This week was very strange, it was my first assessed performance at university and I was really feeling nervous. I found it really hard to focus on my exercises and was always anticipating what would be happening next. From the very beginning, where we warmed up, this time all of the classes were brought together as one large group, I think this added to my already nervous state. I am usually alright when I perform, I think the fact that it was labelled as an assessment had an impact on me. During the warm up, because of the amount of people in the room and the fact that I could hardly even see what was happening towards the front, I struggled to warm up as I had previously done. This was a good experience, and I know now what to expect going into an assessment.
After completing our stretches, we then went straight into our performances, each group completed their improvised scenes which lasted for approximately three minutes. I felt like my group had a great deal of variety between us, but we also had moments where our movements echoed one another. Each of us brought a unique style to the group, and it was a good opportunity to take elements of movement from other people and convey those in my own way. It was also good to watch how other groups decided to perform their improvisations, the different scores that each group had created and the amount of different styles chosen from the same set of instructions.
Following on from this part of the assessment, Liz allowed us the opportunity to enter the space in the middle of the room whenever we felt like it. I enjoyed this part of the assessment, it was good to see how different people reacted to working in a group with people they may never have seen before that day. Again, the performance was completely improvised, I had a moment where I worked with someone I had never seen before but it worked very well and both of us worked with each other to share our weight. It was hard to know when to enter the space as the performance seemed to have only two stages, everyone entered at once, or everyone left at once. This is something that I will have to consider in future performances as I do not want to become too orchestrated or predictable.
Throughout the whole assessment, I tried to remember and apply the patterns of total body connectivity, especially the breath, as this is something we have worked on so regularly I knew it would be an important element. I really made an effort to include aspects from each pattern at different points to show my versatility and also the knowledge which I have gained throughout this first semester.
Over the next few weeks away from university I hope to continue practising some of the exercises from the movement module ready for when we return in January. I am also hoping to get a bit more reading done from the reading materials, exploring not only the essential reading but also some of the extras in order to broaden my new-found knowledge within movement.
Week 10 - Monday 26th November 2012
This week we did not have an organised workshop. Instead, as a group performing the improvisation, we met in our own time with some music/sound which had been created by Esther which included busy traffic, people walking and talking, and some wildlife such as birds and wind.
The more relevant sounds made our movement even more natural and appropriate than the sound used in the previous week. It had a real impact on how each of us performed, I was surprised how much of a difference this could make to me personally.
The more relevant sounds made our movement even more natural and appropriate than the sound used in the previous week. It had a real impact on how each of us performed, I was surprised how much of a difference this could make to me personally.
Week 9 - Monday 19th November 2012
We began by completing the Makko-Ho stretches and patterns of total body connectivity.
This was swiflty followed by getting into pairs and keeping in contact with one another, we were asked to find different ways to move from a standing position to a sitting one, and then to complete the opposite. I found this exercise particularly difficult as I struggled to think of unique and different ways to complete the exercise, myself and my partner did however try to complete the most basic idea of connecting our backs to the best of our ability.
We then stayed with these partners and focused on the idea of keeping contact between two performers at all times, however this time we had one of the people remaining still whilst the other allowed most of their weight to be supported. We started the exercise by maintaining a longer pause between positions, and then developed this idea further which led to the pause between positions being very brief and almost a constant motion between the two performers. I found this part of the session a lot easier as my confidence grew in my abilities and I was comfortable to try new ideas.
In these same pairs, we then completed an exercise which involved each pair starting together at one side of the studio, we were instructed to remain in contact at all times once again, and that we were to move from that side of the studio to the other. Because of the exercise which preceded this one, I found it quite easy to do this, my confidence had built enourmously within myself and with my partner and I found it interesting to see how two performers can move through the space as one.
Finally, we performed our improvised scenes to the rest of the group and they wrote feedback with relation to what is being looked for within the assessment criteria. We were asked to try it again with some music which included some street noises such as cars and wind. The addition of music made a lot of the movements feel more natural and appropriate and because of the variety of volume and tempo, I could feel an instant impact on the decisions I made in relation to how I moved through the space.
This was swiflty followed by getting into pairs and keeping in contact with one another, we were asked to find different ways to move from a standing position to a sitting one, and then to complete the opposite. I found this exercise particularly difficult as I struggled to think of unique and different ways to complete the exercise, myself and my partner did however try to complete the most basic idea of connecting our backs to the best of our ability.
We then stayed with these partners and focused on the idea of keeping contact between two performers at all times, however this time we had one of the people remaining still whilst the other allowed most of their weight to be supported. We started the exercise by maintaining a longer pause between positions, and then developed this idea further which led to the pause between positions being very brief and almost a constant motion between the two performers. I found this part of the session a lot easier as my confidence grew in my abilities and I was comfortable to try new ideas.
