Losing Ground™
with Yorgos Sioras Deligiannis & Kyveli Kouvatsi
a tangible approach to Otherness
a partnering, moving and sensing practice, for those that want to explore a shifting togetherness through listening and being listened
an occasion to listen with your skin, what exists beyond it
Losing Ground™ is the result of long movement research into improvisation, co-movement, touch, empathy and consent. An original practice in couples with the basic working condition of the closed eyes of one body and the feeling of touch as a moving stimulus.
Our practice’s research has been driven by a deep curiosity to what consensual movement is and how that reflects on partnering practices, co-decisioning and togetherness. In this practice the roles have joint responsibility but also freedom of choice and the goal is not to manipulate, puppeteer or imitate, but to co-move while co-decisioning.
As a result we access a movement exploration that contains all the dynamics of our bodily memory without us being trapped in it, while enriching our moving experience through the encounter with our partner and the new system of two.
Being part of this togetherness, and while practicing trust and receptivity, the two bodies have the opportunity to explore different movement qualities and speeds, to experience space differently, to move their main axis off balance and in positions that without each other would not be possible to reach.
Our approach is based on questions in the form of scores, active observation and deep listening through which we want to inspire a unique communication code for each pare that will allow it to gradually co-move more and more complexly, freely and joyfully.
The more one delves into the practice the more can trust their self and others, transmute and transcend unnecessary movement patterns and mind habits into useful ones, and enjoy a mindful dance that is not overanalyzing things.
What to expect . . .
• exercises in pairs with eyes closed
• verbal, non-intrusive instructions adapted to each case
• physical contact only between participants with discreet guidance and supervision
• movement improvisation and exploration
• games that activate proprioception and kinesthesia
• sharing circles in a non-judgmental environment
Ideal for anyone who wants to . . .
• share a unique dance practice and experience
• explore and develop their communication on a non-verbal level
• explore a different way of dance communication
• to be fed back from an internal information system while working alongside a partner
• try a safe framework of self-expression and exploration through contact with another person
Kyveli Kouvatsi & Yorgos Sioras Deligiannis are movement educators and dance artists, based in Athens and Lefkada, Greece. They have been working together on Losing Ground™ since 2020.
