MOVEMENT WORKSHOP

1
MOVEMENT WORKSHOP

• GOAL/PURPOSE to increase body awareness in order
  to move and position ones-self with stronger
  intent and presence

2
TALK ABOUT ME

• I went to Knolls GT shows, Stage Manager,
  danced outside of Knolls
• Rowan University Junior status
• Health promotion and Fitness Management major
  classes like anatomy/phys, kinesiology
• NWI/Wellness Classes i.e. yoga/pilates/nia
• Dance minor I learn about moving with
  intentions and with presence on stage PRESENCE
  is a KEY COMPONENT
• i.e. today we are going to learn skills that
  enable presence.
• Member of CODA - Dance company talk about our
  past shows and the process we do typically we
  create work together get a language knowledge
  base and then we manipulate it in a variety of
  ways using different essences and elements i.e.
  different music, different directions, etc

3
MOVEMENT DISCUSSION

• What is your definition of movement?
• What do you think are some synonyms?
• What is your definition of dance?
• Do you think dance communicates something?
• i.e. I believe it communicates something
  expression of self/contexts
• Do you consider dance and movement two different
  things??
• ----I come from a background where dance/movement
  are one in the same.
• ---hopefully by the end of today you will also
  agree with me that as you are acting and
  performing on stage you are actually performing
  a dance
• How do you think you use movement/dance in
  theatre?
• i.e. talk about gestures ?
• What are gestures? Someone show me an example
• What are some other examples of gestures?
• (i.e. brushing hair back behind ears, looking at
  watch, facial expressions, stance)
• Do you consider the use of gestures as your way
  of performing a dance on stage?
• Do you see how the flow of gestures can be a
  dance?
• i.e. I am going to grab something up on the top
  of the shelf but then its too high so feel upset
  and move planes try again on a higher level
  but then still doesnt work so I get mad. Show
  how the movements can flow together

4
MY DEFINITION OF DANCE

• Dance is to move with INTENT
• I believe theatre movement is dance use body
  to something to show a context
• Movement as Nonverbal communication i.e. what are
  you communicating
• Movement as transient form of expression - i.e.
  what are you trying to express
• Movement as an expression of inner self. i.e.
  what part of you is emerging right now.
• Movement is a Mind/body experience i.e. set
  intentions/desire and how it should feel.
• THERE IS MORE TO MOVEMENT THAN JUST STEPS which
  is why Dance sometimes gets thought of as just
  dance but really at school we are always talking
  about our movement choices and asking ourselves
  what we want to show through our bodies. This is
  similar to what actors have to do on stage.

5
4.48 PSYCHOSIS

• i.e. 4.48 Psychosis a show I was in --- involved
  doing research as if an actor had lines on
  stage showed bipolar/depressed individual with
  our bodies. i.e. talk about Sarah Kane and the
  storyline (no place, time, or setting) but
  different poetic lines (READ ONE or have student
  read and I shake)
• we had depression counselor come and talk and how
  we had to really embody different Sarah essences
  throughout the movement. i.e. also had to play a
  psychiatrist type of role in one of our movement
  pieces. How in one scene we were situated in a
  clump intertwined with one another at different
  moments and simultaneous moments some of us would
  try to emerge out in front and be the dominant
  one but constantly would get pulled back into
  the clump by one another.
• We showed the inner struggle Sarah Kanes
  different mindsets (bipolar) fighting each other

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SOME KINESIOLOGY

• Proprioception is the subconscious, automatic
  sensitivity mechanism in the body that sends
  messages through the central nervous system
  (CNS). It regulates posture and movement by
  responding to stimuli.
• Done via Proprioceptors internal receptors
  (nerves in skin, joints, muscles and tendons)
  which respond to muscle tension, length,
  contraction of muscle, position of body limbs,
  or joint movement.
• There are sensory nerve receptors around all
  joints
• When you close your eyes you activate them.
• SHORT ACTIVITY I want you to close your eyes
  and just sense where your arms are located then
  legs.then head. Slowly move arms then wrists
  then legs then hips with your eyes close and
  see how that feels.
• NOW open up your eyes and continue feeling your
  movements.
• Basically, your proprioceptors (nerves) are now
  working in combo with your other sense organs
  (i.e. visual receptors - sight / auditory
  receptors -sound) to accomplish kinesthesis.
  (related to proprioception but different)

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WHAT IS KINESTHESIS?

• BASICALLY, proprioception was the unconcious but
  KINESTHESIS THE CONSCIOUS AWARENESS OF THE
  POSITION AND MOVEMENT OF THE BODY IN SPACE
  (proprioception happens unconsciously body just
  does it) -- ability to sense the position,
  location, orientation, and movement of the body
  and its parts.
• Kinesthetic sense, is a sense of one's whole
  body. Feeling the muscles, joints, tendons,
  ligaments all being stimulated by body movement.
• Howard Gardner (important psychology) even uses
  Kinesthetic/Spatial Intelligence in his Multiple
  Intelligence theory if any of you are familiar
  with psychology.
• By noticing/ advancing this intelligence we can
  become aware of the relationships between our
  thoughts and kinesthetic sense.
• We can start to use our body to understand
  what we are thinking aka movement as a LIVED
  EXPERIENCE start using more knowledge through
  movement the LIVED BODY
• What do you think this means??? i.e.
• I.E. we think/decide/move/feel all at the same
  time. Is why improving on this skill is very
  helpful in theatre/dance This body awareness is
  needed on stage
• Can everyone picture a theatre scene in their
  head that would be enhanced if there was more
  full body expression involved?
• I.E. SHOW difference in two movements one
  without full body one with full body
• Pretend to say HI to friend across the stage
  standing still and slightly moving vs. MOVING
  ENTIRELY ACROSS THE STAGE (more full body)

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WHO WAS LABAN?