In these same pairs, we then completed an exercise which involved each pair starting together at one side of the studio, we were instructed to remain in contact at all times once again, and that we were to move from that side of the studio to the other. Because of the exercise which preceded this one, I found it quite easy to do this, my confidence had built enourmously within myself and with my partner and I found it interesting to see how two performers can move through the space as one.
Finally, we performed our improvised scenes to the rest of the group and they wrote feedback with relation to what is being looked for within the assessment criteria. We were asked to try it again with some music which included some street noises such as cars and wind. The addition of music made a lot of the movements feel more natural and appropriate and because of the variety of volume and tempo, I could feel an instant impact on the decisions I made in relation to how I moved through the space.
Week 8 - Monday 12th November 2012
This week we began by quickly running through the patterns of total body connectivity. This was then followed by completing each of the Makko-Ho stretches, however this week we tried to focus on which areas of the body were being stretched most in the different positions. In order to do this, we sometimes had to complete the stretch multiple times and held these for significanlty longer (which had a greater strain on my body, particularly my legs).
We then worked as a whole class to go through an imporovisation, the score for the first one included moving through the space and then performing any of the Makko-Ho stretches for as long or short a time as we felt like and then moving through the space again for two minutes. After working as a whole group, we were split in half and watched each group's improvisation and noticed several important features such as how each performer seemed influence by the rest of the groups level (for example, as soon as one person completed a stretch on the floor, a lot of the others then moved down to the floor). The performers also moved between stretches at a similar time with a very similar pace. It was very hard to pick out specific individuals from the group.
The second score involved having fifty percent of the performers being in a still position, and the other fifty percent had to find ways of moving through the space, when they came in to contact with a still person they had to explore ways which they could be connected until one person broke off and then the person who was originally still would move and vice versa. This improvisation worked much more effectively as we had specifically looked at these ideas of connections immediately before the performance.
The final score was mainly about the patterns of total body connectivity, each person had to move through the space with a speicifc pattern in mind, we were then to find a motion we liked from someone else, copy it and then make it our own. Sometimes we would take a movement which involved one pattern and then change it so that we were using a totally different pattern of connectivity. I thought this was the best improvisation as there was a lot more freedom in the movements and therefore there was less to think about and the performance became very natural.
After all of these improvisations, we watched part of a documentary called "Force of Nature" which looks at improviser Kirstie Simpson. It was interesting to see how connected the performers were to each other throughout the performance we watched in the video, and also how effective it was to have one performer move away and single themselves out from the group. We therefore, as a group, decided that for our assessment it would be a positive thing to try and include a lot more connection between us and so tried this throughout the week.
We then worked as a whole class to go through an imporovisation, the score for the first one included moving through the space and then performing any of the Makko-Ho stretches for as long or short a time as we felt like and then moving through the space again for two minutes. After working as a whole group, we were split in half and watched each group's improvisation and noticed several important features such as how each performer seemed influence by the rest of the groups level (for example, as soon as one person completed a stretch on the floor, a lot of the others then moved down to the floor). The performers also moved between stretches at a similar time with a very similar pace. It was very hard to pick out specific individuals from the group.
The second score involved having fifty percent of the performers being in a still position, and the other fifty percent had to find ways of moving through the space, when they came in to contact with a still person they had to explore ways which they could be connected until one person broke off and then the person who was originally still would move and vice versa. This improvisation worked much more effectively as we had specifically looked at these ideas of connections immediately before the performance.
The final score was mainly about the patterns of total body connectivity, each person had to move through the space with a speicifc pattern in mind, we were then to find a motion we liked from someone else, copy it and then make it our own. Sometimes we would take a movement which involved one pattern and then change it so that we were using a totally different pattern of connectivity. I thought this was the best improvisation as there was a lot more freedom in the movements and therefore there was less to think about and the performance became very natural.
After all of these improvisations, we watched part of a documentary called "Force of Nature" which looks at improviser Kirstie Simpson. It was interesting to see how connected the performers were to each other throughout the performance we watched in the video, and also how effective it was to have one performer move away and single themselves out from the group. We therefore, as a group, decided that for our assessment it would be a positive thing to try and include a lot more connection between us and so tried this throughout the week.
Week 7 - Monday 5th November 2012
From the moment we started this week, I found it difficult to focus on the tasks we were set. We completed the Makko-Ho stretches and patterns of total body connectivity as usual but I even struggled to focus on these. We performed the stretches in pairs so that we could help one another to stretch slightly further than we thought possible.
We stayed within these pairs and started an exercise which involved connecting to one another via the wrist, we then allowed the movements to become natural between us and found that our arms could move in a lot of ways whilst staying connected to one another. This was important as it started to look at the rolling point of contact. As we began to progress through this, we included the legs to aid the activity, we were not allowed to move our legs and we were instructed to knock the other person off balance only by moving our connected wrists. I found this difficult as I kept wanting to move my legs. We were then allowed to move our legs so that as a pair we could manouvre around the room whilst connected and moving our arms. This was good as it allowed us to explore the differen amounts of force that can be used by one another and how this can change the mood of a character instantly.
