FIRE

Last night we saw the first year theatre students performing... One of their piece raised some questions in my head....what is the fire? is it any fire inside of us? Is the fire the source of the passion?

IPP Final Presentation

Last Tuesday we had our final presentations...with the second year students! It was nice to watch their performances, because now we have an in idea of what teachers will expect from us next year and it was good for us to have a small "audience" for our presentations as well.

Everything began with the memory of my childhood village...a special place for me...pure nature, fresh air, animals, flowers, colors....
I got some objects from my grandparents' old house but my attention drop on my grand- grand mother's picture, with a white material on her head. I talked to my relatives about her just to find out more about this woman, that I never met, but which represents the human being and the place where I come from. Her qualities can be considered as scores for my improvisation:

• warm smile(she was always smiling);
• simple;
• modest;
• alone (her husband died after the First World War);
• honest;
• respectful;
• shy;
• pure;
• hard working (to raise her 8 children);

My opinion is that her qualities deserve to be conserved and even transmitted to the next generations...

Now days women have different characteristics, as:

• aggressive;
• violent;
• vulgar;
• seductive.

AS we studied about the idea of feminism, I started to explore it more and more and I tried to find a comparison between women who lived in two different ages:

• activities;
• interests;
• building relationships;
• qualities/goals;
• behavior; etc...

This is one of the reasons why I started to write a series of Letters to Myself, just to find out where am I placed in relation to there ideas. What changes happened in my life and how did they influence my behavior, my concepts, my feelings...Obviously new people came in my life, how do they change my personality and my way of being???

One amazing artist, Vava Stefanescu influenced my work...she uses the concept of transiency- what can you do with things and experiences from your past? She is inspired my the memories of old performances to create a new one, jut by having a journey into her past experiences...because things that we don't do or use anymore are still in our memory and body and they still affect our lives and they also define us as unique human being.

I would like to find out more about my grandma and the only way of coming in contact with her is by invoking her spirit! This is way I started to research more about rituals and symbols...
This book : "The International Encyclopedia of Dance" has a chapter called "Ritual and Dance" who defines "dance" as a integral part of the ritual manifestations, that often have religious or mystical significance. Theatrical dance evolved from primitive ritual idea originated in 18th Century and this form of art started to progress.
Someone special used to tell me interesting stories about different cultures and rituals like: Yemaya, Ochun, etc..and I start to understand their meaning and I notice how people try to transmit a specific message just be creating some movement...I find interesting to learn more about this kind of manifestations, because it is a significant part of history and culture! .... Thank you!!! (you always open me up...)
This ideas can be observed in the work of many dancers like Martha Graham, Katherine Dunham, Doris Humphrey, etc , who tried to connect the participants to the fundamental spiritual principles.

 The dance is the connection between human and spiritual realm.

With this ideas in my head I tried to create some movement and even a collaboration with music students happened on this theme. We recorded some of my whispers, breath, steps, sound related to my piece of work, which will be the background song for my ritual.

Ritual activities include also an unusual behavior:

• past occurs in the present;
• time stands still;
• repetitive actions;
• connection and communication with the spiritual realm;
• the spirit can posses the dancer;
• the dancer can be a character of a sacred story;
• the dancer can embody a spirituality;

All this ideas can be used as scores for an exciting ritual to connect with my grand- grand  mother...

The place should be somewhere in the nature, under the blue sky and stars, I'll use a huge fire, and it will happen at midnight!!!!

For my presentation I used the idea of "The Fire bird" (music by Igor Stravinsky) with the elastics...It represents that something doesn't let you go and even posses you, changes you, that presence can do anything with you, without being conscious...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J7XWwaDakw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-TbdTq7cm4

Photography

One student from Media and Production asked me if I want to collaborate with her, and of course I accepted!
Her photography scores were different parts of human body, in different lights and shadows...so you have here some of the final pictures and I hope you enjoy them :)

It is interesting to work with a visual artist, because we could share different concepts and while I was moving she could capture interesting parts of my body in different positions...maybe unusual positions....

Theatre Workshop Assessment

Today we handed-in the theatre workshop essay and I hope I will get good feedback; so enjoy my workshop!

Group trust and the art of improvisation

Theater Workshop

Duration: 1hour.

Oana Rotariu Dance, Theater and Professional Practice

Everyday life is based on human behavior, interacting with people around and exploring different situations of space, time and character, regular actions that may be developed into different directions, as main aims for an interesting theater workshop.