• Rudolf Laban movement theorist who created a
  language for movement description/ analysis based
  on understanding the importance of Kinesthesis
• Labans Movement Analysis provides a structure
  where we are allowed to invent and explore our
  movement choices.
• i.e. find movement choices appropriate for given
  situations
• He supports self-awareness through the bodily
  senses aka movement as identity. that is
  perfect for people in theatre to consider since
  you are embodying movement for a particular
  character or essence.

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QUESTION

• Dont you use movement choices all the time in
  theatre scenes??
• Can anyone think of a good example after
  everything weve talked about already????

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GAME PLAN FOR REST OF TIME

• Now that we learned about what it means to be
  aware with your body and about LABAN we are
  going to spend the rest of the time today moving
  on stage and increasing our kinesthetic sense.
  Ill be talking you through various exercises
  that will enable you to think a little deeper
  into moving with intentions.
• This will aid you in theatre performance

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LABAN ELEMENTS EXPLAINEDsome of Labans efforts
consist of

• Levels High, Medium, and Low
• Space Direct/Indirect
• Direct ? movement is defined, structured, planned
  
• aka there is a start ? end point never
  diagonals
• -Indirect ? not particularly have a place to end
  or be slightly feels like an improv feel off
  of balance while moving through space
• Weight/Force Strong heavy or Light
• Flow bound or free

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LEVELS ACTIVITY

• HIGH, MEDIUM, and LOW
• There are a variety of ways to move with levels
• Basically, body is divided into three parts can
  interchangeably use all three with any
  task/movement i.e. book off of shelf H M and L
• EXERCISE ? get a partner and while facing one
  another move and never be on the same level.
• NOW mirror one another I want you to move on the
  same levels be aware of each others choices and
  energy (where will they go next)
• NOW create 3 shapes using the 3 levels I want
  you and your partner to perform these at the same
  time with one another in any order.
• What group would like to show their creation??
• Have one group show i.e. see how different levels
  at different times can potentially show different
  relationships of characters.
• Ask the rest of the group what do you think
  their dance showed.

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SPACE ACTIVITY

• Self space - space around you in one spot
• General space locomotor space around you as
  you move around
• EXERCISE ? everyone travel around the stage
  walk around the space without getting into anyone
  elses space trust your movements use
  different directions/levels (now aware of them)
  dont just walk around in a circle. I will call
  either Direct or Indirect. When I call direct
  have a definite place you want to go, feet
  planted firmly, and never use diagonals. However,
  If I say indirect you need to travel a little bit
  off balance feeling like improvisation no idea
  where your body will take you.
• Direct ? more with structure, planned
• aka start ? end point never go on diagonals
• Indirect ? not particularly have a place to end
  or be slightly feels like an improv feel off
  of balance while moving

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WEIGHT/ FLOW EXERCISE

• WEIGHT heavy vs. light WEIGHT/FORCE/EFFORT
• Think about feather vs. bowling ball
• Strong/firm/gripped vs. light/fine/delicate/airbor
  ne
• Ask them to move around the space feeling heavy
  move w/ weight as if you are a bowling ball
• Now move around the space light as if you are a
  feather
• I will continue to call out heavy or light using
  the different levels
• FLOW I want you move with resistance vs move
  flow-like
• Aka move around the floor like river let it
  flow
• Aka move around floor like a dam resist flow
  tension in body parts
• Try to have upper body flow and lower body resist
• Then have lower body flow and upper body resist

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LABAN ALSO HAS OTHER DESCRIPTION EFFORTS
Laban talks about Efforts in movement They
help with specific intentions on stage WE ARE
ONLY GOING TO WORK WITH 2 FLOAT AND SLASH

• FLOAT indirect, light, sustained
• GLIDE direct, light, sustained
• FLICK quick, indirect, light
• PRESS strong, direct, sustained
• SLASH quick, direct, strong
• PUNCH quick, strong, direct

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EXPLORE THESE IDEAS

• EVERYONE go back to walking around the room
  really fill the space (use different
  directions/levels in 'filling the space can
  even consider using different flow or weight in
  your choices).
• NOW - I am going to at any time yell out the
  three different efforts. Either float or slash
• But, at the same time I can yell out to
  specifically use a different level, or
  upper/lower body parts doing different things
  or be direct/indirect while moving through space,
  be heavy/light, or be bound/free

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WHAT I HOPE YOU GET OUT OF THISi.e. think of
performing with the body in a different way
more conscious awareness of your choices in
space/direction/levels/effort

• LEVELS LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH what level am I
  moving on
• DIRECTIONS what way am I heading and why
• PATHWAYS how am I going to get there
• ENERGY what type of effort needs to be used
  i.e. float vs press.
• BODY SHAPES is there a shape I need to end in?
  straight vs. curved.
• SPEED what are I trying to show dreamlike
  vs anxious
• FLOW in scenes and movements i.e. how can I
  make this look realistic
• FOCUS where is my focus during this movement
• RELATINONSHIPS how does my location with
  someone else show the relationship of the
  characters
• STILLNESS how powerful can this be in
  expressing something