Once this had been explored thoroughly, we looked at ways of keeping the body connected but moving between different parts of the body such as using the back and head, and swapping to the other wrist. Again, we did not plan how we were going to move and allowed this to be a natural exploration between us to see which movements felt most comfortable. I found that connecting via the head was the easiest to complete as it was almost impossible to see the other person and therefore I could not predict where he was going to move and so had to rely on my reactions to move with him.
In our assessment groups, we were asked to perform what had been practised during the week with our 'score'. Whilst performing this to an audience we decided that moving around whilst not in the space felt awkward and wasn't necessary for the performance. We also found that we had a very set pace in which there was very little contrast between our movements. Another group was asked to perform again, however, two of the performers were given secret instructions, they performed the scene again and it was interesting to see how different it felt, there was a much more clear storyline and the actors who did not know the instructions reacted very well to those who did.
We were asked in our groups to go back over our improvisations and add in small sound effects that can be completed by us, as well as make any other changes we felt necessary, and to video a new performance, preferrably in the space where one of us had originally observed their surroundings.
We decided to video our performance in a park as this is where Esther (a member of the group) had originally been to observe the space. A lot of our key words such as 'wild', 'adventure' and 'leaves rustling' were easier to perform in this space.
We decided to take out the idea of moving whilst not in the space and added a set beat using our bodies which was always performed by those who weren't in the space. We also tried to focus more on the idea of inculding the patterns of total body connectivity.
We stayed within these pairs and started an exercise which involved connecting to one another via the wrist, we then allowed the movements to become natural between us and found that our arms could move in a lot of ways whilst staying connected to one another. This was important as it started to look at the rolling point of contact. As we began to progress through this, we included the legs to aid the activity, we were not allowed to move our legs and we were instructed to knock the other person off balance only by moving our connected wrists. I found this difficult as I kept wanting to move my legs. We were then allowed to move our legs so that as a pair we could manouvre around the room whilst connected and moving our arms. This was good as it allowed us to explore the differen amounts of force that can be used by one another and how this can change the mood of a character instantly.
Once this had been explored thoroughly, we looked at ways of keeping the body connected but moving between different parts of the body such as using the back and head, and swapping to the other wrist. Again, we did not plan how we were going to move and allowed this to be a natural exploration between us to see which movements felt most comfortable. I found that connecting via the head was the easiest to complete as it was almost impossible to see the other person and therefore I could not predict where he was going to move and so had to rely on my reactions to move with him.
In our assessment groups, we were asked to perform what had been practised during the week with our 'score'. Whilst performing this to an audience we decided that moving around whilst not in the space felt awkward and wasn't necessary for the performance. We also found that we had a very set pace in which there was very little contrast between our movements. Another group was asked to perform again, however, two of the performers were given secret instructions, they performed the scene again and it was interesting to see how different it felt, there was a much more clear storyline and the actors who did not know the instructions reacted very well to those who did.
We were asked in our groups to go back over our improvisations and add in small sound effects that can be completed by us, as well as make any other changes we felt necessary, and to video a new performance, preferrably in the space where one of us had originally observed their surroundings.
We decided to take out the idea of moving whilst not in the space and added a set beat using our bodies which was always performed by those who weren't in the space. We also tried to focus more on the idea of inculding the patterns of total body connectivity.
Week 6 - Monday 29th October 2012
Before starting today, we each had to take an exercise ball each and find a space within the room. We then went through the patterns of total body connectivity, however each of these exercises had to encorporate the ball. To begin with I found that it was hard to remain connected to the ball at all times and that my balance was often not very stable. However, towards the end of the warm up I felt very confident in myself and some of the harder motions felt relatively easy to me to complete.
We kept the exercise balls with us and in small groups of three of four we created a chain, in between each person was a ball. The people at the front and back had to lean into the chain as appropriate. As a group, we were then instructed to walk around the studio without touching the balls with our hands or dropping them. Slowly we were merged into bigger groups so that by the end the entire class was connected to one another with balls in between each person. This was an important exercise for me because it really made me focus on other people in the group and how we could all work together, whether this meant adapting things that I was doing or allowing others to copy off my movements.
We then put the exercise balls to one side and were asked to find a space within the room where we could work as an individual. Liz then gave us various words such as 'fling', 'rock' and 'whip' for example, and asked us to find ways of acting out these words through our bodies, we performed each word several times to experiment the different ways of interpreting these words at different levels. I found it quite hard to think of a second example on some occasions for the words, but found that some words had endless possibilities attached to them.
