Porto

Photos of Porto

2009-05-11T21:40:00.002+01:00

Dear All,

Below, in chronological order are my photos of Porto. I hope you enjoy them. Please do feel free to comment on them as I would, as always, love to hear your thoughts.

Royona

Porto Comes Alive

2009-05-11T21:23:00.000+01:00

Porto Comes Alive

2009-05-11T21:22:00.000+01:00

Community Disrupted..

2009-05-11T21:20:00.000+01:00

Community Disrupted...

2009-05-11T21:19:00.000+01:00

Face-to-Face with the Past

2009-05-11T21:18:00.000+01:00

Surveying the Crowd

2009-05-11T21:16:00.000+01:00

Getting to Know You

2009-05-11T21:14:00.000+01:00

Prayers

2009-05-11T21:11:00.000+01:00

Getting to Know You

2009-05-11T21:10:00.000+01:00

Getting to Know You

2009-05-11T21:09:00.000+01:00

The Supermen

2009-05-11T21:08:00.000+01:00

Always in the Frame

2009-05-11T21:06:00.000+01:00

Flirting Interupted...

2009-05-11T21:05:00.000+01:00

"i Like You"

2009-05-11T21:04:00.000+01:00

The Witnesses

2009-05-11T21:02:00.000+01:00

Hey Eugene, Do You Remember Me?

2009-05-11T21:01:00.000+01:00

Power Games

2009-05-11T20:59:00.000+01:00

Power Games

2009-05-11T20:57:00.000+01:00

The Burden of Ballet Slippers

2009-05-11T20:52:00.000+01:00

The Weight of the Past

2009-05-11T20:48:00.001+01:00

Snapshots of Memories

2009-05-11T20:46:00.000+01:00

Snapshots of Memories

2009-05-11T20:44:00.001+01:00

Snapshots of Memories

2009-05-11T20:42:00.000+01:00

Snapshots of Memories

2009-05-11T20:41:00.000+01:00

Snapshots of Memories

2009-05-11T20:39:00.000+01:00

Rejection

2009-05-11T20:36:00.000+01:00

Belonging

2009-05-11T20:33:00.000+01:00

Solitude

2009-05-11T20:31:00.000+01:00

A Doll's Life

2009-05-11T20:28:00.000+01:00

Sharing the Load

2009-05-11T20:25:00.000+01:00

Ensemble 2

2009-05-11T20:23:00.000+01:00

Ensemble 2

2009-05-11T20:22:00.000+01:00

Bags & Baggage

2009-05-11T20:19:00.000+01:00

The Blue Suitcase

2009-05-11T20:16:00.000+01:00

Angst & Reprise

2009-05-11T20:12:00.000+01:00

The Final Dialogue

2009-05-11T20:10:00.000+01:00

Photographs by Royona Mitra 2009

Blog Assessment - Task 4 (Final Task)

2009-04-29T20:06:00.004+01:00

Deadline: Friday, 15th May 2009, 5 pm

Word Count: 1200 words ( 300 + 400 + 500 words)

There are 3 questions you need to respond to
The questions this time are mostly reflective, however should still be analytical and not descriptive academic writing
Wider independent research, particularly from physical theatre practitioners via company websites should be used to support your opinions
Present your writing in academic language with Harvard Referencing and a bibliography presented alphabetically at the end of your post
PLEASE TYPE YOUR FULL NAME IN THE POST TITLE

Questions:

1. As the creative process turned from the 'V' stage to the 'P' stage of devising, and Porto started to come together as one cohesive performance, what were the common themes and issues that were beginning to emerge through the basic fabric of the piece? Despite the individual journeys, what shared experiences tied the community together apart from their state of liminality? Discuss with clear and succinct examples. (300 words)

2. Critically evaluate the transition of Porto as the ensemble moved from the studio into the theatre space. What were the strengths and weaknesses of this phase and process? (400 words)

3. Critically evaluate the growth of the performance over the three shows, with particular emphasis on your own role within the piece. Did the RSVP model continue to apply even at this final stage of the performance piece? Discuss with concrete examples. (500 words)

If you have any queries over these blog questions, please email me in good time before the deadline. Looking forward to your final set of blog responses.

Royona

Porto - The Last Leg

2009-04-18T20:15:00.002+01:00

Dear All,

Having had a substantial break from Porto I am sure we have all had the necessary time and head-space to evaluate the work with a certain amount of distance. This is critical as we approach the final phase of the creative process and move from 'validation' into 'performance' in the RSVP model of devising.

The weeks ahead will require from each of us a lot of patience, stamina and tenacity. We will need to allow the work to achieve its fullest potential, without taking short-cuts and finding easy solutions. Harsh and difficult decisions will need to be taken at all times.

At this stage it is imperative that we all remember that nothing we have created through the process so far is set in stone. You must not get possessive of any material you have created to far. Anything and everything is subject to change and alterations to make the overall piece communicate coherently and powerfully.

It is now important for all of us within Porto to see beyond small sections and individual characters to the vitality and power of the overall performance of the community. We must function as an ensemble if we want Porto to succeed. And this will be hard, but if we are prepared for the challenges ahead, we will achieve something to be proud of.

In the light of the above please respond to the questions below:

1. How far have you come (from January to present day) within your understanding of the devising process especially in the genre of physical theatre?

2. Have you experienced the creative process for Porto in a way you have not considered performance making before? If so how?

3. What challenges have you faced during the process so far?

4. How has the process been rewarding so far?

5. Finally, what are the challenges that lie ahead in the next few weeks for you as an individual and for the ensemble as a whole? How do you think you should meet this challenges to overcome them? Any suggestions to the ensemble as a whole?

Really looking forward to working through this last leg of Porto with you all.

Royona

Porto Poster Design

2009-04-01T20:03:00.004+01:00

Above is the poster design for Porto courtesy of the design team at the Arena Theatre.

