Notes on the June 24 studio session, a new improv structure by Celeste

June 24 What happened:

I am working on a potential “invitational improvisation structure” idea that I would like to start doing around different places as Events.  I have no idea how this will go.  And I am interested in exploring the vague, raw ideas to see what we might discover about how this might unfold.

Taylor (TC) and I played with this a few days ago.  I played with it by myself (and ended up with a new solo!)  and today MAP team, Ebony, Halley, Taylor and Sophiyaa joined TC and me. What a great way to learn about something and its potentials.  Everyone’s participatory embodied input is so amazing, as are the discussions!

Here is my rough idea.  The Event is announced, people are invited.  A time and place.

On arrival an installation and a facilitator explains the Event.  People may choose to participate, or observe.  They can at any point change from participant to observer, observer to participant.

Structure:  A piece of text is pre-chosen for the Event.  This might be a poem, a quote, etc.  This text is posted on the wall (or equivalent) so the participants/observers can study it as a whole (or not).  The text is also broken down into smaller chunks, and written on 5x8 pieces of paper that are scattered around the delineated performance space (preferably in the round).

Example:  Today we used the ROOTS “Aesthetics” definition.  It went onto 7 cards broken out into these chunks:

Aesthetics is an inquiry

into how artists, in their products and processes,

utilize sensory and emotional stimulation and experience

to find and express meaning

and orientation in the world

and to deepen relationships

among artists and their partners across differences.

HOW I think THE IMPROVISATION WORKS:

Improvisation Takes Place in 4 Rounds with pauses between each round to discuss and reflect.

Protocol: Anyone may enter or exit at any time.

To enter:  Knock on the wall, step into the space, take three breaths. Begin

To exit: Step out of the performance space, knock on the wall, become observer.

A timer is set for each round.

Round 1:  (15 minutes)

Approach one of the papers and read the words.  Allow yourself to explore the ideas presented in that text. This is body research.  You are just allowing a physical, embodied thinking to consider the words/ideas.  Approach the words individually, or the phrase as a whole.  Explore for as long as you would like.  You might stay with one paper for the entire round. 

Let the ideas in the text be a resource for embodied research – time-based, in the present moment, take the idea and working improvisationally through an exploration of responses/thinking through and about building bodily metaphors that ask questions of the text “without intellectual censorship, allowing spontaneous exploring…” (Blom and Chaplin, 1989, 320)

Timer signals that 15 minutes is up.  Participants exit the performance space.

Reflect:

Take about ten minutes for participants and observers to reflect.

What happened?

What did you notice?

What did you discover?

What about the content spoke to you, resisted you, challenged you, opened a new idea???

Reflect on the process:

Clarify any questions about permissions, parameters, rules, etc. and share problem-solving tips.

Round 2 Task:

Consider that Round 1 was a chance to think about the ideas presented in the text.  You now have both bodily responses/ideas to further explore in context to the content; as well as you have intellectual queries. 

In this round you want to continue to explore, but also to express some of those ideas to and with the ensemble of other participants.  Let your ideas respond to one another. This is more performative – as an Ensemble.  Again – allow vocalization: saying the words on the paper, other words, or other forms of vocalization.

Discussion/Reflection

Round 3 Task:

Further refining.  You might start collecting and repeating certain movement, movement + text,  text, or vocalizations.  Become aware of making the work have a design as a whole.  Utilize tools for performance improvisation:

Repetition: your movements and the movement of others

Echoing movement ideas that are being generated

A sense of how the space is utilized by the full ensemble

Being aware of variations in spatial design, patterns, levels

Being aware of variations in qualitative choices

Discussion/Reflection

Round 4 Task:

“Abandon the text.”

Clarify, play with and develop particular movement motifs, text motifs, ensemble motifs that resonate with you from the previous rounds.  New material of course is still welcome.

Be highly attuned to the design elements of a “stage picture” (*keep the aesthetic ideas about this open.)

Add Spices: (which may or may not occur in the Round)

Add: run in circle.  One person starts a run around the space and keeps going until everyone has joined. It is the ensemble’s responsibility to “get on board” as soon as this starts.  Just one lap with everyone included is plenty.

Add: “Gather at the river”.  Pre-assign a designated location.  When someone in the Ensemble goes to that place and sits, the rest of the Ensemble must join for a moment of stillness.  (Not everyone needs to sit)

Add: Individually, at least once, make a complete circle around someone else. Do not abandon this task until you are successful.

This round is videotaped and might become the source for making choreography.

Final Discussion/Reflection

Solo Version:

Round 1: Same as for Ensemble version

Round 2: Arrange the text cards sequentially.  Try and move through the idea of the entire text.  Do not be limited to interpreting, but responding.

Round 3: Find another spatial sequential arrangement.  Try for even more of a sense of “making meaning” through expression, question, and response to the text as a whole idea.

Round 4: Abandon the text.  Improvise with whatever main idea(s) came up for you because of the process of the previous rounds.

This is my final from my solo version.  I did not make this to the music.  I videotaped the raw Round 4 Improvisation.  When I got home I uploaded it to imovie and just spliced in the song. I did NOT have the song in mind as I improvised.  The text source for the improvisations was Noam Chomsky.  “Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied. Even the interpretation and use of words involves a process of free creation.”

As I improvised from Round 1-4 with the quote, I realized how sad it made me. A sense that we never actually can communicate, because it is all so very complex. Right before I did the Round 4 Improvisation it started to thunderstorm.

Solo: Noam Chomsky text as source. Layered song: Rachel Yagamata “Elephant”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvzEX-jXKVc

Another Version:

Round 1: as above

Round 2: Propose to arrange the text along a diagonal line.  The group works together to put the sentence in order.  The task is to move from the first card sequentially to the end.  To understand the sentence as a sentence.  Because everyone has the same order, you might find yourself at the same card as someone else.  You can chose to interact or not. Be mindful that someone may not want to interact. The objective is to get to the end.  When you get to the end choices are:  1) go back to the beginning 2) reverse the order from end to beginning 3) random

Round 3:  Make pictures at each card.  As a unit.  One person starts, others assemble around that idea. Then someone else decides to move onto the next to start a new picture.  This does not have to be a “machine”, nor does it need to be stagnant.

Round 4:  Now that you have a sense of the meaning, and your responses, build a short phrase that is an accumulation of movement from the explorations of Rounds 1-3.  Order and memorize this phrase of movement.

Round 5: Partner up.  Show to your partner.  Let them share what they see.  Neutral

Round 6: Create duets using the material from both solos.  Layer the text into the duets – either fragmented, complete, and/or with additional text.

Thoughts: 

Choice to use non-fiction text allowed us to explore a concept, and find ways to discuss it.  Halley pointed out that this could be a tool for creating campus dialogue on a topic or issue of concern to the campus.  I was so excited that she said that, because that was my hope.  

I believe that when we are in our bodies, we process and respond in ways different than when we are just in our head.  I want to continue to develop ways in which we can access embodied practices (learning, research, community engagement) to understand our selves, our selves with others, and our place in the world.