Soundtrack Performance Group

PO BOX 22005. GLENRIDGE PLAZA. 224 GLENRIDGE AV. ST.CATHARINES ON L2T 4C1.

TEL: (905) 682 8593. FAX: (416) 946 1387

soundtrack@sympatico.ca

www.soundtracksound.com

DRAMA AQ COURSES: OISE, and BROCK FACULTY OF EDUCATION. 2008.

Hello to you all. Thanks for being such great “movers and shakers.” As always, it was fun to work with all of you—and I hope you’ll be able to use the ideas and the music! Below are the exercises we did (there may be some “extras,” as I did a slightly different “menu” for each group).

Remember…if you need help, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Soundtrack Performance Group, soundtrack@sympatico.ca or email me directly at gfuentes@brocku.ca

Workshop message: to remember that movement and music are languages…we can think, dialogue, read, write, speak, analyze and reflect through them. Why, therefore, do we not use them in every class, every day?

CHAIR WARM-UP (in circles, in chairs in rows, etc.)

[when is a chair NOT a chair…connecting voice, emotions, and body]

· Polish seat of chair/ then back of chair by wiggling vigourously

· Temper tantrum: pound floor with feet, pound knees with fists

· Throw things and yell at those across circle from you

· Slow motion & silent scream version (if noise an issue, or for greater challenge)

· Dance variations: a) Ukranian: on edge of chair, kick right leg high up as you fall against back of chair, flinging arms open and wide, yelling “Heh”; bring both legs back together, knees bent & feet on floor as you sit back up on edge of chair and clap with hands; kick left leg up, etc. Repeat. b) Chorus-line: sit on edge of chair; as you extend rt leg out to side, open arms wide & shout “Da-Dah!”; return both legs together, bent with both feet together on floor as you clap; extend left leg, arms wide, etc. Repeat.

· Thinker: leg crossing and variations. Sit on front edge of chair. Cross legs and take "The Thinker" position. Accompanied by a great sigh (or other appropriate vocalization). To "think", lift arms straight up in air and stretch legs straight out at seat level, then switch to having the other leg crossed. Repeat, increasing speed and altering "transition stretch". Think BIG ideas--the "aha" is huge, with legs as high in air as possible. Do same idea, slouching with back against chair back and with arms and legs crossed, then switch.

· Snakes or "What's Under the chair" variations: feet lift off floor, and "run" as fast as possible; or lying on sides balanced on hip and with shoulders and feet streched out sideways. This can also be done lying on stomach or arching over on back (careful here).

· Around The World. Pick up feet and using arms to pull yourself around to do a circle on your seat.[if in desks, have students put white sheet of paper on each desk. Challenge is to “go round the world” without touching the paper!].

· students will think of a million more variations to do.

PUPPETS in PAIRS

[a no-contact, non-verbal improvisation, excellent for story-making]

♫ [NOTE: from the beginning, add slow mood-based MUSIC AS BACKGROUND.

It will help concentration and will keep movements slow. ]

· in pairs; decide who is puppet first and who is puppeteer.

· with index finger and thumb together (as if holding a string between them), puppeteer points to body part that puppet is to more.

· keeping his/her fingers about 3-6 inches from the indicated part of the puppet's body, puppeteer gestures slow, clear instructions (in silence) for the puppet to follow.

· when puppeteer stops the movement, puppet stops.

· puppeteer "freezes" the string (and therefore the puppet) by opening the thumb and index finger.

· puppeteer then continues to direct another part of the puppet's body.

· puppet is to work hard to follow the puppeteer instructions as exactly as possible.

· Switch roles after a couple of minutes. Discuss what they learned/felt/experienced.

· Context: you can instruct puppeteers to "sculpt" a specific kind of statue: e.g. …of a strong emotion; ....a character from a play or movie, ETC.

· Viewing: Sculpture Gardens have puppeteers create sculptures of a character in a very dramatic moment. Then, puppets stay frozen in position. Puppeteers can step back and view puppets (they look like a sculpture garden).

· Have them imagine a story created by any 3 or 4 or group of puppets, etc.

· Act-React. Have 2 puppeteers; 2 puppets. Puppeteers are to create a meeting/ encounter, etc. between the 2 puppets.

· Tableaux. Have 2-3 puppets per puppeteer. Have puppeteer create a scene from a play, story, etc. Or have 2 puppeteers and several puppets.

MUSIC & IMAGE

[the power of connecting music to any visual stimulus]

· Have students work in small groups (2-4)

· Each group is to choose a “picture book” (a lot of illustrations: children’s books work wonderfully, but even National Geographics will work). They are not to open it till instructed to do so.

· ♫ Instructor chooses 2 pieces of ♫ with very different/opposing moods [Soundtrack Performance Group’s Library of Atmosphere CDs are designed especially for these purposes].

· As instructor puts on first piece of ♫, students begin to leaf through the book (NO talking, please). Instruct students to close books as instructor stops music.

· Instructor changes musicà students again leaf through book.

· Have groups discuss differences amongst selvesà then, in full groups.