We were then asked to merge into groups of three people and select four words from the previous exercise which could be explored further as a group. We chose 'dangle', 'fling', 'press' and 'plummet'. As a group we found ways of performing these actions together and how we could bring individual actions together as a group. Once we had found set actions, we exlpored how to make these bigger, either by adding movements or having varying pace between them and finding ways to make them link between one another. We were then given a set space to perform in and told that any group could enter and perform their sequence at any time but that we were to be mindful of other sequences around us which could influence our pace or movements. I found it very hard to focus on what other groups were doing as I was concentrating on my own actions and being united within my own group.
After this exercise, we were again given a space in which to perform, but this time we were told that only one person from each group could enter the space at any time, this meant that our actions were greatly influenced by the other performers around us as we had to find ways of making our groups actions work as a single person, or by joining someone else.
Finally, we were asked to get into groups of approximately four people and we were told this group would be the one used in our formative assessment at the end of the semester. In this group, we looked at what we had written down from the exercise in the previous week where we remembered our own space. We each selected some key words and combined these together to create a list of emotions and actions.
We were asked to meet up during the week within our groups and create a score for an improvisation which will be performed in the class. We selected rules such as;
*one person in the performance space at all times.
*one person off the performance space at all times.
*to move around whilst out of the space in an emotional state (nervous, excited).
*to have a variety of levels in the space.
We kept the exercise balls with us and in small groups of three of four we created a chain, in between each person was a ball. The people at the front and back had to lean into the chain as appropriate. As a group, we were then instructed to walk around the studio without touching the balls with our hands or dropping them. Slowly we were merged into bigger groups so that by the end the entire class was connected to one another with balls in between each person. This was an important exercise for me because it really made me focus on other people in the group and how we could all work together, whether this meant adapting things that I was doing or allowing others to copy off my movements.
We then put the exercise balls to one side and were asked to find a space within the room where we could work as an individual. Liz then gave us various words such as 'fling', 'rock' and 'whip' for example, and asked us to find ways of acting out these words through our bodies, we performed each word several times to experiment the different ways of interpreting these words at different levels. I found it quite hard to think of a second example on some occasions for the words, but found that some words had endless possibilities attached to them.
We were then asked to merge into groups of three people and select four words from the previous exercise which could be explored further as a group. We chose 'dangle', 'fling', 'press' and 'plummet'. As a group we found ways of performing these actions together and how we could bring individual actions together as a group. Once we had found set actions, we exlpored how to make these bigger, either by adding movements or having varying pace between them and finding ways to make them link between one another. We were then given a set space to perform in and told that any group could enter and perform their sequence at any time but that we were to be mindful of other sequences around us which could influence our pace or movements. I found it very hard to focus on what other groups were doing as I was concentrating on my own actions and being united within my own group.
After this exercise, we were again given a space in which to perform, but this time we were told that only one person from each group could enter the space at any time, this meant that our actions were greatly influenced by the other performers around us as we had to find ways of making our groups actions work as a single person, or by joining someone else.
Finally, we were asked to get into groups of approximately four people and we were told this group would be the one used in our formative assessment at the end of the semester. In this group, we looked at what we had written down from the exercise in the previous week where we remembered our own space. We each selected some key words and combined these together to create a list of emotions and actions.
We were asked to meet up during the week within our groups and create a score for an improvisation which will be performed in the class. We selected rules such as;
*one person in the performance space at all times.
*one person off the performance space at all times.
*to move around whilst out of the space in an emotional state (nervous, excited).
*to have a variety of levels in the space.
Week 5 - Monday 22nd October 2012
This week we began warming up by walking around the studio, different situations were called out and we were to react to these by changing the way in which we walked, the situations were all related to weather (Windy, Raining, Hot, Snowing). We focused on how different parts of the body would move, particularly the feet and knees, as well as the hands and arms. After this, we continued with the patterns of total body connectivity, but this week we did these whilst lying on the floor, which made it possible to focus on the body a lot more, especially the head and tail bone (which are often restricted whilst standing). By working from the floor, it also placed a greater emphasis on the moment when our bodies were stretched out to the maximum as more of the body lost contact with the floor. In pairs, we then worked on the Makko-Ho stretches, in pairs we were able to perform the stretch and then push each other to stretch slightly further, which was good as I often thought I had reached my limit but was able to go a bit further, which is important whilst stretching.
We then stayed in our pairs, and one of the two got into a basic table position, the other person then sat on the 'table' so that they were able to lift all parts of their body off the gorund and be completely supported by the other. This was worked upon in stages so that eventually the two people were in the table position side by side, one would then lift slightly higher and transfer their weight onto the others back so that both backs were connected as much as possible. After this, we then began to experiment with a variety of positions all based around the table, as well as incorporating the idea of dismounting the table safely and smoothly, which was followed directly by the swapping of roles to form a continuous cycle. I thought this was a very physical part of the course and, when it worked, it really felt like something which could be used in a performance to show a relationship between two people. However, when it didn't work, it looked very messy and would therefore require a lot of practise before being used in front of an audience.
