This week we warmed up using some Qigong techniques, mainly focusing on the shifting of weight from one foot to the other in a rocking motion, we then added the arms to make the movement bigger and more energetic. I found that this technique of warming up was particularly effective in focusing the breath and using all parts of the body. I was even more intrigued when I found that Adele used Qigong warm ups before a major performance as a way of calming her nerves and breathing.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2284055/Oscars-2013-Adele-struggles-hold-tears-wins-Oscar-Skyfall-snaring-Golden-Globe-Grammy.html
The warm up then moved onto stretching different parts of the body, however, rather than completing stretches which we have done in the past, we used movement as a way to stretch parts of the body such as the toes and feet. We were asked to jump up and down but every time our feet lifted off the floor we had to try and spread our toes as far apart as possible. We then stepped this up slightly and began to move through the space using the same idea. We focused as well on the relaxation of the shoulders and working on transferring the energy between the two parts of the body which I had never considered as being connected before.
Once we had completed out warm ups, Liz asked us to hold our arms out in front of us in what I think is a basic ballet pose (slightly bent elbows, pointed fingers but not touching each other). We were then asked to imagine that the space between our chests and arms was full of some type of energy, a sort of big balloon i felt. We were asked to imagine that energy stretching and moving our arms out and then in again, we moved the energy up and down through the space until finally we were asked to bring the energy into our centres.
After this, Liz said that we were to move in whatever way we felt most comfortable, there rules for this improvisation were that we were only allowed to move if Liz was moving, and when she was still, we also had to remain still. I found this exercise quite good as I feel I have developed a better awareness of my surroundings and I am more aware of the actions being performed by those around me. I felt comfortable throughout this exercise until we were asked to get into pairs. Once in pairs, we performed the exercise once again, choosing one person to become the leader each time. Because the exercise was only being performed between the two of us, I felt that my movements were being watched more closely and even though we were told to move however we wanted, I thought that perhaps my movements should have been bigger or more choreographed. This was exaggerated even further when the rules of the exercise were changed so that in our pairs, when one was moving, the other stayed still. Because we had to constantly be aware of our partners movements I felt that the intensity was increased. I did however find the task of responding to my partner quite easy. I found from these exercises that sometimes we naturally fed off each other's energies and there were some great moments of echo or contrast.
This was followed by a game called "a little bit of me, a little bit of you" which Liz said was shown to her by Janis Claxton. It basically involves the forming of two circles, one inside the other, with equal numbers of people in both circles. The circle on the outside faces the one on the inside and vice versa. The people on the outside of the circle stand up and move in whatever way they feel for approximately 20 seconds, the person sitting on the inside observing the way they move. After the 20 seconds are up, the two people facing each other swap and the person who had been on the inside not moves for about 20 seconds, trying to include one element that they picked up from their partner. After this cycle, one of the circles moves to the left so that each person has a new partner, the cycle is then completed and followed by the circle moving one space again. This is completed until the circle has done one full rotation and each pair is reunited. This exercise was great, it was fun to see all of the different styles of movement from each person and what part of the body they choose to focus on the most. It was also good to see how challenging it was to copy something which someone else makes look so effortless and easy. By the end of the game, everyone was totally exhausted! It took a long time to complete and was full of constant action.
That wasn't the end of the session though! After we all had a chance to catch our breath and have a sip of water, we moved onto a less intense exercise. We moved in random groups of three from one end of the room to the other, again moving in anyway we wanted, however we were asked whether we wanted to make conscious decisions to move with or against the other performers in our groups. For me, I could see the importance of both within a performance and what possibilities performing in such a way can provide. The second time of completing the exercise, we were asked to mirror actions that other people in the group had completed. Finally, we were asked to think of things we had focused on the week before where the spine was the main idea behind the movement, there was a lot of variety in the groups despite the fact that all were using the head-tail connection. As a guide, Liz told us to either imagine our bodies as kites, the head floating first and the tail following, or to imagine ourselves as crocodiles, a very heavy tail that generates most of the power and causes motion all the way to the head. I found both techniques useful, depending which part of the body I was interested in leading with. Another option was to imagine that when our spines were open it was letting light out, and when closed, the light could not get out. This also helped to add some variety.
