(c)Glenys McQueen

This workshop is to provide ideas and avenues for using movement and music right across the curriculum and as a daily, ongoing method for teaching, learning, reviewing, reflecting. Movement and music, as with all other exercises we use in Drama in Education, should not only enliven minds and bodies, it should help deepen reflection, widen perspectives, induce questions, connect mind-body-spirit, increase awareness, provide a means of communication and an opportunity for transformation.


THE CHAIR WARM-UP
[pushing the boundaries of the use of everyday objects; adding imagination]
· this warm-up can be done in desks (having students sit sideways) or in individual chairs. Sit fairly close to the edge of the chair, with space between you and the people on either side.
· HELLO's. Start by softly drumming feet on floor and hands on thighs. Increase till drumming and slaps are very loud and the knees should be rising to chest (i.e. big effort, large movements)--wave and yell to the people across the circle.
· UKRANIAN DANCING and variations. Slouch with seats forward on edge of chair and backs against chair back, freeing legs to kick (at various heights) in air. Use arm movements and loud "Hah" to include full body and voice. Play with kicks with one leg in air while other foot stomps on ground, then switch. Get a rhythm going. You can also use both legs in air at once.
· CHORUS LINE and variations. Sit on front edge of chair. Clap hands and bounce toes (with knees and ankles together) on floor simultaneously as beat one. For beat two, open right arm and leg straight out to side while left arm rises to a 45% angle upwards and left leg bends and left foot goes under chair seat (weight tends to be on left side of your rear end at this moment, then switches as whole movement changes to the other side). For beat three, repeat claps/ bounces and for beat four, change outstretched arm/ leg to left side.
· 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, do a circle on your seat. · students will think of a million more variations to do.


"FREEZE"…AS CONTROL MECHANISM

[sneaking into use of movement, while assuring a way of instant control--of the classroom kind for teachers; of movement skills for students]
· BASIC IDEA: people spread out randomly in the available space; on signal, all move around, 'deeking' (as in basketball) each other, quickly altering direction, reactions, movements. On the agreed upon signal, everyone "freezes" (nothing moves-no eyes, fingers, etc), awaiting another signal to continue. · teaching people to "freeze" is an excellent control mechanism that can be practiced, like a game, anywhere,anytime (as students write in class, as they start to leave for recess, etc.) making it fun as well as an effective way to stop action when needed.
· "CONTEXTUALIZING" the random moving around: the 'deeking' part can be exchanged for any kind of suggested movement…e.g., participants can be asked to move like elements of water; elements in a storm; like chemicals; colours; textures or materials; like parts from 'digestion', or from 'metamorphosis' or from 'photosynthesis', etc.-thereby incorporating material from the curriculum as part of the warm-up phase (which then also becomes 'review of learning').