Finally, I was asked to lay down on the floor with my eyes closed, and then to imagine the place where I had stayed for fifteen minutes (the bus station) from the previous week. Questions were then asked about the place I had been in;
What weather do you associate this place with? - A very light drizzle.
What food do you think this place would be? - Cold pasta.
Which animal best describes the place you were? - A koala bear.
What colour do you imagine this place would be? - Grey.
As well as this, we were asked to remember as much as we could about the place, what we felt, what we saw and what we could hear, and then to write this down quickly within two or three minutes.
We then stayed in our pairs, and one of the two got into a basic table position, the other person then sat on the 'table' so that they were able to lift all parts of their body off the gorund and be completely supported by the other. This was worked upon in stages so that eventually the two people were in the table position side by side, one would then lift slightly higher and transfer their weight onto the others back so that both backs were connected as much as possible. After this, we then began to experiment with a variety of positions all based around the table, as well as incorporating the idea of dismounting the table safely and smoothly, which was followed directly by the swapping of roles to form a continuous cycle. I thought this was a very physical part of the course and, when it worked, it really felt like something which could be used in a performance to show a relationship between two people. However, when it didn't work, it looked very messy and would therefore require a lot of practise before being used in front of an audience.
Finally, I was asked to lay down on the floor with my eyes closed, and then to imagine the place where I had stayed for fifteen minutes (the bus station) from the previous week. Questions were then asked about the place I had been in;
What weather do you associate this place with? - A very light drizzle.
What food do you think this place would be? - Cold pasta.
Which animal best describes the place you were? - A koala bear.
What colour do you imagine this place would be? - Grey.
As well as this, we were asked to remember as much as we could about the place, what we felt, what we saw and what we could hear, and then to write this down quickly within two or three minutes.
Observing My Surroundings
As my bus was running late, I decided to complete my task for the week just after the lecture in the bus station. Monday 15th October 2012 (11:15 - 11:35).
Week 4 - Monday 15th October 2012
This week, we were asked to divide into smaller groups and go through the patterns of total body connectivity ourselves, we really struggled to remember which of the movements were associated with different parts of the body and even missed some of the warm ups completely such as 'horse lips'. We then came together as a complete group and worked through them fully. This was followed by the six Makko-Ho stretches.
We were then asked to get into pairs. This exercise started by sitting on the floor with our boacks to one another, but connected. Slowly, we started to move in different directions so that we could become connected to one another through the body, this was shown by our ability to perform bigger movements but still being able to stay fully connected with one another. After this, we worked on this idea further by body surfing, sitting back to back and having one of the pair falling away towards the floor, the other person had to remain connected via the back and would end up on top of the other, the person who had went underneath would then roll as the other remained relaxed through the entire body and would be rolled along the floor. To begin with, the movement was very difficult to complete, it often felt very choreographed and thought out, as well as stiff and un natural. As we became more confortable with the motion however, their would be a natural leader each time and the movement flowed very easily to the point where we were able to complete it, have one person stand up and assist the other by using the technique from week 3 of bending through the knees. This was then followed by standing back to back and again, using another technique from week 3, we were able to bend through the knees to lower ourselves to the floor and complete the action once again.
I was then asked to find a space against the wall.
I was then asked to remain still in a position which connected me to the wall and observe all of the surroundings for a few minutes, things I could see, things I could hear, things I could feel.
In this space, I was then asked to experiment with all of the different positions avaiable to me, this included using a variety of levels, but always had to involve me being connected to the wall. We were all then asked to choose three of the
positions, repeat them over and over and find ways of linking these with one another. As a whole group, we then started with three people in their spaces, they performed their positions as many or as few times as they wished, and as one left, the next next person in the group would enter their space and continue. As the performance travelled around the room, the pace and energy changed at different points, I feel that this was sometimes influenced by a particular person's movements as some had more power and action associated with them. A few people noticed that throughout this, some of the people had begun to develop characteristics from their body language and this began to create a performance for an audience.
A task for the week ahead was to find a space where we could remain still for approximately fifteen minutes, we were then to observe our surroundings the same way we had in our space against the wall. I chose to complete mine in the bus station as my bus was running late.
We were then asked to get into pairs. This exercise started by sitting on the floor with our boacks to one another, but connected. Slowly, we started to move in different directions so that we could become connected to one another through the body, this was shown by our ability to perform bigger movements but still being able to stay fully connected with one another. After this, we worked on this idea further by body surfing, sitting back to back and having one of the pair falling away towards the floor, the other person had to remain connected via the back and would end up on top of the other, the person who had went underneath would then roll as the other remained relaxed through the entire body and would be rolled along the floor. To begin with, the movement was very difficult to complete, it often felt very choreographed and thought out, as well as stiff and un natural. As we became more confortable with the motion however, their would be a natural leader each time and the movement flowed very easily to the point where we were able to complete it, have one person stand up and assist the other by using the technique from week 3 of bending through the knees. This was then followed by standing back to back and again, using another technique from week 3, we were able to bend through the knees to lower ourselves to the floor and complete the action once again.