It is an exciting stage we are at now, when everything about Porto continues to linger in our brain and bodies through the Easter break. Let us use this break to take a step back, relax, rest and re-evaluate our work and try and understand better each character that inhabits this world.

I shall put up a post end of this week to keep you ticking over the holidays.

Thank you for all your hard work so far.

Royona

PS - Please note that this image is NOT to be used on any website, blog post or social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter as it belongs to the Arena Theatre.

Zara's Post - Motionhouse Dance Theatre

2009-03-30T22:07:00.005+01:00

This image is phenomenal. The woman is carrying the man. To have seen this years ago, it would have caused an upset and shock. It is not seen as feminine for a woman to carry a man. Yet in this picture there is; she is seen as dominant and strong.

This image shows the contrast of work Motion House do. They don’t just perform in theatre spaces, but outside.

This picture is striking!! Look how there bodies intertwine. The use of close contact, however I do notice that her face and body are facing away from him, suggesting she’s not comfortable and wants to get away. On the other hand the male is clinged on her body tight, trying to get as close to her as possible. The head is also in contact with her body, one of the most heaviest and sensitive part of our body, yet he doesn’t care and places his weight on her.

The post is from Zara who is having trouble logging onto her own assessment blog. In the mean time, here is her material on Motionhouse:

Here are some pictures of Motion House Dance Theatre in action.

They are truly awesome; I went to watch them when studying GCSE Dance and never forgot them. The physical images and movements shown are ones that are still clear in my memory traces now, 6/ 7 years later. I remember a sequence they did with white drapes. The set was simple but effective. The stage was bare with a box like pole and white pieces of materials flowing to the floor. The whole section was performed using the drapes as a means of expression of being unable to escape. If a company has the skills and performance to create a response such as mine, then they are justly worth exploring. So check them out! Here is their website…

http://www.motionhouse.co.uk/

Above are some pictures of their work and if you get a chance to see them I definitely would. If anyone finds any future performances near by, let us know.

Thanks.

Zara

Blog Assessment - Task 3

2009-03-16T16:07:00.003Z

Deadline: Wednesday, 1^st April 2009, 5 pm

Word Count: 600 words total (200 + 200 + 200 words)

Task:

There are 3 questions you need to answer as part of this task.

The questions relate to the ‘R’ and ‘S’ phases of Porto’s development in the RSVP model of devising

Conduct wider independent reading and use quotes and examples to support your views.

Present your writing in academic language with Harvard Referencing and a Bibliography presented alphabetically at the end of your post.

Questions:

1. Critically reflect on how the ‘R’ (research/resource) phase of devising has moved onto the ‘S’ (score) phase of devising in the creative journey of Porto.
You might need to briefly establish what is meant by ‘research/resource’ and ‘score’ within the devising process before you discuss its place within Porto’s development. (200 words)

2. As Porto is starting to be scored, discuss if there is any structure or narrative that is beginning to emerge through it. Give reasons for your answer. (200 words)

3. Discuss your own character’s transition from the ‘R’ phase to the ‘S’ phase of devising Porto. How has it grown, adjusted and become more tangible (physically and emotionally) through the progress of the devising process? (200 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.

Royona

A Response to Dan

2009-03-12T15:44:00.004Z

Dear All,

We felt it was important to respond to some of the concerns that Dan has raised in his comments to this week's blog for two reasons. Firstly, we wanted to address how he is feeling and provide some constructive solutions and secondly to reassure anyone else who might be feeling similarly. Hence a communal post.

Responding to Dan's thoughts makes us address several things:

1. As 'outside eyes' we are required to ensure a collective ensemble's growth/progression at the same time as balancing this with space for individual characters' growth and progression. There are 39 individual characters to be mindful of and we try to do this the best we can.

Sometimes it becomes hard to anticipate how individuals will respond to tasks/suggestions, just because it is impossible to do so. The tasks we bring prepared for ensemble's development however are crucial for the ensemble's development and cannot be compromised. In such circumstances, it becomes vital for the individual feeling destabilised to use this feeling as part of their character's growth and not be deterred by it. It might even allow a new depth of your character to be revealed through this process.

2. Devising is always a process of compromises. Particularly when not working chronologically, characters develop different layers at different stages and it is a bit like putting the pieces of a jigsaw together for a character to make sense eventually. But this 'sense' may take a while to appear. It takes time and patience.

3. My advice to Dan or anyone in Dan's position is not to do the task being asked of them immediately if it makes them feel unstable as a character. Equally, don't say out loud that it is not right for you. For to verbalise doubt is to confirm your thought and let the brain become more superior to your body/physicality. Allow instead to be neutral and let the others around you carry out the task until you find a new impulse to bring you into the work.

Also sometimes you need to transform/negotiate gestures you have carried out in other sections to reflect how the character develops through each session. All of you are doing this already but maybe this just needed reinforcing. Dan, in the section where you end up hugging the other 3 in a human train, perhaps your physicality needs to reflect your struggle within, through a slight sense of discomfort receiving the hug, but also a relief to have been involved in the action. This should add more depth to your character (not make you have a split personality but make you more complex) as someone who desires contact and affection, but is also scared of it simultaneously.

4. Finally and very importantly, in a devising process timing is everything. Come and speak to us at the end of the session instead of during the flow of it, so we can address your concerns without stopping the ensemble process during the session. During the session carry out point number 3 and see where this takes you.

I hope this helps. Thanks Dan for being honest about your difficulties. Hopefully this will help address others' similar concerns about the process.

Royona & Paul

Inside Porto and its Community - 11th March 2009

2009-03-11T18:45:00.002Z

Dear All,

Another productive day with significant progression for the ensemble as a whole and for individual characters in particular. Paul and I are impressed with the pace and efficiency with which you work as an ensemble. This enables us to create material quickly and creatively.