My workshop is the process of allowing everyone to release all tensions in the body, to be natural and neutral, and also offer the chance of developing the pattern of being aware of people around, and feeling comfortable with coming in contact with them.

The first part of my workshop is the introductory warm-up, which will run for approximately 15 minutes and will prepare the students to be able to move easily, bringing the focus on their own bodies and open up the sense of the group. The leader ask the students to take a walk around the studio, in different directions, trying to make eye-to-eye contact with as many people as possible and then give them also a small smile.

The game called “Fruit Bowl” (five minutes) is designed to make the student be present and give full attention to someone else. The leader asks the students to make a circle and one student stays in the middle. Every player receive the name of a fruit, like: strawberry, banana, watermelon. The student in the middle calls out the name of a fruit and all players who are that fruit have to find a new gap across the circle, including the student who is in the middle of the circle. Someone will not succeed to find another place and this person calls the next fruit. If he calls “Fruit Salad” everyone has to change their places. I find this game useful for concentration, because it involves watchfulness and also being awake, present and ready to move.

(‘House of Games’ by Chris Johnston,(1998) page 119)

The following exercise “Traffic Lights: Stop/ Look/ Go” (five minutes) will open the individual focus and concentration. The leader gives the students three clear instructions: number one is for freezing, number two is for changing the focus by turning just the head and number three means that students have to turn the head and allow the body to move off in that direction. After a few minutes the leader will notice that the students have the habit to anticipate the movement, before listening to the instructions, because they focus their attention on thinking rather than being present in their bodies and waiting for the signal. This exercise allows the students to concentrate inside themselves and also prepare them for being available and receptive to the rest of the games.

(’ Dramatic Events How to run a successful workshop’ by Richard Hahlo and Peter Reynolds, (2000) page 9)

The last game from the warm-up session is a massage experience that allows the students to release all tensions in their body, by softening the tissues, muscles and bones. Every individual needs to find a partner, who lies on the floor, with eyes closed, giving all body support to the ground. The other partner gently massage the tissues of the skull, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, pelvis, legs, finishing with a nice and slow rob down. After this moment, the students change roles and at the end of this exercise the leader asks the students to shake their whole body out, from head to toes.

Reference: This exercise was taken from our Movement Studies 1 class, leaded by Katye Coe, as a warm-up sequence.

The Main Exercises run for forty minutes and are designed to build up the group trust, as well as encouraging the relationship between individual and group.

“The blind car” (10 minutes)

The leader asks the players to divide into pairs and one of them will be the blind car, by closing his eyes. The other one, the driver will lead his “blind car” using a series of signals: touching the right shoulder means changing the direction to the right, a head touch means stop, and the couple have to find together a signal for walking backwards, like a hands clap, or a noise ('waw', 'hey', 'hop'). After five minutes, they switch roles. This exercise encourages students to be aware of the group and also be responsible of their partner's safety, an enjoyable way to build up partner and group trust. This game can be extended further by replacing the types of signal. The “car” can be driven just by small sounds, or by calling out the partner's name.

( 'House of Games', by Chris Johnston,(1998) pages 134-139)

“Complete the Image”

Duration: 10 minutes

The leader ask the students to sit in a big circle, someone comes in the middle of it and creates a shape, that can be abstract or representational. Any other player can come in and complete the picture with a different pose. The two bodies together will create an abstract image or a specific scene, and after one moment the first individual sits back in the circle and another one jump in the picture. As a variation, this game can be played with physical or eye-to-eye contact or using rules like using just gestures or being three-four players in the circle at the same time.

This exercise offer to students a great momentum, different possibilities of using the body in relationship with one or two other individuals and also create a “dialog” using just the body, gesture and the sense of partnership.

('House of Games' by Chris Johnston, (1998)pages 130-131)

The following exercise will run for ten minutes and the leader ask the student to divide in two groups: the players and the audience. The players make a semicircle facing the audience and when the music starts they have to come into space and do just normal actions, like: sitting, standing up, rolling or lying on the floor, having the sense of the group and establishing relations with the others. After five minutes, when the first group finishes the second one is asked to make a semicircle and to use the same idea, but this time, they have to come in contact with other individuals. The leader makes sure that the surfaces of contact are diversified and all students bring the focus into the group.