I was then asked to find a space against the wall.
In this space, I was then asked to experiment with all of the different positions avaiable to me, this included using a variety of levels, but always had to involve me being connected to the wall. We were all then asked to choose three of the
positions, repeat them over and over and find ways of linking these with one another. As a whole group, we then started with three people in their spaces, they performed their positions as many or as few times as they wished, and as one left, the next next person in the group would enter their space and continue. As the performance travelled around the room, the pace and energy changed at different points, I feel that this was sometimes influenced by a particular person's movements as some had more power and action associated with them. A few people noticed that throughout this, some of the people had begun to develop characteristics from their body language and this began to create a performance for an audience.
A task for the week ahead was to find a space where we could remain still for approximately fifteen minutes, we were then to observe our surroundings the same way we had in our space against the wall. I chose to complete mine in the bus station as my bus was running late.
Week 3 - Monday 8th October 2012
We began today with the six Makko-Ho stretches and the six patterns of total body connectivity to warm the different parts of our bodies up. I am starting to find that I know the stretches and that I can complete a large portion of these once prompted, they are also becoming a lot easier to complete and I have found that by stretching in my own time as well as in lectures, I am able to stretch a bit further and with ease than when I first started.
After this we began working in pairs, one partner allowed smoe of their weight to be held by the other who remained in a still position, we tried this in various positions so that by the end the stationary person was also experimenting different positions such as lying on the floor or kneeling down.
After practising this idea for a while, we were then split into two groups of roughly ten people. We were given basic instructions to perform an improvised piece lasting roughly two minutes. The basic instructions included, focusing on the pace we used, either being in the performance space or not at any time it felt appropriate, and to use what had already been practised (leaning on other people). As a group, without any pre-discussions, we were able to tell a story through our movements, without any communication or words. As the exercise continued, I struggled to maintain a high level of energy as I began to experience cramp in different parts of my body.
As the other group performed, I was able to create a story from their actions in the same way and thought some of the aspects used were incredibly effective such as having a few characters copying off another to create a chain of people doing the same thing.
This week I discovered that some of the things practised in earlier weeks such as allowing the body to fall to the floor in a connected way were slightly easier. I also thought that during the exercise of leaning on others that this allowed me to feel powerful and strong compared to the person who was leaning on me as they relied on me heavily. On the other hand, I also felt very relieved and joyous when I was being supported by someone as I felt safe and that they were there for me.
On 11/10/2012 I went to a performance at Dance City in Newcastle. It is a devised piece of physical theatre called 'Not Until We Are Lost' from a company called Ockham's Razor. They specialise in aerial theatre which combines circus and visual theatre on original equipment which explores relationships between people in the air. From the moment the performance began I was blown away by the high level of risk taken by the performers with very minimal safety equipment. The performance involved a lot of strength and stamina and the level of trust between the performers was incredible. I found that some of the aspects mirrored what we are practising within movement, especially as we are now beginnning to explore our bodies collaboratively with other people.
After this we began working in pairs, one partner allowed smoe of their weight to be held by the other who remained in a still position, we tried this in various positions so that by the end the stationary person was also experimenting different positions such as lying on the floor or kneeling down.
After practising this idea for a while, we were then split into two groups of roughly ten people. We were given basic instructions to perform an improvised piece lasting roughly two minutes. The basic instructions included, focusing on the pace we used, either being in the performance space or not at any time it felt appropriate, and to use what had already been practised (leaning on other people). As a group, without any pre-discussions, we were able to tell a story through our movements, without any communication or words. As the exercise continued, I struggled to maintain a high level of energy as I began to experience cramp in different parts of my body.
As the other group performed, I was able to create a story from their actions in the same way and thought some of the aspects used were incredibly effective such as having a few characters copying off another to create a chain of people doing the same thing.
This week I discovered that some of the things practised in earlier weeks such as allowing the body to fall to the floor in a connected way were slightly easier. I also thought that during the exercise of leaning on others that this allowed me to feel powerful and strong compared to the person who was leaning on me as they relied on me heavily. On the other hand, I also felt very relieved and joyous when I was being supported by someone as I felt safe and that they were there for me.
On 11/10/2012 I went to a performance at Dance City in Newcastle. It is a devised piece of physical theatre called 'Not Until We Are Lost' from a company called Ockham's Razor. They specialise in aerial theatre which combines circus and visual theatre on original equipment which explores relationships between people in the air. From the moment the performance began I was blown away by the high level of risk taken by the performers with very minimal safety equipment. The performance involved a lot of strength and stamina and the level of trust between the performers was incredible. I found that some of the aspects mirrored what we are practising within movement, especially as we are now beginnning to explore our bodies collaboratively with other people.