The growth of the ensemble was important to establish today and we did this in two ways. The first section allowed real, naturalistic interactions, allowing the community of Porto to meet each other, make friends, and remind themselves of the 'load' they carry in their bags on their journey ahead. The second section allowed a collective response to witnessing one of the character's disturbing relationship with his 'load' and his eventual rescue by another individual.

Questions for you this week then:

1. Discuss how the creation of sub groups led to establishing initial encounters. How did the revelation of the item assist to develop this encounter?

2. If you were part of the 'photo' group, discuss the strategy used to distinguish you from the larger community. How did you use these simple gestures to gradually create a community of your own? What is it about photos that makes your items a little more fragile/vulnerable?

3. Discuss the impact the second ensemble piece will have on the audience. Try to identify the key features that need addressing/cleaning up, to really maintain the power and impact of this new section.

4. What does Blake's character's breakdown and Amy's response to this represent for the community as a whole? Are they working in a vacuum or do their work resonate with the community's issues and concerns?

Royona

Porto Voiceover Text

2009-03-05T22:21:00.003Z

Below is the text from the voiceover. We thought it might be good for you to read it, take it in and consider its depth to further your characters. Feel free to comment on it.

Have you ever felt the urge to travel?

So strong an urge that it didn’t matter where you went as long as you kept going.

Have you ever felt like you don’t quite fit into your skin anymore?

Like you have outgrown its reach in search of things beyond.

Have you ever felt alone in a crowd?

Wondering what you have in common, if anything, with those around you?

Have you ever felt that the present is no longer where you belong?

That you need to make it your past in order to live the future you desire.

Starting to Score Porto - 4th March 2009

2009-03-04T15:21:00.003Z

Dear All,

Today's was a significant session and one which clearly demonstrated to the ensemble where we are at and how far we have come in 6 weeks. It was also an important session in terms of progressing the ensemble's identity further. New liaisons emerged and bonds were created. Also significant, was the progress of the emotional narrative of the piece.

We would like you then to respond to the following questions:

1. Discuss the importance of the open play section at the beginning of the session before we went on to create new material. What opportunities did this throw up? Was it useful?

2. What was it like to visualise the opening from the audience's perspective? Discuss briefly how your perception of Porto has changed/moved on from your starting perceptions of the concept.

3. Do you see the development of any traces of narrative in Porto through the material we have now? Discuss with reasons for your answer.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Royona

Blog Assessment - Task 2

2009-03-03T11:00:00.002Z

Deadline: Wednesday, 11^th March 2009, 5 pm

Word Count: 600 words total ( 200 + 200 + 200 )

Task:

There are 3 questions you need to answer as part of this task.

The questions relate to the last 5 weeks of Porto’s development through the ‘R’ phase of the RSVP model of devising

Conduct wider independent reading and use quotes and examples to support your views.

Present your writing in academic language with Harvard Referencing and a Bibliography presented alphabetically at the end of your post.

Questions:

What are the key strategies of devising that have been used through the first 5 weeks of creating Porto? Reflect briefly on how these strategies have enabled the growth and development of both individual characters and the ensemble’s idiosyncrasies. (200 words)

Analyse the growth of your own character from the beginning of Porto to where you are at in the process now. State the reasons for its development/change/refinement. (200 words)

Identify your character’s physicality through detailed analysis of its body language. (For example describe your character’s use of spine and its relationship to gravity, its shift of weight in the pelvis and even the repetition of a key gesture) (200 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.

Royona

Traces of Narratives? - 25th February 2009

2009-02-25T19:44:00.003Z

Dear All,

For those of you who follow and reply to the blog, an absence of a post last week was deliberate and was designed to help you focus on the blog assessment task at hand. Now that that is completed, here is a post for this week. As always we welcome your thoughts and value reading about your progress.

Today was a big day in a sense.

1. We witnessed all the different range of material we have already created (albeit in rough stages) and became aware of the varied emotional qualities that were running through the sections.

2. We ended the 'R' phase of the RSVP model of devising and although we will continue to generate resource and research movement/gestures and physicality through our bodies, we are soon to move onto the 'S' phase of the model where we start to 'score'.

3. We also extended and refined the opening ensemble section, giving it specific focus at times to emphasise the building of a loose structure/narrative. We re-evaluated certain characters and made one a perpetual part of Porto, while another an outsider, even to the new community that has just entered the space. This necessitated her late entrance.

In the light of the above, address the following questions:

1. Describe your response to witnessing the range of material we have generated and gathered over 5 weeks of the devising process. Did it give you any vision about Porto - even early images?

2. How do you think the 'resource' phase of devising has been beneficial for the company?

3. Has your character developed/changed/intensified emotionally and or physically over the last 5 weeks? Discuss

4. Discuss the potentials/opportunities that are beginning to emerge in Porto as a result of the two characters who don't quite fit into the community for different reasons. What do their presence do to the community?

Royona

Interactions & Catalysts - Wednesday, 11th February 2009

2009-02-11T15:31:00.002Z

Dear All,

Thank you for a productive morning and for your patience and discipline in delivering and working with our tasks. It was a different session for many reasons, but one that provided the opportunity for individual growth, reflection and development of your characters. For some of you it meant finding your character for the first time, for others it meant a total new discovery or change to the character you were working with and for other still, perhaps a slow growth and reflection through the work you did today. Regardless of how you developed, it would be worth reflecting on the following below:

1. What did the introductions of catalysts or interactive opportunities do to your characters who have so far been working on individual journeys? How did you respond to this physically and emotionally?

2. How did you go about devising material today? Talk through the stages not just describing them, but also analysing them.

3. What did you learn from the session today about devising processes within Physical Theatre?

4. Discuss the balance you achieved between pedestrian movement patterns and stylised technique work.

Looking forward to your responses.

Royona

Blog Assessment - Task 1

2009-02-06T19:49:00.002Z

Deadline: Wednesday, 25^th 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.

