Yesterday, during my contemporary dance class, we were learning to spiral into a sitting position on the floor with one leg crossed over another and then spiralling back up into standing position by pushing the crossed over feet into the floor, which is a characteristic movement in Martha Graham's work. Trained dancers can leap into a grandeecond (front splits in the air) and as they land, spiral into the floor seamlessly.
Interestingly, the teacher referred to the Japanese proverb 七転び八起き（ななこよびやおきみ）to describe the quality of this movement. This means, one falls down seven times and gets up eight times. Underscoring the proverb is the Japanese idea of resilience. There are several explanations as to why the numbers 7 and 8 are used. One is the the crossing of the strokes in 七 suggests trouble and turmoil whilst the the tidiness of the strokes of 八 suggests resolution. Another explanation is that one needs to get up not 7 times but 8 because one is born in a fallen position, and so needs to stand up first before experiencing the falls to come.
Such is life, said the teacher, when there is trouble - one raises above it, when one's heart is broken - one stitches it up....and prepare for the next fall. Hence the spiralling movement should be continuous and fluid, without muscle jerks, and anticipative - before one's weight reaches the floor, one's body should anticipate lifting away from it, the downwards spiral, lifting away and....
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