Personal Learning Plan
The responses to the following six questions form the basis of my own personal learning plan for my first year of movement.
How do you feel about ‘movement’ and what is your back ground in this area?
I feel fairly positive about movement as a module, it is something that I am enjoying and feel that it is an area of my craft that can be developed significantly. I have a very limited back ground in this area however, I have done some physical performances throughout school but I have had no professional training.
How do you feel about ‘movement’ and what is your back ground in this area?
I feel fairly positive about movement as a module, it is something that I am enjoying and feel that it is an area of my craft that can be developed significantly. I have a very limited back ground in this area however, I have done some physical performances throughout school but I have had no professional training.
What are your perceptions of what studying movement
will involve?
I believe that this module will involve a high level of physicality with some elements of dance. One of the main focuses for me is to work on the idea of expressing emotions and feelings, not just through the face, but with the whole body. I expect to work as a solo performer and also as part of a group.
What do you perceive your strengths and weaknesses
to be?
Strengths :
*Flexibility
*Willingness to learn and take instruction
*Communication skills
*Dedicated to working in my own time
Weaknesses :
*General fitness
*Relaxing
*Maintaining focus
*Organisation
*Flexibility
*Willingness to learn and take instruction
*Communication skills
*Dedicated to working in my own time
Weaknesses :
*General fitness
*Relaxing
*Maintaining focus
*Organisation
What do you hope to achieve through this module? By
Christmas? By Easter? (For example,
Physical skills, understanding of the body, knowledge of movement
practices, performance presence)
My main hope from this module is to improve my awareness of space and the opportunities which are presented to me, as an actor, by different spaces and stages. I would also like for my body to be more able of performing both bigger and more subtle movements by Christmas as there are some assessed performances which will count towards my mark for year one. By Easter I hope that I will be able to memorise all of the stretches and warm ups so that I can do these on my own before any performance, however, I also want to know which parts of the body are focused on within these exercises and why it is important to focus on these areas primarily.
What strategies can you adopt to achieve your goals?
Approaching all of the exercises with an open mind and an optimistic view is the main thing that will help me to achieve my goals. I am also going to work on the basic stretches and warm ups in my own time to push my body further so that certain areas of 'movement' will become easier, as well as exercising to improve my general fitness. In addition to the physical aspects I can work on, I am also hoping to focus on my studies a lot more and organise myself so that I am always ready to learn and can focus on the specific area being worked on or discussed.
How do you imagine this module might tie in with
your learning in other modules?
I think that a great deal of my studies from this module will be transferable into other modules. The general awareness for the space around me is something which can be applied to a performance in any module, as well as the idea of a lack of movement which can have a great impact on an audience and a performance. My general fitness being improved will also allow me to be more able to incorporate bigger and grander gestures into more performances, which could emphasise a particular moment. I do not think that the things learnt in this module will apply to the 'reading performance' module greatly as much of this is not practical, however it does help when reviewing other performances witnessed as I am more aware of what the actors are doing with their bodies and space.
I think that a great deal of my studies from this module will be transferable into other modules. The general awareness for the space around me is something which can be applied to a performance in any module, as well as the idea of a lack of movement which can have a great impact on an audience and a performance. My general fitness being improved will also allow me to be more able to incorporate bigger and grander gestures into more performances, which could emphasise a particular moment. I do not think that the things learnt in this module will apply to the 'reading performance' module greatly as much of this is not practical, however it does help when reviewing other performances witnessed as I am more aware of what the actors are doing with their bodies and space.
Week 2 - Monday 1st October 2012
We started the session this week the same as the week before, simple, small movements which grew into bigger gestures which included the whole body, and then completing both the Makko-Ho stretches and the Patterns of Total Body Connectivity in order to warm up and stretch different parts of our body. We also focused more on controlling our breath by sighing several times and shouting out words.
Following this, we looked at the idea of relaxing the body completely whilst lying on the floor, with every breath I took in I could feel myself relaxing further and further into the floor. We slowly began working with our breath to move into different positions, I found it best to move upwards and away from the floor or my body whilst breathing out, and using the breath in to relax into the floor or original position once again.
These movements became bigger and bigger so that we were lifting the majority of our bodies off the floor, sitting up. We then tried allowing our bodies to fall back to the floor slowly so that our whole body was once again in contact with the floor, this was followed in sequence by returning to the original position. I used my breath with focus here in order to aid my body in reaching up or down.
Towards the end of the activity, we were able to go from various standing positions to lying on the floor in one smooth movement and then returning to the particular position in one motion, still remembering how important the use of our breath was for this.
This was a very helpful exercise for me personally, I felt that I had never noticed how my breath was used in a performance with movement before, but it is a great tool for aiding me as a performer at particular points, breathing in to go down into a position, and breathing in when I need to lift a part of my body. The use of breath can create a mood for the character and therefore add to the emotion and physicality of a performance.