Royona

Building a Community - Wednesday 4th February 2009

2009-02-04T15:58:00.004Z

Dear All,

Thank you for a hard working, patient and productive session this morning. We got a lot done, once again in a reasonably short space of time. The pace at which your are working and the discipline and intelligence with which you are completing the tasks we set is commendable. Please keep this up - it has promising implications for the work as we journey on.

Today we moved from notions of the individual to notions of the communal and what drives these moments in a group. We would therefore like you to:

1. Comment on the creative process we undertook today to allow the final coming together of the section we were aiming for.

2. Comment on the function of isolating some members from the larger community. Why were they isolated at first? What makes them move in and out of isolation and conformity?

3. How were gestures used to differentiate between 'anxious waiting' and 'not willing to confront the audience' in the two sub groups?

4. Finally, how was repetition used today as a choreographic strategy achieve today in order to 'construct' and 'deconstruct' the whole?

Looking forward to hearing from you. Your first blog assessment task will be up on this blog by this Friday, 6th February.

Royona

Entering Porto - Wednesday 28th January 2009

2009-01-28T19:55:00.003Z

Dear All,

What a great start to the new semester and to the creative process we are about to immerse ourselves into! I want to thank you all for your immense focus and discipline today. It enabled us to work quickly, efficiently and professionally. Some tiny amounts of distractions can still, further, be done away with. So let's keep working at it.

What we were really happy to note today was how quickly and clearly you were able to translate our tasks into material, with the minimal of questions asked. Ask yourselves what has brought about this change towards a professional mindset. It was also pleasing to see so many constructive ideas from you to ease us through the process. In almost all cases we took your advice on board and went with it. It worked.

A note on the use of music. Music is chosen with care and considered reasons. They are not random choices on our part. The track we used today is by an Icelandic group called Sigur Ross and is called Gobbledygook. The choreographed chaos of the stage movements, reflect the choreographed chaos of the sound that supports it. The effect is a bit like bits of jigsaws that at times come together and then melt away towards discord. That is exactly what a space like Porto would initially inspire. A chaotic environment of charged nerves and calm artificial silences. So, just as we did today, we will rarely put the music aside if it becomes an awkard track to work with initially. Instead we will devise strategies to make it work. Our approach won't be defeatist but constructive-ist. You all did well to cope and be patient. And it worked. So, remember this lesson for future reference.

So questions for this week:

1. What, if any, in your view is different about this method of devising to your previous experiences of the devising process? Discuss with examples.

2. As we continued to repeat the sequences it appeared that the characters' urgencies to communicate through the body was growing visibily. Comment on your connection between the gestures/movements you chose and the emotional commitment behind them.

3. As an aesthetic, what can repetition achieve in a performance, apart from perfecting a routine, which is usually how it is used in conventional movement practice?

Start reading up and using some quotes as you answer these questions, so you can get a trial run for your blog assessments which start soon and which will be introduced in the next session to you all.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Royona

Jasmin Vardimon Workshop Photos

2009-01-18T22:10:00.001Z

Dear All,

I have tried to capture the best I can the excitement and vibrancy of the workshop from last Friday. I hope you will all enjoy them. Feel free to comment.

Royona

Workshop 1 - Warm Up

2009-01-18T22:06:00.000Z

Workshop 1 - Tim Demonstrates Technique

2009-01-18T22:04:00.000Z

Workshop 1 - Warm Up

2009-01-18T22:03:00.000Z

Workshop 1 - Song Demonstrates Repertoire

2009-01-18T22:02:00.001Z

Workshop 1 - Developing Solos

2009-01-18T21:59:00.000Z

Workshop 2 - Warm Up

2009-01-18T21:58:00.000Z

Workshop 2 - Warm Up

2009-01-18T21:57:00.000Z

Workshop 2 - Warm Up & Repertoire

2009-01-18T21:55:00.000Z

Workshop 2 - Repertoire

2009-01-18T21:53:00.000Z

Experiencing the Jasmin Vardimon Repertoire - Friday 16th January 2009

2009-01-17T19:14:00.002Z

Dear All,

Apologies for the delay in this week's post. Here it is now anyway.

What a truly exciting and enriching session this was! Paul and I felt how valuable it was to have a professional company's contribution to our palette; so much of the material was a re-evaluation or an extension of much of the material we have explored in our own work and yet so much of it was new and refreshing. Particularly valuable was the insight into the creative process of JVC and the importance of 'layering' within choreography and composition. The work of characterisation will be very significant as we prepare to move into our own exploration of Porto.

What is important for all of us to remember is as a company we must explore and establish our own creative process and while this may borrow from others', it would be wrong to assume that our own process will become a complete emulation of another company's processes. Each company has its own needs, its own priorities and it's own vision and the approach it takes reflects all these unique circumstances.

This week we would like you to answer the following questions:

1. What elements of the workshop made you re-evaluate or extend your own experience/understanding of specific skills/techniques already learnt on the module?

2. Discuss what you took away about the working methodology of JVC towards creating material and comment on how this can be used in the making of Porto.

3. Did you find anything difficult about the workshop? If so, reflect on what it was and why you found it difficult. Can you think of ways to overcome it?

4. Discuss the importance of 'layering' as a creative and choreographic strategy.

Looking forward to your responses.

Royona

"I've been here and, I've been there and, I've been in between" - 9th January 2009

2009-01-09T14:48:00.003Z

Thank you all for your mature and controlled attitude to this morning’s rather disrupted session.

We now have a starting point, a concept and an idea of how the work may develop within that. The notion of liminality ran through the entire morning’s work. Think about the connections made and the journeys travelled.

Firstly in the Gardzienice workshop. The space between you and your partner, the transference or journey of the energy and the responses to the impulses all had an element of existing in an undefined and inexplicable space. There were starting points and end points but what happened in between was personal, unpredictable and intangible. You were liminal subjects in a liminal space. You are in this work transformed and it is what happens in this transformation that happens in the liminal state.