VERB/ IMAGE CHAINS

“If you extract the verbs or images from any action, idea, event, etc., you will have a dynamic, dramatic movement text.” (Jacques Lecoq, class.1970).

1) Group circle: The Gesture Step

· “brushing teeth” as example

· Extracting major “dramatic” verbs/images [note strength of voice/gesture connection]

· Changing Roles/ ‘Abstracting’: switching point of view from “doer” to “done to.”

· Universal choreography: realizing we already know the dance [toothpaste tube; gargling]

2) Small Groups: The ‘Abstract’ Movement Step

· Choosing the source & extracting the main verbs/ images.

· Prepare the full-body choreographic equivalents [use individual, collective or combination].

3) Adding drama/ narrative/ atmosphere!

· Note: “war & peace in the spaghetti pot”/ toothpaste tube, gargling

· Narratives/drama may be linear, or a series of “flashes”

♫ Music as releaser/explorer/ instigator of the narrative/drama [2 differing moods]

· How do you see each verb/image? What’s the emotion/drama/narrative?

· Groups movement-discuss verb chain’s dramatic atmosphere[s]/ narrative/drama

· Be sure presentation has: a) structure: strong beginning & ending image; b) clear overall dramatic atmosphere

· This pre-determined dramatic atmosphere becomes basis for requesting accompanying music.

· Groups will present one at a time.

♫ Add appropriate mood music according to dramatic atmosphere requested.

[Soundtrack Performance Group Library of Dramatic Atmospheres used for this]

· Possible Variations: Mix & Match

· ♫ using; a) ‘opposite’ or b) random music selectionsà interaction with music

Extensions: into writing, painting, sculpting, storymaking, storytelling, soundscapes.

THE MAGIC HAND

[large group movement intro, based on Greek chorus work]

· Basic teaching: students go to one end of room; instructor lifts hand & explains that his/her hand is “the Magic Hand”, which group will follow.

· A) Geographic rules: imagine that the space between hand and participants is solid. When hand pushes forward, group must retreat; if hand pulls back toward instructor, chorus must move forward; if hand goes to left, so does chorus; ditto to right…etc.

· B) Interpretation: chorus is to imagine that their full bodies “are the hand”…so that whatever the hand does, their bodies must also “do”…noteà there is no “right or wrong” interpretation t

· Safety rules: 1) for the chorusà ALWAYS keep your eyes on the Magic Hand, so when it stops, you must, too; 2) for Magic Handà be aware of any objects, etc. which may harm group and be prepared to stop them quickly.

· Initial group practice: Divide students into 4 groups, with each one against one wall (or diagonal, in corners). 1 person from each group comes to center, facing his/her group as that group’s Magic Hand (that means the 4 Magic Hands will be back-to-back in center).

· Have each Hand practice for a few seconds, then call for a “change” of Hands. Do a few switches till the groups “get the idea”.

· Basic presentation format: divide group in half. One half goes to one end of room as chorus. Second half sits, about 2 metres away from wall at other end, as audience.

· The Magic Hands will be from the audience group, but will stand behind the audience, so audience is between the Hand and the chorus.

♫ Add slow, calming music as background/ security blanket

· Magic Hand begins; chorus follows. Switch hands every minute or so.

· When several Hands have performed, stop and have groups switch places/roles

· Talk about what they saw/felt/experienced.

· Context: Chorus and/or Magic Hand can work “representing” people, things, emotions, matter (lightning, thunder, lava, etc) for review, learning, reflection, exploration.

THE WAVE

This exercise is very popular for Remembrance Day Ceremonies. Spoken text can be added, to be said simultaneously with the music and movement; it makes a powerful and moving presentation.

♫ [NOTE: from the beginning, add slow mood-based MUSIC AS BACKGROUND.

It will help concentration and will keep movements slow. ]

· Divide class into groups of about 7-9 per group (for learning...afterward, groups can become much larger).

· While one group works, audience stands on both sides of room to watch.

· Working group stands at one end of the room, shoulder to shoulder in a straight line, ALMOST touching elbows.

· There should be no "leader" for the work; the group concentrates on 'listening', sensing each others' impulse to go, then the entire group will move forward as if one. Their feet DO NOT need to be in unison--it is the lining up of the bodies which creates the effect.

· The group begins moving SIMULTANEOUSLY forward, cross the room, turns around and returns-- maintaining their close, straight line formation. Let each group repeat the crossing at least a couple of times before stopping them. Students should keep hands by their sides and eyes straight ahead.

· Adding Statues: as the working group (the WAVE) crosses the room, anyone
in line may stop in a statue formation. NOTE: at least one person from the WAVE must remain walking!

· The 'statue' stays frozen in position until the WAVE returns and 'envelops' them back into the line. Statues may wait for more than one passing of the wave to be enveloped.

· Adding Context: as it is already slow and contained (ie not chaotic), it works very well accompanied by text spoken simultaneously--from within the WAVE itself or from outside.

The performing group can be given a theme, idea, character, etc. from work being done in class and told to have the statues reflect different aspects of that subject. Each statue a person does should be very different from the last. For example, it could be "images of war", or "statues representing thoughts of a character from the story," etc.