This was definitely the most demanding session so far. I felt really tired afterwards, but at the same time I went away from it with so many more ideas of how my body can move as a soloist or in relation to other performers.
Week 1 - Monday 21st January 2013
For the first session back after the Winter break, I was late and missed the entire warm up. Throughout the workshop I tried to warm up different parts of my body whilst awaiting instruction or if I had completed an exercise. However, by not doing it properly (and possibly because of the six week break) I found a lot of the movement very limited, unnatural and painful now and then.
The point at which I joined the session was when everyone was gathered around to look at a detailed diagram which showed the spine of a human is constructed and all of the different features. This helped me to understand more clearly why our bodies are able and more comfortable moving in certain ways, and why some movements are beyond our abilities. We explored the movement within our own spines in pairs, one person would choose to lead the other either by placing their hand on the head or tail bone and encouraging the other to move using that part of their body. I found it difficult to allow part of my spine to lead my movements initially, partly because of the missed warm up, and partly because I am so used to using other parts of my body leading my movements (Chest). After watching my partner move according to my hand positions, I found it slightly easier to perform this task.
After this we worked individually to explore our own spines, we used the spine in order to move in different directions through the space. We made our movements bigger as we moved more and more, and also tried to vary moments where we led with either the head or the tail. I discovered during this that I am more comfortable leading with my head, and so need to work on my tail leading some more of the movements. We then moved from one end of the room to the other, using our spines upon entering the space as the main basis of the movement. As a few people entered the space, we naturally began to react to one another's presence within the space, we created dialogue between us using only our bodies. This was a really interesting exercise, the amount of movements my spine can perform surprised me, I always imagined it to be something that didn't really move and was used for support only. This was supported by the diagram showing all of the individual vertebrae within my spine.
During the week following this session I have noticed some pain in my back, I am unsure whether it's because I missed the warm up, or because of how much of the workshop was spent focusing on the spine, or because it had been so long since I had taken part in one of the workshops. Whatever the case, I hope my body is able to cope a bit better with whatever comes up next week.
The point at which I joined the session was when everyone was gathered around to look at a detailed diagram which showed the spine of a human is constructed and all of the different features. This helped me to understand more clearly why our bodies are able and more comfortable moving in certain ways, and why some movements are beyond our abilities. We explored the movement within our own spines in pairs, one person would choose to lead the other either by placing their hand on the head or tail bone and encouraging the other to move using that part of their body. I found it difficult to allow part of my spine to lead my movements initially, partly because of the missed warm up, and partly because I am so used to using other parts of my body leading my movements (Chest). After watching my partner move according to my hand positions, I found it slightly easier to perform this task.
After this we worked individually to explore our own spines, we used the spine in order to move in different directions through the space. We made our movements bigger as we moved more and more, and also tried to vary moments where we led with either the head or the tail. I discovered during this that I am more comfortable leading with my head, and so need to work on my tail leading some more of the movements. We then moved from one end of the room to the other, using our spines upon entering the space as the main basis of the movement. As a few people entered the space, we naturally began to react to one another's presence within the space, we created dialogue between us using only our bodies. This was a really interesting exercise, the amount of movements my spine can perform surprised me, I always imagined it to be something that didn't really move and was used for support only. This was supported by the diagram showing all of the individual vertebrae within my spine.
During the week following this session I have noticed some pain in my back, I am unsure whether it's because I missed the warm up, or because of how much of the workshop was spent focusing on the spine, or because it had been so long since I had taken part in one of the workshops. Whatever the case, I hope my body is able to cope a bit better with whatever comes up next week.
Interesting Things That I Have Read
During the Winter break, as well as performing the stretches learned in semester one, I also decided to read through some of the optional reading materials listed in the module guide in addition to the compulsory reading. The three books that I have read are;
Making Connections - Peggy Hackney (Compulsory)
The Invisible Actor - Yoshi Oida (Optional)
Through the Body - Dymphna Callery (Optional)
I have read interesting things from each of these books, each providing a different perspective on movement and the body.
Making Connections ...
