|
|
|
|
|
Chapter 4
The Evolution of the Ron Fletcher Work…Joe had always exhorted us to “breathe… you got to OUT de air to IN de air!” However, there was not a clearly shaped breathing pattern for the various moves, and Graham’s response to “where and when do I breathe?” was “I don’t care as long as it doesn’t show.” This is the way dancers and athletes work, grabbing a breath when you can. Martha’s concept of contraction and release was closing the body and sinking down to the floor on a deep exhalation, and opening the body and filling your “space” on inhalation. Graham often said: “let the inhalation be the inspiration for the movement.” It was the coupling of these ideas that influenced the development of my own concept of Percussive Breathing. I did lengthy research on THE BREATH when I began to write my book. I read and was astounded after the following excerpt: “Each of us is made up of seventy trillion cells and every cell is hungry for oxygen all the time.” I observed and experimented more and I found, like Joe said, we have to OUT the oxygen-depleted air so that we can IN more oxygen-rich air. So, I began adding structured breathing patterns to the movements… developing what I call PERCUSSIVE BREATHING, breath with rhythm and sound... exhaling more completely in order to inhale more fully, expanding the lungs, delivering more oxygen to those 70 trillion cells (from brain to the toenails). My beathing patterns support and bring vitality, exuberance, spirit and enthusiasm to the every piece of movement. After the publication of my book, with its attendant publicity and television exposure, I was asked more and more to come out to various facilities around the country to conduct workshops. The original Pilates Work of Joe and Clara had all been done on various pieces of equipment of Joe’s design. However, many dance studios with no Pilates equipment, some at university level, asked me to teach “Ron Fletcher Classes” and I began to develop a full curriculum of exercises and movement- standing in place, seated on the floor and moving across the floor (also see TECHNIQUES section for detailed descriptions) that could be done without Pilates equipment. I made adaptations to the classical pieces of Joe’s equipment work, variations on themes, so that this material could be presented on the floor effectively, and I sought to create pieces of movement rather than just a series of exercises. My aim was, and is, to have every piece of vertical body work that is on the floor- seated, standing or moving across the floor, relate to work on the equipment in some way- adding a breath pattern to each piece, stressing both the esthetic and therapeutic aspects of the work- I thought of Clara’s admonition, “This machine is your partner,” and over a long period of time developed (still am developing) a syllabus of Fletcher Floorwork®, which, to a great degree, can be transferred back to the various pieces of equipment- some including the Fletcher Towelwork®, all of it using the Percussive Breathing patterns. I consistently strive to teach the Pilates concept of working from the low pelvic area “bolting” the pubic bone back to the tailbone, “centering” the body, getting all of its parts into correct alignment, from the foot centers to the top of the back of the head. I used as inspiration for floor work, exercises such as the hundreds (the abdominals), the mermaid, the dolphin, coordination, the elephant and the teaser.
My background as a Graham dancer helped me to develop this material for a floor class that did not depart from the intention of Joe’s reformer material. The artistry of the Graham work also influenced my performance and interpretation of the work. I was greatly impressed with Martha’s original concept of contraction and release work. This expanded my awareness of the articulation of the spine emphasized by Joe throughout his program. Joe Pilates was adamant regarding his concept of how the body should be placed in an elongated position on the floor. I adapted my roll down series on the floor with the legs in the diamond position from Joe’s work on the ped-i-pul. Furthermore, my adaptations on the Spine Corrector gave us the increased abdominal strength and centering in the trunk muscles necessary to perform these new variations of Joe’s exercises correctly. I took this awareness with me into the deep contraction and high release of the Graham work, and over time these elements became woven together into a body of work that would challenge and fulfill the workshop students, and have value as a total movement experience. Many instructors of the Pilates work protested vehemently: “Ron Fletcher does not teach classic Pilates, don’t study with him etcetera… I was irritated and bored with all of the litigation going on about who could teach Pilates, who could use the name, and who could not. The quality of work was diminishing as more and more unqualified instructors paid their way into the field in order to cash in on this hot new “old” exercise regimen. I pulled away from using the name Pilates, because first, I wanted to avoid being associated with all the unqualified people out there claiming to be Pilates Teachers. Secondly, I didn’t want my teachers, or me to be harassed and possibly sued by a zany person claiming to have the “rights” to everything connected with the name Pilates. Consequently, I obtained a trademark for The Ron Fletcher Work® in 1993 and put together a movement regimen strongly based on my early work with Joe, using Pilates equipment, my high-level, detailed study with Clara, paying heed to her wisdom and depth of knowledge of how and why the work “worked.” I brought in much of what I had learned from Martha Graham, Yeichi Nimura, and Alma Hawkins. All of these people were brilliant visionaries. They all presented movement that was true, organic and therapeutically “right.” They simply packaged their products differently. This became apparent to me as I explored their work through the years. As I opened their packages the “work” inside went leaping together, mingling and marrying – and with thought and channeling from me – they now present an impressive Body of Work. A great many people helped me to pull this Fletcher Work® together. They hung in with me and studied and experimented with me, and many of them have become proud Teachers of the Fletcher Work®. I need them – their questioning, devotion, eagerness to try new pieces or variations on themes, and their total support in helping me to keep the work ALIVE and MOVING. I love and respect every one of them and they are listed on this site- with more on the way. Clara said to me “it is in your blood, take it and go!” And that’s what we’re striving to do!!! |
 |
||||||||||||||