This game helps students to be comfortable with making contact and as a witness it is interesting to observe how people build up relationships without acting or miming something, just by being neutral, but aware of the sense of a group. This very simple way of contact is very useful in the release of psycho-physical tensions, as well as the use of a smooth music, that allows the individuals to get their minds free and to become more involved with this activity.

Reference: I played this game in Polly’s Hudson improvisation class.

As an extension of this game I chose a group improvisation, based on the art of improvisation, which develop student’s spontaneity and expand their imagination field.

Duration: 10 minutes

One individual starts to improvise a solo scene and after a few moments a second player enters and they create another scene together. More students can join the scene and they have to create something new every time they enter and they are also allowed to leave the scene. To test the players' memory, the leader can ask them to rebuild the previous scenes and even to develop them into different directions. This exercise offer the students a range of ideas that can be extended and it creates a certain complicity between the players while building the scenes.

( www.improvecyclopedia.org. - 2002-2011)

In the last five minutes of the workshop the leader asks the students to make a circle and to recapitulate all exercises from this session and to discuss the about aims and learning outcomes. Every individual have to say at least one thing that he/she takes from this theater class, that helps to improve the process of developing specific patterns. At some point, the leader has to give a general feedback to students and if there are some questions, or thoughts from students, he needs to clarify them using more explanations.

By the end of this workshop all students will be able to arrive easily in their bodies and to bring the focus quickly in the theater studio, leaving outside all other thoughts. One of the main aims of this session is building up trust, by working with different partners and teams and developing their self confidence. It is important for actors to release their body tension to be able to physically respond to the leader's signals and to open up their senses to understand that they can be individuals as well as being part of a group. The improvisation games help the players to develop their imagination, to build characters in relationship with other humans, by using the mixture between the neutral and creative sides.

All these games can be considered as a rich basis of the learning process and allow the students to explore themselves and their natural patterns.

Reference List

Dixon, Luke, (2003) Play Acting: a guide to theater workshops, London: Methuen;

Hahlo, R & Reynolds, P (2003) Dramatic Events: How to run a successful workshop, London: Faber & Faber;

Barker, C (1994) Theatre Games, Methuen Drama;

Boal, A (2003) Games for Actors and Non-Actors, London: Routledge;

Johnston, C (1998) House of Games, New York: Routledge;

Kempe A & Nicholson H (2007) Learning to Teach Drama, Continuum International Publishing Group;

Johnston C (2006), The Improvisation Game,London: Nick Hern Books.

www.improvencyclopedia.org - 2002-2011

IPP Scores

I've chosen some scores for IPP presentation:

• warm smile/ always smiling;
• simple;
• alone (her husband died after the first world war);
• honest; 
• respectful;
• modest;
• shy.

When I go in studio tomorrow I'll try to improvise beginning with these scores and I'll see what will happen next...

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

Today, Ioana and me decided to visit the Herbert Art Gallery because we wanted to find out more about Egyptian culture, myths and secrets. We could observe about 200 original objects, including a giant statue of Ramsses II, a rare sculpture of Queen Nefertiti and a preserved mummy of a young woman called Perenbast. The Egyptian legends tell us that every human has a physical body and a spirit, called "ka"- life force that ebdurs even after death. This "ka" should be maintained even after the physical death, so all intern organs were places in big recipients, in the tomb, and the body was fold in wet bandages, and then dried, so the body shape and size remain the same. The reason of this process was to make sure that the body will meet the "ka" to achieve the eternal life.

While observing  the real mummy one small idea dropped into my soul and head, that could help me for my IPP presentation. As my grand- grand mother was a unique human being, her wonderful traits deserve to be conserved and I admit that some of them are present in myself as well. It's interesting to observe how the traits are inherited generation after generation and the feeling when I find similarities between myself and my ancestors.
Tomorrow I'm going in the studio trying to express some of them and see what happens in my moving body as result of these emotions about my grand-grand mother. I would like as well to record some specific sounds and to make a projection of that picture on the wall during my solo.

References:
http://egyptmanchester.wordpress.com;
www.wikipedia.com;

Razvan Mazilu

This is Sunday morning, and I'm looking for artists that can inspire my IPP presentation.
I found something very interesting about Razvan Mazilu, who had a simple, but interesting idea. He made a labyrinth of long sheets of paper and he asked the audience to visit this maze, but while visiting they should write on paper words that can describe the artist, who had to transpose them into movement. I enjoy the idea of involving the audience to the performance, so the audience can play with the boundaries, quiet, or explosions...