"Sometimes people need to know the anatomy before they feel free to release into open-ended movement exploration." (Page 55) I really feel like this quote applies to me directly as a student, sometimes I find it hard to imagine my own body doing different things, simply because I do not fully understand my whole body, and therefore do not know my own limits and capabilities at times.
"People whose preferred pattern of Total Body Organization is Head-Tail Connectivity frequently, but not always, enjoy approaching situations in the world in a wonderfully imaginative way, using their fluid internal sequencing to improvise the situation. They often do not like to be told how to do something, but prefer to explore and follow their own creative impulses." (Page 108) This is definitely me! Head-Tail is the pattern of connection which I prefer to explore, and is often the one I instinctively turn to during an improvised scene. Although I can take direction and instruction from other people, I only really appreciate it if I feel it makes an improvement to what I am doing. I'm also not afraid to expand on those given instructions if I feel there is something which I can improve. In groups I like to be in control, but I always listen to people's ideas and thoughts.
The Invisible Actor ...
"One Japanese tradition recommends that parents should inspect the shoes of their prospective son-in-law, before giving permission for their daughter to marry. If the back of the heel is worn down, it is a very bad sign, meaning that he is lazy. ... If the would-be bridegroom has shoes that are worn down at the front, it is a good sign. He may be hasty, but the body is healthy and energetic." (Page 26 - 27) I checked my own shoes to see whereabouts most of my weight is carried within the feet, I noticed that they were worn mainly towards the rear of the shoe, this indicates that I am a lazy person. I would agree with the statement, although I am sometimes energetic and lively, I prefer to spend most of my time relaxing. I thought this was a very strange test, especially in the case of deciding whether a marriage is allowed or not, but it is interesting to see that different types of energies can have very different consequences on the posture of a person.
"The empty space of theatre exists inside the actor, as well as on the stage itself." (Page 65) For me, this suggests that as an actor, I must always be connected to the space around me and therefore be aware of the surroundings and any changes that occur. Another point is that the space on stage is part of the performance it can be used to represent so much, despite seeming so insignificant at first.
Through the Body ...
"Looking at an actor wearing the neutral mask, you look at the whole body. In effect the body becomes the face, and every movement is revealed as powerfully expressive." (Page 35) This sums of the movement module perfectly, using the body as a means of conveying an expressive state, even dialogue in some instances. It highlights the importance of an actor's body and how powerfully it can be used within performance.
6 Weeks Personal Learning
During the six week Winter break, I decided that each day I would continue to complete the six makko-ho stretched taught to us in class. I thought this would be a good way of increasing my flexibility, something which I considered as one of my strengths. By doing so, I also feel confident that I can remember the stretched in the correct order and also know the names of them. I am still not completely sure that I know which exact muscles they are stretching, but it is definitely something that I will be looking into in the future.
Metal.
On the second picture I was using the un-natural thumb as the leader, I need to tuck my head under a lot more!
Earth.
I was happy with the amount of elevation I achieved in this stretch, however, I noticed that my hand need to more parallel to each other to avoid injury and make the stretch more effective.
Fire (First).
I was overall happy with this stretch, in future I could try having my arms outside of my legs as this could have prohibiting the stretch slightly.
Water (Parts one and two).
I was happy overall with this stretch for my abilities at the moment. In the future I hope to be able to drop my head further towards my legs in the second part of the stretch.
Fire (Second).
Again, I was generally pleased with this stretch, I was particularly impressed by the curve I achieved with my spine.
Wood.
I was really trying to concentrate on having my arm above my ear whilst stretching. I am confident that I will be able to develop this stretch even further.
On the second picture I was using the un-natural thumb as the leader, I need to tuck my head under a lot more!
Earth.
I was happy with the amount of elevation I achieved in this stretch, however, I noticed that my hand need to more parallel to each other to avoid injury and make the stretch more effective.
Fire (First).
I was overall happy with this stretch, in future I could try having my arms outside of my legs as this could have prohibiting the stretch slightly.
I was happy overall with this stretch for my abilities at the moment. In the future I hope to be able to drop my head further towards my legs in the second part of the stretch.
Again, I was generally pleased with this stretch, I was particularly impressed by the curve I achieved with my spine.
I was really trying to concentrate on having my arm above my ear whilst stretching. I am confident that I will be able to develop this stretch even further.
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