The visualisation exercise took you from a comfortable but totally imagined space, with you, as a liminal subject, at its very centre to another imagined, less comfortable space. You made a journey through the liminal space from a concrete albeit imaginary space to………well, only you know where, and it is the exploration of such a space we embarked upon today.

Reflect on your experiences of:

1. The Gardzienice warm up. How did it affect you as both the manipulator and the manipulated?

2. How did the visualisation exercise affect you and in what way did it help you to make connections with the introduction of the concept or indeed with past exercises and workshops?

3. Comment on your understanding of the concept and the potential for a way forward for you as an individual.

Thank you,

Paul & Royona

Difficult times

2008-12-12T12:43:00.001Z

A really challenging and difficult morning and I am not going to dwell on the problems – that is for you to do as part of this blog. What is interesting though is that all of you seem to have lost sight of the fact that despite the problems encountered you all managed to produce work, you all created a performance to show, and that is worth reflecting upon.
Work in larger groups will get easier and Royona and I will employ strategies to enable you to engage with small group work in a less stressful and more organic fashion.
What you must not do is to take today’s session out of context and judge the whole semester’s work on the basis of what went on today. You have worked incredibly hard thus far and with great commitment and you have to have the confidence in yourselves to take this into semester 2.

This week then, can you reflect on the following:

1) There was a sense of you falling into bad habits – what are those habits that you relied on and how do they contrast with the good habits that you should have been employing?
2) Why do you think you relied so much on discussion when we have spent so long working on reaction and impulse?
3) Having gone through the process and produced a performance, evaluate that performance in terms of its strengths rather than its weaknesses.

Body memory, Movement and Message - 5th December 2008

2008-12-05T14:28:00.002Z

Again a slightly different approach to the work today and again a different response in the end product.
The focus and concentration was really very good this morning and I think it is worth your while reflecting on your own journey through today’s session from the minute you walked in to the minute you left and try to analyse what is was that you personally contributed to the overall levels of focus.

Falls and catches can for many people be intimidating and scary techniques even at the most basic level and yet as a group these tasks were well executed and practiced.

The way in which the final work was devised was also impressive, the urgency to work and not discuss was just the correct way of moving work forward and I hope you can now see the disadvantages of too much discussion – too much talking about what you might do rather than working through what you can do. It may be worth considering in the future just how you can take the work that you have made and not rehearse it in the more accepted meaning of the word but rather refine it. By this I mean take the work created in a short space of time and then see how far you can take the one idea, see what messages the piece can communicate. There needs to be a recognition that the communication of a message or feeling can be done through the interaction between bodies and the movement rather than the need for mimetic reproduction of actions or overt and unnecessary facial expressions.

"The need to communicate is really powerful. But you can’t control it once its left because you never know how it’s going to be received. When we were making the work we were looking at all these tenuous connections between a bunch of characters and the messages that get passed from one to another that get misunderstood."
Kevin Finnan in Article 19

"I work, a lot, with task orientated techniques so I would give [the dancers] a task and see how they react to my idea. I like [the] process of digging in and not choosing the first things that comes out. [I] always try to go further and create the antagonism then go back and see how things happen after you create [that] antagonism in people, to look at many different options [within] a specific theme or specific movements and various styles of presentation before I decide how I want to present it."
Jasmin Vardimon in Article 19

Reflect on the following:

To what extent in the devising element did you and your partner work instinctively – how much of the work was initiated by the body’s instinctive reaction and to the impulses received from your partner?

Was there more than simply a matter of trust that allowed for the intensity of work whilst learning the falls and catches? How did these techniques translate into elements of the emotional journey in the final piece?

Was there an intended message in your piece? It is difficult to know if this transmitted successfully or not but you may like to reflect on how well you feel you managed to transmit your message. Did you fall into the trap of resorting to facial gesture and “acting”?

Breaking News - Very Exciting!!!

2008-11-28T15:25:00.005Z

We will be having workshops with the Jasmin Vardimon Company on Friday 16th January at the Drama Department!

Details to follow….watch this space!

Royona & Paul

If music be the food of Physical Theatre...play on - 27th November 2008

2008-11-28T15:12:00.005Z

I would like this opportunity the express out thanks again for the mature way in which you handled the fire alarm situation and the speed and efficacy of your return to a state ready for work. Although not a blog question, it may be worth reflecting on your level of commitment to the process now and how you might have reacted to this morning’s situation three or four weeks ago.

As always the way with this genre of work, there is a need to explore fully during the process section of the work all those elements that impact on the performance phase.
Hence this morning’s session which in some ways pulled the rug from under your feet – and it won’t be the last time this happens!
Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the correlation between music and movement and perhaps recognising that in the past you may have had an instant response to a sound, rhythm or beat, but one based on hearing rather than listening – and we all do that at some time. Maybe now you will respond in a different way. Some of you will know that in the guise of a crazy man in Scenography 1 I told you to open your eyes – I’m now asking you to open your ears.
Bob Fripp, the guitarist with King Crimson, the first band we heard, in an interview in Melody Maker in 1974 said of his playing technique and of the sources he draws from:
"I needed music, and music needed me. If you accept that I needed music, then this also involves responsibilities. Because of what I received, I have responsibilities, and I can discharge these as a player." Retrieved from "http://www.elephant-talk.com/wiki/Interview_with_Robert_Fripp_in_Melody_Maker_%281974%29"

Each of these kinds of music (His sources, jazz, rock and so on) exist on different levels. There's the particular kind of feeling associated with each of them, and there's the separate vocabularies needed to express those feelings. What my guitar technique will do is enable is enable musicians to move more freely from one form of music to another since, in learning the technique, his personality will be put under sufficient stress that he will not only develop emotionally and mentally, but the feelings involved will change his personality. In other words, it's not so much a guitar technique as a way of life.
Fripp in Melody Maker; 1974
In the same music paper, Mike Giles the drummer adds:

"[…] everybody had been doing things which were unsatisfying... and somehow we created an opportunity to do what we wanted. And that wasn't, really, to play anybody else's music. So we didn't go for music that sounded like blues, or jazz, or rock, or... Led Zeppelin, or Rolling Stones... We didn't want to be like any of the other bands. We wanted to find out what *we* were like, what we could create [...]"
Giles;Melody Maker 1974

Both have resonances with our ways of working with the body.

