the base for the whole body, the carrier of our motion, and the root where a variety of steps originates. Because of the subtlety & the fineness of joints, any movement can be easily transmitted to adjacent joints, from the heel to the Achilles tendon, to the outer/inner foot, and to the toes. A slight change of intention or strength level can result in very subtle shifts of weight, during which, one is to feel the tone of the contact between the feet and the floor, as well as the shifting center of gravity—dynamics is initiated here.

Weight-shifting depends upon coordinated and integrated movements of different joints. It facilitates our mobility, allowing more possibilities in space. All the movements in this practice depend upon one’s listening and distribution of weight. Be it the weight-shifting between two legs, or that during propulsion, it is attributed to the coordination between the hip, knee, and ankle. If the contact point is too tiny, one may also lose her/his ground more easily. In this case, the weight-shifting to one leg can help one regain the ground before falling. It can be seen that the use of single-leg support can turn a disadvantaged situation around—one spares her/himself any trouble by being actively responsive. This is a turning point in the practice: one is able to receive, respond, and follow, to balance the internal and the external motion, and to change the direction of what is happening at the present. In order to let the weight be shifted and distributed within certain limitations, the most essential thing is to listen—listen to time and space, to oneself and one’s partner. It takes time to understand how to tune the strength as well as one’s inner state: is it already too light, too heavy, too loose, or too tight? Theories do not help much. It is through long-term practice that one develops her/his sensing, feeling, and action.

The yield-and-push practice is a direct interpersonal dialogue, rather than a series of simple, mechanical movements of two objects. Every motion in the practice depends upon listening and following. Rules and limitations, in this case, are only for clearing away any unnecessary assumption, any unconscious pattern that distracts one from what is really happening. Otherwise, one may become more and more absentminded, moving according to what she/he thinks rather than what the moment really calls upon. Listening helps one open to the present. It is the initial motor for a person to move and readjust his or her joints. The releasing or tuning of one's ligament is for better communication with the partner, balancing the space, inner and outer, between oneself and the partner. It is a response to the present.

Another note on steps: steps are built upon the coordination between the hip, knee, ankle and foot. Usually, the flexion of hip, knee, and ankle results in a contracted squat or a kneeling posture, while the opening up of the angle at these joints can allow more diverse forms of steps: “Zhanzhuang” (a practice in Chinese kung fu, translated as “Standing Qigong,” “Post-standing,” or “Pile-standing,” etc. in English) and the horse stance are two of the common steps in this case. For the push can generate too many possibilities and relevant details on the combination of steps, I’ll not delve into every single case here. More explanations need to go with actual practices. Notably, the range of steps determines the spatial possibility of the body, while the speed of weight-shifting affects the speed of the partner’s movement. The practice calls upon responsiveness and decision-making of the body that is based upon the ability to listen. The coordination between the hip and the step constitutes the mechanics and the visual form of “losing” or “gaining” ground. The steps should be steady and flexible at the same time, so that the physical structure of the whole can be supported, balanced, and integrated. When standing upright on both feet, the pushing hands bring about the subtle shift of weight of the vertical, anti-gravitational body. Even in a simple walk, there are minute, subtle weight-shifting from heels to toes. Although there are seemingly rigorous cues on steps, they are not prescriptions on the ways of motion.

Breath & Mental States

The practice takes the form of a continuous process. After a period of time, it may last more than 10 minutes. In this case, it becomes quite demanding on the stamina and patience of the participants. Besides, sometimes the rhythm of the breath is so familiar to us that we tend to be less aware of our own breathing. As the practice goes on, one may very often forget to breath well, and very often fall into old patterns and habits. The movement may get stuck, and the upper limbs get disconnected from the lower ones. As a result, disorientated movement can be very overwhelming, causing anxiety that tends to dismantle the whole connection.

To tune the body, our inhalation and exhalation are indispensable in every motion. I discuss the breath in the end, for I consider it as the most essential element from which all actions and movements originate. Prana can be better distributed through a good breathing pattern, allowing more blood circulation in the brain as well as in each body part. It helps one gather and restore energy, as well as calm and reorient the mind. Besides listening to the partner, it is important to observe our breath—is it too shallow? Too heavy? Too fast? Or too slow? Noticing its harmony or conflict with our range of motion. After a period of practice, the inhalation and exhalation will naturally get longer and deeper as one moves on. The flow will become one with the long, deep breath, which is the origin of energy. In this way, the articulation and coordination of joints come naturally with one’s growing sensitivity. Everything comes and goes. It grows with breath, and subsides naturally. 