"FREEZE"…AS STORY SOURCE

· AS INDIVIDUAL STORY: once students are in 'freeze' position, as them to concentrate on the statue they have created. If they were in a story, or were in a photograph or 'freeze frame' of a video, what would they be doing? Also, how does that position make them feel? What attitude, mood, emotion does it evoke (remembering the idea that feelings also work "from the outside-in," that how we move = how we feel).
· IN PAIRS: students divide up into pairs & number themselves #1 & #2. Start the movement; call a freeze. Do the individual story "check-in" (5 W's of "who could I be/ what could I be doing/ where could I be/ what-how am I feeling/ etc.). --ask students to memorize their positiions (both the gesture + exact location)
? [ NOTE: ADD MUSIC AT THIS POINT: let it play as statues are 'switched'; let it play overtop of the questions you ask & through the 'viewing'] --#1's, on signal, leave their positionns and go to their partners (#2's), whom they replace, taking #2's exact position & location.
--ask #1's how this new position 'feelss' on their body. Ask them to imagine the story, event, etc (apply 5W's); also, how does this body-gesture make them feel? What emotional response does it cause?
--as #1's do this check-in, #2's are too move back and outside the area of the statues, so that they can see what their original position looked like.
--now, ask them to see the statues in relation to other statues around them (this is the beginning of collective story-creation). What stories are created by looking at various pairings or groupings of statues? Have them move around the outside of the room to try and see as many 'stories' as they can.
? [ Stop music at this point, while students discuss their work] --'release' all; shake out; have pairs discuss each others' individual reactions to the #2's freeze
statue/gestures. What stories/events/actions did each of them imagine? What attitudes, feelings did each invoke? (you may want that to be a writing reflection). --then, have everyone return to their ooriginal statues (all must remember gesture + location)
? [ NOTE: ADD MUSIC AT THIS POINT --now, from the statue position, have #2's go to #1's and replace them; #2's withdraw, etc. --redo the exercise, with #2's on the ooutside.
· AS 'PAIRS STORIES': students find a different partner to work with --students move around randomly (accordding to context given): signal 'freeze' --everyone is told to remember their frreeze statue positions --then, have everyone 'release'; find ppartners; show partner your 'freeze statue' --partners must situate their statues ttogether (without changing the original) in such a way that some kind of event/action/story is suggested.
? [ NOTE: music can be added at this point, as groups show work] --then, have each pair show their versiion; discuss what elements made work particularly effective. · VARIATIONS (using original statues, or creating new ones…but students come into this exercise with a statue in mind that they have done): --divide the class into 4 groups, 1, 2,, 3, 4. --have groups 1 & 2 work together; groups 3 & 4 work together
--those in group 1 pick a 'partner' from group 2; ditto groups 3 & 4
--groups 1 and 3 ask their partners from the other group to show them their statues
--then, groups 1 & 3 (working separately from each other) take the statues from their partner groups (2 & 4) and arrange them to create group 2 & group 4 'tableaux.'
--NOTE: a simpler version would be to have each group arrange their own statues into a tableau. The above just increases the level of cooperation required.


CHAIR CHOREOGRAPHY

[ The basic idea for this exercise is from Susi Lovell, choreographer, dance and Drama in Education/Theatre teacher from Montreal. She is director of Impudance]
· Have students sit in chairs scattered throughout the workspace. Be sure they face in totally random directions.
· Instructor begins work by calling out simple, everyday instructions, which the group must follow (eg. sit up; slouch; stretch & yawn; stand up; sit bacward on chair; cough; point; snicker; stand on the chair; come down; walk around the chair, etc.)
· Once students 'get' the idea, they begin giving signals from within the group
· PREPARING CHOREOGRAPHY: have students divide up into groups of 5-6. --each group is to come up with a seriees of moves that they will do (5-10)
--[suggestion: in order to create interrest, you may want to suggest that at least one of the moves must be a sound; they must also have one planned pause]
--once groups have their series ready, students once more spread out randomly (they do not stay in their groups, nor are the placed so that the can all see each other…they will have to take cues, perhaps peripherally from one or other whom they can see).
· VARIATIONS TO CHOREOGRAPHY:
have students perform the work all together. --you can also stagger the groups, so tthat the begin at different times
--suggest that have of each group do thhe routine backward
--suggest groups alter speed, intensityy of movements, etc.(either planned or ad hoc)
--allow everyone to add in one unplanneed pause; one unplanned vocal, etc., etc.
? ADDING MUSIC & STORY: choose a piece of music as the 'story source'
--have groups get back together; they will use their original routine as the basis for this exercise.
--play through part of the chosen music; all students (individually) are to imagine images, feelings, events, moments, textures, colours, etc. that the music evokes for them
--once music stops, groups compare/contrast their reactions to the music and groups are to come up with one collective story (or set of images, etc) as their response to the music.
--tell them to imagine that they must tell their story/reponse to the others, but that they have only their routine as the language which they can use to communicate.
[ NOTE: Jacques Lecoq, theatre theorist and teacher, always stated that "any movement can be adjusted to communicate anything you need it to-it's just a matter of adjusting the 'how' you do it"]. --give the groups a few minutes to plan, then have them present them to each other.
? [ NOTE: ADD MUSIC AT THE POINT OF PRESENTATIONS ]

© Glenys McQueen-Fuentes, 2003