You were also required to work practically in a different way today; with a set task but without direction, self – supported, and with an end product for audience consumption. It was interesting to watch the pieces evolve and to note the techniques beyond the strategy taught to you that you as large groups employed. The following quote from notes about devising on Stan’s Cafe website may help you evaluate and reflect on your own practices:

"The clever thing is to spot what has potential and to follow it up, refine it, expand on it and make it into something great. You must be realistic and you mustn't be down hearted. You must give good feedback to each other, this means honest and constructive criticism. Remember, if you think what you're doing isn't very good, the chances are the audience won't either; sort it out!"
Stan’s Café; 2007

Please respond to the following:
1.Comment on your responses to the music and to the task of listening rather than hearing.
2. How did the relationship between the music and the task you were set affect the way you worked and the performance you made?
3. Comment on the devising process, how you managed the task and how creative that process was.
4. What was your response to having to use pedestrian movement as opposed to the more stylised work we have dome to date?

Building Our Palette - 21st November 2008

2008-11-22T22:19:00.002Z

Dear All,

Many apologies for the delay in putting up this post. Some of you have emailed me to enquire after it and the truth is Blogger was not letting me put up the post for most of Friday for some reason. So, again, apologies. Happy to know that some of you miss it when it isn't up!

A good session with a great amount of techniques and skills learnt and applied creatively to practice. The progression of the table work from the knee reliant horizontal position to the raised pyramid position to the standing vertical position was a great deal to cover in one session. But you achieved this with a good sense of focus and determination. This lent the final section of 'play' a great deal of dynamism and excitement.

Questions for this week then:

1. We would like you to reflect on the challenges faced and excitement experienced in your individual transitions your bodies underwent as it traced its journey through the different table positions. Through this, particularly when the tables were allowed to respond and move freely, what did you start to learn about the technique and its creative potential?

2. The play sections are becoming an integral part of our Friday mornings. The palette starts to expand each week and gets richer and more dynamic. What are the main purposes of these open play sessions? What do you as an individual and the ensemble as a whole gain from these sequences?

Looking forward to reading your thoughts this week.

Royona

Turning the Tables - 14th November 2008

2008-11-14T15:20:00.004Z

A mixed session today with some really good practical work but a real loss of the discipline and control shown last week. I wonder why that was, and both Royona and I would welcome your reflections on this.

Watching the play session it soon became apparent that many of you were unconsciously applying a wide range of techniques acquired over the weeks and using them in a creative way. Furthermore, this in turn brought about the beginnings of real physical and emotional narratives. The fact that so many of you commented on your engagement with the play element this week and found it stronger and in some ways easier than last week is a significant move – there was some lovely work. See how effective such a simple thing as being a table can be? In the technique it seemed easy and perhaps without purpose, but put into not just a performance context but one that had a purpose and an emotional content, the table becomes something else. We now need to build on this and really let the body do the remembering, the technique become sharper but at the same time driven by emotion rather than the need to repeat a move. As Royona said – we’re getting there!

Contact was again the key element of the work today, the pressure on the pelvis in the roll-over and the swivel exercise, the balance on the back and to a certain extent, the correct contact with the floor for the most beneficial execution of the leap.

How , then, in the play section, did you explore the reasons for making contact, how did this manifest itself and how did this in turn lead to a different movement?

Reflect on the table exercise – how did you make this journey from a technique to something that was dynamic?

Contact and Communication - 7th November 2008

2008-11-07T14:36:00.001Z

This morning’s session was perhaps the best yet in terms of focus, not only great focus and concentration when active in the work but also when engaged as an observer outside the action, or an observer in the action. These moments of immersion in the work will increasingly become more and more significant, more and more intense and more and more a key part of the growth of the ensemble.
Some very expressive and beautiful work also today and creating work that once again Royona and I could feed off and build from, and change plans accordingly! Well done all.
But what of your reflections of the morning? For these we would like you to focus on the following:

“Contact Improvisation is mostly performed as a duet….with dancers supporting each other’s weight while in motion. (…) Contact Improvisation uses momentum to move in concert with a partner’s weight, rolling, suspending, lurching together. They often yield rather than resist. Interest lies in the on-going flow of energy rather than on producing still pictures. The dancers in contact improvisation focus on the physical sensations of touching, leaning, supporting, counterbalancing and falling with other people, thus carrying on a physical dialogue.”
Sharing the Dance: Cynthia Novak (P8)

1) How has your understanding and experience of contact transformed through the sessions we have had so far? You may want to think in terms of how it has changed from the first session to the latest, or how it may have changed from the beginning of one session to the end and developed from that moment, or a combination of these.
2) Through the means of contact, a dialogue is created: Reflect on the ways you communicated through the physical (pressure) and through the non-physical (eye-contact).

And just so that we do not loose sight of one of the key, identifying factors of our work, we will leave you with this quote from Jasmin Vardimon, given in an interview as part of the programme for Yesterday.

“….A journey into a memory, a body memory. Being a dancer I learned to trust my body’s memory. In Yesterday I look at the things that my body – my muscles and my bones – remember, but my conscious brain does not always remember.”
Jasmin Vardimon

Video Links

2008-10-31T23:50:00.004Z

Here are some video links to inspire your visual, physical and intellectual understanding of the genre we are working in. These will hopefully be useful especially having had the history and context related lecture today.