Most of the time, our physical and mental habits may hinder us from responding to the present actively. Mechanical patterns are often in conflict with what is happening at this moment. However, as the transition and interaction of force tend to dissolve these set patterns, the self gradually becomes more decentralized, and in this way, enough space will be left for more possibilities. One’s role is no longer clearly demarcated or defined. The blurring of roles unfolds new possibilities. A lot of new things can emerge, and a variety of mental states, pathways, and forms of motion may manifest themselves along with continuous social transitions and transformation. Within limits, the practice tries to explore the infinite realm of the mind, and in this way, we come back to the core of life. 

After several years of exploration, the practice grows from the state that can hardly go on, to that which can last more than half an hour each time. The change makes me realize that what it does to us is much more than improving movement techniques. Therefore, from the beginning of 2018, I’ve been giving workshops at different levels, sharing it with people in various walks of life. Those feedbacks that I got from others also resonate with my intention, which is quite reassuring. The practice unveils limitless possibilities of the body and the mind—the same as how all the forms of life in the universe, all the external appearances, cannot exist if there is no motion, interaction, and coordination, like what is demonstrated in the principles of quantum mechanics. No motion grows from compulsion. I wish this indispensable principle of the nature can be applied to our body-mind exploration. My talk ends for now, which certainly cannot be all-comprehensive. Looking forward to further academic dialogues and discussions.

Notes by dancers who have participated in the practice in different periods

Li Nan, Freelance dancer

The practice, Yield & Push: a Kinesthetic Practice for Pairs, in a word, is like an incubator. What does it incubate? Perhaps the elasticity, the fine-tuning of the mind. The basis of kinematics is the balance of strength. But at first, when one tries to do physical trainings or exploration like this, she/he may find her/himself quite strained, tight, and very unconscious of how the motion is going, or what is really happening. After practicing numerous times with a partner, if the balancing point is still not found, then it suggests that the basis is still not established. In this case, quite a long time will be spent on accommodating onself to the discomfort of the body. However, if the “partner” is not a person, but a pole, or something that is fixed to another object, then it seems that one can exert the force more at ease, just letting the object to take it. Why? Probably because it is a non-living, motionless object, we find it easier to move with it without fear. As we feel safer, the mind will gradually get unfastened. However, unlike an object, a person is alive. She/he changes constantly. And also, a person is usually more tender than an object. Then when you are about to fall, you may wonder: Will the other person hold you well? Will the other’s strength be made good use of so as to carry on your own movement? Many doubts and uncertainties are there throughout the improvisational practice. 

If there is doubt, hesitation, or fear for the unknown, then it is harder to listen to your partner throughout the practice. It is more difficult to feel how the force really is. In this case, one may easily exert force at will, hence a very unsound interaction: there is no yielding, no tuning. If such a basis in the practice is lacking, then it will be quite dangerous. The most secured, most efficient basis is established when one can give her/himself completely to the other, to completely trust the other. The mind ought to be unfastened, so that it can really take the strength, embrace changes at every moment, and respond accordingly. This is certainly a dialogue, an interaction, which is never about self-entertaining. It is only through the balance of force that two people can build up the bridge, and really compliment each other. An effective give-and-take in the yield-and-push can bring about incredibly various forms of space and structure, a mind at ease, and mutual trust. Only in this way can one really enjoys the beauty of the unknown.

Lei Yan, Freelance Dancer & Choreographer

At the end of 2014, before our rehearsal and preparation for Exit, we began to explore the yield-and-push practice, hoping to find alternative body languages for the new work. After three years, from the rehearsal, the re-rehearsal of Exit, to Jiani’s new piece, this yield-and-push contact improvisation gradually becomes the primary training method for her. For Jiani, it is also a unique way of body expression, which is developed according to the physical conditions of her own. For me, during my work with Jiani, I find that this practice is similar to contact improvisation, but still quite different from it. The similarity lies in that contact improvisation also calls upon attentive listening to the present moment, as well as the letting-go of any assumption of your own body. But the most different part is about the rules and ways of engaging strength. The participants need to sustain a sense of counteraction without using excessive strength. They need to hold the sense of space together all through, and maintain the independence of each one of them as they give trust to each other. The sense of individuality and independence can help them open their awareness to every detail, every extremity, and every joint of their body, being sensitive to the present. It also calls upon the transition, the shifts of weight between the partners. They need to explore how to make good use of their weight-shifting, so as to respond according to the situation of every present moment. 