This work is related to my presentation because I am interested as well of public's involvement and responses to my performance.

Reference: www.evz.ro.

details

She was born in 1893, she died in 12 November 1967...a fost infiata de familia Savin.

Apetruscai Marioara: o femeie inalta, cu parul carunt, prins in coc, uscativa, un suras cald. O femeie simpla de la tara, care a crescut in mare parte singura cei 8 copii: 6 baieti si 2 fete. Sotul ei a murit dupa primul razboi mondial. Este educata in spiritul muncii, a cinstei, a respectului fata d cei din jur. Nu stia carte, a invatat sa scrie si sa citeasca la batranete...urmand cursuri de alfabetizare, era modesta, sfioasa, cu mult bun simt, mereu cu zambetul pe buze... Niciodata nu a aruncat cuvinte grele, jignitoare la adresa cuiva. Pentru fiecare avea doar vorbe bune. Torcea, tesea panza din care facea camasi pt copii, facea curatenie prin casa, ordonata, curata, si spala rufele la rau. Fierbea rufele cu lesie, le ducea la rau, le clatea cu maiul, be o banca pusa in mijlocul apei. A muncit din greu pana si'a vazut baietii mari, care apoi au inceput sa o ajute in gospodarie.Pe toti i'a trimis la scoala si au invatat diferite meserii. Mereu ganditoare, cum sa le asigure celor 8 copii un viitor mai bun .
Nu avea curent electric, torcea la lumina lampii cu petrol pana noaptea tarziu. Toate vecinele din jur ii sareau in ajutor, pentru bunatatea ei, sufletul ei.Casa era modesta, decorata cu covoare de lana tesute in casa.

This is a short description of my gand-grand mother and I will take some time to think about it. I'll choose some scores from my IPP presentation and then I'll write again what I take from this description...

The Art Of Touch

               The Art of Touch

One of the most interesting activities for me is watching Siobhan Davies' Archive, so I can observe a lot of videos and images. The performance that really made my hold my breath was the beautiful "Art of Touch", an explosion of movement and passion.
The idea of this project came from the artist Francois Couperin, who composed some pieces to prepare the hand to touch the keyboard, that will prepare the musicians to really explore the range and color of this instrument. The final piece of music is payed by Matteo Fargion and Domenico Scarlatti. The scores of the choreography were the imprints that human bodies can make into the air and different dynamics of the movement.
At the beginning of the show I noticed that the man placed this hand of the stomach of the lady, who had a special reaction to this and watching this video I felt sometimes that I shouldn't be watching a range of intimate touches. An other type of touch was the eye-to-eye connection, which sometimes can be much stronger than a physical contact.
Watching the duets I observed the parallel between dance and real life: sometimes man support the woman, and sometimes the revers happens, couples have similar habits or different direction to go, but at the end they come back together.
When the dancers start to move, I can see different "conversations" between them and this is how love stories come to life! The dancers express as well many situations that every couple pass trough, beginning with the very first touch, and continuing with the moments of waiting for their first child, or moments of anger and sadness, but also the way that the passion leads them to different extremes.
The music is very colorful and it makes me feel full of energy and power, like a waterfall in the middle of nowhere, like a fire in the middle of the dessert.
In conclusion watching this performance was one of the most exciting experiences in my life and it made me reflect more about human relationships and whatever means a "touch".

References:
-www.theartsdesck.com;
-Siobhan Davies Archive.

Siobhan Davis Archive

During our library session we all had the chance to discover the amazing archive of Siobhan Davies Dance Company, which is full of videos, reflections, images, interpretations, and emotions.
I was happy to build my own scrapbook, where I can add images, videos and comments, but on the other hand it was difficult to choose some pieces of work, because they are all interesting and full of emotions and energy.
I find interesting to observe their pure and perfect technique and and the messages that they transmit to the audience. One of the most important things for me was to observe the way they work during different rehearsal, the scores they start from and as well the final piece, which is very different from all rehearsals. I enjoyed a lot all these unique and spontaneous performances and the dancer's graceful style, their power and involvement.
The music they used is very expressive and I am fascinated by the collaboration with different artists, which  make all performances so original.
This archive is a source of inspiration for my future work and Siobhan Davies Dance Company represents for me one of the most powerful forms of art!