Please copy and paste links below onto browser to watch and remember to turn the sound on!

All comments welcome:

1. Pina Bausch's Cafe Muller

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dtqrqjERhkQ

2. Pina Bausch's Masurca Fogo

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DD8ragxwOMI&feature=related

3. Vincent Dance Theatre's Broken Chords

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-5_OxPlBvxY

4. Jasmin Vardimon's Showcase

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6iunk83-TNk

5. Jasmin Vardimon's Justitia

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VtW_H5Y4aGw&feature=rela

History, Context & Aesthetics - 31st October 2008

2008-10-31T16:30:00.005Z

Dear All,

It was a tough session today for several reasons. I would still like to think that the session was appropriately timed and that the content delivered was vital in order for you to have a holistic engagement with the genre. It is also essential to remember and accept that theory and practice in this genre are inseparable.

We considered the influential roots of physical theatre. We looked at its features from 'theatre' and what it owes to 'dance'. We considered the notion of a hybrid performance language; a third entity that arises from the mixture of dance and theatre. We considered the practice of key practitioners and their creative approaches. We viewed clips ranging from the professional world to our own student archives; demonstrating where the work is at and where it is able to journey.

Questions for this week then:

1. What is the relationship between Physical Theatre and the theoretical frameworks of 'gender' and postmodernism'. Consider the overlaps between the study on Investigations 2 and the content we looked at today in P&P.

2. How is the history of changes in early 20th century western dance and theatre evident in the current practice of Physical Theatre. Please use key examples to answer this question.

Looking forward to your answers. Please remember these questions are designed to make you think intellectually about your practice and are also examples of questions you will be graded on in semester 2. Use quotes and reference them.

Let's all hope for a consistently positive journey beyond today's session with equal focus and commitment on both practice and intellectualising the practice.

Royona

Body & Technique - 24th October 2008

2008-10-24T20:30:00.002+01:00

Dear All,

Apologies for the delay in putting up this post.

Thanks again for a very productive session. It is now clear to us that your focus and commitment is beginning to grow week by week. With a near full class this morning, a lot of bodies to manoeuvre and a lot of discipline to maintain, we were pleased that you all did so well. Yes, talking and giggling did break out, but you seemed better at controlling yourself with the discipline. It was also clear that often discussions about the work were taking place in a productive manner. This is helpful, but can be distracting too. So keep this under control as much as you can in the future.

We worked on some significant techniques today. All of them were based on the following key principles:

1. Key points of contact
2. Reading bodies through these key points of contact
3. Distribution of weight
4. Pelvic centre of gravity
5. Carrying body weight

What is beginning to happen now with all of you is an inner understanding of how a technique is carried out is developing, over and above how 'good' or 'easy' or 'difficult' something looks.

So, questions for this week then:

1. Can gravity become our friend? If so, how can we achieve this? Once we befriend gravity how does our relationship with it change? How many of you feel you are being able to achieve this slowly and surely?

2. Analyse the quote below from Ken Martin on a key aspect of contact improvisation that we have started to slowly discover in our practice, and discuss it in relation to your own growth in the work so far.

"Contact improvisation [...] is a forum for discovering who we are beneath our skins. It is a place where our self concept is questioned […] It makes us compromise our reality – pushes the boundaries of our self awareness."

Ken Martin. Contacting the Soul, available from: http://nurturedance.org/contactimprov.htm

Looking forward to your responses. The questions are challenging so really think before mechanically responding and make your comments rich and reflective. Remember, so spelling or grammatical errors and no casual mode of expression. Keep it formal and of a high academic standard.

Royona

Demonstrative Body To Articulate Body - 17th October 2008

2008-10-17T13:22:00.007+01:00

Dear All,

A very focused and concentrated session this week with a lot of effort and hard work put in. The results of this could clearly be seen in the last fifteen minutes or so of the session. However, in order to get to the point at which it became possible to initiate the play session, the technique had to become familiar and safe which you achieved to a high level. One thing that was really evident was the ease with which contact is now being made and the level of trust and sensitivity and these were key elements in the way you worked today. It enable the technique to be effective. Without the understanding of the new technique and a real feel for the practice of it, the work at the end would not have been such a delight to witness and so developmental in the execution of it; it was a committed and thoughtful piece of work.

The move from technique to play, to a more performative approach to the work was quite clear. It was very interesting to watch the body memory begin to emerge and past techniques and exercises form part of what you were producing.

Thus the body began to tell stories, to build relationships and to start to express emotions.

We would therefore like you to comment on the following:

1) To what extent did you recognise or experience the shift from the demonstrative body to the articulate body? What part did body memory play in this?

2) Did an emotional layer come into your work and if so how did that manifest itself? If not, then how do you think emotional content would affect the work you did today?

It is also important for me to go away and reflect on my own work today and on why it was that I was unable to relax sufficiently for that one demonstration.

And as a final thought:

How do these two numbers, 50:4, relate to each other?

Looking forward to your comments.

Paul

Centres & Weight Sharing - 10th October 2008

2008-10-11T12:28:00.002+01:00

Dear All,

Apologies for the delay in getting the post up from yesterday's session. Since I have already put up a post regarding Yesterday I want to keep this one quite brief. It was a great session yesterday, despite the lack of focus and disruptions in class. This makes us wonder how much further you could have all travelled without the focus. So, do keep this in mind.

It was a challenging session in many ways. You were encountering completely new skills and learning the importance of accuracy of technique to avoid injuries and to allow this new language to settle into your body memories. You were forced into close physical contact with the additional nerves of dealing with concepts of 'weight'- sharing. All of these made the session edgier as your own body's capacities and limitations became more exposed.