Probably our body does not exist only for aesthetic expression. The way in which Jiani explores body kinesthetics lays the foundation for physical expression. It tries to find a broader and more abstract space between what is happening and what has not yet happened for the body.

Yu Guojun, Freelance Dancer

The yield-and-push practice is like an interaction of two spheres—the correspondence of rotation and revolution, or a gear mechanism. It is also similar to contact improvisation, yet still different from it. During my working with Gu Jiani, I find that it sets a limit on the basis of contact improvisation—the limit being that the two people need to sustain the force while carrying on their own track of motion, which cannot be waywardly done. One needs to listen to the strength that is given by the partner, the signals of the other body. It's like the two doing Tai chi or tango…It is quite hard, not only to give force to the other, but also to tune into the kinematics of one’s own, otherwise the sphere or gear relationship can hardly work for them. Every movement starts from here, and every slight shift of weight will bring about spatial changes to each other. Two people are setting limits for each other, as well as giving, listening, and letting go together. So it’s quite a challenge that really tests one’s personality. We need to let go of many rules, habits and patterns, in order to really feel, sense, and realize what is happening right now.

Wang Xuanqi, Freelance Dancer

During the two years of practice, for me it is more like a continuous process of noticing and observing, because it seems that I'm always the one who often misses the gist of the practice, and probably have gone through every wrong path, every uncomfortable way of doing it. I have been quite upset for a very long time because this is certainly consuming. Yet still, it is also because of the difficulties and obstacles that I have gone through that I can really see how hard it is, and realize there are so many layers and facets, so many different experiences involved in one practice.

Apart from physical change, during the practice, what I find more is about the subtle change of mind. As someone who is quite used to performing onstage, I tend to look at things from the perspective of how they are “shown” to others. At the beginning of the practice, my understanding of the body is very often based upon my own physical pattern and the idea of virtuosity. Before doing an improvisation, I was already thinking about how to do it. There were a lot of assumptions throughout the practice. I tried to conduct my motion according to what I've already planned in mind. If it went well as I expected, then I would be very happy, otherwise I would be quite upset, pondering how to make it work next time, how to grasp the timing, etc. But actually, the motion seldom goes according to those plannings beforehand. In this case, if I still want to control how it goes, I will only be more frustrated—for there is no way out. Then I remind myself to “listen”—what we have repeatedly emphasized during the practice—preoccupying myself only too much with quite a somber, self-absorbed way of listening—which is also not the solution. What I want to say is that, at the beginning of the practice, many people tend to “listen” only too easily, but it is very often a one-way, non-interactive listening. As a person becomes too attached to the other, it is very likely that she/he fails to know how to move her/his own body. In this case, the coordination cannot last long. Meanwhile, if a person gives weight unconsciously, she/he will go off-balance very easily, giving the partner a hint of lifting without really being capable of doing it. Since there are all sorts of things bustling in the mind, one either hastens too much during the practice, or lags too much behind. Without following what is happening, a person will be quite stuck in a state of correcting and re-correcting oneself, trying to make up for what is missing at the present rather than to really be in the present. I gradually realized that there was something misleading in my understanding of the body, trying to readjust and re-orient myself in the daily life, to realign myself with the natural kinesthetics of the body. I realized that the practice is just about the body. Action originates from the mind, while our body is only the external appearance of it. When considering it in relation to our quotidian activities, as well as my interaction with others, I find that the practice is actually very close to what happens in the daily life. Apart from interaction in a way of resistance or interpersonal force transition, it is more about observing the mind through the body. The practice is a pathway, during which, one has a dialogue with the self: one questions the self, and tries to reconcile with the self. There is no shortcut for the practice of awareness.

The process is like, well, when you construct a building, as you enter, it feels a bit strange, but you cannot tell why exactly there is such a vibe. Then you may find, “oh, it's probably because of the decoration…No, the use of concrete…” As you try to delve into the problem, you find it is the base that is not steady, therefore trying to destroy and rebuild it. But in the end, it seems that you don't really need that building at all. Just plant a tree, and let it grow.

Talk-Sharing: Gu Jiani, Li Nan, Lei Yan, Yu Guojun, Wang Xuanqi

The Untitled Group is still exploring Yield and Push: a Kinesthetic Practice for Pairs.

We are grateful for everyone that participates, including those who come to the workshops.

The article is not for commercial use.