Interview Fiona

After our work presentation, Fiona and I had lots of discussions about our emotional journey into the big sheet of paper. This portraits helped us to become closer and to have a strong friendship, but the most intensive part of the rolling was when we created our hears inside of our universe and then we exchanged them!
I think she is a wonderful person and this is the beginning of a long and strong friendship!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syamr0ofg8k

IPP Presentation

That picture...

This picture...is like my  shadow..I even can say it harasses me...this woman is wearing a white material, she looks so pure, but so sad ... The idea of feminism can be a part of my IPP presentation...

How quick things change!!!

I started the research for IPP by having into my hands some objects from my grandparent's old house...what memories come into my mind when I see those objects? How can I make them alive? Well this special picture is my grand-grandmother....so we have in common so many patterns, habits and things...But does the age when she lived influence me?...or maybe I can be HER!...

Just a few words...

I had my own rehearsal today and some words just came into my mind while practicing...

SPECIAL                         DEEP                                  INTERESTING                 ENIGMATIC
                 POWER                      SILENCE                     EMOTIONS                      PURE            ORIGINAL            HONEST         SIMPLE             WHITE          AMAZING

I noticed I still have in my posture and blood the ballroom patterns! I started to move and to add my arms position...this mixture might be a good idea..I'll go further!

Dance Exchange Workshop

Yesterday I took part form Polly's CI workshop in Birmingham...It was a very good session and I met very nice women!
We started this class by releasing our tensions: the back of the neck, tissues of the skull, shoulders, arms, fingers, making more space into the ribcage releasing the legs and bringing into our attention the breath...let the breath travel in all corners of our body and then start to move...soft and easy!
 I enjoyed the idea of different types of introducing yourself to someone...you can say "hello" or you can just touch someone! We started moving with our eyes closed, by allowing the other person to touch our moving parts of the body, to follow the movement, and then we changed roles. Then we played with the idea of giving weight...there are so many interesting ways of doing this...I feel so comfortable when I let someone to support my weight...
I found myself tensed at the beginning of the class and after I was relaxed and happy...
Reflections... I found myself following and repeating my partner's movement, just like in real life...when you live with someone, you take a part of his habits, when you dance with someone, you take a part of his energy and patterns...

Movement Studies- Andrea B

We came back to the floor sequence, and now my body knows it very well, so I can focus on my head to tail connection and spine. I'n not so flexible today I think it is because of my "full" week-end...
Jumps: -alignment; foot work, travel, pelvis in, breathing;

Reflections after the session...
Today dancing was a therapy for me...I could let go all my "black" thoughts and to think about my body movement. At the beginning the emotional side affected my practice (I was stiff, tensed, I couldn't focus), but after a while the practice affected my emotional side! Now I'm feeling relaxed and full of energy! Dancing helped me to leave behind all negative thoughts and emotions, so I can continue the rest of the day more happy and in an active way! I even improved my breathing and I find myself easier now...

Photography Exhibition

Last Tuesday we visited the Warwick Art Center and we saw a very modern photography exhibition, called "Twenty-Nine Pictures", by the artist Hannah Starkey.
Here you can admire some of her pictures!

I noticed the shadows and reflections, lights and different sources o light(the moon, the lamp, the river, the sun);

-mixture of reality and fiction;

-human relationships;

-mirrors, windows, water... glasses, floor, closet, TV, desk( anything can make a reflection!)

Seeing this reflections made me ask myself how do I see myself as woman in society, at uni, at work, at home, or in clubs! But how do the others see you as woman, part of this world?

Some pictures made me think about the relationship: mother-daughter!

After a discussion with the artist, we found out that in this work she used her own language,she had different interest field into the time when she was in college. Her work is as well a "collection of documents that have a visual language. During this discussion I understood that the "creator" (photographer, choreographer, actor, writer) is not responsible for what the people take from their work, or the message that people understand.

One important theme of this exhibition is the WOMAN:

-individual;

-groups;

-different ages;

-ambiguity;

-possibility of narrative;

-how women are used by media;

-as woman, formulate your own language and apply it to the world;

-life cycle;

-what means being a woman;

-internal and external of an image;

This exhibition gave me ideas for my body story, I can even take some pictures ti myself in different situations, while working to this project, and talk about the dance reflections into myself!!!