During the week, we had been asked to look into the Gallery at an art exhibition called "In The Moment", this consisted of a large collection of photographs which had captured memorable sporting moments, some positive and some negative. We were organised into small groups where we discussed internally our thoughts and ideas from the photographs, we then tried to capture these in still images which were performed to the group. As a group, we decided to focus on the movement before and after the point of the photograph as these are key elements, without these parts the actual point in the photo would not be possible. We noticed that because of the movements involved, it was sometimes possible to determine a facial expression even if this was not visible in the photo. Between our images, we used a neutral position in order to provide a contrast between the grand movements being completed in the photographs.
Following this, we looked at the idea of relaxing the body completely whilst lying on the floor, with every breath I took in I could feel myself relaxing further and further into the floor. We slowly began working with our breath to move into different positions, I found it best to move upwards and away from the floor or my body whilst breathing out, and using the breath in to relax into the floor or original position once again.
These movements became bigger and bigger so that we were lifting the majority of our bodies off the floor, sitting up. We then tried allowing our bodies to fall back to the floor slowly so that our whole body was once again in contact with the floor, this was followed in sequence by returning to the original position. I used my breath with focus here in order to aid my body in reaching up or down.
Towards the end of the activity, we were able to go from various standing positions to lying on the floor in one smooth movement and then returning to the particular position in one motion, still remembering how important the use of our breath was for this.
This was a very helpful exercise for me personally, I felt that I had never noticed how my breath was used in a performance with movement before, but it is a great tool for aiding me as a performer at particular points, breathing in to go down into a position, and breathing in when I need to lift a part of my body. The use of breath can create a mood for the character and therefore add to the emotion and physicality of a performance.
During the week, we had been asked to look into the Gallery at an art exhibition called "In The Moment", this consisted of a large collection of photographs which had captured memorable sporting moments, some positive and some negative. We were organised into small groups where we discussed internally our thoughts and ideas from the photographs, we then tried to capture these in still images which were performed to the group. As a group, we decided to focus on the movement before and after the point of the photograph as these are key elements, without these parts the actual point in the photo would not be possible. We noticed that because of the movements involved, it was sometimes possible to determine a facial expression even if this was not visible in the photo. Between our images, we used a neutral position in order to provide a contrast between the grand movements being completed in the photographs.
Week 1 - Monday 24th September 2012
We began the session by warming up and using every part of our bodies, starting with small movements in the hands working up towards shaking the whole body simultaneously.
We then did six different Makko-Ho stretches to use the different parts of our body in a more structured manner with more purpose and focus, this is done because the stretches are designed to work the twelve main meridians. They help to realise our energetic strengths and weaknesses.
In pairs, we worked together to help one anothers movements, we did simple exercises such as following a partner, being led without sight by only a hand and following someone's hand with our noses. We also tried to mirror our partner's image by copying any movements they made. This helped to relax our bodies whilst working without sight and therefore becoming more aware of the space around us. We were also tested to try different positions as we had to follow our partner and they did not always make the exercise a simple one.
The main thing learned this week was the patterns of total body connectivity, something which has been explored by Peggy Hackney in great detail. She has suggested that the process of patterning the following body connections, which begins at birth, allows us to develop to a point where we can be fully functional and expressive, something which is vital in a performance.
By completing these different movements in stages, I was able to see how much my body is able to move, and also the contrast between moving all parts of the body (stage 6) at one time compared to the stillness (stage 1). I can then apply this discovery to certain performances as I am aware of the movement my body is capable of, and how exciting it could be for an audience to see a performance with more movement as this is often more exciting to watch.
We then did six different Makko-Ho stretches to use the different parts of our body in a more structured manner with more purpose and focus, this is done because the stretches are designed to work the twelve main meridians. They help to realise our energetic strengths and weaknesses.
In pairs, we worked together to help one anothers movements, we did simple exercises such as following a partner, being led without sight by only a hand and following someone's hand with our noses. We also tried to mirror our partner's image by copying any movements they made. This helped to relax our bodies whilst working without sight and therefore becoming more aware of the space around us. We were also tested to try different positions as we had to follow our partner and they did not always make the exercise a simple one.
The main thing learned this week was the patterns of total body connectivity, something which has been explored by Peggy Hackney in great detail. She has suggested that the process of patterning the following body connections, which begins at birth, allows us to develop to a point where we can be fully functional and expressive, something which is vital in a performance.
Why?
In September 2012 I began studying a course at Northumbria University, BA (Hons) Performance. As part of the course, one of my modules (Movement) requested that each of us makes an online blog to keep a record of our work done and therefore as a way to track the progress we have made over the course of the year. This is also a place where I can keep a note of my thoughts and feelings on the module and the things that I have learned. It is also a great opportunity for me to save any particular ideas I have relating to performance, and also a way of comparing theories that I have learned in other modules throughout the year to see how these support or object things learnt in movement.
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