In the light of the above please reflect on the following question:

1. What did you learn about your own body's capacity to:
a. learn precise physical technique
b. encounter issues of body weight
c. shift its relationship to gravity
d. understand the significance of touch as a means of communication

I leave you with a quote from Steve Paxton, the revolutionary movement artist of 1960-70's America to whom contact improvisation is attributed. Paxton says of touch,

"Touch sensitises, promotes awareness... Touch, along with the other senses, integrates out physicality…It is difficult to imagine that while grazing each other’s minds in touch and movement we would not bump into some of its manifestations."

(2004 : 61)

Looking forward to your responses on this post and the one on Yesterday.

Royona

Yesterday by Jasmin Vardimon

2008-10-10T09:17:00.002+01:00

Dear All,

Below is a link to a review for Yesterday by Jasmin Vardimon which we all watched last night. Please read it first and then attempt to follow the questions below aimed at generating thoughts about the work itself.

The Guardian Review : www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2008/sep/14/dance

1. How did the work challenge your understanding of physical theatre?

2. How did the issues raised in the piece challenge you as an individual?

3. What made it feel like a dance piece and what transformed it into physical theatre?

I look forward to your responses.

Royona

Jasmin Vardimon & Body Memory

2008-10-06T21:20:00.003+01:00

I have just discovered by sheer coincidence this video interview with Jasmin Vardimon about the making of Yesterday, that we are all watching this Thursday in Birmingham. And amazingly she talks about 'body memory'.

It's a beautiful interview with seductive footage from Yesterday.

Here is the link. Please copy and paste onto browser to watch.

http://www.article19.co.uk/06/video_jasminyes.php

Would love to hear your thoughts on the footage and the interview.

Royona

Trust & Personal Boundaries - 3rd October 2008

2008-10-03T14:12:00.009+01:00

Dear All,

Another great session - thanks to you all.

I think it is worth reflecting first of all on your commitment and engagement with the work. Regardless of reservations, dislikes and problems with some exercises, you all still maintained a level of focus and commitment that was a real pleasure to witness and very encouraging for Royona and I.

Today's session was difficult, it moved some of you out of your comfort zones and exposed you in a different way to last week. Most of you felt that last week you were working without a thought to the aesthetic, but in reality, subconsciously that notion of the aesthetic body was still operating. Today because of being allowed vision you could see what you were doing and subconsciously got driven by the sense of aesthetic again. As a result the work became less challenging and in some cases you found it uninteresting. Continue to think about the aesthetic in this work. Find a comfortable balance between an awareness of the 'placement' of the body, its detailed individual parts and a freedom to access creativity without limitations and inhibitions about how this body appears to the outside eye. If a body is honest, it is captivating to watch - it's as simple as that.

Think about how you easily began to work in the 'body reading' exercise and how the chair became an intervention or an aid in the relationship between you and your partner.
Challenges and set backs will happen - and they should be embraced as part of your growth and reflection, not treated as frustrations and hindrances. They make you more aware, more conscious of your limitations and hopefully more determined to overcome them. You will encounter limitations, from the warm-up exercises to the techniques we teach you. Accept this and set goals to overcome them. Be patient above all.

Look at the picture at the top of the blog. Look at the points of contact the performer has with the floor. Imagine how her body feels, how her muscles are working and more importantly how the position and influence of her spine. Imagine how she feels and imagine the effect gravity is having on her current position and where she might move next.
Think back to your own floor exercises and find the parallels to the image on the top of the blog, captured in time.

The questions we would like you to consider this week are:

1) What does the term 'Body Memory' imply in this genre of working?
Discuss whether you were able to access your own body memory during any part of the session reflecting on learnt principles and techniques from week 1.

2) How did the floor exercise develop your understanding of your spine's relationship with the floor? What role did gravity play in your explorations?
Discuss with detailed examples

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections.

Paul

In the Beginning - 26th September 2008

2008-09-26T17:06:00.001+01:00

Dear All,

What a great start to the module! Thank you for a focused, committed and creative session with a high level of responsiveness and sense of responsibility for yourselves and each other. The work you created and its maturity allowed Paul and I to build on the session instinctively, leaving plans aside and going with the flow. This is very promising.

Think about the journey you undertook this morning and the learning curve accompanying it. Think also about the introductory talk we gave to prepare you for the whole year's work ahead. Think about the new way in which we introduced you to conceptualising the body and using it for communication. And now try and answer the following questions, reflecting on your own work from this morning and from those around you.

1. How did the session shift your understanding of 'neutrality' in performance? What do you think is meant by the centre and why is it important to ground the body before beginning to work in the genre?

2. More often than not, movement is associated with a certain idea of 'aesthetic' (find out what this means exactly before you answer this question). Dance holds the popular impression that movement must be pretty to look at.

In this morning's session, how did we approach this stereotyped understanding of 'aesthetic' movement? What made movement most interesting to watch? How pretty it looked? Or how honest it was and connected to one's inner impulse? Discuss this with examples.

It is always good to respond to these questions after reading around the subject. This will help locate your own experience in a wider theoretical context. Look up the websites on this blog of other companies and look at their comments on the issues raised above. Use quotes and reference them correctly if you want.

Looking forward to ALL your responses by Wednesday 1st October, 4 pm. Enjoy the weekend!

Royona

Welcome to Process & Performance 200809

2008-07-08T21:26:00.000+01:00

A warm welcome to all Second Year Drama & Performance students at the University of Wolverhampton taking Process & Performance.

Consider this blog as our online home. If it doesn't yet feel like one, it will soon become one! This blog has been set up as an intellectual, reflective and critical resource and tool as we collectively undertake our creative journey through the next twelve months. It will function in a way, where we will initiate dialogue through posts and you will respond to them via your posts.

This module will be about discovering who we are and how we reflect this in our movement on a daily and an extra daily basis.The keywords you may want to start researching into as this module progresses are:

body
identity
sexuality
culture
dance-theatre
physical theatre

We hope to see you using this blog in a constructive and useful manner and on a regular basis. Looking forward to the start of a mammoth journey.

Royona & Paul B