A Liminal Space.
An In-Between Space.
And through this subjects journey.
And carry with them stories, experiences and their load.
This Blog belongs to University of Wolverhampton Drama & Performance Students Undertaking Physical-Theatre Training in 2008/09 and documents the making of Porto.
Bahok, Akram Khan Dance Company
Exploring Liminality
Friday 6 February 2009
Blog Assessment - Task 1
Deadline: Wednesday, 25th February 2009, 5 pm
Word Count:500 words total (200 + 150 + 150)
Task:
There are three inter-related questions you need to answer as part of this task.
All the questions relate to the quote below which is taken from one of the handouts given to you in Process & Performance.
Read the quote below and then answer each of the three questions within the word limit stipulated against each.
Conduct wider independent reading and use supporting quotes and examples to argue your views.
Present your writing in academic language with Harvard Referencing and a Bibliography at the end of your post.
Quote:
“The term itself – ‘physical theatre’ – denotes a hybrid character and is testimony to its double legacy in both avant-garde theatre and dance. It is precisely this double current of influences which needs to be taken into consideration in any attempt to delineate specific parameters of the new genre.” (Sanchez-Colberg in Keefe & Murray; 2007, p 21)
Ana Sanchez-Colberg
from
Keefe, J & S Murray (2007) Physical Theatres: A Critical Reader London: Routledge
Questions:
Discuss the key features of the genre of ‘physical theatre’ as explored in the module content of Process and Performance. (200 words)
What does Ana Sanchez-Colberg imply by the ‘hybrid character’ of physical theatre? Is physical theatre a hybrid performance genre? Discuss with reasons for your answer. (150 words)
Identify a contemporary British performance company whose practice falls into the remit of ‘physical theatre’ as you have defined in the above two answers. Discuss briefly the key features of their practice that makes them a physical theatre company. (150 words)
If you have any questions please contact me directly and in good time for the deadline. Looking forward to reading your answers on your own blogs.
I've been trying to post a comment on the blog groups but have failed miserably - so I've posted it on here. Hope this gets to you and i'll keep trying to post on the Blog groups. I'm so sorry about this, Sarah Pierpoint. 1. Considering that physical theatre is primarily expressed through the performer’s body, rather than words, it is important to address the key features through movement; character building and narrative play a vital part in the majority of this genre. Finding the reasons and motives to drive the body to move becomes crucial otherwise it becomes an aesthetic dance. This is something the group of Process and Performance have been working towards in the first few weeks of creating Porto and has proved a challenge.
Kevin Alderson reflects on his experience with physical theatre at the CandoCo International Summer School describing the process as: “using energy impulses to create sequences; using an internal dialogue to generate movement. The emphasis was always on listening and feeling, sensing, tuning in to another persons movement, making it your own.” (Alderson. 1995. 15) Although everybody’s experience differs with this genre of work it is accurate to the work that has been developing in Porto as a whole piece. The use of starting points such as a personal item that is similar to anothers can trigger off a connection that has an impulse behind it rather than a forced movement. Adding this to the instinctive timing of the group allows the piece to feel more individual than strictly choreographed.
2. Physical Theatre covers many areas of performance such as mime, puppetry, clowning and dance as well as using new ways to express it as well as old methods. So not only can this genre be known as “hybrid” but also eclectic. Not only do the performers dance, they have characteristics and a narrative that come across to the audience through expression both from the body and facially which is considered acting and the techniques used as dance forms. Movements can be abstract or pedestrian too which becomes a hybrid of styles. The blur between acting and dancing can be a difficult one to suss out as the performer makes a character based on their instincts and reactions to the environment yet builds upon this to make a character that could be completely different to their own. Overall it has to be described as hybrid performance genre as there are too many elements that it embodies to be tied down to avante-garde or dance alone. 3. The Jasmin Vardimon Company is noted for their devising process to produce contemporary physical theatre. Combining dance and acting to create characters who unfold a storyline through movement and technique though also assisted by text. The performers however are set characteristics that are to form their characters rather than just using personal impulses but are given the freedom to explore. This helps to keep the performances fresh yet allows the performers to have that impulse that is a key feature in physical theatre. One of the performers, YunKrung Song, discusses her personal relationship as it developes in the company’s upcoming piece Justita “Jasmin would ask me to create a certain movement then ask me to change the qualities…The change of quality in each movement helped me to connect my emotion – it’s easier for me to connect with the character this way.”(Song 2009) This really demonstrates the importance of the devising process that nothing is set in stone and can be scrapped at any point. Bibliography Alderson, K. (1995). Freeing the Spirit of Movement. Total Theatre. 7 (4), 15. Song,Y. (2009). Interviews. Available: http://www.justitiatour.co.uk/index.html. Last accessed 25/02/2009.
1 comment:
I've been trying to post a comment on the blog groups but have failed miserably - so I've posted it on here. Hope this gets to you and i'll keep trying to post on the Blog groups. I'm so sorry about this, Sarah Pierpoint.
1. Considering that physical theatre is primarily expressed through the performer’s body, rather than words, it is important to address the key features through movement; character building and narrative play a vital part in the majority of this genre. Finding the reasons and motives to drive the body to move becomes crucial otherwise it becomes an aesthetic dance. This is something the group of Process and Performance have been working towards in the first few weeks of creating Porto and has proved a challenge.
Kevin Alderson reflects on his experience with physical theatre at the CandoCo International Summer School describing the process as: “using energy impulses to create sequences; using an internal dialogue to generate movement. The emphasis was always on listening and feeling, sensing, tuning in to another persons movement, making it your own.” (Alderson. 1995. 15) Although everybody’s experience differs with this genre of work it is accurate to the work that has been developing in Porto as a whole piece. The use of starting points such as a personal item that is similar to anothers can trigger off a connection that has an impulse behind it rather than a forced movement. Adding this to the instinctive timing of the group allows the piece to feel more individual than strictly choreographed.
2. Physical Theatre covers many areas of performance such as mime, puppetry, clowning and dance as well as using new ways to express it as well as old methods. So not only can this genre be known as “hybrid” but also eclectic. Not only do the performers dance, they have characteristics and a narrative that come across to the audience through expression both from the body and facially which is considered acting and the techniques used as dance forms. Movements can be abstract or pedestrian too which becomes a hybrid of styles. The blur between acting and dancing can be a difficult one to suss out as the performer makes a character based on their instincts and reactions to the environment yet builds upon this to make a character that could be completely different to their own. Overall it has to be described as hybrid performance genre as there are too many elements that it embodies to be tied down to avante-garde or dance alone.
3. The Jasmin Vardimon Company is noted for their devising process to produce contemporary physical theatre. Combining dance and acting to create characters who unfold a storyline through movement and technique though also assisted by text.
The performers however are set characteristics that are to form their characters rather than just using personal impulses but are given the freedom to explore. This helps to keep the performances fresh yet allows the performers to have that impulse that is a key feature in physical theatre.
One of the performers, YunKrung Song, discusses her personal relationship as it developes in the company’s upcoming piece Justita “Jasmin would ask me to create a certain movement then ask me to change the qualities…The change of quality in each movement helped me to connect my emotion – it’s easier for me to connect with the character this way.”(Song 2009) This really demonstrates the importance of the devising process that nothing is set in stone and can be scrapped at any point.
Bibliography
Alderson, K. (1995). Freeing the Spirit of Movement. Total Theatre. 7 (4), 15.
Song,Y. (2009). Interviews. Available: http://www.justitiatour.co.uk/index.html. Last accessed 25/02/2009.
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